• Tag Archives IBM

  • PC World (February 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – February 1985

    PC World was one of the most popular magazines dedicated to IBM PC and compatible computers. I thrived in the 1980s and 1990s and survived well into the second decade of the new century. However, like pretty much all computer magazines, this one eventually died as a result of the Internet. The February 1985 issue includes:

    Getting Started

    • Strategies for Sharing Resources – A multi-user system with multiple terminals or a LAN may be a better alternative to simply buying more PCs when your business needs to expand.

    Community

    • The Organization LAN – The necessity of networking when dealing with a multitude of PCs.

    Review

    • Six Leading LANs – A comparison of the six leading Local Area Network solutions, including Netware/S-Net (Novell), EtherSeries (3Com), Omninet (Corvus Systems), PLAN 3000 (Nestar Systems), PCnet (Orchid Technology), and Net/One (Ungermann-Bass).
    • The Multiuser Dimension – An alternative to a LAN was a multi-user system with IBM PCs basically used as smart terminals. This article looks specifically at the North Star Dimension which supported 12 workstation, ran a custom OS and was compatible with MS-DOS 2.11.
    • Breaking Ground in Construction – A review of Software Shop, an accounting package specialized for the construction industry.

    PCjr World

    • Color on Command – A look at the Palette command provided on cartridge BASIC for the IBM PCjr. This was a command designed to allow for easily changing colors or even doing simple animations.
    • A Drive to Succeed – The PCjr was limited in a variety of ways compared to the PC. However, there were several add-ons that were made by third parties to improve the situation. This article looks at one such product, the “Drive Two Enhancement Package” from Rapport. This package includes a second disk drive, a parallel printer port, a clock/calendar with battery backup, and an optional 128K-384K memory expansion. It also increases compatibility with PC software.

    State of the Art

    • A New Focus on Data Management – A look at PC/Focus, a “fourth generation” computer language (Focus) for the PC. It’s main advantage seems to be making data management easier.

    Hands On

    • Untangling Networks – A guide to finding the Local Arean Network product that will work best for you.

    Departments

    • Davin Bunnell – An interesting story in which a user planted stolen credit card numbers on a BBS without the sysops knowledge. The phone company somehow discovered this through its own BBS snooping software and notified the police. The poor guy who ran the BBS had is computer confiscated (stolen) and was charged as an accessory to the crime. An argument is presented here as to whether the BBS operator is equivalent to a newspaper publisher or simply providing a communications medium. This argument has come up more recently with social media but as you can see, it’s nothing new.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about indexes of old articles, a tip for entering a date in Lotus 1-2-3 that auto updates, the PCs chess playing skills, Sargon III, and more.
    • PC World View – Microsoft debuts the Microsoft Press International Publishing Consortium through which it will publish various books around the world; the usage of personal computers in political campaigns increased greatly in 1984…most of the time, those using computers won; a prototype IBM PC AT was stolen from an IBM lab in Palm Beach County, Florida. The thief was not caught; IBM announces its own local area network product; and more.
    • The Help Screen – Questions answered about using RAM disks.
    • Compatibles Update – AT&T releases a video display adapter, image capture board, and other products for “AT&T and compatible computers”; Zenith awarded contract for 30,000 Tempest certified Z-150 PCs; Ford Aerospace buys $1.5 million worth of Seequa PC and XT desktop computers which will go to NASA engineers in Houston; the IRS field-tests GRiD Compass portable computers; and more.
    • From the Software Shelf – First impressions of various software including Macro-Toolkit for Lotus, SideKick Version 1.10A, A>Cook: The Complete Computer Recipe System, PC Abstracts, and Textra.

    …and more!


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  • Byte (November 1988 – IBM Special Edition) 

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Byte – November 1988 (IBM Special Edition)

    Byte was one of the earliest and most in-depth computer magazines around while it was being published. It began life in the 1970s and lasted all the way into the 1990s. This issue is from November 1988 and is one of two issues published that month. Once the IBM PC became a huge deal, Byte started doing a yearly special “IBM” issue and did so for a number of years. This is one of those special IBM issues and it includes:

    Trends

    • Editorial: Two Roads – There was still a question at this time as to whether the IBM PS/2 would set the new standard for PCs to come or the AT/386 standard. We all know how that turned out…
    • Probing the State of the Art – More about the latest in the PC world including both PS/2 and AT/386 standards. Plus a look at advanced operating systems like OS/2 and Unix. Also, I look at new peripheral devices like the HiREZ mouse from Logitech, the Kyocera F-3010 laser printer, the ScanJet from HP and more.
    • Mapping the Software World – A look at some of the common types of software available and good representative examples, including integrated software packages, word processing software, desktop publishing software, spreadsheets, database management, telecommunications, drafting, painting, utilities and more.
    • Beefed-up Bulletin Boards – While most hobby BBSes may have been run on a single phone line and a basic PC, there were some much larger systems out there. This article covers a few of them including Exec-PC (54 dial-up lines, 1.48 gigabytes of files), Invention Factory (24 dial-up lines, 1.2 gigabytes), Thousand Oaks Technical Database (160 megabyte), Utilities Exchange (117 megabytes). These systems offer maximum dial-up speeds of 2400bps to 9600bps. According to this article, at the time there were over 10,000 BBSes in the U.S.
    • Migrating: Up or Down? – Migrating from mainframes to PCs and vice versa.
    • OS/2 Dreams – A look at the current state of OS/2 and where it should go in the future.
    • To Mac and Back – Various ways to move files between the PC and a Mac. Options discussed include direct serial and SCSI connections, using a DOS co-processor, using DOS disks on the MAC, and various networking solutions.
    • DOS 4.0 – A look at the new DOS 4.0. Some enhancements over previous versions include support for disk drives larger than 32 megabytes, new and improved utilities, and a DOS Shell.
    • Memory Board Roundup – A comparison of memory expansion boards for PS/2, PC, XT and AT systems. There are 21 boards listed for PC/XT/AT systems ranging in size from 64K to 16MB with prices ranging from under $100 to nearly $1900 and those prices are for whatever the “standard” memory amount is for that board, none of which exceed 2 MB. There are another 20+ boards for PS/2 systems. These max out at about the same price but start at closer to $350.

    Technology

    • The Micro Channel versus the AT Bus – The advantage of the PS/2 32-bit MCA bus was speed. The advantage of the AT Bus was significantly lower cost and greater compatibility with existing expansion cards. At the end of the day, it turned out that the PS/2 wasn’t really faster than the fastest AT based machines and those AT machines were a whole lot cheaper. The rest is history. It wouldn’t be long before 32-bit “AT” solutions came along like EISA and VLB.
    • Keeping Up with the CPU – A processors in the PC increased in speed from 4.77 MHz to 8 MHz to 16 MHz and beyond, the bus (and system memory) started having trouble keeping up. Some solutions at the time were to introduce wait states (negating much of the speed advantage of faster CPUs), using faster DRAM (which was more expensive), or using SRAM (also expensive). For 386 based systems, the approach settled on was using standard DRAM but including a smaller amount of SRAM for cache. Essentially, the same approach at a high level is still used today with cache having long ago moved from the motherboard into the processor itself. Of course now CPUs have much more cache that systems back then had total memory. A common amount of memory in high end 386 desktop systems in 1988 would have been 1 or 2 MB. The relatively old at this point Ryzen 1700 I am typing this on has 8MB of L3 cache plus smaller amounts of L2 and L1.
    • Whither IBM and Unix? – A look a the various implementations of Unix available including PX/IX, ISC, Xenix, and most recently for IBM, AIX. Plus, OS/2 versus Unix.
    • DOS Meets Unix – Hosting DOS applications like Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE III, and WordPerfect in Unix.
    • Graphics: The Big Picture – The transition of PC graphics from monochrome to CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond.
    • Life After DOS – A look at multitasking options for PCs that don’t require OS/2 including DESQview, VM/386, Omniview, Concurrent DOS, PC-MOS, and Windows/386.

    Techniques

    • OS/2 Communications – A look at communications software in OS/2. It turns out that creating such software that takes advantage of OS/2’s multitasking capabilities is not especially difficult compared to DOS. OS2COMM (including source) is a simple com program for OS/2 that is looked at here as an example.
    • Keep Your PC Healthy – Tips for keeping your PC in working order including things like keeping your environment dust free, not smoking around your computer, making sure it has proper airflow, and more. Plus, software oriented solutions like defragmenting your hard drive.
    • Writing OS/2 Graphics – Technical considerations for creating graphics on OS/2, including things like privilege levels, 286 protected mode, directly accessing graphics hardware, multitasking and more.
    • VGA Video Modes – A technical look at the various VGA graphics modes.
    • Exploring OS/2 with a Lisp Interpreter – Using extensions to XLisp to conveniently experiment on OS/2. Includes various code samples.

    …and more!


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  • PC World (September 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – September 1987

    PC World was perhaps the widest read PC magazine during its life. Issues from the 1980s were massive with this issue from September 1987 coming in at around 420 pages. The page count gradually decreased over the years with the Internet finally destroying this magazine as it did so many others. Contents of this issue include:

    Getting Started

    • Worksheets by Design – A beginner’s guide to creating a worksheet in your favorite spreadsheet program.
    • Laser-Perfect – Using the LaserJet Plus with WordPerfect 4.2.

    Community

    • DOS Amigos – Interviews with Compaq’s Rod Canion and Tandy’s John roach in which they talk about the PS/2 and the future of personal computing.
    • The Knowledge Engineers – Capturing knowledge with Expert Systems.

    Review

    • NewViews Breaks the Rules – A look at a new accounting software product from Q.W. Page that combines a spreadsheet with an audit trail.
    • Letters From Cell A17 – A look at three add-in products for Lotus 1-2-3 that add word processing capabilities. These are 4Word, InWord, and Write-in.
    • Dimensional Fortitude – A look at two three-dimensional spreadsheet programs (basically combining the functionality of multiple worksheets), Boeing Calc and MVP Spreadsheet Plus.
    • Magical Multiscan Tour – MultiScan monitors were a relatively new technology at the time. Their advantage being that one monitor could handle multiple video standards so you didn’t have to buy a monitor every time you went to a new graphics standard. They were not cheap though. This review looks at seven different monitors and they all come in at somewhere near $900 and we aren’t talking big screens either, probably maxing out at around 14-inches with most having a max resolution of around 800×600. Monitors reviewed include the NEC MultiSync, Sony Multiscan, JVC GD-H3214, Taxan Super Vision 770, Magnavox Multimode, Thomson Ultra Scan and Nanao 8060S.
    • Cache on Demand? – A look at various disk caching programs including Flash 5.0, Lightning 4.5, PolyBoost 1.7, Quickcache 2.1, Super PC-Kwik 1.5, and Vcache 2.01.

    State of the Art

    • Routines for Rent – A look at APIs and DOS. APIs were a relatively new fad at the time. This article points out that the best known example at the time was how Lotus Developer supports the creation of add-ons for Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony 1.1.

    Hands On

    • From Ledger to Spreadsheet – Using EasyBusiness Systems, Lotus 1-2-3 and DOS Exports, you too can movie data from a Ledger to a spreadsheet.
    • Up From WordStar – Various macros to make Microsoft Word and WordPerfect work more like WordStar.

    Departments

    • David Bunnell – The FCC proposes to add “access fees” to dial-up to online services such as CompuServe of $4.50 to $5.40 an hour.
    • Letters – Letters from readers regarding IBM, the PS/2 Model 60, the PS/2 Model 50 and converting programs to 3.5″ disks, the Kyocera F-1010 laser printer, software piracy, PC-Talk, and more.
    • Harry Miller – Using new to tools beyond spreadsheets for financial analysis and budgeting.
    • Stewart Alsop – The strategy behind new product announcements.
    • Top of the News – Toshiba gets in trouble for selling submarine propeller technology to the Soviet Union; Koryo Systems announces the Inchon, a 286/386-upgradable desktop system the size of a laptop; Hercules announces PS/2 card; Daybreak announces Satin integrated package that includes spreadsheet, file manager, word processor, communications package and idea processor; Epson to release low end PC clone called Apex featuring an 8088-2 processor, 512K RAM and two 360K floppy drives.
    • PC World View – An interview with Ashton-Tate CEO Edward Esber, Jr. about dBase IV and Ashton-Tate’s future plans.
    • Product Outlook – Recent product announcements and upcoming releases including Byline (desktop publishing software); the Zenith Easy PC; new Wyse models including the PC 286 Model 2108, Model 2112, Model 2214 and Model 3216; the Turbo 888-XT Headstart Computer System; and more.
    • From the Software Shelf – Reviews of the latest software, including Xerox Ventura Publisher (desktop publishing program), True BASIC 2.0 (BASIC compiler), Eureka: The Solver (equation solver), and Opt-Tech Sort (DOS sort utility), Glyphix (font designer).
    • From the Hardware Shelf – Reviews of the latest hardware, including Datavue Spark ($995 laptop with 384K and 384K), PC Laser 6000 (laser printer), Slimline 4200 (286 based with 360K floppy for $1495), and the Maynstream 60 (60MB-125MB tape drive).
    • The Upgrade Path – A look at various PC upgrades including: The MicroSoft Mach 10 turbo board featuring a 9.54/4.77-MHz 8086 for $549; the Essential Card, a 256K RAM expansion for the Epson Equity I; and more.
    • Consumer Watch – What to look for when buying floppy disk drives and cheap disks. Plus, reader letters about the Tandy 3000 and PC compatibility, The Source and fees, the AT&T 6300, and more.
    • Soucrcebooks – Book reviews of The Cognitive Connection: Thought and Language in Man and Machine, The Brady Guide to Microcomputer Troubleshooting and Maintenance, Microcomputer Data Security: Issues and Strategies for Business, Quick Start Guide for 12 Top PC Programs, and more.
    • The Help Screen – Questions from readers answered about searching text files, Dvorak keyboards, installing a 3.5″ floppy drive in an IBM PC XT, syncing files between PCs, PageMaker hardware requirements, and more.
    • Next in PC World – Coming in the October 1987 issue, readers choose the best hardware and software of 1987, a review of Crosstalk MK.4, a look at Borland’s Reflex, and more.
    • Another Angle – Software piracy and the cost to consumers.

    …and more!


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