[editor : Christopher Morgan] [publisher : Virginia Londoner, Gordon R Williamson, John E Hayes] #Magazine

#Abstract

Office workers who bravely face that ever-growing mountain of paper will tell you that keeping track of information becomes more difficult daily. How to impose order? As Robert Tinney's cover suggests, the answer is something like an electronic file cabinet. This month's theme concerns the problems of data management. Joel Neely and Steve Stewart will get you started with "Fundamentals of Relational Data Organization." From there you can move on to "Data-Base Management Systems: Powerful Newcomers to Microcomputers," "A Survey of Data-Base Management Systems for Microcomputers," and "PDO: A Data Manager for Beginners." "DIF: A Format for Data Exchange between Applications Programs" presents a strong argument for standardization of data formats. Apple II file-management systems are reviewed. And you can learn how to write with your data-base management system. Is spelling a nightmare? If so, you'll be interested in Phil Lemmons' review of the five major CP/M spelling-correction programs. Of course, there's Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, BYTELINES, and our other regular features, too.

[author : Chris Morgan] #Edito

Extract : «  Recipe for a heated debate:
• Put two or more personal computer users in a room.
• Ask them to agree on a hardware or software standard.
• Stand back.

Somewhat cynical? Perhaps, but the mere mention of a proposed standard often raises a whole crop of hackles. I suspect there are several reasons for this attitude: computer scientists are notoriously individualistic (not to say curmudgeonly); we are often reactionary because of our inbred love of ritual (if you doubt this, ask any psychologist who has studied computer people); and, perhaps most important, many personal computer industry standards are lacking in many ways.

For example, we seem to have been poured into the BASIC mold, like it or not. (Although, ironically, BASIC is possibly the least standardized of the high-level languages.) One hundred ten baud is not exactly Mach 1. Standard television receivers leave much to be desired. The S-100 bus has only recently become a serious hardware standard, thanks mostly to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [...]  »

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Word-processing systems work fine after you know what you're going to say, but a data-base management system can help you get it all together.

[author : Edward E Brent Jr] #DataManagement #Office #Book

Extract : «  Nearly every microcomputer user appreciates the benefits of writing with a word-processing program. Pencil, paper, and typewriter can't match keyboard, video display, and line printer for speedy writing, editing, and printing of almost any kind of copy.

But word processing works best at relatively late stages in the writing process-after you've recorded your research results, compiled references, and constructed an outline for the project. In this article I show how another type of program, the data-base management system, can help you in the earlier stages of your writing. In fact, such a system can be more powerful than a word-processing program when you must perform a major reorganization of your text.

I first identify the stages of the writing process where a data-base management system (DBMS) can be most useful. Then I discuss the capabilities of such systems, detail their benefits, and recommend strategies for using the DBMS to maximum advantage. [...]  »

You can experiment with a simple design for a nonisolated single-ended switching voltage regulator

[author : Steve Ciarcia] #Electronic #Energy #Book

Extract : «  Since the advent of the three-terminal integrated-circuit voltage regulator, it seems that everyone has become a power-supply expert. No longer are ten pages of calculations required to produce a design for even a modest power supply, thanks to the wide tolerances and relatively sturdy architecture of these devices. After you have purchased a few readily available parts, you can have your completed supply running in a few hours. [...]  »

How you can apply a set of mathematically elegant principles to the organization of your data base

[author : Joel Neely and Steve Stewart] #DataStructure #DataManagement #Book

Extract : «  Both mathematicians and computer scientists use the word elegant to describe a concept of exceptional clarity, simplicity, and utility. By those standards, the relational model of data organization is most elegant. One of the principal advantages of this model is its foundation upon a formal mathematical theory that allows its concepts to be defined and examined with great precision.

This article discusses the basic concepts of the relational approach to data organization and looks informally at the practical benefits of the model. We should point out that our emphasis is on data organization, to the exclusion of other interesting and important issues in database system design, such as the syntax and features of the data-definition and data-manipulation languages. [...]  »

In one package, Hewlett-Packard has incorporated the optical heart of a scanner system

[author : Bradley W Bennett] #Electronic #OpticalInput

Extract : «  Printed bar-coded software has come one step closer to being a practical reality. I began to realize this after reading an item entitled "Hewlett-Packard Introduces High-Resolution Optical Reflective Sensor" (November 1979 BYTE, "What's New" column), which announced the production of the HEDS-1000 integrated high-resolution sensor.

I waited, expecting a complete and relatively simple "scanning wand" that would be suitable for reading bar-codes. Confirmation was given on the cover of the April 1980 BYTE—Hewlett-Packard announced the HEDS-3000 Digital Wand, a fine product for those who can afford to spend $99.50. While the price is fair, as a graduate student on a fixed budget I sought a less expensive bar-code reader.

As an alternative, I constructed a homebrew bar-code scanner, based on the HEDS-1000 sensor. The do-it-yourself scanner is reliable, easily constructed, and, best of all, costs about $35 (including the $29 sensor). For those who are willing to spend time, rather than money, it represents a practical alternative to the preassembled units. [...]  »

The microcomputer can become a Standard laboratory instrument for running experiments and analyzing the results.

[author : Daniel Cosgrove] #Electronic #Algorithm #Listing #Assembly #Graphics #Printer DataAcquisition #DataAnalysis #Botany #Book

Extract : «  During the past three years we have actively used a microcomputer to study the biophysics of plant growth. The unit serves as a data- acquisition and stimulus-control system, as well as an analytical tool for processing and studying the resulting data. But why use a computer? Specifically, why use a microcomputer?

As a laboratory tool, the computer may be likened to a "smart" stripchart recorder. That is, the computer not only stores data coming in from many different instruments (making it equivalent to not one but many chart recorders), but also controls external devices. For example, the microcomputer that we use in our laboratory regulates the timing and intensity of experimental light treatments given to plants. In addition, the computer permits easier, more subtle interpretations of the data involving mathematical transformations and statistical analysis.

In the past, such processes were severely limited by time and manpower. The availability of data in digital form makes sophisticated processing, such as signal averaging, smoothing, digital filtering, and curve-fitting, much easier. Thus the computer improves both the quantity and quality of experiments. In the last decade, the minicomputer has invaded the laboratory to perform these functions and more.

The reason for selecting a microcomputer is price—they sell for a fraction of the cost of a minicomputer. Yet in many cases they have all the required capabilities. Their biggest limitation in the laboratory is one of software—programs useful to the researcher are scarce. The first part of this article will give an overview of the microcomputer as it is used in our lab; this is followed by a description of the hardware and software architecture of the system. [...]  »

A brief introduction to data-base systems leads to a look at how one microcomputer implementation works

[author : Michael Gagle, Gary J Koehler, and Andrew Whinston] #Listing #BASIC #DataStructure #DataManagement #Glossary #Book

Extract : «  Large computers are already running many successful applications programs developed by using commercial data-base management system (DBMS) packages. DBMS packages for large computers sell in the $50,000 to $200,000 range and require approximately 50 K words of memory. As a result, it is impractical to apply the development concepts used on large machines to data-base management systems for the microcomputer. A more promising approach is to create a DBMS offering the best features of systems for larger computers, yet fitting the microcomputer's capabilities. Two of the authors of this article, Cary Koehler and Mike Cagle, work for Micro Data Base Systems, Inc, and have participated in the development of a data-base management system tailored to the microcomputer. Called MDBS.DMS, this data-base management package serves as the basis of most of the discussion that follows. But first we'll explain the basic concepts and terms of data-base management systems. [...]  »

Software Arts proposes a solution to the problem of inaccessible data.

[author : Candace E Kalish and Malinda F Mayer] #Listing #BASIC #Pascal #DataStructure #DataManagement

Extract : «  One of the most frustrating problems facing users of applications software is the inability to use the same data with more than one program. Users often know that one program has stored data with which a second program could work wonders, but incompatible storage formats make the data inaccessible to the second program. If you own an applications program, you ought to have control over the data in that program. But rarely do you enjoy full possession of this data.

