• Tag Archives 1990

  • PC World (September 1990)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    PC World was one of the most popular PC specific magazines for a long time throughout a good portion of the 1980s, the 1990s, and well into the 2000s. The September 1990 issue includes:

    Previews

    • 1-2-3 Meets Windows Halfway – Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3.1 added a graphical user interface. It could also run under Windows 3.0 but not with its GUI. It is still basically a DOS program at this point.
    • NEC Pushes Laptop Power – An early look at the NEC UltraLite 286V laptop which includes a 12-MHz 286 CPU, 20MB hard disk, VGA display, 1 MB of RAM, and an external 3.5-inch floppy drive for $3999.

    Reviews

    • Do Presentation Manager Spreadsheets Have the Right Stuff? – Reviews of the OS/2 versions of Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel and comparison with the Windows versions.
    • Fonts Unlimited: Seven Smart Lasers for Under $3000 – Reviews of what were at the time relatively low-cost laser printers including the Canon LBP-4, HP LaserJet IIP, HP LaserJet III, IBM LaserPrinter, IBM LaserPrinter E, and Okidata OkiLaser 820.
    • Project Management Reaches the Real World – Reviews of six project management software packages including Harvard Project Manager 3.01, InstaPlan 5000 2.0, Microsoft Project for Windows 1.0, Project Scheduler 4 2.0, SuperProject Expert 1.1, and Time Line 4.0.

    Features

    • The Spreadsheet Connection: From Data Base to Decision – A look at add-ins for allowing spreadsheets to get data out of a database.
    • Buyers’ Guide: 80MB Upgrades – A guide to 80MB (give or take) hard drive upgrades. A number of hard drives are examined here including models from CMS, Core International, Cumulus, Fujitsu, Hard Drives International, IBM, Miniscribe, Microscience International, Plus Development, Procom Technology, Quantum, Syquest, Teac, and Western Digital. Prices range from $650 to nearly $1500.

    News

    • Top of the News – Lotus Sues Borland over Quattro Pro interface, AST and Airis to offer laptops that run on alkaline batteries, GeoWorks to offer GEOS for XT based computers, Tandy introduces the Tandy 1000 RL, Compaq launches Deskpro 486/33L, Deskpro 386/33L, and Systempro models which include EISA bus and 33 MHz version of 486 chip, and more.
    • Industry Outlook – IBM introduces AT based PS/1 for home office users; Symantec and Norton merge; multiprocessor PC based servers replace minicomputers; and more.
    • Product Outlook – Zenith introduces hard disk equipped notebook (MiniSport HD), Deskpro 386N and 286N diskless workstations from Compaq, Epson LT-386SX laptop, and more.

    How To

    • PC World’s Guide to Painless Backups – A guide to backing up your PCs hard drive to floppies including advice on partitioning your hard drive.
    • Words Into Print – Moving your word processing documents to desktop publishing software.
    • Spreadsheets (A-Z) – Streamlining Lotus 1-2-3’s database functions with macros.
    • Data Basics – Lookups in dBASE.
    • The Information Edge – A look at Prodigy, a pre-Internet online service that offered e-mail, stock quotes, bulletin boards, and more.

    Departments

    • Richard Landry – Borland and Lotus battle over spreadsheet interface copyright.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about users’ rights, Northgate, fonts, WordPerfect, and more.
    • The Help Screen – Keeping your floppy disks safe from your phone, modems, and other heat and magnetic field generating items; using multiple AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS configurations; maximum DOS command length; and more.
    • Consumer Watch – Advice for buying a used PC.
    • Star-Dot-Star – A C program to make DOS commands failsafe; turning off page breaks in WordStar; validating dates in dBASE; and more.
    • Developer’s Toolbox – Comparing Borland Turbo C++ 1.0 and Microsoft C Professional Development System 6.0.
    • Taking It Home – Tips for moving Windows based word processing files to DOS.

    …and more!


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  • PC World (March 1990)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – March 1990

    PC World was without a doubt one of the most popular PC magazines of the 1990s. There were still magazines for other types of computers around but they were fading away by the early 1990s. PC World and PC Magazine came to dominate when it came to computer magazines. The March 1990 issue of PC World includes:

    Preview

    • Compaq’s Double-Barreled Server – A preview of Compaq’s new server. It could handle up to two 33-MHz 386 or 486 CPUs and 256 MB of RAM which was absolutely massive for the time. Prices ranged from $15,999 to $25,999 depending on configuration. Adjusted for inflation, at the low end, that’s nearly $40k.
    • The Multiprocessing Payoff: How Side-by-Side CPUs Work – A look at how dual CPU architecture works.
    • New Deal for the Hardcard – Hardcards were hardrives on an expansion card that could plug into an ISA slot. The Hardcard II came in 40 and 80MB varieties at prices of $849 and $999.

