• Tag Archives PC

  • PC World (May 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – PC World – May 1985

    In 1985 the IBM PC was still relatively new and it (or more accurately its clones) had not yet taken over the home market. Other computers like the Commodore 64, Apple II and Atari 8-bit were cheaper, better for games, and could still do pretty much anything the PC could do. However, the PC was becoming more common in the home and had already pretty much completely taken over desktop computing in the business environment that had been dominated by custom systems and CP/M based systems only a few years earlier (for businesses that even had computers anyway). PC World was one of the most popular PC magazines and the May 1985 issue checks in at over 400 pages. It’s hard to even conceive of a magazine having that many pages today. It includes:

    Getting Started

    • Tapping Into On-Line Data Bases – While the public Internet was still years away, there were various online services that could be accessed with a modem and a fee (usually per minute). There were various online databases that could be accessed and for a variety of use cases, this could replace doing research at a library.

    Community

    • Islands in the Mainstream – This article discusses the implications of connecting PCs to mainframes, something that was starting to happen in the business world.
    • Birth of a Sales Tool – Automating sales forecasting with Framework and Lotus 1-2-3.


    Table of Contents from the May 1985 of PC World

    Review

    • Gateways to On-Line Services – While online databases could be useful, they were usually cryptic. This article discusses gateway services that would translate English language like search commands into something these databases could understand. If only they’d had Google…
    • DG/One for the Road – Review of the Data General/one, a laptop featuring a 12-inch LCD screen (the same size as typical PC monitors at the time), a 3.5″ 720K double desnsity disk drive (with a second drive optional), an optional external 5.25″ disk drive (for $895), an 80C88 CPU, 128K RAM (upgradeable to 512K), an optional 300bps internal modem ($300) or 1200bps modem ($699), and an OPTIONAL rechargeable battery for $178. The base price for 1 disk drive, 128KB, no modem etc. was $2895. Upgraded to be a reasonably usable system for business purposes it would have cost you $4571.

    • Keeping Murphy’s Law at Bay – A review of Microsoft Project project planning software.
    • OfficeWriter: Simply Dedicated – A review of this word processing software from Office Solutions.
    • Speaking in Codes – A look at two software packages that can be used to encrypt your files: DataSafe and Crypt Master. DataSafe uses DES while Crypt Master uses RSA encryption. On a typical PC of the time, Crypt Master could perform encryption at 1.25K per minute and decryption at 131 bytes per minute. Given the shorter key lengths probably used, you could probably crack that encryption with brute force on today’s systems much faster…

    PCjr World

    • Move Over MacPaint – A look at PCjr ColorPaint, the PCjr’s answer to MacPaint.

    State of the Art

    • A Matter of Public Record – A look at DATASTORE:lan, sfotware for managing a local area network.

    Hands On

    • Tactics for Teleconferencing – Teleconferencing today probaly brings to mind something like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In 1985 it meant e-mail and voice calls.
    • On-Line Search Strategies – Some hints on how to approach searching for information on-line. This wasn’t like Google. Different online services contained different databases that could be searched in different ways. For example, if you want to search for information about U.S. sales of personal computers, you could enter “S PC = 3573098(L)EC = 64(L)CC=1USA” into the appropriate online database. Intuitive it was not and search results could be just as cryptic.

    Departments

    • David Bunnell – Dave Bunnell discusses software piracy and copy protection.
    • Eric Brown – Eric Brown looks at online databases, most of which consists of bibliographic abstracts from journals around the world.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about DisplayWrite 2, the first word processor, the current state of the personal computer market, and more.
    • PC World View – The president of the Boston Computer Society (Jonathan Rotenberg) looks at the history and the future of personal computing.
    • The Help Screen – Questions answered about accessing more than 64K in BASIC, programming the TRS-80 Model III, and more.
    • Compatibles Update – The current state of the PC Clone market plus an expansion board for CP/M based machines that turn them into a PC compatible (the SWP Co-Power-88) which includes an on board 8088 CPU, 128K or 256K of RAM, DOS 2.11 and more for $400-$500 depending on options.
    • From the Software Shelf – A brief look at recent software releases including Heads of the Coin (an interactive fiction game), PC Write (word processor), PC-File III version 2 (data manager), The Spreadsheet Auditor (checks spreadsheet formulas for errors), and more.
    • Just Announced – A look at new products including the Ericsson 8088 based PC, the Kaypro 16 “transportable” computer, the UltraLink 1200bps modem, the Epson JX-80 color dot matrix printer, and more.

