Ms. Manners Does Micros

With Apologies to Judith Martin

Dear Ms. Manners:

     The girl who sits in front of me in Homeroom is a real knockout. Recently she was telling the girl next to her that they just bought a  micro at home – and wouldn’t you know it – it’s the same kind I hack on all the time. Anyway, prom’s coming up and all the guys in the computer club swear we’re going to go this year. We even refrain from wearing our calculators on our belts. Anyway, let’s call her Mandy, would make a dynamite date. Should I offer to copy any software Mandy wants as a way to impress her? I could do it real easy – I’ve got the memory locations for DOS 3.3 and Prodos memorized and can break any protection scheme.

Gentle Reader:

     The young lady in question, or any young lady for that matter, would surely take such an offer as an affront to her sensibilities. Such an act, on your part, is a clear violation of U.S. Code, not to mention correct behavior. Ms. Manners would suggest that a young lady would love an invitation to any formal affair of this nature with the straight and natural expression. Ripping of software, regardless of your expertise, is no way to a lady’s heart. She would also like to suggest that  you leave your calculator off your belt on the evening in question.

A Matter of Attention

Dear Ms. Manners:

     Up until a year ago my wife and I enjoyed a marvelous relationship. We both liked sushi, wind surfing, and taking long relaxing naps in our hot tub. Then her office acquired a microcomputer. I thought it was bad when just brought it home, but she has become so “addicted” she now owns four of them, has quit her regular job, and runs a data processing service. All of this would be tolerable if we did not live in a “studio” apartment (and it is a nice apartment at that).  I just can’t stand waiting for her to do anything after she “keys another record” or “establishes the criteria for a sort.” I’d hate to move, I’d hate to lose her, how do I turn the clock back?

Gentle Reader:

     You are not alone in your dilemma. The microcomputer has ruined more relationships than any human contraption. Ms. Manners rates the micro higher on her list of disdain than all other devices – including the telephone and television. If there were a simple answer I would freely provide it, but alas, the human is such a complex organism.

     An initial approach might include removing power and printer cords from the configuration, but Ms. Manners feels this would only precipitate a higher level crisis. Her business sounds successful, so she more than likely would just go out and buy new ones (knowing full well who the culprit was). As long as your wife is not the fragile type, Ms. Manners suggests very strong magnets. Most microcomputers store data  in electronic bits, and placing strong magnets in random patterns on piles renders them useless. If she is a hard disk user (and especially if she doesn’t back up her files frequently) I suggest reading enough of the manual to create a head crash. If she does back things up – hit her back up disks with the magnets. At least when she files for divorce, she will have to rekey her files.

Online Protocols

Dear Ms. Manners:

     I spend a great deal of time (and money) on electronic bulletin boards. One particular service, which will remain nameless, has a particularly exciting “CB” type board. I have several problems. When addressing someone new, should I insert a “MR”, “MS.”, or “MRS” if it is obvious what the correct title should be? How many messages should transpire before I give another party my password? Is it proper to assume a pseudonym when I just want to dial up and have a little fantasy?

Gentle Reader:

File Names

Dear Ms. Manners:

     At the office we have a Manager of Information Systems who requires us to use a strict methodology when naming our files. His scenario includes a call to the calendar card that automatically dates the file. My cubiemate has patched the routine so that he may just key in any date he wants, allowing him to predate reports. We all think that is cheating and are jealous of him. We even recently began refusing to go to lunch with him because of his obvious deception. We’d go the MIS about this (especially because he refuses to share it with the rest of us) but we know our allegations would just be denied. Is there anyway to prove this and get this jerk canned?

Gentle Reader:

     Your “cubiemate” must live with his own conscience, which is obviously a scarce commodity. Ms. Manners might recommend trashing his data files (see A Matter of Attention) but knows full well your onetime friend more than likely has the skills to change your payroll record in the master file, so beware. I would rather see you kill him with kindness: send him a box of disks on his birthday, make sure he is the first to get the routed copy of InfoWorld. If you really want to predate your reports, take the time and effort to think in hex dec. Ms. Manners frequently does, although she does not repeat such things in public.

Seating Arrangements

Dear Ms. Manners:

     I am the vice president of our local computer club. The biggest part of my task is getting the meeting room in our local library set up for the meeting. We always used to be very informal, but lately we’ve been having a large number of ex-military and some other strange folks, whom we assume to be FBI gathering evidence on our members, (there is a little swapping of software other than public domain club disks, but no more than three or four hundred disks per meeting) who insist in sitting in the back and having extension cords for their tape recorders. This is a real hassle: roping off chairs and bringing power cords. Is there some polite way I might be able to tell them to blow it out their ear?

Gentle Reader:

     I might caution you against such crass phrases as you closed your letter with. No matter what the motive of your recent guests is, it is your duty (you took the office didn’t you?) to make sure they are as comfortable and accommodated as possible. They are your guests and until you rewrite the bylaws to exclude such undesirable elements (Ms. Manners knows of several such clubs which serve marvelous lunches) you must be civil. No if, ands or butts.

Enjoying others code

Dear Ms. Manners:

     We have a network at school, and although it is supposed to be “password” protected, I figured out a long time ago how to get into anybody’s file. I mean there is stuff on there you wouldn’t believe: a  teacher is writing her memoirs (and she names them); there’s all the answers to the homework, you name it. Very often the person who shares the terminal with me chats on about football, girls, you name it;  while I read other’s stuff. Surely others expect their stuff to be read or they wouldn’t leave it on the network.

Gentle Reader:

     Ms. Manners deals in manners, not ethics. It is extremely impolite to be observed reading other peoples files. Rude I may point out, not only to them, but to the terminal mate who expects  your undivided attention. As for overlooking your own studies and liberating work and calling it your own, someday there will come a network where you can’t crack the password system and where do you think you will be then? More over, if you can’t learn to nod politely to your terminal mate while liberating all of his good stuff, you don’t deserve to have a terminal mate.

Who is responsible?

Dear Ms. Manners:

     We have taken great liberties with a very fine title: Martin, Judith. Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Good Behavior – by Judith Martin / New York: Atheneum, 1982. 745 p., index We hope the author, the publisher, and the gentle reader take it in the good fun it was intended. By the way all of the characters are real, we just left their names out to protect the guilty.

Gentle Reader:

Library Micro News

ALA Plans

The Great Wired Librarian’s Train Trip

     Folks know that I hate to fly and usually opt for Amtrak when time permits. We’ve talked before about organizing a train trip, and this year I said, “hey, if I don’t do it it won’t get done.” So for all who care, we are offering a chance to travel in style, comfort and ease to this years ALA Annual in New York. Beyound that we have made it flexible, as all would expect from WLN: not the bibliographic utility.

     We leave Omaha (see map back caover) on the eastbound California Zephyr early in the morning of June 27. For those of you west of Omaha, you may of course feel free to jump on west of there (actually you can catch this train from Los Angeles, San Fransisco, or Seattle and points between). We will travel through exciting Iowa, and Hawkeye librarians may board in Creston, Osceola (perfect for Des Moines), Ottumwa and Burlington. We can also take folks on in Galesburg, IL or Naperville. From this leg of the journey, Wired Librarians should gather in the upper level of the lounge car.

     We arrive in Chicago in the early afternoon of the 27^th, awaiting the early evening departure of the  Lake Shore Limited for New York. The stops between Chi and NY are too numerous to mention. We have arranged for your comfort and intelectual development a six person sleeper for our gathering. Lots of rooms to swap gossip and meet fellow Wired Librarians. Libations will be present, but if you need exotic refreshment (ie other than brewskies and George Dickle) be advised that you should bring your own firmware. The mix will last for a while anyway. If you need sleeping accomodations, sorry, this berth is already taken.

     You can return anytime (official departure for us is July 3). Round trip from Chicago is $250 (although if we can get a bunch of folks to go we are going to work on bringing that down some). It may not be as cheap as Banzai Warrior’s discount airfare, but the train will make as many stops as those discount fares. Either side of Chi the fare will differ. We can also arrange for you to take the train in and come back by mule or air- your choice.

     For exact fare and boarding locations and times, call Margaret Thomas the official travel agent for the Wired Librarian’s Newsletter, at 515-224-4646. By the way Margaret, besides her highly successful career in the travel biz is also a library  trustee in rural DM. You expected less from the Wired Librarian?

Wired Librarian’s Intellectual Development and Social Hour

     Folks have also complained that in past gatherings I have been slack in publishing places and times for the  WLID&SH. OK critics – here’s reality. It will be on  Monday June 30^th at my room at the Hilton. Just boogey over there after 8pm and pick up a courtesy phone. Ask the charming hotel operator to connect you with Eric Anderson and we’ll tell you where we’re at. Bring you own firmware and meet the movers and shakers in the library world.

ALUG – Apple Library User’s Group

     Monica has informed me that things are moving along nicely in her plans for the second ALUG meeting. It will be held in Lincoln Center at 9:00 am on Tuesday, July 1.  She swears there will more time for folks to just share among themselves and the lineup has some heavey duty dudes and ladies already in the fold. Now if we can only convince Red Frockman to return with his marvelous style and content. Hey Red, I’ll provide the brewskies.

     When (if?) we get word of the IBM PC user’s group meeting, we’ll pass it along.

Corrections

     Last Month we was into de update mode and we quoted the Book Trak ] Richmond ( PO Box 5587, San Mateo CA 94402 800-22-6063) upgrade as $425 is correct. Rapid Robert jumped my jeans in GA to say the he too offers a demo disk which he slapped in my hand and a hardware and software tradeup with a Kodak Teammate 10meg and software upgrade for $1,287.50. That’s still $30 bucks more than the Follett/Circ Plus/Apple 10 meg configuration (a better drive) and $212.50 over the Follett/Circ Plus/Kodak 10 meg price of $1095. Bob also gave me the best quote I have ever heard in the library market industry: “For $100 bucks a year you get all the utilities free…and all the upgrades too.”  I couldn’t make stuff up that good.

     Personal to Dr. L.F. – he too sayeth that whynoteth call for the scoop? (aka our MI blue conversation) and I stoleth yon reply:  you wants me to knoweth you telleth me. You wan’t me to get it from trade journals and ads. You don’t telleth me.

LMS just as good as ELMS

     The library micro world has own Dr. Ruth – Sather to be correct. Okay it’s really only Ms., but she and Combase (Suite 890, 333 Sibley St., St. Paul MN 55101 612-221-0214) have coded mucho good stuff such as Elementary Library Media Skills, Using and Index to Periodicals  [ & ][, and Elementary Computer Literacy. Her latest is a massive package entitled Intermediate Librrary Media Skills or ILMS for the quickie. Just as slam bam, if you liked ELMS you’ll like ILMS.

     Massive may be an understatement. It’s 24 (yes twenty-four) disks deep divided into four parts (again very ELMS- like): discovering resources; organization of resources; locating resources; and research and study skills. Lots of activities and workshops as we expect and the screens are a lot quicker (even though it’s still 3.3) than ELMS.

     The format – drill and practice, quiz, reinforcing activities has not changed. You can’t edit the program so tools you don’t have appear (or add tools the program doesn’t cover) but the objective of the program stays clear of “specific library” stuff. Combase is asking $125 per module or $350 for the four (much more reasonably priced than ELMS – good going) and the intended age range is grades 6 -9. We likes it mucho.

The Links – Biblio style

     Rick Thomas dropped a copy of the enhanced Professional Bibliographic System with Biblio-Link on me in Atlanta, and it now commercially available (PBS PO Box 4250, Ann Arbor MI 48106 313-996-1580) Whtacha do is log on to your utility (BRS, Dialog,OCLC and RLIN are supported) save your files to disk and then use the link to bring them into PBS. Slicker than snot in a doorknob at $195. If I don’t screw this up, they are also changing the name of PBS MS-DOS versions to Pro-Cite.  Good Work Boys

On the ROM

BiblioFile on an Apple ][

     The bleeding blue buggers who laughed at me should see the letter John Heckel sent me from Micro Trends (650 Woodfield Dr Suite 730 Schaumberg IL 60195 312-310-8928) Previous mention in WLN: not the bibliographic utility of laser disks and Apples can now be added to Apples and Bibliofile. He and Monica already have plans to show it in the Apple booth at ALA NY (and that’s not all you’se gonna see in that booth). They have multiuser Apple configs for those that need.

Library Corporation Drops Prices – Adds multiuser station

     If we could a only got to QuickPrint sooner than InfoWorld we coulda scooped um, but that’s the way the world goes around (JP). At the Meckler conference in Atlanta (Personal to NJM: take what you need and leave the rest) Brower Murphy of Library Corporation (PO Box 4j0035 Washington DC 20016 304-725-7220) announced the drop of Hitatchi CD Rom drives from LC to $680 one only. This includes a controller for MS-DOS or Atari hardware. Brower also announced a multi user, 3 ROM drive workstation complete with LAN for under 20 G’s. Keep on comin’!!!

CLSI goes for the optical disk

     In some of the press junk I rarely report on the folks from Mass report on an agreement with Library Corporation to link Bibliofile (see above) with their systems. If the creeks don’t rise we gonna have one in the cornfields real soon now (sorry JP)  The dude in the photo just happened to have a Mac and a Laserwriter behind him at his desk. Munch some ROM blueskies.

Ingram comes along

     Although they were showing it in Chi – we finally got some details on Ingram’s LASERSEARCH acquisition system. They crippled a good idea enough to make it worthless because if you want to order from Ingram you can do it electronically – otherwise you use your printer to print p-slips. Come on boys write some disk files other than account strategies. We could do it if we had the source code I suppose.

New Software

Baudville – ain’t no graphics better

     I first met the Baudville (1001 Medical Park Drive S.S Grand Rapids MI 49506 616-957-3036) folks at Micro Ideas and got down on my hands and knees for them to ship me some of their software. I even took ‘em to my old neighborhood and garlic’d them to death at Slicker Sam’s Beer Garden (unbeatable Chitown fare) and all Faye could say was “it isn’t library stuff” At MACUL in Grand Rapids (Personal: JW – that was a gig that will not be forgotten) I begged again and she relented. She sent Take 1 and Actors and Actions (Animation Library) to dear old WLN: not the bibliographic utility and we can’t quit playing with it. There is no better animation software for the Apple ][ to be found anywhere.

     You begin with a hires editor to create pictures and backgrounds. You add actions (easia moondo – four stars) and actors and then paste a scene together creating a frame. You splice scenes togehter with a movie editor and project them.  Utilities are great. Manual is outstanding. Fonts are available. Clip art disk is well done 50+ images. The only trip is memory management – but what do you expect from hires Also instructions for videotaping (and displaying on a monitor). By the way  your’re nuts to use this on anything other than a color monitor.

Write Choice – still going strong

     Roger Wagner not surprisingly from Roger Wagner Publishing  (10761 Woodside Ave Suite E PO Box 582 Santee CA 92071 619-562-3670) sent an undated copy of Write Choice, which I still contend is the bargain basement winner in the word processing world – especially if you are stuck in the Plus mode. For $44.95 you get: a decent word processor; a typing instruction program and a wp style manual (OK, we never look at such beasts but then we got our own style). Roger also hints that “real soon now” he’s ready to release MouseWrite with some new desk accesories. The old guy (for you spring chickens RW is one of the real old time Apple hackers) is still going strong.

            OLDIES, LIBRARIES’, GOLDEN

     If bare walls are a problem, then the poster advertising this unavailable record album will blow you away. Send $2 plus $1.75 shipping to Posters, McGoogann Library of Medicine, Univ of Nebraska Medical Center, 42^nd and Dewey Ave. Omaha NE 68105 (make checks out to McGoogan Library of Medicine). This poster carries the Wired Librarian’s Seal of Approval.

The Library Microconsumer

Firmware

     Besides the joy of moving (please note our new address) I also have been changing the hardware around. Later in these pages I’ll tell you about the MAC changes, but let me lament about my little old C for a bit.

     ME sent over an Apple 3 ½” drive to check out on my ][. This little puppy is about two thirds as wide as an  external C drive, plugs right into your card (or C as my case is) and gives you 800K of storage. That’s right moms and dads, boys and girls, and those of you who aren’t sure the antideluvian technology that the blue meanies keep trying to squish now has 800K drives. It will blow you away when you start playing with it.

     Before I could start using it, there was another mountain to climb. My C is a very old C, and it has a bad clock. I screamed and moaned and hollered at Apple because I wanted to take data from the Mac over to the ][C and I couldn’t because of the clock. The fruit company at one time offered an exchange if you had a non-Apple 1200 baud modem, (not the problem) but for me the upgrade was an expense so I just couldn’t do it. When I got the new drive it wouldn’t work, there was a note in the documentation that if you  had an old C they would do the swap gratis. Now it is done.

     800K lies out there with a simple plug (connectors are provided for ][e interface cards as well) and it runs considerably faster than it 5 ¼” brethren. If you have an external drive with the right plug you can daisy chain that behind the 3 ¼”. If you have boosted your RAM, lets say for Appleworks, and you get files bigger than 140K on the old drives, you had to partiion the save. With this new puppy, that’s no longer a problem.It’s perfect for power Appleworks users – it’s also great if you flip back and forth from several applications – just load them out there. So far (and we are talking minimal time) I have noticed the copy protected software can’t be copied out to it.

Another severe problem is that the disk must be formatted for a single operating system, 3.3 or Prodos is all I’ve tried so that you can’t mix and match (although someone mentioned a utility to do same - I’ll keep checking). ME also sent Catalyst, and by next month I’ll report on this imitation MAC on the ][ world – as well as provide some answers to some of the questions I’ve been asking. If you’re looking at souping up your desktop system and need storage for next year, Add RAM to the mother and plop one of those 800K puppies on your wish list. More, later.

The Mac Page

Only in the Wired Librarian’s Newsletter

Half a Mac Plus

       Returning from Atlanta, my MAC was sick. I don’t’ know what happened, but after running the diagnostics it needed a new internal drive (my external at this point was still good and baby still worked). It seemed silly to me to replace the 400K unit, so I started calling around for the hard to find upgrade kits. It took a few tithes to Ma Bell, but DR came through. In three days baby returned and had the new ROM, an 800K drive, and was as good as new. Well almost.

     I refrained from taking it to a meg and adding the new scuzzie because 1) I forgot to ask for it 2) I couldn’t afford it 3) I’ve heard rumblings about “compatability” problems. An example of these show up in MacDraw: I have scads of fonts loaded but it won’t let me scroll through the pull down menu. Half a loaf, as me sainted mother once said.

     Everything worked fine except the external drive. I have a Haba second drive and plugging an Apple drive in it worked fine. ON calling  Haba I was told that t heir old 400K drives were incompatable with the new ROM and I would have to upgrade to their 800K  if I wanted a working second drive. “Hey, it’s only $150 and you get 800K” Thank goodness I hadn’t put the scuzzie in. I sent it off Federal next day. They got it on the 27th of March. It finally came back to me (with only one nasty phone call on my part) on April 11th. Sure glad I was on the road most of that time. It works fine – but just like it’s 400K ancestor is as noisy as tank command Europe. It does have a very convenient eject button. Nuff said.

     The new ROM is marvelous. On boot, you get the desktop very quickly (six to eight seconds) It does I/O a lot quicker and provides HFS – Heirarichal File System on ROM. HFS allows you to nest files into folders for quicker access. Use it loosely until you get the hang of it or it will put you in the subdirectory nightmare AT users suffer from.

     The 800K is neat. All the cleancut crap you used to do fit stuff onto disks is releived. Me old Macwrite  disk only had five fonts in limited sizes cause disk space  was precious. My principle startupdisk in the 800K  world has not only MacWrite, but Macpaint, MacDraw, me usual desk accesories (six) fifteen fonts (all sizes, not the most used, as before) and 70K left over. You can imagine the effect this has on the size of data files.

     I am having a major problem. Somehow the Mac knows the difference between single sided and dual sided diskettes. When you try to initialize a single on both sides, you get your favorite failed box. That’s OK I suppose. How are we going to keep the disk guys in business if we don’t fatten their calfs. Also, 800K disks do not boot on 400K systems. I’ve been able to read data (sometimes) but not always. Oh well, the new ROM and the 800K drives greatly improve performance. You get the user interface and the cake too.

Wired Librarian Live

Date           Group                            Contact

May 17       Impact ’86                     University Extension

                    British Columbia                     604-721-8471

May 30       Virgina Dept of Ed        Gloria Barber

                    Richmond, Virginia         804-225-2855

A Closing Note

A privelege an editor has, especially one in my position, is sharing with his

reader what is on his mind. My sainted pappy put it this way: you come, you go, and you pay your taxes.

     I was terribly saddened two weeks ago when I read of John Ciardi’s passing. It may seem strange to some that I who avoid every rule of the language and misuse it to the point that when people are introduced to me their first comment is “you really ought to get a spelling checker” could care so much for someone on the other hand of the etymological spectrum.

     I had often heard his “Word in your ear” NPR feature before I ever had the privilege of meeting him. To my surprise he had read some of my stuff – that’s another story for another day – and we talked for a long while about words and writing and people who read writing. But most of all we talked about how words grow and change and how it was important for a language to develop.

An Index to the Online Issues

1983 - When there were four microcomputers at the ALA show

December 1984

1985 - wow we've got hard drives !!!