    Reviews

    • A Laser on Every Desk – Reviews of under $2000 laser printers including the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIP, Toshiba PageLaser6, Epson EPL-6000, Facit P6060, and Office Automation LaserPro Exec.
    • First-Class Laptops for Frequent Flyers – A look at seven 80286 based laptops designed for travelers. Models looked at here include the Compaq LTE/286, Dauphin LapPro-286, Epson Equity LT-286e, NEC ProSpeed 286, Packard Bell PB286LP, Sharp PC-5541, and Toshiba T1600.
    • Notebook PCs: Early Entries Lack Drive to Succeed – Smaller “notebook” laptops were available but they lacked drives (often of any kind) among other niceties.
    • New Dimensions for Flat Files – A review of basic data management software. Titles include Alpha Four 1.0, DataPerfect 2.0, PC-File:dB 1.1, Professional File 2.01, Q&A 3.0, Reflex 2.0, and Xerox FormBase 1.0.
    • Paint Programs Pass the Screen Test – An overview of available paint programs for the PC including Colorix 1.2, PC Paint 3.1, PC Paintbrush IV, and Splash.

    News

    • Top of the News – New 20-MHz version of the 386SX released; Toshiba introduces to laptops to challenge Compaq; R:base 3.0 released; and more.
    • Industry Outlook – A look at the top PC retailers; Epson challenges leading laser printer makers; PC makers start bundling software with computers; and more.
    • Product Outlook – A look at new and upcoming products including the TurboPS/400 printer, Drafix Windows CAD, Super-386c (a 386 based PC from Hyundai), and much more.

    Features

    • Desktop Multimedia: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – The first multimedia standard included a 386 based PC and CD-ROM drive. However, multimedia really didn’t take off until the late 486 era (circa 1993, a few years after this article).
    • Developer’s Wait for PC HyperCard – Hypercard was an application on the Macintosh that let you build multimedia applications. It was sort of like a web app without the web. At the time, the PC didn’t really have an equivalent. At least not one that was easy to use.
    • The High Price of Multimedia – Multimedia systems were expensive because they required a hard drive, large (for the time) amounts of RAM, a sound card, speakers, and CD-ROM drive. However, prices would drop quickly.
    • Buyers’ Guide: Printer Sharing Made Simple – A look at various expansion boards that allowed you to share your printer among multiple systems.

    How To

    • Mastering 1-2-3 Macro Libraries – Release 2.2 of Lotus 1-2-3 made macros easier to use and more powerful.
    • Tips & Techniques – Adding graphics to your documents with Word 5.0; speed up your 286 based system with a 16-MHz $599 accelerator card; tips for making drive B: look like A:, helping Windows see COM3, and more.

    Perspectives

    • Richard Landry – A discussion of whether or not PCs in the business environment will become a top down directed affair from corporate higher-ups or continue to be driven from the bottom up.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about product differentiation, repetitive-strain injuries, the best shareware data compression, and more.
    • Taking It Home – Saving on taxes with your home office.

    Departments

    • The Help Screen – Questions answered about scientific notation with word processors, using the PATH command, VGA driver compatibility, and more.
    • Consumer Watch – Many top manufacturers have violated the FCC’s regulations regarding radio frequency interference.
    • Network Q&A – Questions answered about upgrading a network, setting up an asynchronous communications server, and more.

    …and more!


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  • PC World (July 1990)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source:  PC World – July 1990

    PC World was probably the most widely available PC Magazine throughout the 1990s and 2000s. At some point, they started covering more and more other consumer electronics stuff and it sort of lost appeal (at least to me) as a computer magazine. Page count was a fairly good way to judge how they were doing at at nearly 300 pages, it looks like they were doing quite well in 1990. The July 1990 issue includes:

    Previews

    • Windows Makes the Grade – A look at Windows 3.0. This was really the first version of Windows to start to become ubiquitous on PCs. My first PC had Windows 3.11.
    • HyperCard Meets Windows – A look at ToolBook, a HyperCard-like programming tool for Windows.
    • Windows 3.0 Quiets the Critics – Various software publishers like WordPerfect start supporting Windows but believe OS/2 will be the future…boy were they wrong.