    …and much more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana DOS 📎and tagged

  • PC World (January 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – January 1993

    1993 was perhaps the beginning of a golden age for the PC. Competition from other platforms (other than the Mac) was pretty much dead if not yet buried. The Internet boom was just around the corner and technology was progressing rapidly. PCs would have been running DOS or a combination of DOS and Windows 3.1 (which pretty much all PCs shipped with at this point). A top of the line PC in January would have been something like a 486 DX-33 with 4MB of RAM though by August I was buying a 486 DX2-66 with 16MB. Games mostly came on 3.5″ disks at this point…the 5.25″ format was still around but fading away and CD-ROMs were not common yet. The January 1993 issue of PC World was massive creeping up on the 400 page mark. It included:

    Features

    • Lotus: Getting the most from 1-2-3 and other Lotus Software – A huge special section on Lotus software, most known for their spreadsheet program, Lotus 1-2-3. This section also covers other software like Lotus Notes, version 3.0 of which was soon to be released.

    Windows Special Issue

    • The World’s Best $2500 Windows PC – A review of the best Windows PCs which here include the Wyse Decision 486sl, ATronics International ATI-486-50, Micro Express ME 486-Local Bus/DX2/50, TriStar Tri-WIN 486DX/50 ISA, and Leading Edge D4/DX2 50. Processors included two 50-MHz 486DXs, two 50-MHz 486DX2s, and 33 MHz 486DX. Those were the best buys anyway, other categories were included…for example computer awarded best performance was the Acer AcerPower 486e DX2/66 Model 5657. Included RAM was typically 4MB or 8MB with hard drives ranging from around 80MB to around 250MB.
    • Windows and DOS Speedup Tips – 75 tips on how to make DOS and Windows faster. Tips include things like adjusting virtual printer memory settings, printing direct the port in DOS, automatically launching software, optimizing config.sys, and much more.
    • The Windows Spreadsheet Challenge – A showdown between Lotus 1-2-3, Excel and Quattro Pro.
    • The Complete Guide to Scalable Fonts – In the early days, working with fonts in Windows was a nightmare compared to the Mac. It gradually got better.
    • PC World Adviser: Ramping Up to Windows – Advice on training an office staff who currently uses DOS to use Windows.

    Top of the News

    • The Whole World in His Windows – Microsoft begins shipping Windows for Workgroups as part of Bill Gates’ plan to get Windows into every office and home.
    • Improv: A Financial Modeling Tool – Basically a new spreadsheet program from Lotus with more features designed for multiple users.
    • Local Bus: Not Just for Video – VESA Local Bus was a predecessor to PCI and despite the title of this article, was used almost exclusively for video cards. PCI is mentioned as well but it was still a couple of years away. VLB had a pretty short life.
    • High Quality From a Small Printer – A look at the new Canon BJ-200 bubble jet printer.
    • PC Tools 8.0 – A collection of DOS tools that includes a DOS Shell, memory utility, anti-virus, hex editor, and much more.