Generating graphics from stored data provides a good example of this problem. Suppose you are using a data-analysis program to project your company's profits for the years 1980 to 1982. You enter data and run calculations, and the program produces table 1. You have a plotting program that can produce striking graphics to illustrate data, but the plotting program won't accept data in the format of the data-analysis program.

In the absence of a recognized standard format for data exchange between programs, you have only three choices for making the data from the first program useful with the second. You can retype all the data, write a program to reformat all the data, or modify one of the programs to accept data in a different format.

Each of these three data-transfer processes is inefficient and tedious. In a business environment, programs for billing, invoicing, inventory, ordering, and projections may all need the same data. Transferring data among all these different programs can take a great deal of time. Clearly, if all the programs used the same data format, the problems and inefficiencies would be greatly reduced.

Although many people see the need for a standard format for data exchange, we still lack such a standard. From time to time, individual users and commercial software houses have tried to establish a standard (particularly for use with VisiCalc, the electronic worksheet program written by Software Arts Inc and distributed by Personal Software Inc), but their efforts have failed to win wide acceptance.

Software Arts is now trying to provide a standard by offering DIF, a specific format for data interchange. The DIF file format stores tables of data and provides easy access to the data by any program using DIF. [...]  »

Data-base management systems are becoming a popular software item. Check this survey for the one that interests you

[author : Kathryn S Barley and James R Driscoll] #Software #Overview #DataManagement

Extract : «  Advertisements for data-base management systems (DBMSs) seem more numerous all the time. At first glance, you would expect the advertised systems to perform similar functions. Yet, their prices range from $15 to $1500. What justifies such a price range? What functions do each of these systems actually perform? Some of them claim to solve almost every problem facing businesses and individuals today. Which problems will the available DBMSs solve? Most of the DBMSs available for large computers have principal goals of providing data integrity, data security, and data independence. Do the DBMSs available for microcomputers meet these same goals?

To answer these questions, we requested information from forty-eight companies that had advertised a DBMS for microcomputers. Our goal was not to judge systems against any preconceived DBMS standard, but rather to develop an overview of each system based on its user manual and compare all the systems feature by feature.

Eighteen companies sent us a user manual, and several included a disk of software as well. The text box on this page lists the names and addresses of these companies with the names of the products. [...]  »

A well-known technique makes a good compromise between speed and ease of programming

[author : Paul Swanson] #Algorithm #Listing #BASIC #DataManagement #Glossary

Extract : «  Floppy-disk drives are fantastic devices to add to a computer. They hold more information and are faster and more reliable than cassette tapes or other data-management systems. For the sophisticated personal user, they are essential, but managing the amount of data they hold presents a problem — especially if you are trying to do the programming yourself. This article presents the PDQ Key-File System, a data-management method that offers a good compromise between speed of data retrieval and ease of programming. [...]  »

The Atari player-missile system allows you to move game figures across the screen quickly and easily-even in BASIC

[author : Chris Crawford] #Graphics #HowItWorks #Listing #Assembly #BASIC

Extract : «  Animation is an important capability of any personal computer system. Activity on the screen adds greatly to the excitement and realism of any program. Certainly, animation is crucial to the appeal of most computer games. More important, an animated image can convey information with more impact and clarity than a static image. It can draw attention to an item or event of importance. It can directly show a dynamic process, rather than indirectly talk about it. Animation must accordingly be regarded as an important element of the graphics capabilities of any computer system.

The conventional way to implement animation with personal computers is to move the image data through the screen memory area. This is a two-step process. First, the program must erase the old image by writing background values (ie: the values of the image "under" the moving one) to the memory containing the current image. Then the program must write the image data to the memory corresponding to the new position of the image. By repeating this process over and over, the image appears to move on the screen. [...]  »

The problem with the goto construct is that it is too general a programming form.

[author : Gregory Walker] #Listing #Assembly #Method #Programming #Book

Extract : «  Structured programming is the rage these days, as reflected in the growing popularity of structured high-level languages like Pascal and C. Yet most of the programs written today use languages that are not well-structured, such as FORTRAN, BASIC, and assembly language.

Assembly language, widely used in industry, is becoming more and more available on personal computers. And although assembly language is the first and last bastion of convoluted programming, there is a way to add structured programming statements to an existing assembly language. In fact, structured control statements can be added to any existing language.

Part 1 will examine the meaning of structured programming and present a set of structured control statements for the MC6809 assembly language, as well as programming examples that use these structured statements. Part 2 will show how to add structured statements to the MC6809 macroassembler or to any programming language.

Structured Control Statements

It has become popular, perhaps even faddish, to extol the virtues of structured programming. Yet its exact meaning remains rather ambiguous. Thus, the latest high-level language is sold much like the latest brand of shampoo: "It will leave your programs cleaner and more manageable."

When a language is said to be "structured," the usual meaning is that the language contains statements for the structured flow of control. Edsger Dijkstra is generally credited with originating structured programming with his letter in Communications of the ACM (see references) which stated that the GOTO statement seemed to be a major source of programming errors. Since that time, the terms GOTOless programming and structured programming have sometimes been used interchangeably. Yet the GOTO, in the form of jump or branch instructions, is still firmly fixed in machine instruction sets of new computers. Let's see what is so bad about the GOTO and, at the same time, try to discover why it remains long-lived in spite of its reputation for abetting errors. [...]  »

This high-level language approaches English in ease to use

[author : Ron Ferguson] #Listing #Languages #Prolog #Programming #Book

Extract : «  What will the ultimate computer language be? What language will we be using once assembler language, BASIC, and Pascal have become museum pieces? Surprisingly, this question is easy to answer: there will be several ultimate computer languages. We even know what their names will be. They will be called English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, etc. After all, the easiest language you could use to program a computer is the one you use to communicate with other people.

Unfortunately, programming a computer in English is still in the future. For a computer to understand English, it must be able to cope with the ambiguities inherent in any natural language. It must be able to deduce facts you don't bother specifying because they are "obvious." (Nothing is obvious to a computer unless it has been programmed to realize it is obvious. Everything must be stated explicitly and precisely.)

Today, though, we do have a language, called PROLOG, that simplifies the task of informing a computer about obvious (and not so obvious) facts. The name PROLOG is short for "PROgramming in LOGic"; however, you do not have to be familiar with formal logic theory to use PROLOG. In fact, the language is so simple a child can learn it. Yet its very simplicity makes it far more powerful than any other language currently available for use on microcomputers.

PROLOG is a programming language ideally suited to the manipulation of knowledge. A PROLOG program consists of facts about a certain subject. You can ask PROLOG questions and it will attempt to answer them using the facts it has been told. [...]  »

PS overcomes some of the problems FORTH has with low-revel word definition

[author : Valo G Motalygo] #Listing #Forth #Programming #Book

Extract : «  Last month, we began the definition of a language called PS that has its roots in the threaded language FORTH. PS was designed to overcome some of the limitations of FORTH: in particular, its awkward approach to assembly-language definitions and its inability to accept forward references (ie: references to words that have not yet been defined). We looked at the overall structure of the PS interpreter/compiler and defined a few words. Now we will look at how PS behaves. [...]  »

A simple file-transfer process combines the best of both worlds

[author : Steven M Sedlet and Jonathan Dust] #Listing #Pascal #Network

Extract : «  Microcomputers now on the market offer the speed, memory capacity, mass storage, and programming-language support facilities formerly available only on large mainframe computers. As a result, personal computers give users a convenient, inexpensive alternative to computing on larger machines. Personal computers, however, cannot offer the wide range of software utilities and applications packages or the variety of I/O (input/output) facilities available on large systems. The desire to incorporate the finer qualities of both modes of computing has motivated us to establish a mechanism for information and resource sharing between a personal computer, the Western Digital Pascal Microengine, and a large Control Data Corp Cyber 170 mainframe.

We have developed a file-transfer system to allow communication between the two machines. The Pascal Microengine, a hardware realization of UCSD's (University of California at San Diego) P-machine, is a desktop microcomputer for developing and executing Pascal programs. It is driven by a 16-bit processor that directly executes UCSD's p-code. The operating'system consists of a Pascal compiler, a file manager, and a screen-oriented text editor. Mass storage for the Microengine system is provided by two Shugart single-density, single-sided 800R floppy-disk drives. Two RS-232 serial ports allow communication with the Microengine. One port is used for connection to the console (a serial video terminal). The second one, the remote port, is used to connect other RS-232 devices to the system. In our configuration, the remote port is connected to the Cyber by means of a modem.

The interface enables you to perform interactive processing on both the Microengine and the Cyber from the Microengine console. File transfers can be performed in both directions, allowing information and resource sharing between the two computers. The file-transfer system is written in UCSD Pascal and resides on the Pascal Microengine. [...]  »

Hiding unnecessary details improves high-level programming

[author : Michael B Feldman] #Listing #Pascal #Programming #Method #Book

Extract : «  Information hiding is the principle that allows programs written at a high level to be insulated from messy low-level details. This principle fosters program reliability for two related reasons:

• Since low-level details are relegated to lower-level programs (procedures, functions, macroinstructions, etc), they can, in principle, be coded once, instead of once per program. Thus, the detailed code need be debugged only once. Moreover, the calling programs cannot disturb them because they cannot gain access to these details.

• High-level programs, being insulated from low-level details, can be written more cleanly, making them easier to maintain. Since higher-level programmers know that lower-level details have already been debugged, they can concentrate on their assigned task-writing the higher- level material.

Information hiding is equally valid for single- and multi-programmer tasks. It is clear that even a single programmer can benefit from writing low-level code only once.

What Is a Package?

One important application of the information-hiding principle is in the definition, in some programming language, of new data types not already supported. Pascal, for example, does not support complex numbers—at least in the standard language. A package, also called a class or data abstraction, is an encapsulation of a new data type, together with a set of primitive functions or procedures that handles the details of creating instances of the new type and performing operations on it. To continue with our example of complex numbers, a complex-number package generally contains the following parts:

• a definition of complex data as consisting of a real part and an imaginary part

• a method to be used by higher-level programs in creating new complex data, given two integers or real numbers to serve as the real and imaginary components

• a set of operations on complex numbers so higher-level programs can do arithmetic on complex numbers without needing access to the details of what complex numbers look like internally [...]  »

[author : Mark Friedman] #Software #Review #GameBoard

Extract : «  "Winner of the software division of the First International Man-Machine Othello Tournament" is the declaration that catches your eye when you pick up the box. And if that's not intimidating enough to a casual game player, consider that Reversal is written by the Spracklens of Sargon chess fame. Is there any hope of winning? The answer is a most emphatic yes, depending on the level of play you select. At the same time, however, Reversal is capable of giving even the best player a tough run for the money.

The game is played on an eight-by-eight square board, and the object is to occupy more squares than your opponent. The game's rules are very simple: you place one piece on the board per turn and try to trap your opponent's pieces between your own; all pieces trapped become yours. It sounds simple, and, as any Othello player knows, it is... sometimes. [...]  »

[author : Keith Carlson] #Storage #Review

Extract : «  More powerful than an 8-inch Winchester? Not likely. Faster than a speeding floppy? Sometimes. Able to read huge data bases in fleeting seconds? Impossible!

Exatron's Stringy Floppy data-storage system may not compare with Superman, but from the minute I plugged my new Stringy Floppy drive into my Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I Level II computer, I was convinced it was super. It appears to be a convenient and economical way to equip a TRS-80 Model I with most of the speed and convenience of a disk drive at less than half the price. There are some problems with it, but they are minor compared to problems of audio-cassette storage. [...]  »

[author : Allyn Richardson] #Software #Review #Office #Finance #DataManagement

Extract : «  There are only two programs in my software library that I use constantly. One is the word processor that is helping me to review and edit this text. The other is The Datahandler from Miller Microcomputer Services. Written entirely in MMSFORTH (that company's version of the FORTH language for the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I), The Datahandler does almost every job you expect of a personal computer except number- crunching—and it even does a little of that, as you will see.

For example, The Datahandler disk includes a checkbook and bank- transaction routine that is the best of its kind. [...]  »

[author : Mark Pelczarski] #Devices #OperatingSystem #BASIC #COBOL #Fortran #Assembly #Lisp #Programming

Extract : «  The Microsoft Softcard offers Apple owners increased flexibility and a strong alternative or complement to the Language System from Apple. At a suggested retail price of $399 Softcard comes with version 2.2 of the CP/M operating system and Microsoft's BASIC-80, version 5.0. In addition, a number of other Softcard support products are available, including Microsoft's FORTRAN and COBOL, an assembly-language development system, a BASIC compiler, muMath and muLisp, and 16 K-byte memory expansion cards. None of these are inexpensive; for example, the COBOL language system retails for $750 (making FORTRAN seem like a comparative bargain at $195), but the point is that you can now have these languages, plus a variety of software already written for CP/M, on your Apple. [...]  »

[author : Elaine Holden] #Software #Review #Education #OtherMagazine

Extract : «  One of the problems limiting the use of microcomputers in the classroom is the lack of good educational software. This comes as no surprise, since hardware developments have always outpaced software developments. The problems of generating educational software, however, are compounded by the fact that most educators do not have the technical skills to write good programs and, conversely, most good programmers do not have the educational background to design useful programs.

CourseWare magazine was started to fill this gap. Its philosophy, as stated in the introduction:

"Each issue of CourseWare magazine will include a C-10 cassette containing at least two programs selected from the ten pre-college curriculum areas of business, consumer economics, English, fine arts, foreign language, industrial arts, mathematics, physical education, science, and social studies, or from the area of teacher-assistance programs. Each student program will be accompanied by a teacher guide, a student guide, worksheets (if applicable), suggestions on how to adapt programs for individual lessons, a description of variables used in the program, and a listing of the program. Teacher programs (computer-managed instruction, computer-supported instruction) will be accompanied by a user guide." [...]  »

[author : Elizabeth Cooper and Yvon Kolya] #Interface #Software #Review #Audio

Extract : «  Soon after the release of the Radio Shack TRS-80 microcomputer by the Tandy Corporation, programs promising to tum the TRS-80 into a music-producing instrument appeared. These programs used an AM radio to pick up and amplify the RFI (radio-frequency interference) given off by the Z80 microprocessor and its support devices. The RFI produced by carefully arranging routines executed by the computer played recognizable notes through the radio.

The disadvantages to this method were:

• the limited range of notes that could be produced

• the odd timbre of the notes

• distracting noises produced by the system were also played through the radio, usually at the same time as the notes

The next stage in this development involved the use of the cassette-data port. Specific notes were generated by mathematical algorithms. These notes were then sent to the cassette port of the computer, where they were either recorded on tape or played through a small audio amplifier.

This procedure produced a wider range of purer-sounding notes, but they sounded as if they were made by a toy electronic organ rather than by a true musical instrument. This was due to the circuitry used in the TRS-80 to process signals sent to the port. Now, three years after its appearance on the market, it is possible to use the TRS-80 to its fullest capabilities in music generation. [...]  »

[author : Ken Blochowiak] #Software #Review #Overview #DataManagement #Book

Extract : «  Strictly speaking, the terms database management system, data management system, and data-base system refer to programs that meet the CODASYL (Conference On DAta SYstems Languages) standards for data-base systems. MDBS from Micro Data Base Systems is one such example of a system modeled after the CODASYL standards. The systems we'll be examining are traditionally referred to as file-management systems (see reference 5 for a more complete discussion). Because of various practical limits (such as time and space), we will not cover any programs that run under Digital Research's CP/M operating system.

At the highest level of generality we will be looking at the portability, maintainability, and current utility of the following systems: Infotree, the CCA DMS (Data Management System), the Data Factory, the On-Line Database, and High Technology's DBMS (Data-Base Management System) and Information Master (with Data Master). (See textboxes for addresses and ordering information.) [...]  »

[author : Mahlon G Kelly] #Software #Review #Listing #BASIC #Programming #Graphics

Extract : «  Whatever its merits or demerits, BASIC is the language most used by microcomputer programmers. Microsoft's excellent implementation of BASIC is one of the reasons the TRS-80 Model I is the most popular microcomputer today. Most of us note the absence of some particular feature (I would like to have matrix functions), but everyone's needs are different. I was, therefore, skeptical about the usefulness of an enhancement package for TRS-80 BASIC. I am no longer a skeptic. ENHBAS (pronounced en-base), written by Philip A Oliver and sold by the Cornsoft Group, provides useful new functions, statements, and commands, and greatly improves the operating environment by providing keyboard, video, and audio enhancements. This software is designed for the TRS-80: it is not rewarmed and reworked from some other system. And ENHBAS makes programming much more enjoyable. In terms of packaging, documentation, ease of use, lack of bugs, and overall quality of design, ENHBAS is the best software package I have seen for the TRS-80, and that includes Microsoft's BASIC compiler, NEWDOS/80, VTOS, and Scripsit. With the release of this product, a small company and a single author have entered the big league in quality software. [...]  »

[author : Phil Lemmons] #Software #Review #Overview #Office

Extract : «  When I had trouble with an applications program last year, I appealed to my software vendor for help. He wrote me, "I have been in touch with the publisher, but I am getting noware fast." Noware, of course, was the leading technology before the invention of hardware, software, and firmware. Was noware making a comeback? No way. "Noware" was a spelling error. And the only way for a poor speller to discover errors like this was with software. But no proofreading software was then available for microcomputers.

Until recently, I didn't think the time had come for a good proofreading program running on microcomputers. Fortunately, I was wrong. Help has now arrived for the small-computer owner who can't spell or can't find misspellings. Not counting programs designed for use with only a single word-processing program, at least five proofreading programs are now available for CP/M- based computers: Microproof, The Word, Spellguard, Microspell, and Wordsearch. After using them for several weeks, I'm convinced that four have real merit. The four useful programs share some virtues, but each program also has features that appeal to a particular group of users. [...]  »

#Book

Extract : «  Apple Pascal: A Hands-On Approach Arthur Luehrmann and Herbert Peckham McGraw-Hili Book Company, New York, 1981, 432 pages, softcover, $14.95 [...]

Threaded Interpretive Languages by R G Loeliger, BYTE Books, Peterborough NH, 1981, 251 pages, hardcover, $18.95 [...]  »

#Book

Ada, An Introduction, Ada Reference Manual, Henry Ledgard. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1981; 26.5 by 18.75 cm, 373 pages, softcover, ISBN 0387-90568-5, $12,95.

Apple BASIC for Business, For the Apple II, Alan J Parker and John F Stewart. Reston VA: Reston Publishing, 1981; 17.5 by 23.5 cm, 301 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-8359-0226-1, $14,95; hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-0228-5, $17.95.

Beyond COBOL, Gary D Brown. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1981; 15.5 by 23.5 cm, 200 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-471-09030-1, $17.50.

Computer Peripherals, Barry Wilkinson and David Horrocks. New York: Crane Russak & Company, 1981; 15.5 by 23.5 cm, 310 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-340-32652-3, $19.75.

Data Processing with Applications, 2nd ed, Robert J Condon. Reston VA: Reston Publishing Company, 1981; 15.5 by 23.5 cm, 477 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-1254-X, $16.95.

Digital Circuits and Systems, Richard L Castellucis. Reston VA: Reston Publishing Company, 1981; 16 by 23.5 cm, 332 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-1297-3, $18.95.

Executive Computing, How to Get It Done on Your Own, John M Nevison. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley, 1981; 16 by 23.5 cm, 319 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-201-05248-2, $8.95.

50 Programs in Basic for the Home, School & Office, Jim Cole. Woodsboro MD : ARCsoft Publishers, 1981; 14 by 21.5 cm, 80 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-86668-002-0, $9.95.

Finite Elements, An Introduction, Volume I, Eric Becker, Graham F Carey, and J Tinsley Oden. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1981; 15.5 by 23.5 cm, 258 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-317057-8, $24.95.

Flight Deck Uses for the HP-41C, Volume I, Melvin N Peterson. San Francisco CA: MNP Star Enterprises, 1981; 13.5 by 21.5 cm, 59 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-938880-01-2, $12.

The Hexadecimal Chronicles, Don Lancaster. Indianapolis IN: Howard W Sarns & Company, 1981; 21.5 by 28 cm, 377 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-672-21802-X, $17.95.

How to Get Started with CP/M, Carl Townsend. Beaverton OR: dilithium Press, 1981; 14 by 22 cm, 127 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-918398-32-0, $9.95.

Introduction to Computers and Information Processing, Language Edition, Don Cassel and Martin Jackson. Reston VA: Reston Publishing Company, 1981; 18 by 24 cm, 472 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-3150-1, $19.95.

An Introduction to Computer Programming and Data Structures Using MACRO-11, Harry R Lewis. Reston VA: Reston Publishing Company, 1981; 18.5 by 24 cm, 241 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-3143-9, $18.95.

Jewels of Formal Language Theory, Arto Salomaa. Rockville MD: Computer Science Press, 1981; 16 by 23.5 cm, 144 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-914894-69-2, $24.95.

Knowledge and the Flow of Information, Fred I Dretske. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press, 1981; 16 by 24 cm, 273 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-262-04063-8, $18.50.

Microcomputer Power Series, Data Management Techniques, John P Grillo and J D Robertson. Dubuque IA: Wm C Brown Company Publishers, 1981; 21.5 by 28 cm, 208 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-697-09954-7. $16.95.

Microcomputer Power Series, Guide to System Applications. Same as above; 288 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-697-09952-0, $17.95.

Microcomputer Power Series, Introduction to Graphics. Same as above; 144 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-697-09953-9, $15.95.

Micro computer Power Series, Techniques of BASIC. Same as above; 272 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-697-09951-2, $18.95.

Microsystems '81, Proceedings of the 4th Annual Conference (London, March 11-13, 1981). Westbury House, division of IPC Science and Technology Press (POB 63, Bury Street, Guilford, Surrey, England, GU2 5BH), 1981; 16.5 by 23.5 cm, 124 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-86103-046-X, £12.50.

Osborne 16-Bit Microprocessor Handbook, Adam Osborne, Gerry Kane. Berkeley CA: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1981; 18 by 23 cm, 771 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-931988-42-X, $19.95.

Pascal Programs for Scientists and Engineers, Alan R Miller. Berkeley CA: Sybex, 1981; 18 by 23 cm, 374 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-89588-058-X, $16.95.

Representations, Philosophical Essays on the Foundations of Cognitive Science, Jerry A Foder. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press, 1981; 16 by 24 cm, 343 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-262-06079-5, $20.

67 Ready-To-Run Programs in BASIC: Graphics, Home & Business, Education, Games, William Scott Watson. Blue Ridge Summit PA: Tab Books, 1981; 13.5 by 21 cm, 182 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-8306-1195-9, $6.95; hardcover, ISBN 0-8306-9660-1, $12.95.

Sociological Methods & Research, Volume 9, Number 4, edited by David R Heise. Beverly Hills CA: Sage Publications, 1981; 13.5 by 21.5 cm, 141 pages, softcover, ISSN 0049-1241, $5.50.

Structured Requirements Definition, Ken Orr. Topeka KS: Ken Orr and Associates, 1981; 15 by 23 cm, 235 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-9605884-0-X, $25.

Taming Your Computer, A Guide for Business and Professional People, Jerome Kanter. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1981; 18.5 by 24 cm, 246 pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-884403-8, $17.95; softcover, ISBN 0-13-884395-3, $8.95.

Telecommunications Management for Business and Government, 2nd ed. Larry A Arredondo, edited by Harry Newton. New York: Telecom Library, 1981; 21.5 by 28 cm, 270 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-936648-07-4, $30.

32 BASIC Programs for the Apple Computer, Tom Rugg and Phil Feldman. Beaverton OR: dilithium Press, 1981; 13.5 by 21 cm, 284 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-918398-34-7, $17.95.

The Year of the Robot, Wayne Chen. Beaverton OR: dilithium Press, 1981; 13.5 by 21 cm, 182 pages, softcover, ISBN 0-918398-50-9, $7.95.