    Reviews

    • Software You Can Really Use – A look at some of the best utilities including WindowDOS 3.0 (a DOS shell not to be confused with Windows 3.0), PC Tools, Norton Utilities, The Norton Commander, SpinRite II, Speed Disk, Fullback Plus, SideKick, and lots more.
    • Hard Disk Health Insurance – A comparison of hard drive recovery tools including Norton’s Disk Doctor, PC Tools’ DiskFix, and Mace Utilities 1990.
    • Making DOS Manageable – A round-up of DOS Shells including 1dir+ 3.03, Disk Director 1.06, Magellan 2.0, Norton Commander 3.0, PC Tools Deluxe 6.0, SoftBreeze 3.0, Tree86 3.2, and XtreePro Gold 1.4.
    • Disk Trouble? No, Thanks! – A round-up of nine utilities to tune up and troubleshoot your hard drive. Included in this review are Disk Optimizer 4.05, Optune 1.2, Mace Utilities 1990, Htest 3.0, The Norton Utilities Advanced Edition 4.5, PC-Kwik Power Disk 1.0, PC Tools Deluxe 6.0, SpinRite II, and Vopt 2.2.
    • No-Excuses Backup Software – A round-up of backup software. At the top of the list are Norton Backup and PC Tools.
    • Playing for Time: Five Personal Schedulers – A round-up of scheduling software including Calendar Creator Plus 3.0, Complete Calendar 2.5, PC Tools Deluxe 6.0, Reminders 2.1, and SideKick Plus 1.0.

    Features

    • Buyers’ Guide: Our Favorite Utilities – The editors of PC World pick their favorite utilities.
    • Souped-Up Word Processing – A buyer’s guide for tools for word processors. Product covered include Grammatik IV, Word for Word Professional 4.1, GrandView 1.01a, and others.
    • Spreadsheets With Extra Reach – Tools for spreadsheets including (at)BASE 2.22, RAR Worksheet Report Writer 1.0, Look&Link 1.1, Noteworth 1.01, Worksheet Utilities 1.01, Budget Express 1.0, Delta-Manager 1.0, Impress 2.0, Sideways 3.31, and more.
    • Time-Savers for Desktop Publishers – Utilities to make desktop publishing chores more efficient. Some utlities included here are MouseWare 1.0, The Soft Kicker Plus 2.0, PageMaker Portfolio, and others.
    • Communications Shareware: The People’s Choice – Tools to improve and make your online experience more efficient. These include TAPCIS 5.2, List 7.3d, PKZIP 1.10, Doorway 2.05, DSZ, E-Z Reader 1.24, MPt Protocol, and Viruscan 2.7V60.
    • Are You Satisfied With Your Software – A survey of what users would like to see in their software to make it easier to use.
    • Who Says Users Can’t Get No Satisfactions – PC World readers pick their favorite softare.

    How To

    • Instant Reference Card: Word Perfect – Keyboard shortcuts for Wordperfect 5.0 and 5.1.

    News

    • Top of the News – Lotus 1-2-3 3.1 released, IBM to introduce another home computer, Windows applications to run under OS/2, DOS 5.0 coming soon, and more.
    • Industry Outlook – Lotus and Novell mergers plans, Compaq expands into peripherals, AT&T markets office software called Rahpsody based on HP’s NewWave, censorship on Prodigy, and more.
    • Product Outlook – A brief look at new products including the PC-6220 laptop from Sharp, PC Power and Cooling Inner Source 2210 combination power supply and UPS, new Tandy systems (2800 HD, 4033 LX, 4016 DX, 4016 SX, 2500 XL), 1.44 MB floppy drives for Next systems, and more.

    Perspectives

    • Richard Laundry – An editorial on why Windows is here to stay.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about FCC regulations, Excel vs. Lotus 1-2-3, modem usage, and more.

    Departments

    • The Help Screen – Help with formatting 720k disks on 1.44MB drives, dual booting DOs and OS/2, memory prices, ASCII file readers, scientific word processors, and more.
    • Consumer Watch – Deciding whether or not to upgrade your software.
    • Taking it Home – Taking your home office on the road with a Toshiba T1000 and SideKick Plus.

    …and more!


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