    New Products

    • Gateway 4DX2-66V, Zeos Upgradable 486DX2-66 PCs – A look at a couple of the latest and fastest PCs. Both based on the 486DX2-66 CPU, 8MB of RAM, 340MB hard drives, local bus video and upgradeability to Pentium Overdrive chips when they become available (which took forever). The Gateway would set you back about $3000 while the Zeos was an overpriced $3500.
    • Lexmark IBM Color Jet PS 4079 printer, Frago Primera printer – An inkjet printer for $3500 and a thermal transfer printer for a bargain basement price of $995. Color printers were expensive.
    • Texel DM-3024, DM-5024 CD ROM drives – A couple of early CD-ROM drives. As single speed devices they could transfer data at about 300KB per second. Starting at $600.
    • Hewlett-Packard Vectra 486N Series PCs – A line of PCs from HP that have processors ranging from the 25 MHz 486SX up to the 486DX2-66 and are “network ready” with either preinstalled token ring or HP Ether-Twist adapters.
    • OCEAN Vista V256 magneto-optical drive – Magneto-optical drives were the early choice for removable mass storage but the drives and media were expensive. They never really gained a foothold with home users as CD-R and ZIP drive were soon to come along at a much better value.
    • AceFile 2.0, Approach 2.0 for Windows, DataEase Express for Windows – A look at three different database systems for Windows.
    • Zagat-Axxis CityGuide – Like an offline version of Google Maps.
    • Super PC-Kwik 5, PC-Kwik Power Pak 3 – Disk defragmenting software, disk cache software and more.
    • AnyTime scheduler – Basically a DOS based calendar program.
    • Freelance Graphics for Windows 2.0 – Presentation software from Lotus (similar to Power Point).
    • TrueType for DOS – Incorporate True Type fonts into DOS based software such as WordPerfect 5.1, LetterPerfect, PlanPerfect, Word 5.1, and Microsoft Works.
    • Ventura Publisher 4.1 for Windows – Publishing software for Windows.
    • Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows 2.0 – The second major version of Visual Basic. It’s been around a long time.
    • Prometheus Home Office – A package that includes a 2400bps (9600bps fax) modem, fax software and voice-mail software.
    • Network Scheduler 3 – Basically, a network calendar. Everybody uses Outlook today.
    • WinFax Pro 3.0 – Back when fax machines were still important, being able to send faxes from your computer was a nice convenience. Some version of this software was included with many modems.
    • Quick Takes – Brief reviews of BeckerTools 4.0, TimeOut Lite, WatchIt-TV, Fractal Design Sketcher, Polaris PackRat 4.1, Visio, FastLynx 2.0, Traverler MiCC 14400PM Pocket Fax-Modem, and more.

    Here’s How

    • Help Line – Adding signatures to faxes created with WordPerfect 5.1, AUTOEXEC.BAT versus WINSTART.BAT, Windows 3.1 file manager, adding a second hard drive, and more.
    • Spreadsheets – Exponential equations, inserting into Lotus 1-2-3, switching between Excel and Lotus 1-2-3, and more.
    • Word Processing – Using Quattro graphs in WordPerfect, choosing a WordPerfect document directory, sorting in WordPerfect, scriptwriting with WordPerfect, and more.
    • Windows – Using Windows’ Recorder, removing duplicate fonts, shrinking compressed volumes with Stacker, and more.
    • Data Management – Database programs with dBase file support, printing with Paradox, creating multi-record forms in R:BASE, and more.
    • Publishing & Presentations – A guide to creating an industry or trade newsletter.
    • Communications – Dealing with too much e-mail (a problem even in 1993), synchronous vs. asynchronous transfers, stock trading online, and more.
    • Dialog Box – Reduce wasted disk space, printing documents backwards, taking control of Upper Memory, and more.

    Departments

    • In This Issue – A summary of what’s included in the current issue.
    • Letters – Alternatives to Windows, OS/2 2.0 vs. Windows 3.1 and DOS 5.0 on a 386SX, new virus threats, and more.
    • Consumer Watch – A general guide to reaching a human when you need technical support, plus help with refunds and more.
    • Real Problems, Real Solutions – One person’s strategy for dealing with unexpected and/or unexplained hardware and software problems.
    • Business Fixtures – Reviews of CorelDraw 3.0, the Maxtor Cheyenne 7213 Hard Drive (212 MB for $490), and the DECpc 235P Notebook (a 25-MHz 386SL CPU, 2MB of RAM and built-in modem for $2820).
    • Managers of the Universe – A look at some games including Ultima VII: The Black Gate, and B-17 Flying Fortress. PC World gives the list price of these being $79.95 and $69.95 respectively but I don’t remember them costing nearly that much.
    • Home Office – A guide to keyboards and keyboard software.

    …and much more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana DOS 📎and tagged

  • GamePro (May 1997)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GamePro – May 1997

    GamePro wasn’t a magazine I read a lot but it was probably the next most popular gaming magazine behind Electronic Gaming Monthly, at least in the U.S. The May 1997 issue includes:

    Cover Feature

    • The Lost World: Jurassic Park – This was about the time the move The Lost World came out and here is a preview of the game that goes along with it for the PlayStation.

    Special Features

    • Final Fantasy VII – Final Fantasy VII was probably the most anticipated Final Fantasy game and the most popular. Here’s an early preview of its release in Japan.
    • GameWorks: Ready for Gameplay – GameWorks was a new mega arcade that was a joint venture between Sega, Universal and Dreamworks. The first opened up in Seattle, Washington in 1997 and there were plans for 100 of them by 2002. I don’t know if that expansion ever happened but as far as I can tell the Seattle GameWorks still exists and there are no others.
    • Mortal Kombat Annihilation! – The Mortal Kombat movie sequel.

    SWATPro Strategy Section

    • Doom 64 Nintendo 64 ProStrategy Guide – A detailed guide for Doom on the Nintendo 64, including maps, secret exits and more.
    • The Fighter’s Edge Soul Blade (Part 2) – Part 2 of a comprehensive guide to Soul Blade on the PlayStation.
    • SWATPro – Hints, tips, tricks and cheats for Andretti Racing (Saturn), WWF: In Your House (PlayStation), The Legend of Oasis (Saturn), Dark Forces (PlayStation), NFL GameDay ’97 (PlayStation), NHL Faceoff ’97 (PlayStation), SlamScape (PlayStation), Vectorman 2 (Genesis), Bubble Bobble (PlayStation), Command & Conquer (Saturn), Crusader: No Remorse (PlayStation), Ten Pin Alley (PlayStation), Impact Racing (PlayStation/Saturn), Pandemonium (PlayStation), and Madden ’97 (Genesis). There’s also a list of the top game rentals and Blockbuster. Top of the list for each platform were Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64), Need for Speed II (PlayStation), Tomb Raider (Saturn), NBA Live ’98 (Genesis), Donkey Kong Country 3 (Super NES).
    • Samurai Showdown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge (Neo Geo) – Special moves for all of the characters and more.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – A survival guide that includes maps, lists of locations, and more.

    ProReviews

    • PC GamePro – Reviews of Ecstatica II and Star Command Revolution, plus previews of Hexen II, Meat Puppet, Redneck Rampage, Comanche 3, X-Com: Apocalypse, Quake Mission Pack #1: Scourge of Armagon, Riven, and Extreme Assault.
    • Nintendo 64 – Review of Blast Corps.
    • PlayStation – Reviews of MechWarrior 2, WCW vs. The World, BattleStations, K-1 The Arena Fighters, Wing Commander IV, Sentient, The Incredible Hulk, Virtual Pool, and League of Pain.
    • Saturn – Reviews of Herc’s Adventures, The Lost Vikings, Lunacy, Contra Legacy of War, Tunnel B1, Dragon Heart, Super Puzzle Fighter II, Hardcore 4×4, and Heir of Zendor.
    • Sports Pages – Reviews of NBA Shootout ’97 (PlayStation), NBA Live ’97 (Saturn), FIFA Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64), VR Baseball ’97 (PlayStation), Rally Cross (PlayStation), and Perfect Striker (Nintendo 64 Japan) plus previews of Triple Play ’98 (PlayStation), All-Star Baseball ’97 (Saturn, PlayStation), NHL Breakaway ’98 (PlayStation, Saturn), NFL Quarterback Club ’98 (PlayStation, Saturn, DOS), HardBall 6 (PlayStation, Win95), and NBA Jam ’98 (Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Win95).
    • Role-Player’s Realm – A review of Vandal Hearts for the PlayStation.

    Departments

    • Head-2-Head: Letter from the GamePros – The evolution of the gaming industry.
    • The Mail – Readers write in about the CD-i, Resident Evil, Twisted Metal 2, and Final Fantasy VII.
    • Art Attack – Envelope art and other reader submitted gaming art.
    • Buyers Beware – Customer complaints about a free XBand modem offer, Tomb Raider ads, fighting in NHL ’97, and more.
    • ProNews – PlayStation price drops to $149, Sega plans merge with Bandai, upcoming games, Final Fantasy VII release plans, and more.
    • NetPro – Internet search tips, using various earch engines (Google didn’t exist yet), using Usenet, and more.
    • Overseas Prospects – A look at recent and upcoming overseas releases including Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation) and Gambare Goemon 5 (Nintendo 64).
    • Sneak Previews – An early look at The Lost World (PlayStation), Duke Nukem 3D (Saturn), Castlevania X (PlayStation), Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64), Yoshi’s Island 64 (Nintendo 64), Hexen (Nintendo 64), Clayfighter 63 1/3 (Nintendo 64), MDK (PlayStation), Battle Arena Toshinden (PlayStation), Darklight Conflict (PlayStation, Saturn, DOS, Win 95), VMX Racing (PlayStation, Saturn, Win 95), and Motor Mash (PlayStation).
    • Hot at the Arcades – A review of Tekken 3 plus previews of Darkstalkers: Jedah’s Damnation, Sega Super GT, and Rampage World Tour.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged