The First 100 Days - Family Computing and K-Power Magazine ...

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A PROGRAMS FOR 

THE APPLE, ATARI, 

A COMMODORE 64 

ANDVIC-20, 

and TRS-80 

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TWENTY-FOUR 

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COMPUTINw 

COMPUTING 

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The First 100 Days 

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$1.99 

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■A PETERMcWILLIAM£ 

THE COMPUTER 

. BUYER'S GUIDE: 

* A .. ALOOKATTHt 

A LEADING BRAND , 

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+[4 

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„ A Meet 

TOM BALL: 

* TEENAGE 

GAME MAKER 

A A A 

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t

TRUNKS FOR THE 

Introducing the most logical place to store 

Elephant Memory Systems® (or lesser brands 

of disks): The Trunk 

With its alphabetized library index, you can 

file or retrieve up to 60 disks, instantly 

The Trunk is made of durable molded 

plastic with a hinged, one-piece lid, to keep 

disks safe from dust, dirt, and other detriments 

which disks despise. 

And, it's portable. Because the lid doubles 

as a carrying handle so your Elephant Memory 

Systems® disks can go anywhere you do. 

There's a model for 5V4" and 8" floppies, as 

well as a cassette-and-game file and a special 

Atari® version. 

So if you're looking for the best disk storage 

system on the market... 

The Trunk is an open-and-shut case. 

THE TRUNK. ENDORSED BY ELEPHANTS. 

Elephant Memory Systems" Disks 

A full line of top-quality floppies, in virtually every 5!W and 8" model, for compatibility with virtually every computer on the market. 

Guaranteed to meet or exceed every industry standard, certified 100% error-free and problem-free, and to maintain its qualityfor at least 

12 million passes lor over a life-time of heavy-duty use). 

Marketed exclusively by Leo' ing Edge Products, Inc., Information Systems and Supplies Division, 55 Providence Highway. Norwood, 

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sO2J

I

FEATURES 

44 

HOW TO PROGRAM 

SUCCESS INTO 

YOUR COMPUTER 

by Cindy Frenkel 

The plan and the one rule 

Tony Morris set up to give 

his family an 

understanding of their 

computer. 

49 

THE BAD BOY OF 

COMPUTING 

by Jntia Mtshkln 

An exclusive Interview with 

Peter McWilliams. (he 

irreverent author of best- 

selling computer guides. 

COVFM I'tloioc.UrWli BY JANET BELLBH 

FAMILY 

52 

MEET TOM BALL: 

GAME MAKER 

by Nick Sullivan 

A year behind in math 

when he got his computer. 

this teenage college 

freshman is paying his 

tuition with earnings Irom 

two nationally distributed 

computer games. 

PLUS: IS YOUR GAME SALEABLE? 

56 

HOW TO BUILD 

A COMPACT COMPUTER 

CONSOLE FOR $25 

by Gene and Katie Hamilton 

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step 

instructions, with 

accompanying photos and 

drawings, will help you 

create an efficient work 

station. 

58 

PORTRAIT OF A 

COMPUTING FAMILY: 

PART 1 — 

THE CONNINGTONS 

BUY A COMPUTER 

by Nick Sullivan 

Buying a first computer— 

from (he excitement of 

deciding through the 

frustration of shopping 

and the exhilaration of 

beginning. 

PLUS: SHOPPING DOs 

AND HONTs. 

63 

COMPUTER 

BUYER'S GUIDE: 

A LOOK AT THE 

LEADING BRANDS 

Detailed rundowns of the 

leading brands of 

computers bought for 

home use. including 

features, prices, 

applications. Accompanied 

by a do-it-yourself chart to 

clip and carry on your 

buying trips. 

t'Lige 75 

69 

WHEN KERRIE 

HOLTON TALKS, 

ATARI LISTENS 

by Bethany Kandel 

How a New Orleans 

teenager earned herself 

a spot on this leading 

computer company's Youth 

Advisory Board. 

Page 95

PREMIER ISSUE 

SEPTEMBER 1983 PUBLISHED BY SCHOLASTIC INC. 

PROGRAMMING WHAT'S IN STORE DEPARTMENTS 

75 

THE PROGRAMMER 

For enthusiasts of all levels. 

76 

PROGRAMMING GUIDE 

by Joey Lattmer 

Seasonal programming fun 

and learning—for the 

Apple, Atari. Commodore 

64 and VIC-20. IBM. TI. 

Timex, and TRS-80. 

82 

PUZZLE 

by Stephen McManus 

A new kind of maze 

combining computer with 

paper and pencil. 

83 

READER-WRITTEN 

PROGRAMS 

Home insulation for fuel 

bill savings: Pig Latin for 

fun. 

Product announcements 

and reviews. 

88 

SOFTWARE GUIDE 

Quick lakes on two dozen 

new and noteworthy 

programs. 

95 

SOFTWARE REVIEWS 

100 

NEW HARDWARE 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

The latest in computers, 

monitors, printers, and 

accessories. 

104 

NOVELTIES AND 

NOTIONS 

A compendium of 

computer-related items. 

106 

BOOK REVIEWS 

8 

EDITOR'S NOTE 

10 

BEHIND THE SCREENS 

People. News, and Trends 

by John Wallace 

14 

THE PRIMER 

A three-part reference 

guide—"The System." "The 

Words." "The Setting." 

Basic information to 

appear each issue. 

21 

HOME-SCHOOL 

CONNECTION 

Thinking Big 

by Beth Powell 

30 

HOME BUSINESS 

Krom Diapers to Disk Drives 

by Jon Zonderman 

34 

COMPUTING 

CONFIDENTIAL 

Confessions of a Former 

Computer Phobic 

by Sarah Kortum 

38 

COMPUTING CLINIC 

Questions from Readers; 

Answers from Walter 

Koetke 

108 

SIGN OFF 

If You Don't Understand, 

Shout . . . Show Me! 

by Ed Roscnfeld 

SCHOLASTIC INC. 

CORPORATE 

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VOLUME 1 

NUMBER 1 

Dr. Sidney P. Marland. Jr.. 

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Dr. Gregory Anrig, President. 

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Elaine flanks. Hast President. 

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tion 

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Pennsylvania 

FAMILY COMPUTING [ISSN O738- 

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Page 60

THE ATARI HOME COMPUTER HAS AN EXCLUSIVE 

LIBRARY OF OVER 2,000 PROGRAMS THAT WILL 

DEVELOP YOUR SKILLSAND GIVE YOU THRILLS. 

What you get out of a computer depends on the programs you put 

into it. You'll get more out of an ATARI Home Computer because Atari offers a 

tremendous range and variety of programs. More of the kinds of programs 

that make a real difference in your life. Like Family Finances, My First Alphabet 

or Conversational French. No one makes learning more fun. 

And Atari is the only home computer that plays the world's favorite 

games, with the best graphics and great sounds. The real ATARI games. Like 

PACMAN? Defender? Centipede]M or Dig DugT.M

With over 2,000 programs like these, Atari is 

the only home computer that can really give 

you what you want And more. We make learning fun for everyone. 

THE ATARI HOME COMPUTER. 

IA Warner Communications Company.

T 

AGE 

3-5 

Now you can choose from a variety of the most 

wanted programs—TUTORIALS, EDUCATIONAL 

GAMES, DISCOVERY ACTIVITIES, and more . . . 

all from EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES rated # I in 

educational software.* EA's new DAYBREAK divi 

sion offers superior programs designed for children 

of various ages and abilities ... at home! 

• The programs are all self-directing. 

No adult supervision is necessary. 

• Tutorial programs are all self-correcting. 

• Programs are all self-motivating. 

All programs are level-adjustable. Parent or child 

can vary their complexity and create new challenges 

as the child progresses. 

The Programs Your Child Needs Most! 

7 & up 

7 & up 

10 & up 

8 & up 

U 9&up 

T 

O 9&up 

R 10&up 

12&up 

TITLE, ORDER NO. and DESCRIPTION 

DISCOVER! (DB-2000)—Directionality, colors, body parts 

with "sprites." Cue cards allow child to work in 

dependently, (not available on TRS-80). 

PERPLEXITY (DB-3000)—Classic puzzles challenge prob 

lem solving, logic and organizational skills. Several levels 

of difficulty. 

MATH BASEBALL (DB-4000)—Builds basic math skills. 

Several levels of difficulty. 

REGIONS of the U.S. (DB-5000)—Game-like program 

teaches major cities, land forms, products, and climates. 

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION OF WHOLE NUMBERS 

(DB-4030) 

MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION OF WHOLE NUMBERS 

(DB-4031) 

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION OF FRACTIONS (DB-4032) 

MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION OF FRACTIONS (DB-4033) 

SIMPLE ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS (DB-4055)-3 programs 

of progressively difficult levels. 

Level I—one variable, one operation. 

Level II—one variable, two operations, frequent use of 

parentheses. 

Level III—variable on both sides. 

PRICE 

$29.95 

$29.95 

PRICE 

$29.95 

$39.95 

$29.95 

$29.95 

$29.95 

$29.95 

$39.95 

. . -■.. ., .. ., -n Apple II or He. TRS-80. Commodore G4, PET. Atari 800. 

When ordering, please specify computer model and diskette or cassette format. 

Sorry, no cassettes for Apple. 

To order, write or call. Send check, money order or charge to MasterCard or VISA. In 

clude card number, expiration date and signature. Please add 5% for postage and 

handling. No CO.D. 

* Rating by Queue. Inc.. publishers of "Microcomputers in Education" 

f fI buy more software from EA 

than from any other publisher." 

Kathy Grubbs, Program Director, E. Whittier (CA) Middle Schools 

DAYBREAK SOFTWARE 1 -800 645-3739 (U.S.) 

(Div. of Educational Activities) 516 223-4666 (N.Y.) 

1951 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, N.Y. 11510 

FAMILY 

730 Broadway. New York. N.Y. 10003 

EDITORIAL 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Claudia Cohl 

DESIGN DIRECTOR 

Vincent Ceci 

SENIOR EDITOR 

Laura Bernstein 

FEATURES EDITOR 

Nick Sullivan 

LIFESTYLES EDITOR 

Sarah Kortum 

TECHNICAL EDITOR 

Lance Paavola 

REVIEWS EDITOR 

John D. Wallace. Jr. 

CO1"Y AND RESEARCH CHIEF 

Yamlle Martin Kahn 

CO!"Y AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT 

Linda Williams 

DESIGN ASSOCIATE 

James C. Montalbano 

administrative COORDINATOR 

Barbara Bevan 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS 

Alexander Whltlaker 

Susan M. Easum 

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 

Megan Van Peebles 

CONTHIUUTING EDITORS 

James Delson 

Anne Krueger 

Joey Latimer 

Edward RosenTeld 

TECHNICAL AND EDUCATION CONSULTANT 

Walter Koetkc 

PUBLISHING 

PUBLISHER 

Shirrel Rhoades 

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ 

CIRCULATION AND MARKETING 

Vince Dema 

CIRCULATION MANAGER 

Harold Shain 

CIRCULATION STAFF 

Dlerdre McMurray 

Mark Ml Eton 

BUSINESS MANAGER 

Steven Abromowllz 

PRODUCTION MANAGER 

David J. Lange 

Advertising Sales Offices 

EAST COAST REPRESENTATION 

730 Broadway 

New York. N.Y. 10003 

(212) 505-3585 

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR 

Harold L. Leddy 

(212) 505-3585 

ASSOCIATE ADVERTISING D1KECTOK 

Charlene D. LeGrand 

(212) 505-3586 

MARKETING DIRECTOR 

Michael H. Tehong 

(212] 505-3589 

NORTHEAST MANAGER 

Steve Rosenlield 

(212) 505-3587 

TELEMARKETING MANAGER 

Lisa Kunin 

(2121 505-3588 

WEST/SOUTi (WEST REPRESENTATION 

385 Sherman Avenue 

Palo Alto. CA 94306 

1415)327-6090 

WESTERN MANAGER 

Robert S. Pack 

(415) 327-6090 

MIDWEST REPRESENTATION 

730 Broadway 

New York. N.Y. 10003 

MIDWEST MANAGER 

Lisa Kunin 

(212] 505-3588

WOULD YOU SHELL OUT 

$1000 TO MATCH WITS 

WITH THIS? 

MEET YOUR MATCH. MEET INFOCOM GAMES- 

PERHAPS THE BEST REASON IN SOFTWARE 

FOR OWNING A PERSONAL COMPUTER. 

In fact, people have been known to purchase 

computers and disk drives solely for the pur 

pose of playing our games. And' they haven't 

been disappointed. Because Infocom's prose 

stimulates your imagination to a degree 

nothing else in software approaches. Instead 

of putting funny little creatures on your 

screen, we put you inside our stories. And 

we confront you with startlingly realistic 

environments alive with situations, person 

alities, and logical puzzles the like of which 

you won't find elsewhere. The secret? We've 

found the way to plug our prose right into 

your imagination, and catapult you 

into a whole new dimension. 

If you think such an extraordi 

nary experience is worth having, 

you're not alone. Everything we've 

ever written-ZORK* I, II, and III. 

DEADLINE; STARCROSS; and 

T—has become an instant 

best-seller. For the simple 

reason that Infocom offers 

you something as rare and 

valuable as anything in soft 

ware—real entertainment. 

At last, you can fritter away your eve 

nings playing a computer game without feel 

ing like you're frittering away your com 

puter investment. 

Step up to Infocom. All words. No pic 

tures. The secret reaches of your mind are 

beckoning. A whole new dimension is in 

there waiting for you. 

inpocom 

The next dimension. 

Infocom. inc.. 55 Wheeler St.. Cambridge. MA 02138 

For vour: AppleII, .Atari, Commodores>t. 

CP/M S." DEC Rainbow, DEC BT11, IBM, NEC APC, NEC PC-8000, 

Osbonie 1, TI Professional, TRS-80 Model I, TRS-80 Model HI.

EDITOR'S NOTE 

JOIN US IN FAMILY COMPUTING 

PHOTOGRAPH liY JAHET HELLER 

The more I read and write about 

microcomputers, the more I'm re 

minded of my grandfather. Thinking 

about him led to a major break 

through in my own resistance to 

computers, which most authors and 

even technical experts at some time 

refer to as "machines." 

If Martians had landed on Earth 

and tried lo discover what Earth- 

lings do. based on conversations 

with my grandfather, they would 

never have learned about the auto 

mobile. The word did not exist in 

the old man's vocabulary. Instead, 

sitting in his garage was "the ma 

chine." which he understood not at 

all. but which he greatly appreciated 

for somehow miraculously moving 

him and his friends and family 

wherever and whenever they wanted 

to go. The generations that followed 

him never questioned being auto 

matically mobile, and the machine 

became the automobile, which be 

came the car, which became brandor 

model-specific as ownership with 

in a single family multiplied and one 

car had to be easily distinguished 

from the others. 

With the realization that we adults 

8 FAMILY COMPUTING 

are a generation of beginners in rela 

tion to our computers, much as my 

grandfather was in relation to his 

automobile, it became easy to relax. 

We might never have reflexes as 

quick as the kids behind us, or un 

derstand the workings of "the ma 

chine," or use it as readily, but the 

computer is fast becoming part of 

our lives, and we are excited by the 

miraculous accomplishments we can 

achieve with it. 

Our numbers arc growing. Within 

just the next few years, 30 million 

families are expected to buy comput 

ers for their homes. The number-one 

motivating force behind this initial 

purchase is the future of our chil 

dren. But the road to a buying deci 

sion and the successful assimilation 

of the computer into our everyday 

lives is a bumpy one. not clearly- 

marked between the starting point 

and the final destination. 

To help these families in the years 

ahead, and to serve those who have 

already bought computers, or who 

are looking for a way to feel comfort 

able as casual or recreational com 

puter users. Scholastic Inc. has cre 

ated FAMILY COMPUTING. It is a 

magazine that will serve as a guide 

while we toddle as eagerly as the 

very young and step as cautiously as 

the very old into the world of this 

new technology. 

If you're one of the hundreds of 

thousands of people who've felt they 

had no place to turn for help, you'll 

find that at last there's a resource 

designed for you. 

Every issue of family computing will 

be noted for: 

A focus on people—-familR-.— 

who are putting their computers to 

good use; 

How-Ids and what-tos—the basics 

you need to know to get what you 

want from your computer. All in 

plain English; 

Buying information on and re 

views of software, hardware, and 

books directed to family purchasing: 

Programming help—and a raft 

of programs for beginning and casu 

al users of all ages and for seven dif 

ferent computer brands: 

Ideas for tying your computer 

into the things you and your family 

arc doing each month. Especially at 

holiday times: 

Opportunities to contribute to 

family computing by sharing experi 

ences with other readers, posing 

questions, writing articles, and sub 

mitting original programs, games, 

and puzzles you've created. We wel 

come your ideas. 

So. if you're part of a computing 

family or a soon-to-be computing 

family, you'll find that issue after is 

sue you'll be able to turn to family 

computing to meet your goals of 

learning about computers and learn 

ing to use computers. Confident 

that the expertise and experience of 

Scholastic Inc. are part of this new 

venture, you'll know you can count 

on us as you decide what to buy. 

where to buy, and what to do after 

you've made your decisions. You'll be 

able to lean on us if you're just giv 

ing programming a try. And we'll be 

there if you think you'd like to move 

on to word processing or informa 

tion services, or even a second sys 

tem with more power. 

We'll be writing for a wide range of 

computing families, and a wide 

range of computing families will be 

writing for us. The stories about the 

successes of our readers will be 

proof of the success of computers 

themselves. 

CLAUDIA COHL 

EDITOR-IN-CHiEF

Apple*, Commodore*, 

Timex/Sinclair*... 

9- •Jill 

We make 

them elementary. 

by William B. Sanders 

M DATAMOSI 

8943 Fullbright Ave., Chotsworth, Co. 91011. (213) 709-1202. 

VISA/MASTERCHARGE accepted. $2.00 shipping/handling charge. 

(California residents add 6Vi% sales tax) 

"Apple, Commodore 64, and Timex/Sinclair are trademarks 

respectively of Apple Computer. Inc., Commodore Business 

Machines, Inc. and Timex Computer Corp. Copyright 1983 Datamost Inc. 

The idea of getting your own computer 

sounded wonderful. But now that you hove it 

you're a little scared ... you think it sounds so 

technical. Well, take heart. Relax. Help is here. 

William B. Sanders has written individual books 

about the Apple, the Commodore 64, and the 

Timex/Sinclair computers. When you select rhe 

one which matches your computer you can 

breathe easy because it'll be like having your 

oil-rime favorite teacher atyourside... gentty 

guiding you, explaining, and showing. 

THE ELEMENTARY series sweeps away the 

id raai«iTO5D 

20 PRINT HWEI 

3ONEXTI 

RUN 

HW£ FUN HAVE 

FUN WE FUN 

confusion and explains your 

Apple, Commodore 64 or 

Timex/Sinclair in down to 

earth terms, coupled with 

enjoyable cartoons. It 

shows you how to hook it 

up, how to use the key 

board and work on 

the screen—all rhe 

unique things your 

computer can do so you 

""" can make use of it right away! And 

it also answers those questions you'll 

have about how to write your own simple pro 

grams, about graphics, uriliry programs, and 

various hardware oprions. 

You'll see your ELEMENTARY book conrains a 

lot of information, And, you'll also see that not 

one paragraph or chapter is dull or difficult to 

follow. Prove it your yourself. Visityour computer 

store. Open the book. Read a page of the 

introduction, then flip to any page and read a 

paragraph or so. You'll find it's as understand 

able, as helpful and as marvelous as we say.


PEOPLE, NEWS, AND TRENDS 

EDITED BY JOHN WALLACE 

Hope for the Weary 

Those of you who tremble at the 

thought of embarking on a compara 

tive computer hunt or panic at the 

prospect of purchasing a peripheral 

may take heart at the arrival of the 

Computer Technology Center. An 

nounced to open in Los Angeles later 

this fall, it is a pair of 10-story 

towers, the first floors of which will 

house an anticipated 100 computer 

display rooms. 

The promise of centers like these 

is that they will enable buyers to 

browse and sample hardware in 

peace. There will be no high-pres 

sured salespeople, although manu 

facturer reps will most certainly pro 

mote their products. And there will 

be a wide variety of different brands 

under one roof. 

Real estate developers and other 

entrepreneurs all over the country 

are planning centers in as many as 

13 cities, including Cincinnati. At 

lanta, and Philadelphia. Showrooms 

are already in place in existing 

buildings in Chicago and Westmin 

ster. California. 

"Most of the major companies arc 

putting their toes in the water," ex 

plains Mary Simpson, an analyst at 

the marketing research firm. Data- 

quest. She says that, just like any 

new marketing concept, "these 

marts have had a rather limited ac 

ceptance at first." Some industry ob 

servers say that big micro manufac 

turers are reluctant to subject their 

wares to the kind of intense compar 

ative scrutiny that such computer 

marts would invite. 

To the weary consumer, though, 

the concept of a one-stop computer 

mart sounds good, a possible detour 

around thai shopping center scramble. 

Center 


GROWTH IN COMPUTER CAREE 

1980-1990 

(numbers in thousands) 

COMPUTER 

SYSTEMS 

ANALYSTS 

(Determine 

hardware and 

software best 

suited to 

solving data- 

processing 

problems) 

205.0 

343.2 

1980 1990 

68% 

BUSINESS 

MACHINE 

REPAIRERS 

(Install and repair typical 

office machinery, including 

noncomputer-related equipment) 

83.0 

160.4 

1980 1990 

233.0 

COMPUTER 

SERVICE 

TECHNICIANS 

(Install and 

maintain data- 

processing 

equipment) 

386.8 

1980 1990 

66% 

COMPUTER 

OPERATORS 

(Enter data and instructions in 

system; operate computer 

and retrieve results) 

228.0 

339.9 

1980 1990 

49% 

COMPUTER 

PROGRAMMERS 

(Prepare instructions that make 

computers perform specific tasks) 

SOURCE; U.S Bureau of tabor Statistics 

All 1990 employment figures and percentages reflect low estimates of anticipated growth. 

Where to Find Jobs 

"The computer is changing the 

character of employment in the Unit 

ed States." says Steve Jobs, chair 

man of Apple Computer. Indeed, as 

layoffs in the manufacturing indus 

tries continue, and accounting and 

bookecpingjobs decline, computerrelated 

positions are expected to 

grow well over 50 percent by 1990. 

Well-trained computer program 

CHART BY UOBERT CONRAD 

mers, operators, technicians, and 

systems analysts should have a wide 

range of opportunities from which to 

choose (see chart). In addition, there 

will be numerous new jobs in devel 

opment and sales at computer-man 

ufacturing companies, since sales of 

personal computers are expected to 

soar 700 percent by 1987. Jobs will 

also abound in computer-software 

development. 

continued on page 12

WHILE OTHER COMPUTER COMPANIES 

ARE BUSY SETTING NEW PRICES, 

SPECTRAVIDEO IS BUSY SETTING 

msx and LOGO: Two more reasons why spectravideo is 

leading the way in Personal Computers. 

While price wars and confusion reign all around 

us, Spectravideo goes about its business, setting stan 

dards by which alt other personal computers will soon 

be judged. MSX and LOGO are the two latest ex 

amples of how Spectravideo is rocking-and reshaping 

-the personal computer industry. 

MSX AND LOGO. 

It is now history that, on June 15 1983, Spectra 

video, Inc. joined with most of Japan's largest 

electronics firms to launch MSX: The most far-reaching 

personal computer standard in history. MSX is the 

name given to a specific hardware/software con 

figuration that makes product interchangeability 

possible. While Spectravideo is proud to participate 

in MSX we are even prouder of this fact: It was our 

own_sy-31.8 computer that was used as a prototype 

for the MSX design! There are two important aspects 

to this. 

First, all future MSX hardware-i.e. computers, 

peripherals, appliances-will be based on several key 

design elements of the SV-318. What does this 

mean to you, the consumer? A great deal, because 

when you buy an SV-318, you will not only be able to 

use all of Spectravideo's own software and hard 

ware you'll also be able to take advantage of all the 

remarkable new equipment that will be coming from 

other MSX participants. 

In addition, the software aspect of MSX was 

largety inspired by the software built into the SV-318. 

From the outset, Spectravideo offered built-in Micro 

soft BASIC as its resident interpreter. Now, Microsoft 

also makes a LOGO program compatible with the 

SV-318. It was Spectravideo's Microsoft BASIC/LOGO 

that helped to make MSX possible. 

Another standard that Spectravideo can take 

credit for is the built-in Joystick/Cursor Control. Built 

right into the SV console, this control is always at 

fingertips and is much easier and faster to use than 

external joysticks or conventional editing controfs. 

compatible software standard 

Certain engineering elements that helped to make 

this built-in control possible have also been incor 

porated into MSX 

OTHER STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE. 

While these are the computer standardizations 

that Spectravideo helped to initiate, they by no 

means represent the whole SV-318 story. This 

remarkable computer has also established many 

standards of excellence that other personal com 

puters now aspire to: 

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continuedJrom page 10 

All in the Cards 

Bad news for those of us who have 

enjoyed—perhaps too much—the 

ease of credit card use. Thanks to 

the latest microcomputer innova 

tions, a French company now has a 

new kind of card in its deck. 

One quarter of a million people in 

Lyons. Caen, and Blois. France, are 

trying out a special kind of credit 

card that contains a mini-microcom 

puter chip. These "Smart Cards" are 

more clever than many shoppers 

might like. They know exactly how 

much money you have and won't let 

you spend a penny—or a franc— 

more. 

The card is designed to do a good 

deal more than keep you within bud 

get. It has enough memory to handle 

100 transactions, and can serve as 

an instant cash card, travelers" card, 

telephone credit card, social security 

card, medicaid card, immigration 

card, and probably any other card 

you might earn,' in your wallet. 

The card, which a user inserts 

into a monitor or "reader" in order 

to access the information stored in 

the chip, has many potential appli 

cations besides its capacities as a 

glorified credit or ID card. It could. 

for instance, greatly aid emergency 

medical diagnosis. "Someone's en 

tire medical history would be carried 

on the card." explains a publicist for 

Smart Cards. "If a person collapses, 

the card will indicate what sort of 

medication might be needed." Police 

and hospitals would be equipped 

with the readers, which, like those 

found in retail outlets, would read 

out the information stored on the 

chip. 

In the U.S., the Army has been 

testing similar versions of these 

cards. As forms of identification, 

these Smart Cards would hold a sol 

dier's complete medical and person 

nel history, greatly facilitating the 

Army's record-keeping procedures. 

(In war time, such information could 

be easily erased for the soldier's—or 

the nation's—protection.) Elsewhere 

in the U.S.. such chips are being 


tested for their potential use in food 

stamp vouchers. 

All told, the possible uses for these 

Smart Cards are limitless. Who 

knows? Perhaps years from now, 

you won't be leaving home without 

them. 

Whiz Punks 

CBS's new TV adventure series, 

"Whiz Kids." features four high 

school students whose computer 

savvy helps them solve mysterious 

crimes. Along with the movie. War- 

Games, it is the second drama out 

of L.A. to depict computer kids gain 

ing unauthorized access to confiden 

tial computerized corporate, govern 

ment, or school files. 

The show's star whiz kid, Richie, 

and his friends solve their first mur 

der mystery by using their program 

ming prowess to break into a variety 

of computer systems. Objections 

have been raised about the TV net 

work's promotion of this kind of on 

line liberty taking. 

Admittedly, the whiz kids' know- 

how "is a poor role model for young 

people." says Harvey Shephard. se 

nior vice president of the CBS enter 

tainment division. The show's pro 

ducer, on the other hand, maintains 

the show is harmless because it nei 

ther endorses the kids' line tapping, 

nor demonstrates how it is done. 

Neither the whiz kids nor the war 

gamesters are evil people. [War- 

Games. if you don't know, is about 

a kid who inadvertently taps into the 

Pentagon's war strategy computer.) 

They are essentially good guys; they 

right wrongs and apprehend crimi 

nals. But they do commit some elec 

tronic indiscretions, and in so do 

ing, raise some questions about the 

ethical limitations of hacker heroics. 

What's in a Name 

Computers arc taking the world by 

storm. Maybe that's why they call 

the computer o /cosmos in Greece. 

Translated literally, that means "or 

der" or "universe." Not every lan 

guage has adapted so eloquently to 

the new technology. 

Most countries just use variations 

on the English "computer." Accord 

ing to Frank Anshen. professor of 

linguistics at New York University, 

this is commonly the case with 

words for new technologies or 

trends. "When people take a new 

machine, or a new concept, they 

generally take the word, too. Ameri 

cans are way ahead with computers." 

The Japanese, for instance, have 

adopted the standard English word, 

as have the Germans, who occasion 

ally clarify pronunciation by spelling 

it with a "k." Egypt and Afghanistan 

follow suit. 

European countries display a cer 

tain amount of linguistic pride. Ital 

ians use the word elaboratore, 

which means "processor," while the 

French employ the term, ordinateur. 

which derives from the verb 

ordiner—to count. 

The Finnish arc more like the 

Greeks when it comes to linguistic 

ingenuity. The definition for "hack 

er" in Finland is one who spends too 

much time in front of his or her 

tietokone. the word for "knowledge 

machine." They've got the general 

idea. 

Kenya has a novel solution. In 

stead of bothering to make up a 

whole new word for the creature, 

they just modified the spelling a bit. 

"We pronounce it as the British do."' 

an official at the Kenyan consulate 

explained, "and we spell it as it is 

pronounced—c-o-m-p-u-t-a.' " 

Well, we say computer, they say 

computa, let's not call the whole 

thing off! 

If you've got a good bite-sized piece of 

computer-related news involving people, 

trends, or innovations, let's hear it. We 

will pay $25 for each item we publish. 

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THE PRIMER 

The only way to learn to use a 

computer is to use one. But before 

you start, it's well worth asking. 

"What can I do with a computer?" 

And. "How does a computer work?" 

The illustration of a computer sys 

tem on the opposite page shows var 

ious pieces of equipment, referred to 

as hardware. To work effectively, 

this hardware needs step-by-step in 

structions, or programs. These pro 

grams are often called software. 

What you can do with a computer 

depends on the software you* use. 

The many uses of home computers 

can be broken down into several 

broad categories. 

WHAT A COMPUTER DOES 

Game Playing. Several types of 

games are available—arcade-style ac 

tion, fantasy, adventure. Some take 

minutes 10 master: others months. 

Many games can be played by more 

than one person at a time. 

Education. Whether you are 

learning math. French, history, or 

typing, these programs allow you to 

learn at your own pace. Programs 

range from question-and-answer 

drills to loose creative exercises. 

Some test logical skills, by putting 

you in a real-life problem-solving sit 

uation; others teach you to program 

by letting you draw pictures. 

Paper work. When it comes to 

handling reams of information, the 

computer can't be beat. It functions 

as an endless supply of paper, file 

cabinets, and a calculator rolled into 

one. With an electronic spreadsheet, 

you can change one figure in a bud 

get and the rest will automatically 

change. The ability to ask "what if?" 

and see immediate results has obvi 

ous time-saving benefits. 

The computer is equally adept at 

setting up a filing system, and al 

lows you to cross-reference data in 

any number of ways for easy recall. 

With a word-processing program, 

the computer can speed up and sim 

plify the writing process, by allowing 

you to change or rearrange words 

and paragraphs without retyping. 

Information access. You can 

hook your home computer, via the 

telephone, to much larger computers 

at "information service" companies. 

This allows you to "cail up" stock 

quotations, airline schedules, news 

paper and magazine bibliographies, 

encyclopedias, and even games. 

Also, by using the telephone lines 

you can hook your computer to oth 

er home computers around the 

country, and leave or receive mes 


sages. This practice is known as 

electronic mail. Several computers 

linked together arc called a network. 

Programming. It's possible to 

enjoy practical benefits from your 

computer without ever buying a 

commercial program—you can write 

your own. And. in some cases, you 

can adapt commercial programs to 

better suit your particular needs. 

HOW A COMPUTER WORKS 

The computer is an information- 

handling machine. It stores, com 

pares, changes, and manipulates in 

formation of almost any kind at 

tremendously high speeds. 

The computer's operating method 

can be boiled down to four simple 

steps. (1) input: Instructions and in 

formation, in the form of a program 

and data, are entered into the com 

puter. (2) processing: The computer 

executes the steps of the program. 

(3} output: The results of the com 

puter's work arc made visible and 

available to the user. (4) storage: 

Results can be stored and saved. 

Most home computers do not 

come ready-made in one piece, but 

must be assembled from various 

components. Following arc the com 

ponents needed for each of the four 

operating steps, and how they work. 

Input. There arc four basic ways 

of getting a program and/or other in 

formation into a home computer. 

keyboard. The keyboard looks and 

behaves much like that of a type 

writer. Some keyboards have special 

keys for certain computer functions, 

and some have a numeric keypad, 

much like a calculator. But on any 

unit, every keystroke you type goes 

directly into the computer's memory. 

That information will stay there un 

til you delete it or turn the computer 

off. (You can also store, or save, that 

information for future use.) 

CASSETTE TAPE RECORDER. You can 

copy a program stored on a cassette 

tape directly into the computer's 

memory. Regular tape recorders and 

cassettes can be used with most 

home computers, although you will 

need a special cable to connect the 

two. Once connected, you merely 

type a simple command to transfer 

the program from tape to computer. 

disk drive. The transfer method is 

much the same with a disk drive, 

except that the program is stored on 

a floppy disk, which looks much like 

a 45 rpm record. 

The disk drive enters programs 

much more quickly and with less 

chance of error than the cassette re 

corder. But the cassette recorder is 

significantly cheaper. 

cartridge. A cartridge, which 

plugs into a slot built into some 

computers, also stores programs. 

Putting a cartridge into a computer 

actually adds memory to the com 

puter—and that memory contains a 

program. 

Processing. All input goes to the 

Central Processing Unit (CPU), locat 

ed underneath the keyboard. The 

CPU is a maze of tiny electronic cir 

cuits, but it functions as a giant. 

The CPU controls the flow of infor 

mation into, out of. and inside the 

computer. The computer's memory. 

where information is stored, is locat 

ed in the CPU. The CPU also inter 

prets a program, performs each of 

its steps, and then sends the results 

to the user. 

Output. The visible result of a 

CPU's work is called output. Output 

is made available on the screen of a 

TV or monitor, or from a printer. 

Computers can be hooked to TVs 

or monitors, and to printers. In all 

cases special cables are required. In 

general, the monitor's screen display 

is sharper than the TV's. 

Storage. When the computer is 

turned on. it will store and remem 

ber all information it receives. But 

when it is turned off. this informa 

tion will vanish—unless you instruct 

the computer to save it. 

You can store information on a 

blank tape or disk. Either way, you 

can record the results of the com 

puter's work, just as you would re 

cord a speech. Then, any time you 

want to run that program again, you 

can transfer it into the computer's 

memory, and sec it on the display 

screen. 

You cannot store new information 

on a cartridge. 

Peripherals. Peripherals are op 

tional pieces of equipment that can 

be added to your computer, but are 

not crucial to the computer's opera 

tion. A printer, in fact, is considered 

a peripheral. One of the most popu 

lar peripherals is a modem. 

modem. If you want to link your 

computer to an information service 

or other computers, you will need a 

modem. A modem holds a telephone 

receiver and transmits and receives 

data through phone lines. 

Remember that the computer is a 

tool. As with all tools and machines. 

there is no need to know everything 

about how a computer works. All 

you need to know is how to use it 

for your own purposes.

THE SYSTEM 

MODEM 

ILLUSTRATIONS BV RICHARD TISIPEWO 

MONITOR 

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT 

DISK DRIVE 

SEPTEMBER 1983 15

THE PRIMER 

THE WORDS 

The Words is a glossary of commonly used 

computer terms. Some are well-known English 

words, such as read and write, that have been 

incorporated into computer language and given 

different meanings. (Note: AN italicized words in 

the definitions are defined in full elsewhere in the 

glossary.) Other terms that refer to a computer's 

inner workings are not often used in common 

speech, but are important because they are used in 

manufacturers' specifications and ads. Don't be 

awed by them. Remember the delight with which 

Americans took to the new NASA language over 

20 years ago, when John Glenn first vaulted into 

space. 

Access 

To retrieve informal ion from a 

storage place in the computer 

system. Access time is the 

amount of time it takes to ob 

tain the information. 

Address 

A specific location in the com 

puter's memory where a piece 

of information is stored. Each 

address is identified by a 

number. 

Applications software 

Programs thai instruct the 

computer to perform one task 

or a group of related tasks, 

such as keeping (rack of a 

household budget, or the ac 

counting and inventory- of a 

business. 

BASIC 

Beginner's All-purpose Sym 

bolic Instruction Code. A pop 

ular, easy-to-learn program 

ming language widely used 

with microcomputers. 

Baud 

Bits per second. A unit of 

measurement thai describes 

the rate at which data are 

transmitted from one device to 

another, such as computer to 

printer, computer to comput 

er, or computer to terminal. 

Binary code 

A number system using only 

two digits. "0" and "1." Any 

number or letter can be ex 

pressed as a combination of 

these digits. Computers use 

the system by translating each 

character of information into 

a string of binary numbers. 

Bit 

The smallest unit of informa 

tion a computer uses. A bit is 

either the digit "0" or " 1." An 

"eight bit" processor manipu 

lates data in clusters of eight 

bits. 


Board 

Printed circuit board. A Hal. 

thin rectangular component of 

a computer that includes one 

or more layers of printed cir 

cuitry and to which chips and 

other electronic parts are at 

tached. As an add-on to an ex 

isting computer, sometimes 

called a card. 

Boot 

Derived from "bootstrap." To 

start or restart a computer 

system by reading instruc 

tions from a storage device 

into the computer's memory. 

Bug 

An error in the logic of a com 

puter program that prevents it 

from running properly. Bugs 

can cause a program to "freeze 

up." that is. to repeat the 

same operation endlessly. 

Finding and correcting the er 

ror is called debugging. 

Bus 

A device that connects compo 

nents of a computer so that 

data can How between them. 

There are several conventional 

buses that allow components 

made by different manufactur 

ers to be used in the same 

computer. 

Byte 

One byic contains eight bits. 

enough to stand for one char 

acter of English, or one num 

ber. Thus, it generally takes 

more than one byte to make 

up a word. "Cat." for instance, 

requires three bytes. 

CA1 

Computer Assisted Instruc 

tion. A term applied to a wide 

range of instructional soft 

ware, including drill-and-prac- 

tice. simulation, and educa 

tional games. 

Cartridge 

A device that stores a prere 

corded program. A cartridge is 

inserted into a special slot 

built into the computer. Also 

known as a solid state car 

tridge or ROM module. 

Cassette tape recorder 

Computer cassette recorders 

are usually the same as those 

used for audio recordings, but 

often need a special cable to 

connect them to the comput 

er. They house and run mag 

netic tapes that either hold a 

prerecorded program or store 

data from the computer. 

Character 

A letter, number, or symbol. 

Chip 

A small (about the size of a 

child's fingernail) component 

that contains a large amount 

of electronic circuitry. Chips 

are the building blocks of a 

computer and perform various 

functions, such as doing 

arithmetic, serving as the 

computer's memory, or con 

trolling other chips. 

Command 

An instruction that tells the 

computer to do something, 

such as to run a program. 

Compatibility 

The ability of different devices, 

such as a computer and a 

printer, to work together: or 

the ability of a particular pro 

gram to run on a given com 

puter. In short, the ability of 

anything in a computer sys 

tem to work with anything 

else. 

CP/M 

Control Program for Micro 

processors. A widely used 

operating system for micro 

computers. 

CPU 

Central Processing Unit. The 

"heart" of a microprocessor. 

with components that control 

the interpretation and execu 

tion of instructions. 

CRT 

Cathode Ray Tube. A TV or 

TV-iike monitor used to dis 

play information and pictures. 

Also called a computer screen. 

Cursor 

A symbol, usually a small 

square, that indicates where 

the next character will appear 

on the CRT screen. 

Data 

Information put into or taken 

out of a computer. 

Data bank 

A central location lor storing 

vast amounts of information 

accessible by computer. 

Data-base manager 

A program that allows the 

user to enter, organize, sort, 

and retrieve information. 

Disk 

A magnetic device for storing 

information and programs ac 

cessible by a computer. A disk 

can be either a rigid platter 

(hard disk) or a sheet of flexi 

ble plastic (iioppy diskette). 

Disks have tracks, much like 

grooves on LP records, where 

data is stored. 

Disk drive 

A device that reads informa 

tion from a disk and copies it 

into the computer's memory 

so that it can be used by the 

computer, and that writes in 

formation from the computer's 

memory onto a disk so that it 

can be stored. 

Documentation 

The written instructions that 

explain how to use computer 

hardware or software. Also 

refers to all instructions and 

remarks, used to describe pro 

cedures when programming. 

DOS 

Disk Operating System. See 

operating system. 

Downtime 

Time when a computer is not 

working. 

Electronic mail 

The transmission of messages, 

documents, or other informa 

tion from one computer user 

to another. This can be done 

over telephone lines using de 

vices called modems. 

Emulator 

A hardiuare/so/tu)are device 

designed to translate pro 

grams written for one particu 

lar computer so that they will 

run on another computer. 

Firmware 

Programs or data stored in 

ROM—either built-in by the 

manufacturer, or added with a 

cartridge—that cannot be 

changed by the user. 

Flow chart 

A diagram on paper that 

shows all the logical steps nec 

essary to write a program. 

Format 

To prepare a disk so that it 

can receive and store informa 

tion. Until you perform this 

task, the disk will not be able 


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yours.

THE PRIMER 

THE WORDS 

continued from page 16 

to store any information. The 

word "initialize" is often used 

to mean the same thing as for 

mat. 

Function key 

A special key on the comput 

er's keyboard that has been or 

can be designated to perform 

a specific task. 

Graphics 

Pictorial displays on the CRT. 

such as charts, graphs, and 

symbols. Contrasted with text. 

Graphics tablet 

A kind of electronic drawing 

board. With a graphics tablet 

and a special pen, whatever 

you draw will appear simulta 

neously on the CRT. 

Hard copy 

Information printed by Ihe 

computer onto paper. 

Hardware 

The physical, nonchanging 

parts of a computer system. 

Contrasted with software, or 

programs, which can change. 

High-level language 

A programming language that 

resembles an ordinary spoken 

language (e.g.. English). 

BASIC is a high-level lan 

guage. 

Information services 

Broad-based data bases that 

offer a variety of services, 

ranging from airline reserva 

tion information to stock mar 

ket quotations. You need a 

modern to link up with such a 

service. 

Input 

Programs or data entered into 

the computer. 

Interface 

An electronic connector be 

tween the computer and its 

peripherals. 

K 

Abbreviation for kilo, or 

1.000. When used to describe 

the amount of memory, or 

storage space, a computer 

has, it often signifies 1,024. A 

computer with I6K bytes of 

memory, for example, can 

store 16.384 characters of in 

formation. 

Keyboard 

Designed much like that of a 

standard typewriter, the key 

board is used to enter infor 

mation into the computer. 

Load 

To enter a program from an 

external storage device into 

the computer. 

LOGO 


allows the user to draw pic- 

lures on the screen. LOGO is 

particularly good for teaching 

young children how to pro 

gram. 

Loop 

A statement in a program that 

instructs the computer to re 

peat a certain task. 

Machine language 

A binary code consisting of 

"0"s and "l"s. which is the 

only language a computer un 

derstands. Programs written 

in any other language, such as 

BASIC, are translated into ma 

chine language for processing. 

Membrane 

A type of computer keyboard 

with a Hat. smooth surface. 

Memory 

The place in a computer where 

data and programs are stored. 

Menu 

A list on a CRT of the opera 

tional options of a computer 

program: a list of programs 

stored on a tape or disk. 

Microcomputer 

A small computer designed 

primarily for home or small 

business use. The micro can 

do today what many room- 

sized mainframe computers 

did 20 years ago. 

Microprocessor 

A tiny processor on a single 

chip. The "brains" of ail micro 

computers. iL is also found in 

many consumer and industri 

al products. 

Modem 

A contraction of Modulator/De 

modulator. A device thai 

makes il possible to transmit 

and receive computer data 

over telephone lines. 

Monitor 

A device for visually displaying 

a computer program or the re 

sults of that program on a 

screen. See CRT. 

Network 

A system of linking computers 

so that users can share re 

sources and exchange infor- 

maiion. 

Operating system 

A program that controls the 

operation of a computer sys 

tem, such as controlling sig 

nals to the disk drive or prim 

er. When a computer system is 

turned on. the operating sys 

tem is the first program exe 

cuted. All subsequent pro 

grams are loaded and 

supervised by the operating 

system. 

Output 

Computer-generated informa 

tion that is transferred to a 

monitor, disk. tape, or printer. 

PASCAL 


can be used on many micro 

computers. While it is consid 

ered more difficult to learn 

than BASIC, it can generate 

programs that run faster and 

use less memory. 

Peripherals 

Hardware accessories for a 

computer, such as a disk 

drive, printer, or modem. 

Pixel 

Stands for "picture element." 

A single dot of light on a TV 

screen or computer monitor. 

These tiny elements are used 

to create electronic pictures, 

or graphics. 

Plotter 

A machine, attached to a com 

puter, that prints lines or 

graphs on paper. 

Printer 

A machine that transfers in 

formation stored in the com 

puter onto paper. Two of the 

most commonly used printers 

are: dot matrix—a printer that 

forms text or graphics using a 

group of individual points 

(dots); and letter quality—a 

printer that prints fully 

formed characters [like a type 

writer), using a type element 

called a "daisy wheel" 

Program 

A set of step-by-step instruc 

tions that tells a computer 

how to solve a given problem. 

Also, to prepare such a set of 

instructions. 

Programming language 

A language, with clearly de 

fined rules, that can be used 

to express a computer pro 

gram. 

RAM 

Random Access Memory. An 

area in the computer where 

information is stored. When 

called into this area, informa 

tion can be read, changed, or 

edited. However, it will be lost 

when the computer's power is 

turned off. unless you first 

save the information. 

Read 

The process of copying Infor 

mation from a storage device 

(such as floppy dis/c or tape) 

into the computer's memory. 

Reading only copies: it does 

nol erase the data from where 

it is stored. 

Resolution 

The sharpness of a picture on 

a CRT. usually described as 

"high" or "low." The higher 

the resolution, the sharper the 

picture. Resolution i.s ex 

pressed by the number of pix 

els in the display. For exam 

ple. 560x720 is much sharper 

than 275x400. 

ROM 

Read Only Memory. Perma 

nent memory built into a com 

puter by a manufacturer. The 

information stored here gives 

the computer operating in 

structions when it is first 

turned on. The user cannot 

change this memory, but "only 

read" il. 

Save 

To store information from 

memory on tape or disk so 

that it can be used again. 

Software 

Computer programs. Also, 

tapes and disks. 

Stringy floppy 

A computer storage device 

that holds a magnetic tape. 

called a wafer. The enclosed 

wafer tape is thinner, narrow 

er, and faster Lhan conven 

tional cassette tapes. 

Terminal 

A computer user's work 

station. Also refers to the com 

puter screen where informa 

tion is displayed. 

Text 

Words, letters, and numbers 

that appear on a CRT. Con 

trasted with graphics, which 

are lines, shapes, and sym 

bols. 

Winchester 

A type of hard disk that is 

sealed in an air-tight, dust- 

free container. See disk. 

Word processor 

A program that allows the 

user to write, edit, or rewrite 

text. The text can be saved on 

a storage device and printed 

out. A word processor allows 

the user to make changes in 

the same text without retyping 

the whole page. 

Write 

The opposite of read. To 

transfer information from the 

computer's memory to a stor 

age device such as a floppy 

dis/c. Write-protcct is a proce 

dure for preventing a disk 

from being written to. 

SEHTEMEJKK 1983 19

THE PRIMER 

THE SETTING 

It takes care to shop for a computer. It takes still 

more care to set it up properly. Reading the directions 

thoroughly is important. So is common sense. Today's 

personal computers may be sturdy machines, designed 

for many hours of use, but they can also be sensitive and 

finicky. Here are six steps to get you off and running. 

1. Setting Up 

When you open the box, check the 

manufacturer's packing list (or man 

ual) to make sure you have all the 

parts. If you don't, call the store 

immediately. 

Set the computer in an area that 

won't get a lot of traffic. And keep in 

mind that the computer will function 

best at normal room temperature. In 

unusually cool or damp rooms, such 

as an unheatcd basement, the com 

puter will need some time to warm up. 

Keep the surface around the com 

puter clear, so the machine can get 

good air circulation when working. 

Even those machines that have inte 

rior fans need air movement to keep 

from overheating. 

As with a TV. position the monitor 

away from sunlight glare, which can 

cause eyestrain. And, if you have a 

printer, try to place it on a separate 

table, so that its vibrations don't 

jiggle the computer. 

2. Beware ol Static 

If the computer room has a rug. 

beware of static electricity. Small 

doses of static can cause the comput 

er to speak gibberish; large doses 

may cause real damage. Static elec 

tricity is most likely to build up in 

winter months, when rooms are hot 

and dry, but it's easy to combat—just 

spray the rug with a mild mixture of 

fabric softener (such as Downy or 

Stay-Puf) and water. If the static 

recurs frequently, you may need a 

humidifier or static mat. 

3. Plugging In 

Buy a power strip, available from 

most hardware stores for around S20. 

to eliminate the massive tangle of 

cords and wires from your computer, 

video monitor, disk drive or tape deck. 

and other peripherals. You don't want 

small children or pets to bring the 

whole system crashing to the floor. 


And don't plug heavy appliances into 

the same outlet as the computer. 

When turned on they will cause a sud 

den drop in voltage, which may play 

havoc with the computer. 

4. No Food or Drinks Allowed 

Do not eat or drink near the com 

puter and its accessories. Foreign 

substances, including spills, dust, 

and smoke, can destroy programs on 

cassettes and disks—and they will 

slowly wear down the computer, cas 

sette player, or disk drive. 

5. Safekeeping 

To protect programs, keep all 

cassettes, cartridges, or disks in 

tightly closed boxes out of reach of 

small children and pets. The boxes 

should not be near magnets or mag 

netized tools, which may erase 

programs. Disks are especially sen 

sitive (more so than records), and 

can be ruined by a thumb print. 

Treat them gingerly, as if they had 

a "Wet Paint" sign on them. Valu 

able programs should be copied and 

stored elsewhere, as a form of 

insurance. The owner's manual will 

explain the copying process. 

6. Read Before You Leap 

Before using the computer, read the 

manual carefully. Even though you 

can't do the computer much harm by 

experimenting with the keyboard, you 

will save some initial frustration by 

memorizing basic instructions. It 

may pay to copy these instructions 

and tape them on the wall in front of 

you. In any event, keep the manual 

nearby, preferably on a shelf with your 

programs. 

Don't worry about the whirring or 

clicking sounds the computer makes 

when storing or retrieving data. 

These are, after all. just the sounds 

of a machine with a giant memory 

at work. HI

11 

SEETEMHER 1983 21

HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTION 

THINKING BIG 

Parents and teachers at an Atlanta elementary 

school break all records to "Go Computer." 

BY BETH POWELL 

It was standing room only in the 

auditorium of Atlanta's E.W. Oliver 

Elementary School last fall on the 

night school computer purchases 

were discussed. 

The school, a bold, modern struc 

ture, is nestled among the well-kept, 

tree-lined neighborhoods just south 

of Atlanta's airport, which have at 

tracted the city's upper middle class. 

At Oliver, parent involvement has 

always been high, but this event was 

different. Parents responded "as 

soon as they knew what our goal 

was," said Assistant Principal David 

Knowlcs. "There were at least 500 

parents there, and this is in a school 

with only 660 students," he said. 

"We were all amazed." 

Knowles was soon to learn that 

he'd only seen the beginning of par 

ent interest. At that September 

meeting, all 500 parents voted to be 

gin a fund-raising campaign with a 

goal of S3,000. That would allow 

them to purchase the four Apples 

the school had been renting for a 

year. 

The Clayton County School Board. 

which oversees Oliver and 39 other 

schools in its district, had begun 

purchasing computers, but junior 

and senior high schools were given 

first priority. That just wasn't good 

enough for the parents at Oliver. 

"We're hearing it from everywhere 

that our children will be behind by 

the time they graduate if they don't 

learn about computers," said Cathy 

Gebhardt. PTA budget and finance 

director and mother of fifth-grader 

Andrew. Her concerns were echoed 

by a number of Oliver parents, all of 

them determined that every child in 

the school would have the opportu 

nity to learn to operate a computer— 

not just occasionally, but on a week 

ly hands-on basis. 

So one month after their meeting. 

450 parents set out to sell sausage 

and cheese products through a mar- 

BBTH poweli. is a freelance writer living in 

Jacksonville, Florida. She is a regular 

contributor to Jacksonville Monthly 

magazine. 


The apple of his eye: Dennis Woods visits the Oliver computer lab lo watch his son Jeffrey at work. 

keting firm that had decided to test 

Oliver as its first school client. It 

was an experiment that paid off 

quickly. In one week Oliver boosters 

had turned in S35.000 and made a 

profit of S15.500 expressly for school 

computers, more than five times 

their goal. 

"Nobody—as far as we know in 

Clayton County—had ever seen sales 

over S10.000 for campaigns like 

this," Knowles said. "Everybody was 

in awe." The fund-raising campaign 

was so successful that Oliver parents 

and teachers were voted the top PTA 

in Georgia for the 1982-83 school 

year. But the result that really mat 

ters to them is that Oliver now has 

12 Apples. 

Although other schools in the 

Clayton County district are using 

computers, most of the elementary 

schools of similar size to Oliver aver 

age only two or three computers for 

the entire school. And the programs 

offer students only a few minutes at 

a time at the keyboard. Many of the 

junior highs offer computer training 

only as an elective or as a special 

math course. 

At Oliver now. all students are 

guaranteed at least 45 minutes each 

week on the Apples. In addition, gift 

ed and disability classes each get an 

extra 45 minutes a week. Even so. 

Danette Surama, a fifth grader, says 

she's "always glad" when her mother 

comes late in the afternoon to pick 

her up after school. That way. she 

explains, she can spend more time 

"getting to my programs." 

Oliver has joined the Minnesota 

Educational Computing Consortium 

(MECC), a service that offers a series 

of hundreds of grade- and subject- 

coniinued on page 26

Ed-u-ware 

Cej'66 war)/?. 

The first name in learning. 

THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING 

Professionally designed instruc 

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Elementary Mathematics 

Introduction to 

Counting presents 

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subtraction, shape 

discrimination, 

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Fractions builds and reinforces 

skills in working with fractions. Def 

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Decimals presents addition, 

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Compu-Math^ Decimals, a 

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Advanced Mathematics 

Algebra, volumes 

1 through 6 is a 

series of indepen 

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comprising a first- 

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algebra. Concepts 

are presented in 

four distinct learning styles so thai 

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Language Skills 

Spelling and 

Reading Primer"' 

uses simple words 

and pictures to in 

troduce basic read 

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skills. Word groups 

■ 

cover simple twoand 

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vowels and consonants, and direc 

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Compu-Speir builds spelling skills 

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misspelled in business. System 

Diskette: Apple $29.95. Data 

Diskettes: Apple $19.95 each. 

Compu-Read"1 improves reading 

speed, recall, and test-taking skills. 

The system adjusts itself to your 

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$29.95. Atari tape $24.95. 

PSAT Word Attack Skills and 

SAT Word Attack Skills develop 

specific vocabulary skills in defini 

tion, connotation, roots and pre 

fixes, and application. Test-taking 

skills required for the Scholastic 

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PSAT/SAT Analogies develops 

skills tested in the analogies portion 

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Word relationships, meanings, and 

achieving under test-taking condi 

tions are stressed. Apple S49.00. 

Introduction to Poetry presents 

rhyme and meter in a clear and 

simple tutorial format. Definitions 

are given on the screen and are 

sounded out by your computer. The 

program is highly interactive and 

easy to operate. Apple $39.95. 

Computer Skills 

COMPUTER-BASED LEARNING 

Hands On BASIC 

Programming 

combines handholding 

software 

with a 200-page 

tutorial that steps 

the novice through 

beginning BASIC 

programming. This complete learn 

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with an error message. Special 

features allow you to diagnose the 

problem and correct your mislake. 

Apple $79.00. 

DRAGONWARE 

Entertaining, colorful, animated 

games with lasting educational 

value, forages 4 through 10. 

Webster, our wise and wonderful 

dragon, is your child's compan 

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based learning. 

§ Spelling Bee 

Games'" contains 

four fun activities in 

which hand/eye co 

ordination, memory 

skills, and motor 

skills are exercised. 

Twenty-two word 

lists covering simple two- and three- 

letter words through multi-syllable 

words provide variety and scope. 

Apple, Atari disk $39.95. 

Webster's Numbers" is a magical 

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balloon races, building blocks, and 

boxes teach pre-school children the 

basics of counting. Apple $39.95. 

INTERACTIVE SIMULATIONS1 

Realistic recreations of 

real-world adventures where 

scientific evaluation yields the 

solution. 

Rendezvous 

makes you the pilot 

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space shuttle. Your 

mission is to dock 

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INTERACTIVE FANTASIES" 

Science fiction adventure games 

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Prisoner 2 in 

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Escape without 

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Atari disk, IBM PC $39.95. 

Empire I: World 

Builders Struggle 

to tame a gallactic 

wilderness and 

establish an infant 

Empire's first col 

onies. Stand at the 

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frontier. Apple $32.95. 

Empire II: Inter 

stellar Sharks'" 

Dodge the bureau 

cracy and pursue 

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preneurial arena. 

Making it depends on how 

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Apple $32.95. 

Empire III: 

Armageddon The 

end of a once great 

Empire now torn by 

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Where do your 

loyalties lie? Apple $32.95. 

For more information or the 

dealer nearest you contact: 

EduWare Services, Inc. 

28035 Dorothy Drive 

PO Box 22222 

Agoura Hills, California 91301 

213/706-0661 

The Stimr et Ltatnmt / ltd Itle'iHIur Fo/ltuu i at lAu*w UaWatrvi ngsratd Indent* of UuWirt Stmrn, Int fcftta i Iwtfrnirt

WE'RE VERY HARD ON OURSOFIWARL 

You might even say we're perfectionists. Because at Softsmith, we give our software the hardest workout, 

the toughest testing, the most rigorous evaluation. The result is software that has earned our confidence, and 

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In particular, we do three things that make Softsmith software the most dependable you can buy. 

1. 

We're picky. Out of the hundreds 

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publish very few. A lot of good pro 

grams are rejected; but we think 

you can't be too picky when it 

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2. 

We complain a lot. If you were a 

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But you shouldn't go on vacation 

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evaluators will suggest some 

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We may complain a lot, but 

people thank us later. 

v 

3. 

We insist on plain English. After 

we've made the best program 

better, we're still not finished. 

Because we know that even the 

best program is no good if it's too 

hard to use. So we put a lot of time 

and effort into translating our 

instructions from computerese 

into plain English. 

We publish software you can trust. Yes, we pick our programs carefully. And complain a lot to make them better. And insist 

on plain English instructions. The result is a library of personal computer software you can depend on. Even if you don't know 

a Pascal compiler from an emulation subroutine. 

Softsmith has programs you can trust for all the most popular personal computers. Programs for Education, Home Manage 

ment, Entertainment, Word Processing, Business, Communications and Programming. Ours is the largest library of quality 

software under one brand name. 

So before you choose a software package for your computer, make sure someone's taken the time to be hard on it. Make sure 

it's Softsmith, the software you can trust. 

Ask for Softsmith brand software wherever computers or software are sold. Or call us TOLL-FREE at {800)341-4000 for the 

name and location of your nearest dealer. 

Softsmith Corp., a company of The Software Guild' 

SOFTSMITHTM 

SOFTWARE L I R A R Y

SMITHWRITER 

JUMPS OVER ^ 

THEQUICK BROWN FOX. 

Take a great leap forward in word 

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They're written in that rarest of all 

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Don't let the simplicity fool you, 

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Whether you're writing the Great 

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words. It's part of the Softsmith 

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Softsmith programs have been 

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" Requires 16K expander for VIC-20. Available on 

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Commodore and VIC-20 are trademarks of 

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Brown Fox is a trademark of Quick Brown Fox. 

SOFTSMITHTM 

SOFTWARE L I R A R Y

HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTION 


specific programs. Teachers can or 

der those programs tailored to sup 

plement their specific curriculum. 

Oliver kindergarten teachers, for ex 

ample, use a MECC concentration 

game, which teaches shape and col 

or recognition. Sixth-grade teachers 

use a MECC program that in 

structs their students to chart the 

circulation flow of fish. Each stu 

dent at Oliver begins learning key 

board skills in kindergarten and 

simple programming in BASIC by 

the second grade. 

Even though the computer lab. 

housed in an extra classroom (with 

three formica-top wooden tables, 

custom-built by an Oliver father) is 

the largest school facility in the 

county, it's always filled to capacity. 

Knowles has painstakingly sand 

wiched seven computer classes into 

the six-hour school day. and has 

had to stick to a grade-by-grade 

schedule before and after school 

hours to keep the lab from being 

mobbed by enthusiastic students. 

"We have kids waiting for us in the 

morning and we run them out in 

the afternoon." he said. "And I still 

get calls constantly from parents 

worried that their children aren't 

getting enough computer time. 

In an effort to guarantee their chil 

dren more computer time, enthusi 

astic parents have geared up for a 

new fund-raising campaign this fall. 

Knowles is so encouraged that he's 

started plans to buy four more Ap 

ples to give students private extra 

curricular computer time in a small 

room off the school library: three ad 

ditional Apples for the main lab; and 

a networking system that will allow 

all school computers to be connected 

o one central disk. 

"We're going to sell 850,000 this 

time," says Cathy Gebhardt with a 

determined glint in her brown eyes. 

"PEOPLE REALLY 

RESPONDED WHEN WE 

TOLD THEM WE WERE 

RAISING MONEY TO 

HELP PAY FOR 

COMPUTERS FOR OUR 

KIDS." 

"Everybody's involved now. It's 

such a joint effort that none of us 

feel we have to work that hard." said 

Donna Shaw, mother of two Oliver 

students. Donna and her husband 

Jon raised S350 for last years cam 

paign. "The fact that we were raising 

money to help pay for computers for 

our kids really helped, too." she 

said. "People really responded when 

we told them what we were doing." 

And what Oliver parents were do 

ing was much more than raising 

money. In fact, computer purchas 

ing has been just the beginning of 

parent involvement with computer 

studies at the school. The slogan for 

last year's sales campaign asked par 

ents not only to participate in fund 

raising, but also to "tune into com 

puter learning." 

One hundred parents did just 

Don't say cheese, say compirlerese! Alicia Tales and David Knowles loke a break with her second graders. 


that, enrolling in afternoon and eve 

ning classes run by Oliver teachers, 

who quickly realized that they were 

working with a group of willing and 

dedicated computer initiates. 

"The response was overwhelming," 

said Phyllis Huff, teacher of gifted 

students and one of the workshop 

instructors. "I was planning on run 

ning two or three workshops, but we 

ended up with eight or nine." Huff 

and the other teachers at Oliver had 

been trained by a school district 

staff-development instructor. 

The parents who came to work 

shops each paid S3 for a two-and-a- 

half-hour computer-awareness work 

shop, and the teachers were paid 

extra for their time. Huff expects an 

other large group of eager faces this 

year, so she and another teacher of 

gifted students are preparing to 

teach a new set of classes this fall. 

"I wanted to know what Andrew 

was talking about now that he was 

getting on his new computer at 

school." says workshop graduate 

Cathy Gebhardt. "My husband is a 

mechanic with Delta Airlines and 

they're ordering parts by computer 

now. so I was the only one in the 

family who didn't know about them." 

There has been so much parent 

interest in the computer-learning 

process that the school has consid 

ered having the parents themselves 

teach the computer labs. "It's com 

mon to see parents in the computer 

room learning with their kids in the 

afternoon," said Knowles. "We have 

parents schedule their day so they 

can actually come to computer class 

with their children." 

"If it's that important to our chil 

dren," Debbie Krivacck said, "we 

parents want to be in on it. loo." 

Raising money and coming to school 

to share class time with their chil 

dren was only the first step for some 

Oliver families. Pauline Galloway, a 

former high school math teacher 

and IRS employee who uses main 

frame computers on the job, says 

her family got so involved in com 

puters that they went out and 

bought an Atari 400 for home use. 

But Mrs. Galloway sighed as she ac 

knowledged that she, her husband, 

and 12-year-old daughter Kathryn 

"get to use the computer only when 

Gregory [age 17] lets us." 

There were a number of students 

who ached for even more time with 

the computers at Oliver, so last sum 

mer the school offered six consecu 

tive weeks of computer "camps." the 


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HOW BILLY BUILDS HIS 

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HOME SCHOOL CONNECTION 


school's first summer program. It 

was set up so that the school could 

share its computer wealth with the 

entire Clayton County community, 

since students, from second grade 

through high school, were eligible to 

attend. 

Students, who each had access to 

their own computer during camp, 

could sign up for one week of either 

morning or afternoon classes. The 

S50 fee helped pay for teacher sala 

ries and the extra electricity re 

quired to air-condition and power 

THE STEPS TO SUCCESS 

BY JAMES L. FORNEY 

Many parents of elementary school 

children who recognize the need for 

both computer literacy and budget 

cuts are taking a leadership role in 

providing access to computers in 

their schools. The following informa 

tion is intended to guide concerned 

parents and teachers. 

ORGANIZATION 

1. Gain Principal's Support. If 

the principal is not enthusiastic, 

you should gather data and success 

stories from other schools while the 

principal's commitment strengthens. 

2. Organize or Mobilize Spon 

soring Group. This group may be 

an existing one such as the PTA. or 

it may be necessary to form a com 

puter club. Community involvement 

must be apparent. 

3. Form a Steering Committee 

(SC). The sponsoring group should 

appoint a steering committee of five 

to eight members who have either a 

personal or a professional back 

ground in computers. 

4. Define the Overall Plan. 

The first task of the SC is to lay out 

a plan covering several years. 

5. Determine Feasibility of 

the Plan. Depending on available 

funds, the sponsoring group may de 

cide that the plan needs to be scaled 

back, lengthened, or killed. 

RESEARCH 

1* Develop Curriculum Guide 

lines. If the school or the district 

has not already devised such guide- 

james forney was a member of the 

steering committee that helped plan 

the implementation of computers into 

the curriculum at Ainsworth 

Elementary School in Portland, 

Oregon. 

the computer lab. 

The camp sessions weren't an un 

expected payoff of the fund-raising 

campaign. According to PTA Presi 

dent Rose Densiin. Oliver families 

were looking to the larger benefits 

that would come from their efforts, 

such as the camp .from the start. 

As she took office early last year. 

Mrs. Denzin told PfA members that 

in financing its computer program. 

Oliver's goal would be to "set up a 

futuristic type of education" in 

which "the whole family can get in 

volved. . . . Not only that but our 

lines, or if what exists appears inad 

equate, consult the local teaching 

staff about the school's needs. 

2. Initiate Fund Raising. There 

are a variety of ways to accomplish 

fund raising. (See main article fora 

description of one successful ven 

ture.) Contact local computer ven 

dors or major users of electronic 

data processing for donations of 

money or equipment. Foundations 

should be sought for possible 

grants. 

3. Communicate with the 

School Community. This can be 

accomplished through a column in 

the school newspaper, PTA bulletin. 

or a letter from the principal. 

4. Begin Equipment Research 

and Evaluation. Specifications for 

both the equipment and the vendor 

must be set. For example, the com 

mittee may agree that the equip 

ment should have color graphics ca 

pability, capability for hard disk, 

and multiuser capability; that it 

should have been field-proven in a 

similar school for at least six 

months; that there should be at 

least "X" other users in the local 

area: and that repair facilities 

should be available in the communi 

ty. Ease of use and sturdiness are 

important, as is dependability of 

computer hardware. 

The SC should examine the soft 

ware that is available for each of the 

various computer systems. [Editor's 

note: Many experts say you should 

select software and then buy the 

corresponding system.] 

IMPLEMENTATION 

1. Request Bids. The proposal 

should be sent to at least three 

community can receive benefits this 

year as well as eons to come." 

That's a mighty big goal, but ifs 

apparent from the enthusiasm of the 

parents and teachers of E.W. Oliver 

school that they believe they're well 

on their way. 

"I would tell every school, whatever 

you do. go out and get started with a 

computer program." Knowlcs said. 

"But get your parents involved. They 

go out and sell for the Little League 

and for the Girl Scouts. Why not a 

fund raiser to help your child learn 

for the future?"Hi 

sources, including local companies, 

if possible. 

2. Assign Responsibilities 

and Deadlines. Now the other 

tasks that must be accomplished 

need to be identified, listed, and ex 

plained to the principal and staff. 

Examples of these tasks are; devel 

oping goals and principles regarding 

the curriculum and the use of com 

puters in the school; determining 

the location of the computers; defin 

ing the security measures necessary; 

identifying the personnel resources 

needed to introduce the computer 

curriculum; locating other schools 

using the same or similar equip 

ment: and establishing a liaison to 

exchange solutions. 

3. Form a School Computer 

Committee (SCO. The SCC, a 

group of no more than six. must 

consist primarily of teachers, since 

its purpose is to establish curricu 

lum and procedures. 

4. Monitor Progress. The SCC 

should review the progress on a reg 

ular basis. 

5. Revise the Plan at the Be 

ginning of the Next School 

Year. The first year of the imple 

mentation of a computer program 

may cause a great deal of disruption 

in the school. Care should be exer 

cised continually to ensure that the 

plan remains achievable and Is not 

just a case of "pie in the sky." 

This information was adapted from an 

article in the December 1982iJanuary 

1983 issue of PTA Today. For a copy of 

that issue, which focused on "What par 

ents should know about computers." 

send SI lo PTA Today. 700 N. Rush St., 

Chicago 1L 60611. 

SEPTEMBER 1983 29

HOME BUSINESS 

FROM DIAPERS TO DISK DRIVES 

One mother finds that running her own business doesn't 

mean leaving home. 

BY JON ZONDERMAN 

Ii is September, and Karen Black 

burn has begun her yearly advertis 

ing campaign, putting up signs at 

the Boston University School of Law. 

Her business, writing resumes and 

cover letters for B.U. law students 

seeking both summer and full-time 

employment, has been booming for 

these last two years. 

The computer power she com 

mands with a Commodore 80-32 

computer allows her to compete effi 

ciently against large word-processing 

firms that include this work as part 

of a full-service business. But Karen. 

a one-person shop, has decided to 

specialize in this type of word pro 

cessing. She works out of her home 

with a low overhead and has special 

knowledge of the difficult process of 

finding a job after law school (her 

husband graduated B.U. Law this 

past spring). So Karen can offer a 

number of advantages: she is willing 

to do her job with a personal 

touch—writing an extra letter, a spe 

cial one. to the firm where someone 

has a connection: dashing off a 

quick thank-you letter to a firm that 

has just offered a candidate an inter 

view; and even helping students cre 

ate a statcgy for finding a job. 

The business is perfect for the 

mother of two young boys—Christo 

pher, age eight, and Winston, who 

likes to be called Wink, age five. She 

is busy for about six months a year, 

during the peak seasons for job 

hunting. Her kids' vacations coin 

cide with her customers', so there is 

little conflict between the mother 

and the businesswoman. 

This past summer, Karen spent a 

working vacation at Cape Cod, put- 

JON1 ZONDERMAN is a contributing editor 

to Computer Update, the magazine of 

the Boston Computer Society. His work 

has also appeared In The New York 

Times. Science Digest, and The Boston 

Business Journal. 


\ = 

ting her lists of law firms onto her 

new dala-basc-management program 

for easier access this coming year 

and updating all of her lists, which 

she does annually. But because her 

husband Gregg bought a second 80- 

32, which spent the summer in 

their Cape Cod home, and her data 

base work didn't require a printer, 

she left her entire system at home in 

Brooklinc. Massachusetts. 

Brooklinc. one of the streetcar 

suburbs of Boston, is a 20-minule 

walk from the law school. The Black- 

burns own a spacious thrcc-bed- 

room condominium in an old brick 

building on a tree-lined road. (Resi- 

ILLLSTKAVOS HY MQNA MARK 

dents fondly call it '■Sesame Street.") 

The computer sits in a room that 

once served as maid's quarters, 

which the Blackburn family has re 

designed as an office. Both Karen 

and Gregg shared the room at first, 

but Gregg found it too small and too 

noisy to work in. He moved the fam 

ily's second Commodore to the mas 

ter bedroom so he could continue to 

take notes from his law school read 

ings, and write briefs and assign 

ments. 

At 36. Karen Blackburn has been 

working sporadically for 13 years. 

Her word-processing business began 


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HOME BUSINESS 

continued Jrom page 30 

around January, 1981, a few 

months after she and her family had 

moved from Vermont to Boston for 

her husband to attend law school. 

Prior to that he had been a reporter 

and city editor for the Times-Argus. 

a small daily newspaper in Barre, 

"SHE BELIEVES THERE 

WILL ALWAYS BE SOME 

PEOPLE WHO WANT 

THE CUSTOMIZED 

WORK ONLY A SMALL 

SHOP WILL DO." 

Vermont. Karen was no stranger to 

running a home business, having 

organized a brown-bag lunch con 

cession for her husbands newspaper 

colleagues as well as a second ven 

ture, baking bread. 

Gregg Blackburn had used word- 

processing equipment at the news 

paper for a number of years and was 

loath to go back to the typewriter 

when he entered law school. When 

the kids began school and Karen 

had more free time, she decided she 

wanted to start another home busi 

ness—preferably one in which she 

could use a computer. That way she 

and Gregg could buy a system and 

get a tax advantage on it for her 

business use. 

"I first used it to type some term 

papers," Karen remembers. "Then I 

did some resumes and cover letters. 

I even took a course in resume writ 

ing." By the time Gregg began to 

look for summer work. Karen had 

decided to make writing resumes 

and cover letters into a business. 

'"Some people write 300 letters for 

jobs." she says of the tight job mar 

ket recently graduated lawyers en 

counter. She developed a master list 

of law firms in New York. Boston, 

and some of the other major cities in 

which B.U. graduates were likely to 

seek work. She put the list onto 

disks, using her word-processing 

software. WordPro 4 plus. 

When a customer didn't want to 

apply to all the firms she had listed 

for a particular city, she made a 

copy of the master list, deleted the 

firms to which the customer didn't 

want to apply, and sent letters to all 

the others. As she picked up more 

information about different firms— 

which partner was responsible for 

hiring, what kind of lawyers they 


were looking for at any particular 

time—she began taking a more ac 

tive role in choosing which firms to 

apply to. consulting customers on 

matching their goals with what was 

available and with who was looking 

for whom. 

Many times this involves writing 

two, three, or maybe more different 

form letters, and matching each let 

ter to a select group of firms. Most 

word-processing firms .charge a one 

time "setup" fee for creating each 

form letter, then an additional 

charge for each letter printed. Al 

though some undercut Karen's 75 

cents per letter basic price, she does 

all the setup necessary for free as a 

loss leader. She also writes the re 

sume and throws in the intelligence 

gathering and consulting at no 

charge. She figures she earns about 

S10 an hour for about 20 full weeks 

during the year. 

Clearlv. Karen is not in the busi- 

BEGINNING A 

BUSINESS 

If Karen Blackburn's story has 

sparked your interest in starting a 

modest home business, here's a 

brief guide to what you'll require for 

a venture like hers. The essentials 

are a computer system that suits 

your needs (and your budget], de 

pendable software, and endless cre 

ativity, energy, and patience. 

Whether your home business fo 

cuses on direct-mail advertising. 

mail order sales, fund raising, cover 

letters, or resume writing, your 

hardware should include a keyboard 

with at least 48K memory and 80column 

text display, a monitor, a let 

ter-quality printer, and two disk 

drives so you can store, update, and 

combine files. 

Any software program you select 

should offer word processing and 

the ability to create lists, or files, to 

sort through and merge—for exam 

ple, to pull a name from a mailing 

list (stored on one disk) and send 

that person a letter the computer 

has stored on the second disk. 

Some programs worth investigat 

ing—available for a wide variety of 

computers—are LislMaker (S97.50), 

Executive Secretary (S250). Power- 

Text (S399). and WordStar, one of 

the most praised word-processing 

systems, with the MailMerge option 

that inserts frequently used address 

es into documents (S645 for both). 

—LINDA WILLIAMS 

ness solely as a money-making ven 

ture. "If I can make enough to pay 

my business expenses, go on a nice 

vacation, and still maintain the fam 

ily, 1 feel I've contributed a lot," she 

explains. "I'm just glad 1 don't have 

to support us on this." 

She is not worried by the rumors 

that some people arc coming to Bos 

ton to take over the cover-letter busi 

ness at all six area law schools. She 

believes there will always be some 

people who want the customized 

work only a small shop will do. And 

there arc other businesses she could 

start with the computer, such as 

mail-order advertising, fund raising, 

and organizing people's files for 

them. 

Of course, the drawback in her 

S5.000 system, which includes a 

S2.800 NEC Spinwriter letter-quality 

printer with tractor drive and two 

standard disk drives, is that it is not 

exactly a computer the whole family 

can use. There is limited educational 

software available for the 80-32 at 

this time, although the Blackbums 

do have a disk with such board 

games as Othello and Monopoly, 

and another disk called Teacher's 

Pet, which has letter recognition, 

counting, and arithmetic drills. The 

Blackburns also have Space Invad 

ers. But, Karen says, the kids don't 

use it that much and never have. 

"I don't really feel that the kids 

have got to sit in front of a screen 

playing Monopoly or something 

when they could be sitting around 

the table with friends," Karen says. 

She would rather see her kids learn 

how to use word-processing soft 

ware, data-base-management pro 

grams, and maybe try a little pro 

gramming. She has volunteered to 

host small groups of Wink's kinder 

garten classmates to introduce them 

to computers and word processing. 

Slightly confused, one kindergar 

tener called her floppy disks "disco 

flops." 

The personal computer has added 

a new dimension of flexibility to 

working at home. Karen Blackburn 

says her business "may not end up 

being very profitable, or it may end 

up being killed by others getting 

into the business." but it has still 

given her the exposure to the com 

puter and the desire to find other 

business uses for it. Besides, she 

says. "I find learning about the com 

puter fun." And creative people can 

always find new ways to use the 

computer to have fun and turn a 

profit as well. E

THERE'S A COMPUTER BORN EVERY MINUTE... 

GIVE IT A HOME. 

For $O9i9k) with the CS-1632 you can house your computer, 

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The CS-1632 computer storage 

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The sQde out shelf puts the 

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The fold up locking door keeps 

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To store joysticks just turn them 

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Twist tabs on the back of center 

pane! allow for neat concealed 

grouping of wires, while power 

packs rest hidden behind center 

panel on shelf. 

The slide out software tray 

has room for 14 cartridges or 

cassettes and up to 30 diskettes. 

Most brands of software will fit 

between the adjustable parti 

tions with a convenient hook for 

the spare key at rear. 

Stand fits Atari 400 & 800. 

Commodore 64 &V1C 20, 

Ti 99/4A and TRS-80. 

Cabinet dimensions overall 36" 

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HVTEG 

To order CS-1632 send $89.95 to: To order CS-2748 send $299.95 to: 

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For those with a large computer family the CS-2748 gives you all the room you 

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□ Golden Oak Finish □ Natural walnut finish 

□ My personal check, cashiers check or money order is enclosed 

□ Bill myVISA # Fvp Date 

□ Bill my MasterCard # Exp. Date 

□ Please include freight charge on my VISA or MasterCard. 

Card Holders Signature __ 

Zip 

CS-2748 

Immediate shipment if in slock. If not. aUow3-4 weeks for delwery. If personal check is sent allow additional 

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Prices subject to change. Shipment subject !o availability. 

Both the CS-1632 and CS-2748 ship unassembled in two cations Assembly requires only a screwdriver. 

hammer, and a few minutes of your time. 

Choice in simulated woodgrain of warm golden oak or nch natural walnut finish FC- 1 

The two slide-out shelves put 

the keyboard at the proper oper 

ating height while allowing easy 

access to the disk drives. 

The bronze tempered glass door 

protecting the keyboard and 

disk drives simply lifts up and 

slides back out of the way during 

use. 

Twist tabs on the back of the 

center panel allow for neat con 

cealed grouping of wires while 

a convenient storage shelf for 

books or other items lies below. 

The printer sits behind a fold 

down door that provides a work 

surface for papers or books 

while using the keyboard. The 

lift up top allows easy access 

to the top and rear of the printer. 

A slot in the printer shelf allows 

for center as well as rear 

feed printers. 

Behind the lower door are 

a top shelf for paper, feeding the 

printer, and a bottom shelf to 

receive printer copy as well 

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Stand fits same computers 

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and many others. 

The cabinet dimensions overall; 

39-1/2" high x 49" wide 

x 27"deep. 

Keyboard shelf 20" deep x 26" 

wide. Disk drive sheif 15-34" 

deep x 26" wide. Top shelf for 

monitor 17" deep x 27" wide. 

Printer shelf 22" deep x 19" wide.

COMPUTING CONFIDENTIAL 

CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED COMPUTER PHOBIC 

BY SARAH KORTUM 

Buying his first computer "felt a 

lot like adolescence!" recalls David 

Wilson. "I felt inept and always out 

of step. Everybody who knew more 

than I did was like a parent, or an 

authority figure." 

It was five years ago on a cold Feb 

ruary evening that David Wilson 

drove up to his white shingled house 

in Newton, Massachusetts, with his 

brand new Apple II in the back seat. 

He was 43 at the time, and the man 

ager of a retail store. No longer in 

the retail business, he is now the 

proud owner of se%'en home comput 

ers, and an instructor of over a doz 

en computer classes at both the 

Cambridge and the Boston centers 

for adult education. But back in 

1979 he was just a wallflower at the 

local Apple users' group meeting, 

where he had gone that first week to 

try and answer questions about his 

new acquisition. 

"I felt isolated," recalls David, who 

would sit as far back as lie could at 

the meetings. "I felt stupid. Who am 

1 to bother these people or take their 

time? I'm also fairly shy. So I would 

just try to absorb osmotically as 

much as 1 could."' 

The questions he was trying to an 

swer were about programming. "I 

originally bought my computer in or 

der to experience what a computer 

was. The truth is that I didn't buy 

the computer with any specific thing 

in mind. So I was looking for an en 

try point." explains David. "I was 

looking for something to make the 

computer do that was satisfying, 

and that had use. At that time there 

wasn't much software around, and 

the only things the manual talked 

about doing was programming, so I 

got channeled into that." 

As he listened to the general dis 

cussion at the user-group meeting, 

David would "pick the person who 

used the most words I could under 

stand in a given sentence. And then 

sarah kortum is lifestyles editor of family 

COMPUTING. 


I would try to collar that person in 

the corner when they broke up for 

subgroups. What I should have been 

learning about at that point was 

how a computer works, what the 

parts of it were. But I didn't even 

know the right questions to ask at 

that point. I was trying to get 

enough of a grasp to even be able to 

ask the right questions. What I real 

ly wanted was someone to tap me on 

the head and say, 'Hey, it's really go 

ing to be OK.' But I didn't know that 

that's what was going on. So I was 

constantly asking highly detailed, 

technical questions that I didn't 

know anything about, like 'How do 

you write a sort program?" 

"There were one or two people who 

were very patient, and did take the 

time to try and help me. They would 

sit down and they would start telling 

me about strings and arrays, and I 

didn't know what a string and an ar 

ray was! As soon as they started 

talking about strings and arrays 1 

just went into very quiet hysteria!" 

Driving the hour's ride back to his 

home, "I felt lost." recalls David. "It 

felt like coming home from parties I 

went to as an adolescent, where lots 

of folks paired off and I never did. 

Coming home from these meetings, 


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COMPUTING CONFIDENTIAL 


having seen people who were obvi 

ously eompclcnt and enjoying their 

relationships with their machines. 

I'd feel that I was just never going to 

experience that." 

"AS SOON AS THEY 

STARTED TALKING 

ABOUT STRINGS AND 

ARRAYS I JUST WENT 

INTO VERY QUIET 

HYSTERIA!" 

Back home, his frustrations con 

tinued to mount. "Oftentimes the 

program didn't work the way I want 

ed it to. and I couldn't tell whether it 

was something I did wrong in pro 

gramming or whether it was [the fault 

ofl the machine. I would look at my 

set of program steps and they made 

perfect sense to me!" By his second 

month he had developed "a growing 

sense of I'm just not going to be able 

to hack it." The computer triggered 

"a fear that I'm not going to be able 

to survive or deal or cope with the 

world that's being created around 

me. I'm going to be left behind." 

Since everybody else seemed com 

petent with the machine, David nat 

urally concluded that "the problem 

was me. /just wasn't adequate." In 

retrospect, he realizes that his prob 

lems were "a combination of a lot of 

things: a piece of equipment that 

did not work as it was designed to 

work [David's first computer was 

eventually discovered to have faulty 

memory chips and was replaced by 

the store); a matter of documenta 

tion not being very good: and a mat 

ter of the people who sold it to me 

not acknowledging that I was going 

to need to do some background 

work, in some systematic way, if I 

was going to be able to use this 

equipment." 

And it was also a problem of ex 

pectations. "Of course my expecta 

tions of how well I should be able to 

do were probably also unrealistic." 

says David. "I had some idea of what 

you might be able to do with a com 

puter, but they were very general: 

"Gee, 111 be able to be in touch with 

the world. . . . I'll have all my books 

and records on file so I can just 

search for anything I want whenever 

1 want to!1 Without the realization 

that one, it was going to take a lot of 

time kcyboarding in the informa 


tion; two. I was going to need a lot 

more memory for that: and three, I 

would either have to spend a long 

time learning how to program or go 

out and spend a lot of money to get 

a program that would do it. 

"All my myths, and most of them 

were myths, coupled with the fact 

that I couldn't even get the computer 

to do some very simple things that 

the manual said I should be able to 

do. made me start to lose faith in my 

abilities. It was a slow building of 

self-doubt, but it was geometric in 

its accumulation! I was about to dis 

cover that I was an intellectual and 

technical fraud. I fooled everybody 

for all these years, but finally I was 

going to be exposed to the world. It 

sounds silly, but when 1 found my 

self at such a loss here, it just car 

ried over to everywhere. I questioned 

myself about business, and about 

the [personal communication] 

courses I was teaching [at the Cam 

bridge Center)." 

Another problem David faced was 

where to turn for guidance. When he 

passed computer stores on the 

street, "I wanted to go in and talk to 

them. 1 really wanted to find some 

place where I could get some assur 

ance." But every time he called the 

store where he'd bought the ma 

chine, "they were very patronizing. It 

was always my fault and not the 

computers fault. J couldn't follow in 

structions. And in truth, sometimes 

it was impossible to follow the in 

structions in the manual because 

they didn't make a whole lot of 

sense! 

"So I started to say things to my 

self like, 'Well, it's obvious that I 

need something else in order to do 

what I want to do. I need this piece 

of equipment. I need that program.' 

And for a while my way of coping 

with all this stuff was to look for an 

other thing that I could attach to the 

computer to make it all right." So he 

acquired a joystick. Then a modem. 

"Even at home I stopped talking 

about the computer to my wife," 

says David, "because I felt the risk of 

really failing. She wasn't particularly 

interested in the computer to begin 

with. I had the sense she thought it 

was foolish to spend so much money 

on something that wasn't immedi 

ately useful." (His wife, Andrea, still 

doesn't use the computer, though 

their two kids. Alan. 18, and Kris 

tin, 14. have since started to use it.) 

"But my wife was very tolerant. If we 

were at the dinner table she would 

ask, 'Arc you going to go off to the 

computer?' If I said yes. and went 

and turned it on and it didn't work, 

then I'd have egg on my face! So I 

started to feel myself closing up on 

the issue. I really didn't want to talk 

about it." 

He became increasingly supersti 

tious. "I was almost beginning to 

feel that I had to sneak up on the 

computer, to catch it unawares, so it 

would work!" Soon he slopped try 

ing. "By my fourth month my enthu 

siasm started to get a little tenu 

ous." No longer did he stay up until 

three in the morning with the com 

puter trying to program, as he had 

in the first month. Its use went from 

"a couple of nights even' now and 

then" to no use at all. "My life was 

very full. So it was always easy not 

to have time to be on the computer. 

"And I got to the point where every 

RXFOR 

COMPUTER 

PHOBIA 

Do you suffer from cyberphobia 

(fear of computers)? Here are five 

suggestions to help you ease into us 

ing a computer: 

1 • Before you buy a computer, first 

ask yourself: "What do I want to do 

with it?" The clearer your goal is, the 

more likely you will achieve success. 

2* Think small in the beginning 

days. Start with one simple use and 

master it. Build your experience and 

confidence up from that. Don't worry 

about all the other things that com 

puters can do. 

3* Choose something that's fun to 

do. Even if you feel you should be us 

ing a computer to plan your monthly 

household budget, there's no need to 

do that in the first week. Give your 

self time to have fun with the ma 

chine and become familiar with it. 

4« Don't hesitate to ask for help. 

But remember: Just because some 

body knows a lot about computers 

doesn't mean that he or she is the 

best teacher for a beginner. Choose a 

guide who uses a language you un 

derstand. 

5« Keep your expectations within 

realistic bounds. Don't expect to be 

come a millionaire software designer 

overnight, or even in a year's time. 

Remember that day-to-day use of the 

computer is the most successful ap 

plication.

time I saw it, it was a symbol of my 

incompetence. 1 didn't like having it 

around to remind me. I kept decid 

ing that the place where 1 had the 

computer was Just right for some 

thing else! Eventually the computer 

got covered up with junk mail so I 

wouldn't have to look at it! 

"But I had talked so much to 

friends and associates about getting 

my computer, that they kept asking 

me about it." He was reluctant to ad 

mit "yes. I spent all that money for 

nothing. And there were some mo 

ments of gratification—the occasion 

al games I enjoyed playing." And the 

short graphics programs he succeed 

ed in writing. "That's why I kept go 

ing on for so many months. But in 

general the difficulties and the nega 

tive feedback I got from the machine 

outweighed the others." 

Finally, in November, 10 months 

after he'd bought his computer, he 

gave up. "I just bundled it up and 

stuck it in the closet, saying, like 

"I REALLY WANTED TO 

FIND SOME PLACE 

WHERE I COULD GET 

SOME ASSURANCE." 

I've said with a lot of other things in 

my life, "Sometime, a little later on. 

I'll get back to this." It was easy to 

do. There was a little guilt about do 

ing it, but there was a wonderful 

sense of relief!" 

As he closed the closet door on his 

computer, he made a pact with him 

self. "I made it one of my goals to 

keep my eye out for somebody with 

whom I had something to exchange 

for help with the computer." 

Three months later, he found that 

person in one of the personal com 

munication classes he taught at the 

Cambridge Center. A student, Edwin 

Meyer, had a degree in computer sci 

ences from MIT. They became 

friends and began to dream about 

opening a word-processing studio to 

gether. In April 1980, Word Works 

(now the Micro Workshop) opened in 

Cambridge, with David supplying 

his business expertise, and Edwin 

supplying his computer expertise. 

"It took me a long time to learn 

word processing," admits David, 

"but I had a specific goal." Back 

when he first bought his computer, 

"I really didn't know what I wanted 

to do with it. I bought it because 

computers were an exciting idea." 

With a specific goal in mind, it be 

came easier to achieve success. And 

with one accomplishment under his 

belt, "I started to have a sense I was 

not incompetent," explains David. 

So he brought his own computer out 

of" the closet. 

That fall he added a word-process 

ing course to his class load at the 

Cambridge Center. "I didn't know a 

whole lot more about computers," 

explains David, "but I knew how to 

use the [WordStar] word-processing 

package, and that's all I was teach 

ing." 

Now he advises others: "Pick some 

small thing that you would like to do 

with the computer. Find out how to 

do that small thing without having 

to become a computer expert over 

night, or even in a year's time. Don't 

worry about all the other things that 

computers can do." 

David's own confidence "came over 

a period of time. I found that gradu 

ally, through a process more like os 

mosis than anything else, I became 

familiar with the thing. But it hap 

pened as a continuing result of 

small successes. And the clearer peo 

ple can be about what it is they 

want to do with a computer, the eas 

ier it is to find ways to accomplish 

these small successes they're looking 

for. And if they do that they become 

more confident.1' 

The following year, at the demand 

of his students, David started a sec 

ond class called "Stalking the Wild 

Computer." More than its name was 

inspired by David's early experi 

ences. Remembering those lonely 

nights on the outskirts of the Apple- 

user-group meetings, David resolved 

to talk about computers in a lan 

guage his students would under 

stand. "I use a lot of cooking meta 

phors, and analogies to people's 

stereo systems," he explains. But 

most of all, he provides that pat on 

the head that he now realizes he had 

been looking for all along. 

"What I really wanted, deep down 

inside, was some acknowledgment 

that I was not an idiot or a dunce. 

And there were problems, but they 

could be overcome. So I try to assure 

people that they're not stupid if they 

can't understand." The reaction on 

his students' faces shows him that 

his own experiences were not un 

common. "1 can usually sec it on 

their faces, all of a sudden this 

draining of tension! It's very reassur 

ing to them that they're not the only 

ones who have that fear." gj 

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SEPTEMBER 1983 37

COMPUTING CLINIC 

SOFTWARE BY PHONE 

BACKUP COPIES VS. PIRACY 

FINDING USER GROUPS 

BY WALTER KOETKE 

Should I buy the same computer 

for home as my child is using at 

school? 

Nol necessarily. Children usually 

adapt easily to using different com 

puters. Before purchasing a comput 

er for home use you must ask the 

same question educators do: "What 

am I going to do with the comput 

er?" Your answer should be a major 

factor in the purchase decision. 

Begin by making a list of what you 

want to do with your computer. 

Don't worry about possible applica 

tions two or three years from now. 

By then, buying a new computer to 

run a new application may be cheap 

er than buying new equipment to 

run that same application on an old 

er computer. Be realistic. Don't list 

things you aren't likely to do just be 

cause you read about them in a 

magazine. 

Take your list to several computer 

dealers. Ask them to demonstrate 

the software and hardware needed 

for each application. When you've 

found the combination that meets 

your needs, you've found the ma 

chine you ought to buy. If it's the 

same one your child uses in school, 

that's just an extra bonus—not an 

overriding criterion in the selection 

process. 

How do I locate user groups in 

my area? 

Start your search by inquiring at 

local computer stores. Since most 

user groups focus on a single brand 

of hardware, check with all stores 

that sell your brand, Don't limit your 

query to the store from which you 

purchased your equipment. 

You should also check with your 

local high school. Ask teachers who 

make use of the computer about 

user groups, and to introduce you to 

walter koetke was thejirst to introduce 

computers to U.S. public schools, linking 

the Lexington, Massachusetts system to 

a mainframe in 1964. He has written Jor 

Creative Computing and Microcomputing 

magazines, and/requently lectures 

about computers to parents and 

educators. 


students who own computers. These 

students are usually a rich source of 

knowledge. 

Information services such as 

CompuServe and The Source also 

list user groups. If you don't sub 

scribe, perhaps a demonstration at 

your local computer store could in 

clude a query about user groups. 

Finally, the hardware manufactur 

ers will often provide a list of larger 

user groups. Send a letter express 

ing your interest in locating or per 

haps even starting such a group, 

and they are likely to be supportive. 

My kids keep prodding me to 

buy new software, but the 

prices are astronomical. I'm 

thinking about buying a modem 

and using our Atari 800 with an 

information service such as 

CompuServe so both my chil 

dren and I can get software at a 

reasonable price. Does this 

make sense? 

Good idea, wrong reason. There 

are several valid reasons for sub 

scribing to an information service, 

but just obtaining reasonably priced 

software is not sufficient. Not that 

much software is available for use, 

and you must pay by the minute for 

your use of an information service. 

in addition to any long-distance 

charges. 

At present, services such as 

CompuServe provide personal access 

to large data bases of information. 

They also enable individuals to ex 

change information. A sampling of 

available information includes: an 

airline guide containing schedules 

and fares for all flights in North 

America; a shop-at-home service 

that gives you and your credit card 

access lo over 60,000 consumer 

items; continually updated weather 

reports; software reviews; biblio 

graphic information on major micro 

computer magazines; a business 

wire service; a commodities wire ser 

vice; and historical information on 

over 40.000 stocks, bonds, and mu 

tual funds. And these items arc only 

a very small sampling of the large 

number of data bases available. 

Personal information can be ex 

changed via a general bulletin board. 

as well as through a variety of spe 

cial-interest groups. CompuServe, 

for example, has a fairly large spe 

cial-interest group of Atari users (as 

well as TRS, Apple, IBM, and Com 

modore users), which offers public- 

domain software. Using Compu 

Serve's bulletin board and electronic 

mail system, you can contact other 

Atari users who might assist you on 

computer-related problems. 

What's the law on copying 

disks? Almost everyone recom 

mends making backup copies, 

but others say this is a form of 

piracy. Where is the line 

drawn? 

Since legal interpretations of the 

complex copyright laws are the full- 

time business of many capable attor- 

nies. please accept a personal, com 

mon-sense opinion. 

If you purchased an original copy 

of a program, then you are entitled 

to a backup copy of that program. 

Many software producers include a 

backup disk in the same package as 

the original or provide a backup 

copy at little or no cost. If a reason 

ably priced backup copy is available 

from the software producer, you 

should certainly obtain it. If no 

backup copy is available, then you 

are entitled to make one of your 

own. (Note that some programs are 

sold on "protected" diskettes de 

signed to make copying very diffi 

cult.) 

Please be sure your backup copy is 

used as just that—a backup copy. 

Put it away. Your backup copy 

should be used only if and when the 

original disk is damaged, and then 

only until the original disk is re 

placed. You are obviously violating 

copyright laws if you allow others to 

copy your software. You arc also vio 

lating copyright laws if you loan a 

friend your original disk while you 

continue to use your backup copy. SI 

Send your questions to: 

family computing. Computing Clinic 

730 Broadway. NY. NY 10003

wp, 

Finally, computer games you want your kids to play 

5pinnaker makes computer games kids love to play. 

But some of our biggest fans are parents. 

Because on top of all the fun and excitement, our games 

have something more. True educational value. They help 

develop a child's learning skills, in all kinds of fun ways. 

5o 5pinnaker games aren'tjust computer games. They're 

Learning Games. 

They're written by top educators who know how to make 

learning fun. And by expert game programmers, who use 

colorful graphics, animation and sound to make our games 

so exciting, your kids may not even realize they're learning. 

They're having too good a time! 

3, Spmnaker Software Corp All rights reserved ApjjJe. IBM and Atari are 

of Commodore Electronic Limited 

We make learning fun. 

That's why children love us. And parents love us. 

And why we're already the leader in the field of home edu 

cational software. 

So if you're looking for computer games that you'll like as 

much as your kids will, look for Spinnaker's line of Learning 

Games (in disk and cartridge") at ^ 

your local retailer. 

Spinnaker. We're 

giving computer

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in PA 1-800-322-9252 

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P.O. Box 1770 

Allentown. PA 18105 

954 West Armitage 

Chicago, IL 60614 

(312) 472-0004 

UPCOMING FEATURES 

The Lure of Fantasy and 

Adventure Games— 

Exploring Beyond Your Wildest Dreams 

Buyer's Guide to Monitors 

How to "Be" the First Computer 

on Your Block— 

Step-by-Step Directions for the Latest in Halloween Costumes 

Using VisiCalc As a Decision Maker 

Shopping for Knowledge- 

Where to Go to Learn About Computers 

The Wizard of Wizardry- 

An Exclusive Interview with Andy Greenberg. Creator oi'Wizardry, Now of 

Classic Dimension Among Computer Games 

How to Care for Your Computer 

Plus Programs for the Apple. Atari. Commodore. IBM, Timex, TI, and 

TRS-80: Reviews; A New Kind of Parent-Teacher Conference. Commuting 

with a Computer, and MORE 

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FmaUy, computer games you want your kids to play. 

Spinnaker makes computer games kids love to play. 

But some of our biggest fans are parents 

Because on top of all the fun and excitement, our games 

have something more. True educational value. They help 

develop a child's learning skills, in all kinds of fun ways. 

So Spinnaker games aren'tjust computer games. They're 

Learning Games. 

They're written by top educators who know how to make 

learning fun. And by expert game programmers, who use 

colorful graphics, animation and sound to make our games 

so exciting, your kids may not even realize they're learning. 

They're having too good a time! 

SP/rtWUfER 

We make learning fun. 

That's why children love us. And parents love us. 

And why we're already the leader in the field of home edu 

cational software. 

5o if you're looking for computer games that you'll like as 

much as your kids will, look for Spinnaker's line of Learning 

Games (in disk and cartridge") at ^^ 

your local retailer. 

Spinnaker. We're 

giving computer 

'Disks toe Apole.' Wan," law." 

Commodore 64." 

Cartridges for: Atari.' Commodore 

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Call for 

information 

NATIONAL WATTS 

1-800-523-9350 

in PA 1-800-322-9252 

^wV^^w* whoi i sai i 

1437 Gordon Street 

P.O. Box 1770 

Allentown. PA 18105 

954 West Annitage 

Chicago, IL 60614 

(312) 472-0004 

UPCOMING FEATURES 

The Lure of Fantasy and 

Adventure Games— 

Exploring Beyond Your Wildest Dreams 

Buyer's Guide to Monitors 

How to "Be" the First Computer 

on Your Block— 

Step-by-Step Directions for the Latest in Halloween Costumes 

Using VisiCalc As a Decision Maker 

Shopping for Knowledge— 

Where to Go to Learn About Computers 

The Wizard of Wizardry— 

An Exclusive Interview with Andy Greenberg. Creator of Wizardry, Now ot" 

Classic Dimension Among Computer Games 

How to Care for Your Computer 

Plus Programs for the Apple. Atari, Commodore. IBM, Timex. TI, and 

TRS-80: Reviews: A New Kind of Parent-Teacher Conference. Commuting 

with a Computer, and MORE 

WE mfiKE R GRERT CRSE 

FOR VOUR COmPUTER. 

One size does not lit all. Our cases are designed for specific hardware 

configurations. When you put your computer in our case, it fits hand-in-glove. 

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Willi the same care and 

precision he devotes to 

his plants (streptocar- 

pus) and his work. 

Tony Morris set about 

researching microcom 

puters and how he 

would use one with fits 

family. He developed a 

plan for learning ahoul 

computers that worked. 

CINDY FRENKEL (5 a poet 

andjreelance 

magazine writer. 


Thirty years ago or so. Tony Morris's father 

told stories about catching his son reading 

under the covers by flashlight. Today, Tony 

tells the modern-day version of that story— 

catching his son writing computer programs 

the same way. That's where the parallel ends. 

Like a lot of other families today, the Mor 

rises were toying with the idea of buying a 

computer for their home. Even back in 1981. 

when Matt was programming under the covers, 

all three Morris children had already had some 

experience with a computer at school—Matt as 

a ninc-ycar-old fourth grader; Anne as a 13- 

year-old just starting junior high: and Jon as a 

15-year-old just finishing junior high. 

Probably the most unusual thing about the 

family was that both parents had computer 

experience as well. As a psychology professor 

and associate chair of his department at the 

University of Michigan. Tony made frequent 

use of the terminal that gave him access to the 

university mainframe. He knew, though, that 

typing in commands as he did to analyze re 

search data had little to do with understanding 

a computer. 

Penny, on the other hand, had experience 

programming in FORTRAN, going back to the 

How to 

Program 

Into 

Your 

Computer 

BY CINDY FRENKEL 

DECIDING TO BUY A COMPUTER 

IS ONE THING. PUTTING IT TO 

GOOD USE IS ANOTHER. TONY 

MORRIS AND HIS FAMILY HAVE 

DONE BOTH. HERE'S HOW. 

time when she supported Tony through grad 

school at the University of Illinois. But that was 

long before the day of microcomputers. By the 

time their children grew up. Penny and Tony 

were convinced, familiarity with a computer 

would no longer be an optional skill. 

"Penny and I arc both cautious people," 

Tony states, "but we readily agreed that learn 

ing to use a computer was definitely an essen 

tial part of a child's education. To us the ulti 

mate value of feeling comfortable with a 

computer was as important as part of a college 

education. That's what led us to spend part of 

the children's education fund on an Apple II. 

We believe that even if we can send our kids to 

college for only three-and-a-half years instead 

of four as a result of buying our Apple, it will 

still be worth it." 

SETTING A GOAL; 

MAKING A PLAN 

Both Morris parents are concerned with 

the growth and education of their children, 

and each is involved with the children indepen 

dently as well as in whole-family activities. 

Tony, for example, shares his love of sailing 

with them on a one-to-one basis; Penny on the

other hand assumes responsibility for most 

school functions, leaving Tony home to work 

on his book or his plants. Neither is troubled 

by this mix of togetherness and independence, 

though it is unusual in the Ann Arbor, Michi 

gan, community where they live. 

Right from the start, that same indepen 

dence extended to the computer. Already expe 

rienced with computers and not bitten by the 

same curiosity as Tony, Penny has more than 

enough to do between her work as a research 

assistant in pediatric hematology at the Uni 

versity of Michigan Medical Center, other fam 

ily activities, and lots of personal reading. 

When desktop computers make their way into 

her workday, as they're slated to do, she may 

decide to catch up with Tony and the children. 

Right now, she feels neither the need nor the 

burning interest. 

Tony was on his own when it came to 

choosing the right computer for the family. "I 

knew zero about microcomputers," he ex 

plains, "so I was in for months of reading and 

talking and looking to find the computer that 

would deliver that graphics capability for 

games, memory capacity for word processing, 

software availability for all kinds of applica 

tions I could only begin to imagine, and dealer 

support for convenience—all for the money I 

felt we could afford to spend. The research paid 

off. We bought an Apple and I've never regret 

ted the decision. 

"When I got the computer home, though, I 

wasn't sure things would turn out so well. At 

first I was scared we were going to break somc- 

thing," Tony said. "Then I learned we 

wouldn't." Some of Tony's confidence came 

from the Apple "tutorial" that came with the 

computer. "It literally told how to unpack, nuts 

and bolts, from setting it up to programming. I 

insisted the kids sit down with me and go 

through it page by page. And then there was 

my one rule: No store-bought games for the 

first two months. 

That rule, strictly adhered to, was key to 

reaching the goal Tony kept in front of him at 

all times—for him and the children to under 

stand the computer and how it works. "If the 

kids had used only commercial software from 

the start," he explained, "they wouldn't have 

had any curiosity. It would have been too easy." 

Ultimately, "understanding" translated into 

"programming." 

THE TRANSITION FROM UNEASY 

TO COMFORTABLE 

Most people feel intimidated about learn 

ing to program right away. (It's so easy to feel 

satisfied with yourself for having made the pur 

chase!) Tony was determined to get beyond 

that block. As soon as the computer was set 

up. he and the kids began to take games out of 

magazines and type them in. There were often 

mistakes in the programs, so they had to de 

bug them and at times even modify some to 

make them run. 

"For a few months no program got into the 

computer unless one of us typed it in," Tony 

explains. "It was a fantastic learning experi 

ence, especially when the author led you 

through a program and told you how it worked 

and how to customize it, to make it go faster or 

slower, for example. I learned more about the 

computer that way than any other, and we 

ended up with some games as interesting as 

store-bought ones. I had to type in a program, 

which is a very precise task, and watch the way 

it worked—or didn't work. It can easily take an 

hour or more. If I'd made a mistake—even if a 

comma was misplaced—the whole program 

wouldn't work. I'd have to stop and either go 

back and compare every line to the magazine or 

try to figure out where the error was." 

The plan seems to have paid off in the eyes 

of the Morris kids as well. Jon, now 17 and a 

high school senior, talks about the learning 

process their dad led them through. "It took 

the whole thing out of the display case and put 

it into our hands. It's kind of neat. When you 

type in a game from a magazine or one that 

you've created, it's a good feeling. You push a 

button and it reels off what you want it to do. 

When we started, none of my friends had com- 

Although Penny Morris 

had experience pro 

gramming andjett com 

fortable with a large 

mainframe computer in 

a work situation, she 

has limited her involve 

ment—so far—with the 

computer to strong 

family support, partici 

pation in dinner-time 

discussions, and shar 

ing in decision making 

with her husband. 

SEPTKMDKR 1983 45

Hours of game playing, 

which so many kids 

are prone to. never ap 

pealed much to Anne, 

who spends much of 

each week riding and 

caring for horses. The 

time now devoted to the 

computer used to be 

spent watching TV. 


puters and I wasn't really into them at school 

yet, so I couldn't really appreciate software. 

Once I got it 1 realized how hard it was to do 

something that seemed easy. You appreciate 

the complexity of software because you begin to 

write your own programs." 

TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO 

PROGRAMMING 

Both Tony and Penny Morris are obviously 

pleased that their kids program their own 

games (fairly simple ones), or at least can if 

they want to. That was part of their original 

goal when they bought their computer, but it 

was only part. "Buying a computer with a spe 

cific goal is too limiting," Tony feels. "Parents 

who buy a computer and say. 'You must learn 

to program high-resolution graphics," are mak 

ing a mistake. It's much better to say, 'Learn 

how to use it in basic ways and go with what 

interests you." 

"Particular programming skills, such as a 

particular language for a computer, might not 

be around when the kids are in college. I main 

ly want my children to feel comfortable with 

computers. Every one of them, however,, has 

learned to program some in BASIC. They began 

by copying short programs from the "tutorial" 

and modifying them. One morning when I was 

home ill. I found a note from Anne: Dad. run 

'Dad' on the Apple. When I did. I was greeted by 

a colorful message spread across the screen: 

"Dad—Hope you feel better. Love Anne." " 

So Tony wasn't too surprised when Matt 

said. "Hey. Dad, 1 wonder if 1 could program the 

Morse code!" He was sitting on the floor study 

ing the plastic case for a GI Joe signal flash 

light on which he had found the Morse code. 

At first Tony hesitated. " 'How should we 

go about this." I wondered. Many of the books 

I'd read told you to think everything through 

carefully and to plan it on paper even before 

you turn on the computer. To me this 'think 

ahead' approach is excellent for complex pro 

grams and for experienced programmers. But I 

knew we were about to explore together how 

the computer works and to learn what would 

happen if we tried different things. 

I decided to go with trial and error: Take the 

problem one piece at a time, try different ways 

of solving each problem as it comes up, and 

watch the results. It would take us longer to 

write a program this way, and the end result 

would probably not be as elegant and compact 

as it might be, but I felt we'd learn more about 

the computer and gain more confidence using 

it. We knew that if the computer started doing 

strange things, we could always turn it off and 

start over! So why not go off on our own adven 

ture in programming? Fortunately it worked, 

and Matt's first program soon led to many 

others." 

Now Matt enjoys both the games he buys 

and the ones he makes. The same is true for 

Anne and Jon. All three believe that they've 

reaped benefits from the computer. "I learned 

algebraic skills from the computer," Matt 

states. "For example. I learned about exponents 

there first. It helped a lot with my division and 

multiplication stuff, too." Some of the gains 

went beyond simply using the machine. "We 

have more things in common," Anne explains. 

"I talk about different games with Matt and 

Jon. It made us smarter in the areas of com 

puters, too. We're not as lost. And we don't 

watch as much TV." Instead, the Morris kids 

are playing some games but they're also mas 

tering an ever-growing number of computer ap 

plications. At the moment, word processing is 

a major pastime. 

COMMERCIAL PROGRAMS FALL 

INTO PLACE 

Not all the time spent at the computer in 

volves learning. Tony Morris knows there's no 

way to keep children from the thrill of exciting, 

commercially produced games. "Parents who

TIC-TAC-TOE 

The favorite of ati Mor 

ris-family home-devel 

oped software. 

8 REM **# DRAW GRTD *** 

10 GR : COLOR= 2:G = ll HLIN 5,35 AT 15: HLIN 5,35 AT 26: VLIN 5,37 AT 15 

: VLIN 5,37 AT 26: COLOR" 8: GOSUB 1200: GOSUB 1210: GOSUB 1220= GOSUE 

1230: GOSUE 1240: GOSUE 1250: GOSUB 1260: GOSUE 1270: GOSUE 1280 

98 REM *** PLAYER MOVES *** 

100 P = i: HOME : PRINT TAE( 6)"PLAYER 'X": WHICH SQUARE (1-9)?": GOTO 15 

0 

130 P = 2: HOME ! PRINT TAB< 6)"PLAYER '0': WHICH SQUARE (1-9)?": GOTO 15 

0 

148 REM ***RESPOND TO CHOICE*** 

150 GET S*: IF ASC (S*> ■" 13 THEN 10 

155 IF ASC tSS) ■; 49 OR ASC (S*> > 57 THEN ON P GOTO 100,130 

160 S = VAL 0 THEN GOSUE 800: ON P GOTO 100,130 

165 GOSUB 300: ON P GOSUE 500,700: GOSUB 1000: IF G = 1 THEN ON P GOTO 1 

30,100 

170 GOTO 10 

198 REM ***GET COORDINATES*** 

200 A ~ 6:B = 6: RETURN 

205 A w 17:E = 6: RETURN 

210 A = 28:B = 6: RETURN 

215 A •* 6>B = 17: RETURN 

220 A == 17:B = 17: RETURN 

225 A = 28:E = 17: RETURN 

230 A = 6:E = 28: RETURN 

235 A = 17:E = 28: RETURN 

240 A es 28:E = 28: RETURN 

298 REM *** ERASE NUMBER *** 

300 GOLOR= 0: ON S GOSUE 1200,1210,1220,1230,1240,1250,1260,1270,1280: RETURN 

498 REM *** DRAW X *** 

500 COLOR= 9: FOR N = 1 TO 8: PLOT A,B:A = A + 1*B « B + ll NEXT N:A = A - 

B:B = B - II FOR N = 1 TO 8: PLOT A,B:A = A ■+ l:E = E - 1 : NEXT N: RETURN 

698 REM *** DRAW Y *** 

700 COLOR= 13: HLIN A,A + 7 AT B: HLIN A,A + 7 AT E + 7: VLIN B,B + 7 AT 

A: VLIN E,E + 7 AT A + 7: RETURN 

798 REM ***SqUARE OCCUPIED*** 

800 HOME : FLASH : HTAE 3: PRINT "THAT SQUARE IS OCCUPIED. PLEASE PICK": HTAE 

15: PRINT "A NEW SQUARE.": FOR N = 1 TO 2500: NEXT N: NORMAL I RETURN 

998 REM ***CHECK FOR WIN*** 

1000 R = 6:C = 6: FOR J = 1 TO 3: IF SCRNt R,C) > 0 AND SCRN( R,C) ■ SCRNt 

R + 11,C) AND SCRNt R,C) = SCRNt R + 22,C) THEN 1180 

1020 C = C + ll: NEXT J:R - 6:C = 6: FOR I ■ 1 TO 3: IF SCRNt R,C) > 0 AND 

SCRNt R,C) = SCRN( R,C + 11) AND SCRNt R,C) = SCRNt R,C + 22) THEN 

1180 

1040 R = R +■ ll: NEXT I: IF SCRNt 28,6) > 0 AND SCRNt 28,6) - SCRN< 17, 

17) AND SCRNt 28,6) = SCRNt 6,28) THEN 1130 

1060 IF SCRNt 6,6) > 0 AND SCRNt 6,6) = SCRNt 17,17) AND SCRN( 6,6) = 

SCRNt 28,23) THEN 1130 

1100 REM ***CHECK STALEMATE*** 

1110 IF SCRNt 6,6) > 0 AND SCRN( 17,6) > 0 AND SCRNt 28,6) > 0 AND SCRNt 

6,17) > 0 AND SCRN( 17,17) > 0 AND SCRNt 28,17) > 0 THEN 1150 

1130 RETURN 

1150 IF SCRNt 6,28) > 0 AND SCRN< 17,28) > 0 AND SCRNt 28,28) > 0 THEN 

1170 

1160 RETURN 

1170 HOME : HTAE 15: FLASH : PRINT "**5TALEMATE**": FOR N ■ 1 TO 200:SOUN 

D = PEEK < - 16336): NEXT N: FOR N = 1 TO 1000: NEXT N: NORMAL IG = 

3: RETURN 

1180 HOME : HTAE 1^: FLASH : PRINT "** YOU WIN!! **": FOR N = 1 TO 3: CALL 

- 198: NEXT N: FOR N = 1 TO 1500: NEXT N: NORMAL :G = 2: RETURN 

119B REM ***DRAW NUMBERS*** 

1200 VLIN 7,13 AT 10: RETURN 

1210 HLIN 19,22 AT 7': VLIN 7,10 AT 22: HLIN 19,22 AT 10: VLIN 10,13 AT 19 

: HLIN 19,22 AT 13: RETURN 

1220 HLIN 30,33 AT 7= VLIN 7,13 AT 33: HLIN 30,33 AT 13: HLIN 31,33 AT 10 

: RETURN 

1230 VLIN 18,21 AT 8: VLIN 18,24 AT 11: HLIN 8,11 AT 21: RETURN 

1240 HLIN 19,22 AT 18: HLIN 19,22 AT 21: HLIN 19,22 AT 24: VLIN 18,21 AT 

19: VLIN 21,24 AT 22: RETURN 

1250 VLIN 18,24 AT 30: VLIN 21,24 AT 33: HLIN 30,33 AT 21: HLIN 30,33 AT 

24: RETURN 

1260 HLIN 8,11 AT 29: VLIN 29,35 AT 111 RETURN 

1270 HLIN 19,22 AT 29: HLIN 19,22 AT 32: HLIN 19,22 AT 35: VLIN 29,35 AT 

19: VLIN 29,35 AT 22: RETURN 

1230 HLIN 30,33 AT 29: HLIN 30,33 AT 32: VLIN 29,35 AT 33: VLIN 29,32 AT 

30: RETURN 

SEITEMUEH 198.1 47

Matt and hisjriend Da 

vid Schlecte {left) in the 

recreation room, where 

the Morris Apple found 

its permanent home. 

shared with a TV and a 

piano. Jon (right). 

while becoming in 

creasingly involved 

with the computer, still 

spends a lot of time at 

sports. The computer 

has been a pan of 

young Matt's life for a 

proportionately longer 

period of time and is 

more a pan of his daily 

routine than of the oth 

er Morris children's. 


insist on only educational games arc fooling 

themselves," he states. "If the kids don't play 

the exciting games at home, it'll be hard to 

keep them out of the arcade." 

He marvels at the way so many of the 

games develop manual skills. "I once said to a 

friend. 'It's a great ploy of the Defense Depart 

ment!' These kids arc developing the best cye- 

to-hand coordination I've ever seen!" Any adult 

who's spent time in an arcade has seen young 

children's split-second timing and fine hand 

movements that enable them to escape a rocket 

falling out of one corner while another's headed 

at them from a different direction. Tony conjec 

tures, "If you get a team of a hundred kids with 

a radar screen and say. "Here arc ICBMs com 

ing at our country and you have to defend us. 

my guess is that the kids could. There's 

even a game called ABM (antiballistic missile)." 

Tony's own favorites for his children arc 

the ones with educational value (particularly a 

lot of the simulations). "I've also found some of 

the strategy games helpful. And Anne and Matt 

really like fantasy games, which I find both 

most exciting and worrisome. The experience 

of playing is good, but I'm not too keen on kids 

playing for hours on end with imaginary crea 

tures." How does he deal with the situation. 

"When thai happens, I'll say. 'Maybe you 

should go out and play for a while!" " 

In general, Tony lends to "trust the kids' 

instincts and let them play what they want. If 

game playing makes them feel comfortable with 

computers," he says, "then I'm all for it. How 

ever, if most parents arc like me. they didn't 

invest in an expensive computer just to have 

their children play games. I'd hate to see kids 

miss out on the real impact and power of the 

computer by limiting their use of it to games. 

In our house, that isn't the case. Both game 

playing and the computer itself arc facets of 

their lives—but they don't dominate them. All 

the children have jobs, arc busy with school. 

and enjoy being with their friends. The com 

puter is an important part of their lives, but 

just one part." 

All over the world today parents like Tony 

and Penny Morris are convinced that their chil 

dren must become comfortable and skilled 

computer users. In too many homes, though, 

the commitment dead ends after they've used 

the checkbook or charge card. There's no plan 

for learning about the computer, and the origi 

nal dreams lose luster. The Morrises knew that 

buying their computer was only the beginning. 

For their children, reality is far brighter than 

the dream. H

■ -■ '.yi-..d ,

ecame the fastest selling computer guide on 

the market. And the books are bargains—at 

$10 each, they are investments you're likely 

to keep right next to the computer, if not under 

your pillow. 

McWilliams isjlip. but he offers a remark 

ably easy-to-read, humorous approach to a 

subject that's usually presented in the most 

intimidating, baffling manner possible. The 

author makes no effort to hide his opinions 

about the different brands of home computers 

on the market: and he manages to demystify 

most of the mumbo jumbo often encountered 

in computer stores and owners' manuals. To 

further entertain his readers. McWilliams 

makes frequent use of steel engravings to il 

lustrate his many puns. 

It appears McWilliams has found his 

niche: He's now writing a weekly column 

"About Computers" that's syndicated in about 

40 newspapers. Two more books. Questions 

and Answers on Word Processing and The Per 

sonal Computer in Business Book, are sched 

uled for publication this fall. And McWilliams 

doesn't sit still—he's planning a series of 

books about word processing for specific ma 

chines. 

FAMILY COMPUTING interviewed the au 

thor during one of his visits to New York. 

FC: How do you see computers helping out in 

the home? 

PM: There's no doubt about the fact that the 

best use of computers in the home is to edu 

cate children, or, rather, to facilitate their edu 

cation. Children seem to love computers and 

find it much easier to adapt to them than 

adults do. I got my first typewriter when I was 

seven, and no one taught me how to use it. I 

suppose I used the hunt-and-peck method. 

And I learned to type! 

FC: Have you ever seen very young children 

around computers? 

PM: Oh. they love it! Kids are used to televi 

sion. And suddenly there's this television that 

responds to what they tell it to do. It's interac 

tive. See. the thing is that every generation has 

its own technological gimmick, which tends to 

frighten the older generation, but which the 

younger generation takes to like mad. It started 

out with the phonograph and the telephone. 

The telephone around the turn of the century 

was viewed as a tool, a necessity, by the first 

people who bought them, and then the kids 

started talking on it. They started calling each 

other! And the parents would say, "No, no, for 

emergencies only." The next one was radio. At 

first there was no entertainment value, and 

then that first generation grew up and the ra 

dio took on a whole different dimension in the 

thirties. At about the same time movies came 

along, too. And then along came television. I 

was two when we got our first television, and it 

became a large part of my life. Of course, the 


"WRITING A 

PROGRAM 

THESE DAYS IS 

LIKE TRYING TO 

RECORD YOUR 

OWN MUSIC." 

"THE FUTURE 

BELONGS TO 

THAT KEY 

BOARD, NOT TO 

THE HAND 

HOLDING THE 

PENCIL." 

"EVERY GENER 

ATION HAS ITS 

OWN TECHNO 

LOGICAL 

GIMMICK, 

WHICH TENDS 

TO FRIGHTEN 

THE OLDER GEN 

ERATION, BUT 

WHICH THE 

YOUNG TAKE 

TO LIKE MAD."

innovation that made all the difference was the 

advent of color TV. It turned the generation 

after me into real TV babies, whereas my gener 

ation still turned to movies for much of its 

entertainment. Color TV is such a realistic me 

dium that it becomes hard to separate that 

reality from other realities. 

FC: In both of your books you concentrated a 

lot on the drawbacks of computers. What's the 

most helpful thing you can tell people about 

the possible drawbacks to using a computer in 

a family situation? 

PM: One of the main drawbacks is that people 

have to realize that if they hook up their com 

puter to a television, they can't watch the tele 

vision at the same time they use the computer. 

Families have traditionally fought over which 

programs to watch on TV: now they may fight 

when one of the kids wants to do homework 

with the computer and everyone else wants to 

watch TV. Another problem is that many peo 

ple still think that computers will help them 

with things like balancing checkbooks and 

keeping dates. This is not a very effective use of 

a very powerful tool; it's still a lot more effective 

to balance a checkbook with a pad and pencil. 

FC: Your first computer book deals exclusively 

with word processing, and you're obviously 

quite attached to this marvel of technology. Do 

you think word processing allows you to think 

more creatively as a writer? 

PM: Absolutely: no doubt about it. 

FC: Would you recommend it for high school 

students just beginning to write fiction and 

poetry? 

PM: Sure. In fact. I'd recommend it for kids 

just beginning to write. Remember when you 

first started writing, and you could barely con 

trol the pencil? And everything looked wobbly 

and stupid? That's simply not true on a com 

puter; whoever pushes the key can get a very 

clear letter up there on the screen. The future 

belongs to that keyboard, not to the hand hold 

ing the pencil. It's inevitable: it's sort of like 

learning to drive. Seventy-five years ago you 

didn't have to know how to drive; today it's very 

hard to get around without it. The other per 

son who will be helped by the computer in the 

home is the parent. I consider curiosity to be 

one of the most valuable motivations around, 

and most human beings are very curious. A 

wise man once said that if you take away all the 

other stuff, what you're left with is curiosity 

and love. 

FC: What do you think about emphasizing 

learning to program in the home? 

PM: I think that writing a program these days 

is rather like trying to record your own music. I 

think you can learn just as much by purchas 

ing a really good piece of software and using it. 

I spent enough time trying to program in the 

beginning to realize that this is something that 

doesn't interest me. Kids do love programming: 

there's no doubt about it. I guess it's fun for 

them to experiment. But I think the parents 

will probably want to see something happen on 

the computer as soon as they buy it. and for 

that they'll need some commercial software. 

There are some spectacular color graphics, for 

instance, that a kid couldn't learn to do right 

away, and it's a lot of fun for people to see the 

capabilities of their machine when they first 

get it. 

FC: What do you see as the future of software? 

PM: I think software is going in two different 

directions. One is for the home user. The other 

is for business executives. These people can go 

out and buy a computer for six or seven hun 

dred dollars, and it doesn't do anything. Then 

they have to spend money on various pieces of 

software, on a disk drive, a printer, etc.. and 

they end up spending an awful lot of money. If 

instead they bought an all-in-one machine like 

an Epson QX-10, with the software built in, 

they'd be spending less money in the long run. 

FC: Do you have a favorite recreational piece of 

software? 

PM: My favorite is a game called Snafu, put 

out by Mattel Intellivision. It's a game of skill 

and strategy, and I find it really challenging 

and fun. I think games are valuable in terms of 

teaching kids mind/body coordination. Of 

course, you don't get any physical exercise. But 

then how much exercise did anyone ever get 

playing Monopoly? 

FC: There's been a lot of press coverage of your 

views on the Kaypro. Is it still your favorite 

computer? 

PM: The Kaypro isn't really my favorite: I just 

think it's the best value with its software pack 

age. I prefer the Epson QX-10. In the lower 

price range, I think the Commodore V1C-20 is 

good. But the IBM is by far the most supported 

[i.e., software, servicing] personal computer in 

the world. 

FC: Is it risky for people to buy something right 

away instead of waiting for more information 

on new hardware? 

PM: No, I don't think they're going to be hurt 

by that at all. If the machine does what they 

want it to do when they buy it. it will always do 

those same things. I'm still using the first ma 

chine I ever bought, a North Star. I've had 

access to lots of other machines, and I've found 

no reason to switch. However, if I were going 

into it from scratch, I wouldn't buy the same 

machine. It's sort of like buying a car. You 

know newer models are always coming out, 

with more style and flash; but if you need a car 

now. you buy the best one you can find, and it 

usually serves its purpose well. Computers do 

not become obsolete. And there arc always new 

programs to buy for the computer you bought 

last year. Si 

"IT'S STILL A LOT 

MORE EFFECTIVE 

TO BALANCE A 

CHECKBOOK 

WITH A PAD AND 

PENCIL." 

SEPTEMBER 1983 51

"SUCCESS IS 

PRETTY NICE, BUT 

THERE ARE BAD 

ASPECTS. SOME 

PEOPLE THINK 

I'M IN IT JUST 

FOR THE MONEY, 

AND A LOT OF 

PEOPLE DON'T 

CARE." 

nick sullivan is features 

editor of family 

COMPUTING. 


Meet Tom Ball: 

Game Maker 

BY NICK SULLIVAN 

IN THE EIGHTH GRADE TOM WAS A YEAR BEHIND IN 

MATH. THEN HE TOOK UP COMPUTERS. NOW HE'S 

A COLLEGE FRESHMAN AND THE AUTHOR OF TWO 

NATIONALLY DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER GAMES. THE 

ROYALTIES WILL PAY HIS TUITION. 

I 

n another era Tom Ball might have been a 

pinball wizard or a hot rod mechanic. But he 

was born in the Star Trek era and started 

hanging out in a new kind of teen den—a com 

puter store. He became a "computer rat," scav 

enging information from people and books to 

learn all he could about the machine. Now 17 

and a freshman at Cornell University, Tom Ball 

can swivel his chair between two computers in 

his bedroom office, and display two computer 

games he has helped program and sold to na 

tional distributors. Profits from the games 

(about S30.000 to date) will probably pay his 

way through college. 

Is Tom unusual? Yes and no. Very few peo 

ple who have personal computers have sold the 

programs they have designed at home. On the 

other hand, he's not an intimidating genius. 

not a Mozart. Tom has an easygoing "boy next 

door" demeanor and the normal pursuits of a 

well-rounded young man. in high school, he 

sang in the New Jersey State Chorus, took pi 

ano lessons, and was a member of the high 

school bowling club. 

In fact, though he got A's in advanced cal 

culus as a high school senior. Tom was a full 

year behind in math in the eighth grade. His 

computer skills and math skills advanced hand 

in hand, driven by "his positive thinking, his 

need to be up-to-date, his desire to learn as 

much as he can," as Jean Trees, his high 

school calculus teacher put it. 

Tom can now converse in an arcane video 

game lingo—"when you exit subspace you en 

ter the gravity well"—but he can also explain, 

in simple steps, whal he means. That's the way 

he learned his secrets. "I've learned lo think in 

logical steps," he says. "Doing that, just about 

anybody could learn the skills needed to pro 

gram." 

Tom's self-starting drive was sparked when 

the video game Space Invaders came out in 

1979. Like many teens as far away as Japan. 

he was fascinated by its speed, movement, and 

color, and set out to learn how a, computer 

could produce such effects. There were many 

small steps on this trek and one giant step— 

meeting Eric Varsanyi. 

Tom and Eric met in 1980 at the Stone- 

henge Computer Shop, just three blocks from 

Tom's house in Summit, New Jersey. Eric, a 

high school classmate of Toms, was working 

there part time, servicing equipment. "For 

about a six-month period Tom spent several 

hours every day in the store, either reading in 

the corner or pumping our programmers for 

information." says Dennis Tolley. owner of the 

store. 

Tom already knew more than most lenth 

graders about computers, having taken a six- 

week course in BASIC at the Northficld-Mt. 

Hermon summer school, but he didn't have a 

computer. Eric did. They started going to Er 

ic's house lo experiment on his Apple II. and 

soon were programming games. "They were 

what you might call nonmemorable," says 

Tom, who has a library of these games on disks 

in his bedroom.

ntOTOGHAl'IIS IIV LWGDOS CLAY 

What Tom and Eric learned from those 

fledgling games was how to program a comput 

er in machine language. Most microcomputer 

programs are written in BASIC or PASCAL, In 

termediary languages that translate the user's 

keyboard commands into the binary language 

the machine understands, or machine lan 

guage. "Machine language is as close to the 

machine as you can get. It virtually is the ma 

chine, its circuit board," says Tom. "And it 

makes the program run about 50 times faster 

than an intermediary language does." 

Ais the duo worked together, a pattern 

evolved. By sketching on graph paper. Tom de 

signed the graphics that would later show up 

as explosive color on the video monitor. He 

then brushed in colors, and developed a pro 

gram that transferred each square of color on 

the graph paper to a dot of color on the screen. 

Eric designed the game's structure, its "logic." 

by writing out its steps in flow charts. For 

instance, one program features 16 spacemen, 

each with 32 possible movements. Outlining 

these movements on paper gave him a sche 

matic diagram to work from as he created each 

step of the program. 

In the spring of 1981, as their sophomore 

year drew to a close, the duo got hot. In a 

feverish three-month period, they programmed 

a game called Falcons, based on an arcade 

game called Phoenix. "It was more complex 

than Space Invaders—faster, more movement, 

better colors." says Tom. They decided to sell it. 

a thought which both say had not crossed their 

minds before. "We were just messing around." 

says Tom. 

With video game hysteria sweeping the 

country like a communicable disease, all three 

software publishers Tom and Eric petitioned 

accepted the game. They decided to go with 

Piccadilly, a new software marketing company 

(started by Stonehengc owner Tolley) that was 

looking for material. Falcons, manufactured 

on floppy disks for the Apple II. got rave re 

views, and for a while was selling 1.000 copies 

a month—a best-seller rate for microcomputer 

games. In nearly two years Falcons has sold 

13.000 copies at S30 each, and "will probably 

sell 150-200 a month for another couple of 

years." says Tom. It's not in the league of 

Space Invaders, which has sold over 50.000. 

but very few games have surpassed the 20.000 

mark. Falcons has also been translated into 

French for distribution in Canada and France. 

When the first royalties drifted in (each 

programmer gets S2.50 per unit sale}, Tom 

went to Stonehengc and bought an Apple II, 

his first computer. He and Eric went to work 

on a second game. But Warp Destroyer turned 

out to be a monster and took 14 agonizing 

months to program. "The scope of the game 

was too much," says Tom. "It requires 100K of 

memory, so we had to keep condensing it to 

make it fit on one disk for a 48K machine. It's 

not as good as Falcons anyway. It's just a shoot 

'em-up game, with very little strategy." 

The title page to Warp 

Destroyer, the second 

game sold by Tom 

and Eric. Falcons, 

iheirjirst big hit. was 

"more complex than 

Space Invaders." 

"SOFTWARE 

CREATORS ARE 

SLAVES TO 

HARDWARE 

MANUFAC 

TURERS/' 

SAYS ERIC. 

SEPTEMBER 1983 53

A simple graphic- 

design for the 

Atari 800 (left) and 

the program Tom 

wrote to produce the 

effect (right). 

Mastering graphics 

is his primary bent 

right now. 

'I'VE LEARNED TO 

THINK IN LOG 

ICAL STEPS. DO 

ING THAT, JUST 

ABOUT ANY 

BODY COULD 

LEARN TO 

PROGRAM." 


Warp Destroyer, also manufactured by Pic 

cadilly, has sold about 2,000 copies in nine 

months. Its sales pace, slower than that of Fal 

cons, is largely due to the increasing sophisti 

cation of the computer game market, says Pic 

cadilly's Tolley. That sophistication is reflected 

. A-G TO 6.23 STEP 0 

30 FOR T=0 TO 31 

■:05(fij»:e + T) +40 

: 5IMtA)*t24 + 2*T) + 65 

SO If T

soon. Eric, more of a technician, wants to de 

sign machines, not software programs. "Soft 

ware creators are slaves to hardware manufac 

turers," says Eric, who is a freshman studying 

electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic 

Institute. Tolley says the meteoric team that 

started in his store made a "nice combination." 

A local newspaper went further, describing 

Tom and Eric as "standard-bearers of the 

avant-garde." 

Tom says the attention his success has 

attracted, including invitations to make ap 

pearances on several TV shows, is "pretty nice, 

pretty nice. But there are good and bad aspects 

to it. Some people think I'm in it just for the 

money. Others respect me for the creativity. 

And a lot of people at school don't know or 

don't care." 

His parents, Dr. Charles Ball, an opthalmo- 

logist, and Dr. Eleanor Ball, a dermatologist, 

are rightfully proud, though his mother does 

admit to having had some reservations when 

Tom first brought a computer home. She is a 

self-described "noncomputer person." But 

she's relieved that Tom's spare time has not 

been dominated by computers. In addition to 

his other interests, he has taken up the electric 

bass guitar. 

His father, who occasionally plays Tom's 

games ("clumsily"), thinks that computers are 

better suited for businesses with huge data 

bases than for the home. But he has taken a 

six-session course in BASIC, a gift from Tom. 

His brother Julian, 16, has shown little inter 

est in programming, but is an expert games 

player who acts as guinea pig when Tom is 

testing new programming ideas. 

Tom says he is winding down with games. 

"It's hard to keep them both fun and challeng 

ing. Firing shots at things is no big deal after a 

while." But he has invested some of his recent 

royalties in an Apple He and an Atari 800, and 

is working on a new game. He bought the Atari 

because of its "superior color graphics capabili 

ty," and mastering graphics is his primary 

bent right now. Nonetheless, he's taking the 

Apple to college, because he's "more familiar" 

with it, and leaving the Atari home. 

Like many computer owners, Tom is not 

quite sure where he is headed with the ma 

chine. As a prospective computer science major 

at Cornell, he is eager to experiment with ar 

chitectural designs. And he mentions the pos 

sibility of writing computer programs to make 

robots more useful. "Studying computers has 

helped me to think more clearly. It's helped me 

in math and English, it makes learning music 

easier, and I've had fun. But, except for one 

crazy week when we programmed most of Fal 

cons, computers haven't dominated my life." 

They've just become part of his life, and in 

the process have helped to bankroll three com 

puters and nearly two years of college expenses. 

With royalties still rolling in, and a new game 

coming on the market, it's quite possible Tom 

will pay his entire way through college. Not 

many Star Trek babies who later graduated to 

video game arcades can make that claim. IH 

In Radar Rider, . 

the first game Tom 

designed on his own. 

the action takes place 

in the center of the 

screen. But only part 

of the maze is visible 

at any one time. The 

radar screen (upper 

right) shows the big 

picture and the 

relative positions 

of all objects. 

"FALCONS WAS 

MORE COMPLEX 

THAN SPACE 

INVADERS— 

FASTER, MORE 

MOVEMENT, 

BETTER 

COLORS." 

SEPTEMBER 1983 55

How to Build a 

Compact Computer 

Console for $25 

QENE and katie Hamilton. 

a writing and 

photography team/rom 

Elmhurst. Illinois, are 

regular contributors to 

Home. Sail and Family 

Handyman magazines. 

They were design 

consultants on 101 Do 

It Yourself Projects, to 

be published by 

Readers' Digest General 

Books thtsfall. 

56 KAMll.Y COMPUTING 

Two 

SHOPPING LIST 

I"xl2" pine boards, 8' long* 

One multiplug power strip with switch 

One container white carpenter's glue 

One box #4 finish nails 

One can Minwax Antique oil 

'Dimensional pine boards, available at any 

lumber yard, actually measure %" thick and 

11'/," wide. 

CUTTING LIST 

Key Pieces Sixe & Description 

A 2 ■Va'x Il'//x23"(sidc) 

B 

C 

D 

E 

2 %" x 10l/t" x 25" (top/bottom) 

1 %"x 10%" x 14" (divider) 

1 %"X 101/i"x71/-i;r(shelfl 

2 %"x21/2"x25" (brace) 

BY GENE AND KATIE HAMILTON 

Anyone willing to spend an afternoon in 

the workshop can build a console for their 

home computer and tarne the chaos of wires 

and equipment. This casy-to-construct pine 

unit houses computer, monitor, tape recorder 

or disk drive, and includes a shelf for storing 

programs or books. All the wires are hidden in 

the back of the unit and a single switch con 

trols four plug receptacles, so you can turn on 

the computer and all peripherals at the same 

time. 

Before you start building, check the shop 

ping list to make sure you have all the neces 

sary materials. We recommend pine because 

it's less expensive than other woods and easier 

to cut, but any kind of wood will work fine. The 

multiplug power strip with a switch can be 

found in most hardware stores. 

Once you've studied the diagram to see 

how the pieces of the console fit together, grab 

a saw and proceed to the cutting list. 

10 easy-lo-follow steps: 

Here are 

Step 1. 

Begin by cutting the two sides (marked "A" 

in the diagram), top and bottom (B). divider 

(C), shelf (D), and braces (E) to length. Then 

cut the top, bottom, divider, and shelf so that 

they measure 10'A" wide. This is to leave space 

for wiring to run in the back of the console.

Step 2. 

Draw two guidelines on each of the side 

pieces—4%" from the bottom and 3%" from the 

top. Drive four evenly spaced #4 finish nails 

along these lines until their points just pene 

trate the underside (photo below). 

Draw another guideline on the center of 

the divider (C). 7" from the top. and drive four 

#4 finish nails along it. 

Step 3. 

Now you're ready to assemble the right side 

of the console. Run a bead of glue along the end 

of the bottom piece (B), and align it with the 

nail guideline in the side piece (A). Note on the 

diagram that the sides extend W in front of 

the shelf/divider unit and Yi" in the rear. Drive 

the four nails into the end of the bottom piece. 

Step 4. 

Glue and nail the shelf (D) to the center of 

the divider (C). Then glue and nail this assem 

bly to the bottom-and-right-side assembly. 

Check alignment with a T square. 

Step 5. 

Glue and nail top (B) to the right side and 

divider, making sure to keep it set back VY1 

from the side, or in line with the bottom piece 

(photo below}. 

Drive four evenly 

spaced nails through 

the sides (A) along 

your layout guidelines. 

On the back, glue and 

nail the lower brace (E) 

to the bottom. Turn the 

Attach the power strip 

to the underside of 

console. Position 

switch in front for easy 

Hail the top (B) to the 

right side and divider; 

" use a nail set to drive 

heads below surface. 

console over and 

install the upper 

brace. 

reach. 

Step 6. 

Turn your console on end and apply glue to 

the end of the top and the bottom. Checking 

alignment with a T square, hold and nail the 

remaining side piece to the top and the bot 

tom. 

Step T. 

To finish assembly, glue and nail the bra 

ces (E) to the top, bottom, and sides (photo 

below). 

Step 8. 

Sink all nail heads with a nail set and fill 

the holes with wood putty. After sanding with 

#120 sandpaper, you're ready for the finishing 

touch. We used a natural-colored, easy-to-apply 

wipe-on finish of Minwax Antique oil, but you 

may want to paint to match the color of your 

computer, or your walls. 

Step 9. 

When the finish has hardened, attach the 

multiplug power strip to the underside, accord 

ing to the manufacturer's directions. Make 

sure you position the switch within easy reach 

of your fingers (photo below). 

Step 10. 

Install the computer and its components, 

and plug everything into the power strip. Flip 

the switch, and the whole system will turn on. 

SEITEMUEK 1983 57

The Conningtons [from 

top left): Chuck, 

Maureen. Tucker. 

Janeen. Chip. 


Portrait 

of a Computing 

Family 

PART 1: 

THE CONNINGTONS BUY A COMPUTER 

BY NICK SULLIVAN 

PIIOTOUKAI'HS (IV JANET BEU.EH 

I he Conningtons just bought a computer. 

It's shiny and sleek, as full of promise as a 

crocus bud. Learning to coax full potential 

from the machine won't be easy. But it has 

been made easier because the Conningtons 

have already taken a crash course in comput 

ers—by shopping for them. 

"It's been an amazing learning experi 

ence." says Maureen, a 35-year-old mother of 

three and part-time nurse. "I went from not 

knowing what software meant to discussing 

computers with salespeople. In just a few 

weeks." 

Her husband Chuck, 36, an assistant su 

perintendent in the Recreation and Parks De 

partment in their hometown of Valley Cottage, 

New York, was equally amazed by the help and 

advice they got from complete strangers. It was 

an indication that many others were in the 

same boat, and learning fast. "Everyone put in 

their two cents' worth, and you pick up a little 

each time." After a few weeks shopping and 

studying, Chuck look on the persona of a sales 

man himself, lecturing strangers in depart 

ment stores on the relative merits of different 

makes and models. "It's just like buying a car 

or TV," he finally concluded. "You treat a com 

puter as an investment." 

The Conningtons did not always want a 

computer, nor do they consider Silicon Valley 

and other computer breeding grounds as some 

kind of mecca. But, like many American fam 

ilies, they have been hearing more and more 

about computers lately. Chuck's office is get 

ting one, Maureen has seen them at the hospi 

tal, her brother and sister-in-law bought one. 

the TV and newspaper ads are starting to make 

an impact. More important, the kids use com 

puters at school. 

The kids use computers at school. Com 

puters in the classroom already seem so natu 

ral that nearly a year passed before the Con- 

nington children mentioned the new learning 

device to their parents. "They don't tell us 

about overhead projectors, why should they tell 

us about computers?" asks Chuck. Besides. 

Tucker (13 years old. seventh grade), Janeen 

{12, sixth) and Chip (7, second) are avid Intelli- 

vision fans, and are used to playing video 

games at home. In their minds that is—or 

was—more exciting than finishing multiplica 

tion tables before a rabbit runs across the com 

puter screen. 

In a way, the Intellivison game opened the 

door for the Conningtons's computer. It intro 

duced a new kind of technology into a house 

that already had four TV sets. When Chuck and 

Maureen heard about the math and science 

programs the kids were being exposed to at 

school, they wanted to see some in the house. 

No such programs were available for the Intelli-

vision. That put the Conningtons into the per 

sonal computer market. 

GETTING READY 

When they made the decision to buy a com 

puter, their first move in a logical operating 

plan was to set a budget. Five hundred dollars, 

give or take some change, was the limit. In 

choosing a make and model, the Conningtons 

would judge computers by their raw capabili 

ties, add-on potential, size and look, servicing 

backup, and the software. In assessing soft 

ware, they decided that educational programs 

were of primary importance. 

Chuck and Maureen set out to research the 

project as if they were buying a house in a 

foreign country. They would buy newsstand 

magazines, check newspaper ads. talk to 

friends at work and teachers at their children's 

school. They would also make several expedi 

tions to department and computer stores and 

grill the salespeople. 

A look through several magazines gave 

them a lineup of well-known computers they 

recognized listing for under $500. The Con 

ningtons knew little about any of the ma 

chines, except that Maureen's brother and his 

wife had a TI-99/4A and said they were in "sev 

enth heaven" balancing their checkbook. 

The children were involved in the decision 

making from the start. At school they worked 

out once.a week on a Commodore PET, which 

lent a certain appeal to the two Commodore 

home computers, the VIC-20 and the Commo 

dore 64. But their parents had mentioned the 

TI-99/4A and that the Commodore 64 was over 

budget (the price has since dropped considera 

bly), so the kids favored the TI. Except for 

Chip, the youngest, who had his heart set on 

an Apple. 

THE HUNT 

After several family powwows, the first 

shopping trip was to a Radio Shack store in a 

nearby mall. "At this point we felt we knew 

what we were talking about," says Maureen. 

"We knew the difference between 16K and 

32K." But there were no salespeople on patrol, 

so they walked through the mall to Sears. 

Sears stocks a range of home computers. 

But. as often happens when people shop for 

durable goods, the Conningtons set out with 

one brand name etched in their minds—Texas 

Instruments. Sears had a TI-99/4A set up for 

demonstration, but the crowd of onlookers was 

too large and they didn't get a chance to try it 

out. Again, no salespeople in sight. 

The Conningtons did. however, meet a 

woman in Sears buying software for her TI-99/ 

4A. She raved about the computer. "We 

couldn't shut her up," said Chuck. The wom 

an's glowing remarks only confirmed their view 

that the TI was the machine of the hour. The 

Conningtons vowed to go back for another 

look. 

The Conningtons felt like veterans on the 

next venture, a weekday night trip to a Toys 

"R" Us outlet. Chuck sent the kids off to look at 

software programs (Chip ended up in the toy 

truck department} while he and Maureen 

looked at computers. That is. the TI. After the 

store's discount and a S100 rebate from the 

company, it was selling for Si49. (It now sells 

for less.) If they bought eight software pro 

grams (about S250), they would get a "free" 

speech synthesizer. The color monitor cost 

S350, but Chuck thought a 10-inch color TV 

would do just as well. Maureen's pencil figuring 

showed that for about $400, they could buy a 

computer, a synthesizer, and eight software 

programs. Not bad. 

As Chuck told a man looking at a VIC-20, 

the TI-99/4A offered "great value for the mon 

ey." His theory was that the TI's memory was 

big enough (16K) that it would not need to be 

expanded right away; and it was not so big that 

the memory might be wasted. It turned out 

that the VIC-20 shopper and his wife, who were 

looking to buy a computer both they and their 

granddaughter could use, had confused the 

VIC-20 for a Commodore 64 (they are both 

made by Commodore). With that cleared up, 

the two men got into an excited dialogue. 

"Chuck sounds like a salesman," said Mau 

reen. At this point. Chuck's mind was working 

like a computer. He knew the number of keys, 

the size of memories, the add-on prices, the 

available software, for every system under 

$500. Some snippets from the conversation: 

"What do they get for that? ... I saw some 

thing in Time magazine. . . . Four and change 

and you get the whole package. . . . Computer 

prices are going down, but they sock you on 

the software." 

Because the TI was locked in a glass case, 

the Conningtons went back to Sears to see the 

demonstration model. 

First chance for the Connington children 

to try out the TI-99/4A. Chuck and Maureen 

were glad to see the machine in action, but 

disappointed that the display program was a 

Toys "R" Us. where the 

Conningtons found an 

array of computers in 

their price range, is one 

of several chain toy 

and department stores 

that now stock com 

puters. 

THE KIDS WERE 

EXCITED THAT A 

DEAL WAS IN 

THE WIND. THEIR 

FRIENDS 

WERE EAGER TO 

MOB THE 

NEW COMPUTER. 

SEPTEMBER 1983 59

Inside Toys "R" Us in 

Nanuet, New York, the 

Conningtons study 

sales literature. 


run-of-the-mill game, and not an educational 

program. 

On the way out of Scars the Conningtons 

bumped into the grandparents. They were the 

proud owners of a new TI-99/4A. The ex-Com 

modore shoppers had bought it at another 

store in the mall and were hurrying back to 

Toys "R" Us to buy software and get the free 

speech synthesizer. Amazing! It seemed every 

department store in the mall was selling com 

puters and accessories at different prices—it 

paid to take a few escalator rides and compari 

son shop. 

They took the escalator to Radio Shack. A 

young man. accompanied by his wife, seven- 

year-old daughter, and infant in a stroller, 

asked Chuck why he was so high on the TI-99/ 

4A. He had overheard Chuck's spiel in Toys "R" 

Us and had a rebuttal. "The TRS-80 Color 

Computer"—flickering before them—"has the 

best servicing, the best color graphics, and the 

best software collection. I think I'm going to get 

one." His wife nodded. His daughter typed her 

name into the computer and printed it out 20 

limes. 

Chuck and Maureen tried to concentrate 

on the TRS-80 Color Computer. As in every 

store they had visited except for Computerland, 

sales help was hard to come by. And the atmo 

sphere, with several types of music blaring, 

was carnival-like. Certainly not conducive to 

clear thinking about fuzzy concepts, about 

computers. Especially at 9:00 p.m. But sales 

help came. 

"Can I help you?" 

"Yes," said Chuck. "Can you tell me why I 

should pay almost twice as much for the TRS- 

80 as for the TI-99/4A?" 

"You shouldn't. Go buy the TI. Go buy it." 

Chuck was taken aback, stammering for a 

response. 

"If you're buying on price, buy it," the 

salesman said. "But if you're shopping for a 

computer, not a toy, then you've got three op 

tions: Apple, IBM, and Radio Shack. The Radio 

Shack is cheaper." 

Having carefully laid his bait, the salesman 

then made a key mistake. He underestimated 

Chuck and Maureen's knowledge of computers. 

He began glossing over details, telling the Con 

ningtons that everything was built into the ma 

chine. He pointed to a TV speaker and called it 

a synthesizer. He gave the kids a silly game to 

play, when the Conninglons wanted to see the 

real stuff, what a computer could do for them. 

"We've already got an Intellivision at home. 

We want to go beyond that," Maureen said as 

they were leaving. 

Chuck was tired and giddy from shopping. 

"How did we ever get into this mess?" he asked 

with a grin. "I'll tell you one thing though. You 

can't expect to go into a store and get much 

help. You've got to know what you want before 

hand." 

He spoke the truth. In Toys "R" Us, they 

saw computers sold next to baseball bats and 

Nerf balls. In Sears, next to lawnmowers. In 

some Radio Shacks, beneath the din of rock 'n'

SHOPPING DOs AND DON'Ts 

1. Figure out who in the family will use the 

computer, and for what purposes. When you 

shop, take a list of these objectives and mea 

sure computers against them. Take sales 

brochures home and read them in your easy 

chair—it's a better place to think. 

2. Even with a list of objectives, you face a 

"chickcn~and-cgg" dilemma. That is, "What 

comes first, the hardware or the software?" 

Both are of equal importance, but some 

times shoppers get so caught up with the 

equipment, they don't pay enough attention 

to the software. But the greatest computer 

in the world is not much use without the 

software you want. 

3. Ask plenty of questions. Ask the same 

questions of different people. Then ask more 

questions. Don't be afraid of appearing "stu 

pid." because there's no reason you should 

know anything about computers. To meet 

people who are using the computers you are 

considering, attend a local user group meeting. 

4. Make sure you know what you're getting 

for the money. You need more than just the 

keyboard unit, which is what most manu 

facturers and retailers refer to in their ad 

vertising. You also need a cassette recorder 

or disk drive to run commercial programs, 

and a monitor or TV to see what's going on. 

And, if you want copies of your work, you'll 

need a printer. Many of these add-ons cost 

more than the keyboard unit itself. 

5. Demand a demonstration, and try out 

any computer you're thinking of buying. 

Finding a comfortable keyboard is impor 

tant—pretend you're testing the steering 

wheel on a new car. 

roll. Stores, in fact, were selling computers just 

as people were buying them, helter-skelter. Yet. 

the chaos never deterred the Conningtons. The 

shopping was .still so new it was fun. When 

they went home that night they were still "lean 

ing toward theTI." 

Before the next outing. Tucker came home 

from school with the news that his math teach 

er had a Commodore 64, which he highly rec 

ommended. The S595 list price seemed high (it 

has since been lowered considerably), but the 

Conningtons thought they should investigate. 

The school connection was very important. 

A few days later Maureen spoke to Tucker's 

math teacher about the Commodore 64 and got 

the name of a store, Computer Strategics, that 

sold it. She called and made an appointment. 

The Conningtons had narrowed the decision to 

two machines. "We should call TI and Commo 

dore, and get them into a bidding war." said 

Chuck. 

6. Read magazines to sec where the indus 

try—and any computer you're considering— 

is heading. You want to make sure you'll 

have an array of software and equipment to 

choose from in the future. In this regard, be 

wary of promises made by manufacturers or 

retailers about forthcoming products. They 

can take months to materialize; and the 

promises often vanish into thin air. 

7. Discounts are great, but there's no "free 

lunch." Though you pay more when buying 

from a certified dealer, you generally get bet 

ter service. If you're buying from a depart 

ment store or through mail order, find out 

where you have to bring or send the comput 

er for repair. Sending a computer to Tim 

buktu is no bargain. 

8. Don't rush things. Take the time to com 

parison shop. As you learn more, your ideas 

about what you want will probably change. 

9. One addendum to the last point. Don't 

wail for a state-of-the-art machine, unless 

you prefer twiddling your thumbs to exercis 

ing them on a keyboard. There are any num 

ber of home computers on the market that 

will keep you entertained and challenged for 

several years. 

10. If you're having trouble finding a com 

puter that satisfies the needs of everyone in 

your family, consider this option: Buy a low- 

end start-up computer for the children (or 

put their allowances toward it) and another 

more advanced computer that suits you. 

This is better, and not much more expen 

sive, than buying a "compromise" computer 

that satisfies no one. 

THE DECISION 

Chuck met Maureen at Computer Strate 

gies during his lunch hour. He was spiffed up. 

wearing rose-colored sunglasses and a maroon 

tie. and very eager to see new merchandise in a 

new setting. Maureen was wearing her nurse's 

whites, set for work on the night shift. This 

was the first time they had looked at a comput 

er without the children. 

Several others attended the demonstra 

tion, including yet another set of grandpar 

ents. An elderly woman hobbled in with her 

cane and took a seat right in front of the com 

puter and screen. The demonstration program 

rolled, describing the Commodore 64's graph 

ics capability, its programmable music keys, 

its clear sound, and its large memory (64K). 

The saleswoman pointed to the monitor as she 

talked, to emphasize certain points. The first 

was price—$495. 

A S100 drop, Even without a phone call 

AMAZING! EVERY 

DEPARTMENT 

STORE 

WAS SELLING 

COMPUTERS 

AT DIFFERENT 

PRICES. 

SE1TEMDER 1983 61

EVERYONE WAS 

PUSHING 

BUTTONS, 

TUGGING CORDS, 

QUOTING FROM 

MANUALS—AND 

EVERYONE WAS 

TIRED—SO NOT 

MUCH WAS 

ACCOMPLISHED. 

BUT THEY 

FINALLY GOT THE 

COMPUTER TO 

WORK. 


from Chuck, the bidding war was raging. 

The cassette player, necessary to run nor 

mal household and educational programs, cost 

another $60. With the cassette player came 14 

free tapes holding 200 programs. For about 

S560 the Conningtons could buy the computer 

and cassette player. No monitor or TV, but with 

four TVs at home they had some flexibility. But 

was it worth it? 

The elderly woman asked this question 

with a thump of her cane. The saleswoman 

seemed insulted. Software was coming, she 

said. Since no one had asked about software, 

her defensive answer made it clear that this 

was the machine's weak link. As a relatively 

new computer, less than a year on the market, 

the 64 didn't have a big library of software, but 

more was coming. Educational programs that 

ran on the Commodore PET in schools could be 

used on the 64 (Maureen nudged Chuck at this 

news), with the use of an "emulator" cassette. 

That was free with purchase. The 64's future 

was rosy. 

Chuck and Maureen were very interested. 

Three points stuck in their minds: 64K was a 

lot of memory for the money; the kids could use 

at home the same programs they used at school; 

and Computer Strategies, as a specialized com 

puter store and authorized dealer, offered in 

structional classes and expert servicing. It all 

fit. By the time they reached the parking lot 

they had virtually decided to buy the 64, but 

first wanted to discuss it with the children. 

The kids were excited that a deal was in 

the wind. They wanted some equipment in the 

house and fast, because they had told all their 

friends, who were eager to mob the Conning- 

ton's advertised computer room. 

The next day Maureen called the saleswom 

an and made another appointment. The follow 

ing afternoon she brought the kids over after 

school. Chuck got off work early and met them. 

While the kids messed around in the stores 

computer classroom, Chuck and Maureen went 

into the sales office and bought the Commo 

dore 64 and cassette player. 

If the Conningtons suffered from buyer's 

remorse, it was not evident. They picked up 

two pizzas on the way home, and over dinner 

rehashed the whole shopping experience. What 

they remembered most was not computers, be 

cause they had seen very few in operation. 

They remembered the people they had met. In 

one way or another, each had steered them 

toward or away from certain models. The more 

people they had met, the more information 

they had stockpiled, the better they had honed 

their own ideas about what computer they 

needed. 

After dinner they set up the computer. 

They had no color monitor, so they moved the 

Intellivision off the coffee table and hooked the 

Commodore into the RCA. Everyone was push 

ing buttons, tugging cords, quoting from man 

uals—and everyone was tired—so not much 

was accomplished. "Whoopee," said Chip with 

mock enthusiasm. And for one dark second it 

appeared that the TV had blown out. Chuck 

was glowering. 

But that was fixed and, with Tucker in 

command, something finally came up on the 

screen. Even Chip was excited. Maureen served 

soda and cold champagne. Chuck settled back 

on the couch, surveying the Intellivision, the 

Commodore, the RCA, and the Washington 

and Jefferson plates atop the mantel. "We're 

early Americans," he said, and clinked glasses 

with Maureen. Hi 

This installment of "Portrait of a Computing 

Family" is thejirst of two articles on the Con- 

nington family.

COMPUTER BUYER'S GUIDE: 

A LOOK AT THE LEADING BRANDS 

This Buyers Guide examines seven best-selling comput 

er brands bought for home use: Apple. Atari. Commo 

dore. IBM, Radio Shack. Texas Instruments, and Timex 

Sinclair. Portables and strictly business-oriented comput 

ers arc not considered here. Announcements of new mod 

els from these and other manufacturers arc listed in 

What's in Store, on pagelOO. The criteria used to evaluate 

and compare the computers arc summarized below. 

Memory, The amount of RAM memory a computer has 

will affect the kind of software it can run. Word-process 

ing, electronic-spreadsheet, and other business-applica- 

MAKE YOUR 

"What do I want from the machine?" The answer pro 

vides a yardstick for measuring each computer you exam 

ine. The chart is intended as a do-it-yourself Buyer's 

Guide to help you compare computers. Take it with you 

when you shop. Write the names of the computers you are 

considering at the top of the chart. Each item can be 

COMPUTER MODELS 

MEMORY: RAM 

Optional RAM Expansion 

KEYBOARD: Number of Kevs 

Typewriter Layout? 

Numeric Keypad? 

Sculpted Keys? 

Flat Keys? 

TEXT/GRAPHICS DISPLAY: Number of Lines 

SOUND: Number or Voices 

Number of Octaves 

Number of Characters per Line 

Number of Colors 

Lower Case? 

Resolution 

SOFTWARE AVAILABLE? (for your purposes) 

SERVICING: Established. Reliable Manufacturer? 

Nearby Service Center/Dealer? 

SELLING PRICE (Basic Keyboard Unit) 

COST OF PERIPHERALS: Cassette Recorder 

Disk Drive 

Interfaces/Cables 

Memory Expansion (I*AM) 

Modem 

Monitor 

Printer 

Speech Synthesizer 

Software 

TOTAL SYSTEM COST 

$ 

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES (Record Overall Impressions) 

A. 

S 

s 

$ 

s 

s 

s 

$ 

s 

$ 

s 

X 

tions software generally require a minimum of 48K RAM 

to be used effectively. To run game or educational soft 

ware, or to write programs, you need considerably less 

memory. 

Typically, some of a microcomputer's memory will be 

preempted by certain built-in programs, such as a BASIC 

interpreter and an operating system. Thus, even if a com 

puter is advertised as having 64K of memory, not all of 

this memory will be available to the user. 

Finally, the computer's built-in (ROM) memory is not 

included in the guide's specifications, because it is not 

OWN CHART 

answered with a "yes " or a "no," a number or a price. 

There's room at the bottom for listing available software, 

additional languages, and your overall impressions. Don't 

make your decision on price alone: find the machine that 

fits both your needs and your pocketbook. See Shopping 

Dos and Don'ts. on page 61. for other shopping tips. 

K 

K 

B. 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

s 

s 

s 

s 

s 

s 

X 

K 

K 

c. 

$ 

s 

s 

s 

s 

s 

$ 

s 

s 

s 

$ 

X 

K 

K 

D. 

$ 

S 

s 

s 

s 

s 

s 

s 

s 

$ 

s 

X 

K 

K 

E. 

S 

S 

s 

s 

s 

s 

$ 

s 

s 

s 

$ 

X 

K 

K 

F. 

$ 

S 

s 

s 

8 

s 

s 

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s 

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X 

K 

K 

SEPTEMBER 1983 63

accessible to the user. Generally, a computer with a larger 

ROM will have more built-in features, or a more extensive 

BASIC, with consequently less user-available memory. 

Keyboard. The kind of keyboard a computer has will 

dictate its efficiency for certain tasks. The more keys a 

computer has. the easier and quicker it will be to use. A 

typewriter-style keyboard is important for word processing 

and writing large programs, but less necessary if a com 

puter is to be used primarily for entertainment. For busi 

ness or home-management applications, a separate nu 

meric keypad, which acts like a calculator, is a big plus. 

Special function keys, which are used to carry out fre 

quently used instructions, and independent cursor keys 

will make any keyboard quicker and easier to use. 

Video output. Most home computers do not come with 

a video screen and must be connected to a TV set or 

monitor acquired separately. A TV provides sufficient im 

age resolution for most casual home use: for more inten 

sive use. particularly where 80 columns of text will be 

displayed, a monitor is preferable because it provides a 

sharper, clearer imager. Monitors often require special 

cables for hookup. 

Text display. Most of the computers discussed here 

offer a 40-column text display, about the maximum num 

ber of characters a TV can resolve legibly. Some computers 

may feature, or offer as an expansion option, the ability to 

display 80 columns of text. This is standard for wordprocessing 

or spreadsheet use. The availability of both 

upper- and lower-case letters is also important for word 

processing. Computers featuring special graphics charac 

ters or multicolored text modes are desirable for educa 

tional or entertainment use. 

Graphics. Most of the computers considered have some 

kind of high-resolution color graphics as standard fea 

tures. Important factors for comparison are the number of 

colors available and the range of graphics resolution. This 

is measured in terms of "pixels" (picture elements), verti 

cally and horizontally. The more pixels, the sharper the 

screen image. 

"Sprite" graphics, or "player missile" graphics, featured 

on some computers, allow the user to define a variety of 

graphics objects and manipulate them on the screen. 

Sound. The computers shown here generally offer from 

one to four voices, or channels, of musical sound, and 

cover varying octave ranges. The quality of sound.is most 

important for game playing, or for those who wish to 

experiment with musical composition. Beyond this, some 

computers offer speech synthesizers, which can pro 

nounce words. 

Languages. Most of these computers come with some 

form of the BAS'11 language built in or in plug-in cartridge 

form. Dial cts BASIC differ, particularly in the area of 

graphics c mrr nds. If your interests lie in programming. 

search for i co: puter that supports Extended BASIC. 

To be prcgra med in other languages, most computers 

require an addi onal circuit board or specialized software. 

If young child 1 are to use the computer, languages to 

look for are P J3T and LOGO, which are becoming in 

creasingly important in education. PASCAL. FORTH. FOR 

TRAN. LISP, COBOL, and other optional languages may be 

important for the user who wishes to experiment with 

programming. 

Suggested retail price. Prices quoted are the manu 

facturer's suggested retail price for the Central Processing 

Unit, or keyboard unit, only. Because retailers commonly 

discount these prices, you'll be able to find the computers 

for considerably less than quoted here. Peripherals—such 

as cassette recorders, disk drives, monitors, printers, and 

the cables needed to connect them—should be budgeted 

for and priced separately. A full system can easily run 

more than 82,000. 


APPLE lie 

WIUIOCM frs [])■ l..\.\c.l>ON CLAY 

Memory: 64K RAM standard, expandable to 128K 

Keyboard: Full typewriter-style, 63 keys 

Video Output: TV or monitor 

Text Display: 40 char X 24 lines standard; expandable 

to 80 char; upper/lower case 

Graphics: Low resolution: 16 colors. 40 h. x 48v.;high 

resolution; 6 colors. 280 h. x 192 v. 

Sound: Built-in speaker 

Suggested Retail Price: S1,395 

The Apple He is an enhanced version of the popular Apple 

II plus, incorporating more memory (64K) and a shift, key 

for upper/lower case text display. Conceived as a general- 

purpose computer, potential uses for the lie range from 

games, entertainment, and education to professional and 

business applications. Both hardware- and software-com 

patible with the popular Apple II plus, the He already has a 

huge software and hardware support base in all areas. 

Applesoft BASIC comes built into the computer, and 

Apple offers its disk-based version of PASCAL as an op 

tion. Other programming languages, including C. FORTH, 

ADA, LISP, and several excellent versions of LOGO, are 

available from third-party suppliers. With the addition of a 

Z-80 processor, the Apple He can also draw on the vast CP/ 

M library of software. 

The Apple lie keyboard is standard typewriter-style, with 

a firm, responsive touch. Separate cursor-control keys are 

provided in convenient locations. The computer comes 

standard with 64K of on-board memory, enough to run 

sophisticated software, such as VisiCalc or Apple Writer 

with a comfortable overhead. If additional memory is re 

quired, the He can be expanded to 128K. though only 64K 

can be addressed by the processor chip at one time. Apple 

also has made available an 80-column card that doubles 

the He's 40-column text display. 

Setting up the He to run with disk drives, printers, and 

other peripherals is generally a simple matter of plugging 

in the appropriate control or interface circuit board. Slots 

are provided in the lie housing for up to eight circuit 

boards performing various functions. Apple Computer, 

Inc., 20525 Mariani Ave.. Cupertino. CA 95014

ATARI 600XL 

Memory: 16K RAM, expandable to 64K 

Keyboard: Typewriter-style. 62 keys 

Video Output: TV 

Text display: 40 char X 24 lines; upper/lower case 

Graphics: 16 colors (256 hues, 128 displayablc at once); 

11 graphics modes, maximum resolution 320 h. x 192 v. 

Sound: 4 voices, 3 '/• octaves 

Suggested retail price: 3199 

The Atari 600XL, the first of four new Atari computers 

that will replace the 400, 800, and 1200XL models, is 

expected to be on the market this fall, although at press 

time it was not yet available for review. Judging by a 

prototype model that Atari showed at the Consumer Elec 

tronics Show last June, however, the 600XLs capabilities 

will fall somewhere between those of the current 400 and 

800 models. And it will offer several improvements. 

It will have more built-in memory (16K RAM) than the 

4K 400. and as much expansion potential (64K) as the 

48K 800. Its expected typewriter-style keyboard, a wel 

come relief from the 400s membrane keyboard, will have 

five more keys than the 800, including a HELP key. Unlike 

the 400 and 800, which required a plug-in cartridge to 

load BASIC, the 600XL comes with built-in BASIC. Like 

the 400, the 600XL will output only to a TV. 

The 600XL promises to keep the same sound and graph 

ics chips that made the earlier models such great gaming 

computers. On the 400 and 800, for instance, several 

resolutions and up to 256 colors {actually 16 colors at 16 

intensities) are conveniently accessible from BASIC. 

Game designers were naturally quick to capitalize on 

these features, but Atari is also developing a library of 

educational, business, and word-processing software, in 

cartridge, tape, or disk format. Atari says that all of this 

software that can run on a 16K RAM computer will run on 

the 600XL. 

Like the 400 and 800. the 600XL will have one output 

jack for peripherals, most commonly a program recorder 

or a disk drive (both made by Atari}. To connect a printer 

or modem, a special interface module (S220) and cables 

will be required. The 600XL will have only two gamecontroller 

ports, compared to the four on the 400 and 800. 

After introducing the 600XL, Atari plans to roll out the 

800XL, 1400XL, and 1450XLD models. Atari Inc., 1265 

BorregasAve.. Sunnyvale. CA 94086 

COMMODORE 64 

Memory: 64K RAM standard, noncxpandable. 

Keyboard: Typewriter-style, 66 keys 


Text Display: 40 char x 25 lines: upper/lower case 

Graphics: High resolution: 16 colors, 320 h. x 200v.; 

"sprite" graphics 

Sound: 3 voices, 9 octaves 

Suggested Retail Price: S595 

The Commodore 64 is superbly engineered and has some 

unusual capabilities. Its keyboard, identical to that of 

Commodore's popular V1C-20. is typewriter-style, and in 

cludes four function keys and two independent cursorcontrol 

keys. 

With its 64K RAM, it can run some high-powered games 

and business programs. Though lack of software has been 

the 64's Achilles" heel to date, a variety of sophisticated 

spreadsheet, data-management, and finance programs are 

being developed by Commodore and others. 

The 64's high-resolution graphics are impressive. In 

addition to 16 colors, the 64 employs a system known as 

"sprite" graphics, allowing the programmer to define and 

manipulate up to eight screen-independent "sprites," or 

graphics objects. This capability rivals the similar "playermissile" 

graphics featured on Atari computers. 

The sound function of the 64 is a real showpiece, and is 

arguably the most advanced of any hor. * coi puter. The 

computer can be turned into a sophisti ted nusical in 

strument, giving the user complete com )] o\ ;r every as 

pect of sound produced. Music-composit n s- ftware that 

takes advantage of the 64's unique soi id 1 matures has 

been released by Commodore, and speec synthesis soft 

ware has been promised. 

The 64 has a standard 40-column text asplay. Devices 

to expand this display to the 80-column word-processing 

standard are becoming available from third-party suppli 

ers, though it should be noted that some of these hard 

ware add-ons produce a less than optimal display quality. 

In addition to upper/lower case text, the 64 has an exten 

sive graphics character set. 

The 64 may be hooked to all the VIC peripherals, includ 

ing the Datassette recorder (a regular tape recorder may 

not be used), 1541 disk drive, VIC modem, and printer. 

The 64 will accept plug-in cartridges, but not those made 

for the VIC-20. The 64's operating manuals are hard to 

follow. Commodore Business Machines, 1200 Wilson Dr., 

West Chester. PA 19380 

SEPTEMBER 1983 65

COMMODORE VIC-20 




Text Display: 22 char x 23 lines: upper/lowercase 

Graphics: 8 colors. 176 h. X 184 v. 

Sound: 3 voices, 5 octaves, one "white-noise" voice 

Suggested Retail Price: $ 199 

The VIC-20 offers enormous flexibility and power for the 

price, and can be expanded with a full line of peripherals. 

The full-size, typewriter-style keyboard is of extraordinari 

ly high quality and is comfortable to use. The keyboard 

features four programmable function keys and two sepa 

rate, shift-operated cursor-control keys for easy editing. 

The VICs 5K RAM may be expanded to 32K. Commodore 

also offers plug-in cartridges incorporating RAM and/or 

special enhancements. The Superexpander cartridge, for 

example, is designed to provide memory specifically for 

use in high-resolution graphics. 

The VICs 22-character line display is shorter than that 

of most competing models. Text has a strctched-out look 

that can make large blocks difficult to read, though in 

most home applications this should not matter much. An 

extensive graphics character set is supported in addition 

to upper/lower case. The VICs high-resolution display of 

fers a choice of up to eight hues. Its sound generators 

provide up to three simultaneous voices and a sound- 

effects channel. 

The VIC can be connected to a variety of Commodore 

peripheral devices. The Datasscttc recorder is required for 

cassette mass storage. This ^device operates entirely under 

computer control, eliminating the usual cassette recorder 

piay-and-rewind hassles. The Commodre 1541 disk drive 

($399) offers 170K of storage space. A dot-matrix printer 

(S395). which can reproduce the VICs graphics characters 

as well as normal characters, is also available from Com 

modore. 

Games and educational software stand out in the VIC- 

20 software library, though a good deal of home-manage 

ment software and even word processing arc also becom 

ing available. Though serious business users will have to 

look elsewhere, the VIC-20 has great appeal for the novice 

home user, hobbyist, and student. Commodore Business 

Machines, 1200 Wilson Dr.. West Chester. PA 19380 

66 FAMILY COMMUTING 

IBM-PC 




Text Display: 80 char x 25 lines; upper/lower case. 

black and white; 40 char x 24 lines, color 

Graphics: Graphics board required for color output: 16 

colors in basic text mode; 2 resolutions. 320 h. x 200 v. 

with 4 colors, and 640 h. x 200 v. with 2 colors: text and 

graphics can be mixed on screen 

Sound: Built-in speaker 

Suggested Retail Price: S1.355 

Powerful, expensive, and complex—but not necessarily 

complicated—the IBM-PC runs some of the friendliest and 

most sophisticated software around, from games to full- 

scale business applications. The PC was not designed as a 

home computer, but people—especially those with busi 

ness needs in mind—arc bringing it home. 

The main portion of the PC keyboard is typewriter-size 

and laid out in a more or less conventional fashion, but 

touch typists may find the placement of its RETURN and 

SHIFT keys slightly idiosyncratic. This design flaw is sur 

prising from the company that set the standard for type 

writer keyboards. Nonetheless, the keyboard has a feel 

much like that of an electronic typewriter, ideal for text 

entry. 

The basic PC system comes with 64K of RAM memory, 

and can be expanded to 640K RAM, enough to run fullscale 

business programs. With the monochrome display 

and printer adapter (S335) installed (necessary for use 

with a monitor), the PC's standard text display is 80 col 

umns by 25 lines, upper/lower case. 

With the IBM graphics board installed, 16 colors are 

available at a maximum resolution of 320 by 200. IBM's 

BASIC provides a range of graphics commands, giving the 

chart maker control over color, line. fill, and a variety of 

geometric forms. Besides the powerful built-in BASIC, the 

PC can be programmed in a host of other languages. 

Largely because of the IBM name, the PC is rapidly 

becoming an industry standard, and observers expect its 

forthcoming home computer, code-named "Peanut." to 

strengthen that position. Perhaps more new software is 

targeted to run on the PC than on any other computer. 

The PC owner can find software for virtually any business 

application as well as varieties of games and. to a lesser 

extent, educational software. The PC can interface with a 

huge variety of peripherals. IBM Personal Computers. P.O. 

Box 1328. Boca Raton. FL 33432

TI-99/4A 


Keyboard: Typewriter-style (but undersized). 48 keys 


Text Display: 32 char x 24 lines standard: 2 additional 

text modes offering enlarged, multicolored text 

Graphics: i 6 colors. 256ih. x 192 v.: "sprite" graphics 

Sound: 3 voices, 5 octaves, 1 noise generator 

Suggested Retail Price: S225 

The TI-99/4A elicits both strong positive and negative re 

actions from its users. Its high-resolution, easy-to-manipulale 

color graphics and large variety of educational soft 

ware, including TI LOGO, get high marks. Its unusual 

BASIC and small keyboard get mixed reactions. 

The keyboard is typewriter-style, with most keys laid out 

in a conventional fashion. Some other keys are unusually 

placed, and oft-used special characters (quotation marks, 

for example) and cursor controls require some fancy typ 

ing. The keyboard as a whole is small, about two thirds 

the standard size, and this in combination with its 32charactcr, 

wide-screen display means the TI-99/4A is not 

good for word processing or large-scale text entry. 

Much TI software comes in cartridge form, making it 

convenient for children. The TI's cartridge slot is better 

designed than that of some of its competitors, allowing 

easy access for cartridge insertion and removal. A regular 

cassette recorder (with a special cable) and a disk drive 

(S400, plus a $250 disk controller and a S250 peripheral- 

expansion unit) may also be used to load programs. 

To expand the 99/4A's 16K RAM to 48K requires an 

additional 32K expansion card. To expand to 52K, you 

need TI's Mini Memory cartridge. Both the TI BASICs are 

nonstandard. somewhat complex, and extremely powerful, 

allowing simple manipulation of graphics characters and 

animation. Though the TI may be operated with a stan 

dard color TV set, graphics fans will appreciate the option 

al TI color monitor that, though expensive, offers superb 

resolution. 

TI backs the 99/4A with a large software library. The 

software focuses on games, home finance, and record 

keeping, with educational software running close behind. 

Word-processing and advanced home-business applica 

tions software programs are conspicuously absent. Texas 

Instruments, Inc., P.O. Box 53, Lubbock. TX 74908 

TIMEX SINCLAIR 1OOO 

Memory: 2K RAM. expandable to 64K 

Keyboard: Flat plastic membrane, 40 keys 


Text Display: 32 char x 22 lines: uppercase 

Graphics: Black and white. 64 h. x 44 v. : text and 

graphics may be freely mixed 

Sound:None 

Suggested Retail Price: $49 

Even though it's the least expensive computer on the 

American market, the TS 1000 is a remarkable full-fea 

tured machine. It's a wonderful computer on which to 

learn programming. 

The TS 1000 housing measures only QlA inches across 

and deep, and the flat-membrane keyboard covers about 

half this area. This makes it difficult for most adult fin 

gers to use. To ease the typing burden, each of the TS 

1000's keys have been made multifunctional, and all Sin 

clair BASIC keywords, commands, and functions may be 

entered by a single keystroke. 

The TS 1000 comes with only 2K of internal memory, 

yet entertainment software is available to run on the uncx- 

panded machine. Memory can be expanded to 16K, with a 

plug-in cartridge from Timex. or to 32K or 64K through 

third-party manufacturers. 

The black-and-white text display of the TS 1000 is crisp 

and easy to read, and text may be mixed with low-resolu 

tion graphics. An extensive graphics character set in 

cludes special textured and striped forms for use in graph 

ics and bar charts. 

Sinclair BASIC is a full-featured dialect of the BASIC 

language, as sophisticated as many BASICs on more ex 

pensive computers, Any cassette recorder can be used to 

store programs written in Sinclair BASIC. Unfortunately, 

it takes an ingenious programmer to get other informa 

tion filed on tape, making the TS 1000 useless for exten 

sive record keeping or data storage. 

Besides the memory-expansion pack, the only TS 1000 

peripheral currently available from Timcx is a 40-column 

dot-matrix printer, priced at about $100. Third-party sup 

pliers already offer a variety of peripheral options includ 

ing high-resolution graphics hardware, parallel printer in 

terfaces, sound generators, modems, and a disk drive. 

The best of the several hundred software programs 

available include Vu-Calc, an efficient mini-spreadsheet, 

and Timcx Chess, a sophisticated game offering challeng 

ing play at many levels. Timex Computer Corp., P.O. Box 

2655, Waterbury. CT 06720 

SEITEMBER 1983 67

TRS-80 COLOR COMPUTER 

Memory: 16KRAM. expandable to 32K 

Keyboard: Full-size calculator-style, 53 keys 


Text Display: 32 char x 16 lines; uppercase 

Graphics: 5 graphics modes, ranging from 64 h. X 32 v. 

with 8 colors, to 256 h. X 192 v. with 2 colors 

Sound: Single voice 

Suggested Retail Price: $299 

The TRS-80 Color Computer, nicknamed "'CoCo," offers a 

large library of plug-in cartridge games, excellent docu 

mentation, and technical support from the 8,500 Radio 

Shacks worldwide. 

The Color Computer keyboard is typewriter-size and is 

arranged in a standard fashion, though the keys them 

selves are small and function somewhat like those of a 

calculator. Children and hunt-and-peck typists may find 

the widely spaced keys of the CoCo easier to manipulate 

than more conventional setups. As a whole, the keyboard 

is well laid out. with a full-size RETURN key and space 

bar, and four separate cursor-control keys. 

The basic Color Computer comes in two standard forms, 

both carrying 16K RAM. The less expensive of these fea 

tures Radio Shacks Standard Color BASIC, a no-frills 

language designed for easy learning and simple applica 

tions. At an extra cost, the CoCo may be purchased with 

Extended Color BASIC installed (S100 extra). The more 

powerful version of BASIC features enhanced color graph 

ics and sound commands, quite similar to the Extended 

BASIC that comes with Radio Shack's more expensive 

Model III and Model IV personal computers. 

Unfortunately, the CoCo is incompatible with the wide 

range of software produced for its siblings in the TRS-80 

line. But, it may be programmed in PILOT and Color 

LOGO, both "turtle graphics" languages widely used in 

education. A large number of arcade-style games are in the 

stores, as is graphics software for use with the CoCo 

graphics tablet. Business and home finance programs are 

also available, including a sophisticated spreadsheet pro 

gram. With the addition of a modem and terminal soft 

ware, the Color Computer can serve as an excellent, lowcost 

telecommunications terminal, and this is becoming 

one of its most popular home applications. Radio Shack/ 

Tandy Corp.. One Tandy Center, Fort Worth, TX 76102 

68 KAMI1.Y COMMUTING 

TRS-80 MODEL IV 

Memory: 16K RAM (cassette). 64K RAM (disk), 

expandable to 128K 


Video Output: Black-and-white monitor buill in 

Text display: 4 text modes: 80 char x 24 lines. 64 x 

16.32 x 16,40 x 24: upper/lower case 

Graphics: Black and white. 128 h. x 28v. 

Sound: Single voice 

Suggested Retail Price: S999 (cassette); S1.699 (single 

disk drive); SI.995 (2 disk drives) 

The TRS-80 Model IV is a vastly improved and updated 

version of Radio Shack's popular Model III computer, and 

can run the extensive library of existing Model III software, 

as well as handle more advanced applications. Compared 

with the Model III. the IV has a larger memory, a belter 

operating system, and a wider text display. In capacity, 

the Model IV is comparable to the Apple He; a fairly big 

system capable of running sophisticated business- and 

word-processing applications software. 

The Model IV is designed as a unit, incorporating a 12inch 

black-and-white monitor in its basic housing, with 

space for two disk drives. The keyboard is standard type 

writer-style, a comfortable professional tool including sep 

arate numeric keypad. Control and function keys are 

white for visibility, while the remainder of the keyboard is 

darker. The monitor is slanted backward for easy viewing. 

Radio Shack and third-party manufacturers offer a wide 

variety of peripherals. 

Standard memory for a minimal cassette-based Model IV 

is 16K. However, the system is available in single- and 

two-disk 64K versions as well. The Model IVs memory is 

expandable up to 128K via plug-in circuit boards, though 

not all this memory can be used at once. 

Like the other TRS-80 computers, the Model IV is weak 

in the sound and graphics department, with only one 

voice and low-resolution black-and-white graphics. 

The Model IV operating system (TRSDOS 6.0) offers a 

wide variety of file-management options, broad peripheral 

compatibility, and sophisticated programming aids. In ad 

dition, the Model IV can also run the latest and most 

complete version of the popular CP/M operating system. 

With all these options, a wide variety of software already 

exists for the Model IV. Radio Shack/Tandy Corp., One 

Tandy Center, Fort Worth. TX 76102

When 

Kerrie Holton Talks, 

Atari Listens 

A NEW ORLEANS TEENAGER HAS OPINIONS THAT COUNT 

BY 

BETHANY 

KANDEL 

bETIlANY KANDEL IS tt New 

York freelancer who 

writes about families 

and computers. 

Kerrie Holton wasn't used to being stared 

at. In fact, when she wandered the halls of her 

New Orleans high school, she didn't attract any 

special notice; the 18-year-old is the "quiet" 

type. But last winter, Kerrie was the center of 

attention at Isidore Newman High School. Her 

fellow students whispered knowingly as they 

pointed to her in the hallways. But Kerric 

didn't mind, she simply smiled. She knew that 

the grapevine was buzzing with the news that 

a classmate had just sold a computer game to 

Atari for a million dollars. 

The truth was that Kerrie had been work 

ing on a computer game, but she hadn't yet 

sold the first line of code. What inspired all the 

gossip? 

While other seniors were busy bragging 

about which college they'd been accepted to, 

Kerric had something else to show off—she'd 

been chosen to serve on the Youth Advisory 

Board (YAB} of Atari, one of the best-known 

video game and computer companies in the 

country. 

Plenty of high school students have sat in 

study hall daydreaming about a V.I.P. tour of 

the inner sanctums of Atari, Inc.; Kerrie is one 

of the few who've been there. She took a private 

tour last spring, and was included in meetings 

with top officials, and discussions of Atari's 

confidential plans for software and hardware 

development. 

SEPTEMBER 1983 69

itan Empire. 

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Beam up armies to strengthen your position. 

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YOUR MISSION: To defend the remaining 

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If you are a worthy commander of your 

Starship and you can take over all the 

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V your name will be entered into the Titan 

I Empire Hall of Fame. 

Titan Empire is an exciting space 

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"IT'S GREAT FUN 

HAVING SOMEONE LISTEN 

TO YOUR OPINIONS FOR A CHANGE, 

ESPECIALLY WHEN ADULTS 

ARE ALWAYS 

TELLING US WHAT TO DO." 

Since then she's been introduced to the 

movers and shakers of the computer world, 

and she's been traveling a lot more than most 

high schools students: Atari brought her to the 

Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago earlier 

this year, and this fall will fly her to a special 

meeting to "brainstorm" with the other 19 

members of the YAB, including Dijfrent 

Strokes star Todd Bridges and Matt Labor- 

teaux. former actor in Little House on the Prai 

rie and lead in the new CBS scries Whiz Kids. 

Travel isn't the only benefit of being a YAH 

member. Kerne's received an Atari 1200XL to 

review software, and a modem, so she can tele 

graph her latest opinions and recommenda 

tions to other YAB members and Atari's elders. 

"When we say something. Atari jumps," says 

Kerrie. 

"It's great fun having someone listen to 

your opinions for a change, especially when 

adults are always telling us whatto do. Now we 

get to tell them." 

Brainstorming sessions are pretty casual. 

says Kerrie. "Everyone just throws ideas back 

and forth. Its just a bunch of kids sitting 

around talking, while the Atari people take 

notes." 

Certainly Atari is paying careful atten 

tion—these are not simply the offhand opin 

ions of a bunch of teenagers. The company 

spends a good share of its dollars developing 

software, and honest, well-thought-out opin 

ions from kids in the know can be particularly 

helpful in making decisions. 

Kerrie may seem special to Atari, but she 

considers herself an average American "video 

jock," one of the many teenagers pumping 

quarters into the arcade video game machines, 

instead of doing homework. And she knows 

something about computers, too. Six years 

ago, she and her older brother Drew took a 

computer class at school—Kerrie was one of 

only five girls out of 20 students. She was im 

mediately hooked. Soon enough, her music les 

sons and roller skating flings took a back scat 

to her new passion—game playing. She took 

another course at a local college and started to 

learn programming. 

She doesn't think girls should avoid com 

puters just because they don't like math or the 

violence of video games. "This may not seem 

like a ladylike attitude." she says, "but I grew 

up with two brothers and was always interest 

ed in what they liked." although she's quick to 

add, "I'm a very independent person." 

Now, says Kerrie, "I always know more 

about computers than my boyfriends." Al 

though she tries not to brag, she's proud. 

"Even the really cool guys who think they know 

so much try to challenge me and find they can't 

top me." 

Kerne was busy all year reviewing the soft 

ware Atari sent every month in packages 

marked "Confidential." (Although Drew knew 

that such packages were "hands off," Kcrric 

still hid them.) She loves to play games—Ga- 

laga (not an Atari game) and Pole Position arc 

her favorites, and as an advisor to Atari, she 

can invite her friends over to try out the new 

games from Atari. She played E.T. and Dig Dug 

before they hit the stores, reviewed the instruc 

tions for a BASIC program to determine wheth 

er they were clear, and tested the AtariWriter 

word-processing program with her family be 

fore it was released. 

In addition to all this. Kerrie is designing 

her own game. "My adventure game will be 

wild, something no one has thought of yet," 

says the soft-spoken young woman who writes 

poetry and reads science fiction to goad her 

imagination. When she finishes the game, it 

will go into Atari's YAB software library, so that 

other teenage consultants can test it. 

One day, the students at Isidore Newman 

High School may play that game, but Kerrie 

won't be walking the halls amidst their whis 

pers. She's now a freshman at Johns Hopkins 

University in Baltimore. Maryland, studying 

computer science and math. The Atari 1200XL 

sits in Kerrie's dorm room, along with her ste 

reo system and record collection. The monthly 

packages marked "Confidential" that Kcrric 

once had to hide from her brother arc now kept 

under lock and key in the same room. She 

continues to review Atari software and is tak 

ing surveys to determine how college students 

arc using their computers. She'll probably even 

pop into an arcade now and then—that is. if 

she's finished her homework. IS 

MAKE YOUR DREAMS 

COME TRUE 

When Kerrie Holton and her colleagues 

finish their terms as Atari advisors, they'll 

become alumni and a new group of teen 

agers will take their places on the YAB. The 

company has already received large stacks of 

mail from those who want to apply for next 

year. If you're between the ages of 14 and 17 

and are computer literate, send some infor 

mation about yourself to: 

Noreen Lovoi 

Youth Advisory Board 

Atari. Inc. 

P.O. 427 

Sunnyvale, California 94086 

SEPTEMBER 1983 71

COMMODORE 64 

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Commodore C1600 Modem 

The best deal in the country for 

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74 

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IMPMAN'S A GREAT GAME. 

BUT YOU'VE GOT TO WATCH YOUR STEP. 

■ ■ = . ■ 

Meet the Alienators. A fiend 

ish bunch who've planted bombs 

throughout your Jupiter Command 

Headquarters. 

Your job? Use your lightning 

speed to scale ladders, scurry 

across girders, climb ropes and race 

through 30 levels to defuse the bombs before they go off. 

That's the kind of hot, non-stop action we've 

packed into the award-winning*best-sellingjumpmanr 

and into jumpman Jr.our new cartridge version with 

12 all-new, different and exciting screens. 

Both games force you to make tough choices. 

Should you avoid that Alienator, climb to the top 

and try to work your way down, or try to hurdle 

him and defuse the bombs closest to you 

before they go off? 

If you move fast you'll earn extra lives. 

But if you're not careful, it's a long way down. 

So jump to it. And find out why Jumpman 

and Jumpman Jr. are on a level all their own. 

One to four players; 8 speeds; joystick 

control. Jumpman has 30 screens. Jumpman Jr. 

has 12 screens. 

sntATiGY GAMES FOR THE ACTION-GAME MAYER. 

•1983 C.E.S. award winnor.

BEGINNER PROGRAMS 

PAGE 76 TO 81 

Prepare for the 

new school year with 

these simple programs 

by Joey Latimer 

that even a beginner 

can master, while learning 

the basics of BASIC. 

«■■■■ 55 

M 

READER-WRITTEN PROGRAMS 

PAGE 83 TO 87 

Father and son 

use the family computer 

in entirely different ways 

in the 

Gustavson household 

in upstate New York. 

For programmers with practice. 

PUZZLE 

PAGE 82 TO 83 

Ever wonder 

what actually goes on 

inside your computer? 

Find out 

while winding your way 

through this month's 

maze puzzle. 

UUSTRATtOH BY BARTON E. STABLER 

ILLUSTRATION UV JIM CHERRY III

AGING FAST 

While Learning BASIC 

BY JOEY LATIMER 

Even the simplest com 

puter program can look 

quite complex to a begin 

ner. But if you dissect it 

line by line, you will dis 

cover just how easy under 

standing a program can 

be. 

Let's take a look at Fu 

ture Age Calculator (on the 

opposite page). It is a list 

of step-by-step instructions 

that tell your computer 

how to figure out how old 

you will be in a given year. 

In order to communicate 

with your computer, you 

have to talk in a language 

it can understand. Since 

each of the most popular 

home or personal comput 

ers understands a slightly 

different "dialect" of the 

simple language called BA 

SIC, we've given you six 

slightly different versions 

of each program in this 

section. 

Now take a look at the 

program for your machine. 

One of the first things 

you'll notice is the column 

of numbers on the left, 

called "line numbers." The 

line numbers tell your 

computer in what order 

you want it to execute your 

instructions. We've num 

bered the lines by tens (10, 

.20, 30, . . .) so that, if you 

want to add more lines 

somewhere in the middle 

of the program, you can do 

so easily without having to 

renumber all the following 

lines; but the program 

would work just as well if 

you numbered the lines 

100. 200. 300, ... or even 

2, 27, 81. ... Following 

each line number is a com 

mand: a word or words in 

the BASIC language that 

joey latimer is a contributing 

editor to family computing, and 

an Instructor at the Creative 

I Computer Learning Center in 

San Marino, California. 


tell the computer to per 

form an operation (input a 

number, print a sentence. 

etc.). 

Line 20 tells the comput 

er to clear the screen and 

return the cursor to its 

home base, usually the up 

per left-hand corner of the 

screen. Although all dia 

lects of BASIC have ap 

proximately the same "vo 

cabulary" of commands, 

there are some variations; 

in particular, commands 

used for clearing the 

screen differ markedly, 

from HOME, CLS, and 

CALL CLEAR to CHRSf 147) 

and CHRS(125). Also, Atari 

BASIC requires an addi 

tional line, "lODIMPS(l)", 

which tells the computer 

how much space to reserve 

for the string variable P$; 

other computers automati 

cally set aside space for 

strings. See the explana 

tion of line 250. below. 

Line 30 instructs the 

computer to print on your 

screen whatever is in quo 

tation marks. 

In all but the Timex Sin 

clair version, lines 40 and 

50 contain the two com 

mands FOR and NEXT, 

which form what is called 

a FOR . . . NEXT loop. 

Let's see what they're do 

ing in this program. 

X is a variable. (A vari 

able is simply a name rep 

resenting a storage place 

in the computer's memory 

that can have values as 

signed to it.) When the 

computer first reaches line 

40. "FOR X = 1 TO 1000", 

it gives the variable X the 

value 1. Then it goes down 

to line 50 and is told to 

proceed to the "NEXT X". 

This is a signal to return 

to the preceding FOR state 

ment (line 40) and give X 

its next value, in this case 

2. This process is repeated 

until the value of X has 

reached 1000. Then, the 

computer passes through 

the "NEXT X" statement 

and down to line 60. 

This process keeps the 

computer busy so that the 

title remains on the screen 

for several seconds. 

The Timex Sinclair has a 

command designed specifi 

cally to produce a delay: 

PAUSE X, where X equals 

the number of seconds you 

wish to pause multiplied 

by 60. Thus. PAUSE 300 

causes a five-second delay. 

In line 90 the computer 

is instructed to print noth 

ing and move on to the 

next line. The effect is sim 

ilar to double-spacing on 

your typewriter. 

The command INPUT Y 

in line 110 allows you to 

type the current year into 

the computer and assigns 

that value to the variable Y. 

When a PRINT command 

ends with a semicolon 

{outside the quotation 

marks), the computer does 

not automatically go down 

to the next line as it nor 

mally would. Now, in most 

dialects of BASIC an INPUT 

command (as in line 110} 

automatically causes a 

question mark to appear 

on the screen. Because line 

100 ends with a semicolon 

(in all but the Timex ver 

sion) line 110 causes the 

question mark to appear 

on the same line as the 

question "WHAT YEAR IS 

IT". 

In line 200 the computer 

prints the message be 

tween the quotes, sees the 

semicolon and does not 

skip to the next line, and 

then encounters the vari 

able F. Since there are no 

quotation marks around F, 

the computer does not 

print the letter "F" but 

rather the value of the 

variable F, which is the fu 

ture year for which you 

want to see your age. 

Similarly, when execut 

ing line 210 the computer 

first prints the words in 

quotes, then figures out 

the value of the mathemat 

ical expression that Is not 

in quotes ((F - Y) + A), 

prints that value, and fi 

nally prints what appears 

between the final set of 

quotes (a period). 

The parentheses ("{" and 

")") around F - Y tell the 

computer to do the sub 

traction first and then the 

addition. So the value of (F 

- Y) + A turns out to be 

your age in the desired fu 

ture year: the current year 

(Yl is subtracted from the 

future year (FJ. and then 

your present age (A) is add 

ed to the difference. 

The Timex program then 

stops. In the others, line 

250 keeps everything on 

the screen until further in 

put from you. Remember 

that in lines 110, 140, and 

180 you had to input a 

number into the variables 

Y, A, and F before you 

pressed RETURN or EN 

TER. The advantage of 

adding a $ to the variable 

P to make it the string 

variable PS (pronounced 

"P-string") is that it allows 

you to input nothing (or 

any string of letters, num 

bers, and/or special charac 

ters) before pressing the 

RETURN or ENTER key. 

Execution then proceeds 

with the next line. 

Finally, line 260 in 

structs the computer to go 

back to line 20 and start 

over again. The computer 

will execute the program 

over and over again in 

what is called an "endless 

loop" until you stop it (by 

pressing BREAK. CTRL 

and RESET, or RUN/STOP 

and RESTORE, depending 

on which computer you 

have).

SEPTEMBER 1983 77 

PRESS THE ENTER KEY" 

■YOU WILL BE ";

200 IF B*="HIS" THEN 260 

212 IF M*="FEMALE" OR M*="F" THEN G*="HER' 

THEN G$="HIS" 

THEN G*="HER' 

"TUMBLING AFTER." 

"AND ";F*;" CAME" 

N*;" FELL DOWN AND" 

"BROKE ";G*J" ";B*;"," 

N*;" AND ";F* 

"WENT UP THE HILL" 

"TO FETCH A PAIL OF "jD*|"." 

CHR*U25) 

S* 

"PRESS THE RETURN KEY" 

"TO SEE THE RAD RHYME." 

B* 

"WHAT IS THE NAME" 

"OF ONE PART OF YOUR BODY"; 

D* 

"WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK1 

160 

^"FEMALE" OR M*="F" 

='"HER" THEN 260 

="HIS" THEN 260 

M* 

=-MALE" OR M*="M" THEN G*="HIS" 

"ARE YOU MALE OR FEMALE"; 

F* 

"YOUR BEST FRIEND"; 

"WHAT IS THE NAME OF" 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PR I NT 

INPUT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

INPUT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

INPUT 

PRINT 

PR I NT 

GOTO 

IF G* 

IF M* 

IF G* 

IF 

INPUT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

INPUT 

PRINT 

PRINT 

44C 

43C 

42t 

41C 

40C 

39C 

38 C 

37C 

36C 

35C 

34C 

33C 

32G 

31C 

30t 

29t 

28t 

271 

261 

23' 

1B0 INPUT M* 

190 IF M*="MALE" OR M*="M" 

160 PRINT 

170 PRINT "ARE YOU MALE OR FEMALE" 

150 INPUT F* 

120 PRINT 

130 PRINT "WHAT IS THE NAME OF" 

140 PRINT "YOUR BEST FRIEND" 

110 INPUT N* 

90 PRINT 

100 PRINT "WHAT IS YOUR NAME" 

80 PRINT "THEN PRESS THE RETURN KEY." 

60 PRINT CHfi*

TI-99 4A Rod Rhymer 

20 CALL CLEAR 

30 PRINT "RAD RHYMER" 

40 FOR T=l TO 1000 

50 NEXT T 

60 CALL CLEAR 

70 PRINT "ANSWER THE QUESTION;" 

80 PRINT "THEN PRESS THE ENTER KEY." 

90 PRINT 

100 PRINT "WHAT IS YOUR NAME"; 

110 INPUT N* 

120 PRINT 

130 PRINT "WHAT IS THE NAME OF" 

140 PRINT "YOUR BEST FRIEND": 

150 INPUT Ft 

160 PRINT 

170 PRINT "ARE YOU MALE OR FEMALE"; 

180 INPUT M* 

190 IF M$="MALE" THEN 210 

200 IF M*="M" THEN 210 ELSE 230 

210 G$="HIS" 

220 GOTO 260 

230 IF M*="FEMALE" THEN 250 

240 IF M*="F" THEN 250 ELSE '160 

250 G*="HER" 

260 PRINT 

270 PRINT "WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK"; 

280 INPUT D* 

290 PRINT 

300 PRINT "WHAT IS THE NAME" 

310 PRINT "OF ONE PART OF YOUR BODY"; 

320 INPUT B* 

330 PRINT 

340 PRINT "PRESS THE ENTER KEY" 

350 PRINT "TO SEE THE RAD RHYME." 

360 INPUT S* 

370 CALL CLEAR 

383 PRINT N*;" AND "; F$ 

390 PRINT "WENT UP THE HILL" 

400 PRINT "TO FETCH A PAIL OF ";D*;"." 

410 PRINT N*;" FELL DOWN AND" 

420 PRINT "BROKE ";G*;" ";B*;"," 

430 PRINT "AND ";F*;" CAME" 

440 PRINT "TUMBLING AFTER." 

Timcx Sinclair 1000 Rad Rhymer 

10 LET G* = " " 

20 CLS 


40 PAUSE 200 

60 CLS 

70 PRINT "ANSWER THE QUESTION;1' 

80 PRINT "THEN PRESS THE ENT-ER KEY." 

90 PRINT 

100 PRINT "WHAT IP YOUR NAME?" 

110 INPUT N* 

120 PRINT 

130 PRINT "WHAT IB THE NAME OF" 

140 PRINT "YOUR BEST FRIEND?" 

150 INPUT F* 

160- PRINT 

170 PRINT "ARE YOU MALE OR FEMALE?" 

180 INPUT M* 

190 IF M*="MALE" OR M*="M" THEN LET S*="HIS" 

200 IF 6*="HIS" THEN GOTO 260 

210 IF M*="FEMALE" OR M*="F" THEN LET B*="HER' 

220 IF G*="HER" THEN GOTO 260 

230 GOTO 160 

260 PRINT 

270 PRINT "WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK?" 

280 INPUT D* 

290 PRINT 

300 PRINT "WHAT IS THE NAME" 

310 PRINT "OF ONE PART OF YOUR BODY?" 

320 INPUT B* 

330 PRINT 


350 PRINT "TO SEE THE RAD RHYME." 

360 INPUT S* 

370 CLS 

380 PRINT N*;" AND "; F* 

390 PRINT "WENT UP THE HILL" 

4-00 PRINT "TO FETCH A PAIL OF 

410 PRINT N*;" FELL DOWN AND" 

420 PRINT "BROKE ";GS;" ";B*;' 

430 PRINT "AND ";F*;" CAME" 

440 PRINT "TUMBLING AFTER." 

TRSSOs & IBM-PC Rad Rhymer 

20 CLS 


40 FOR T= 1 TO 1000 

50 NEXT T 

60 CLS 

70 PRINT 

80 PRINT 

90 PRINT 

100 PRINT 

110 INPUT 

120 PRINT 

130 PRINT 

140 PRINT 

150 INPUT 

160 PRINT 

170 PRINT 

180 INPUT 

D*; "." 

190 IF M* ="MALE" OR M*="M" THEN G*="HIS" 

200 IF G* ="HIS" THEN 260 

210 IF M* ="FEMALE" OR M$="F" THEN G$="HER' 

220 IF G* ="HER" THEN 260 

230 GOTO 160 

260 PRINT 

270 PRINT 

280 INPUT 

290 PRINT 

300 PRINT 

310 PRINT 

320 INPUT 

330 PRINT 

340 PRINT 

350 PRINT 

360 INPUT 

370 CLS 

380 PRINT 

390 PRINT 

400 PRINT 

410 PRINT 

420 PRINT 

430 PRINT 

440 PRINT 

'ANSWER THE QUESTION;" 

'THEN PRESS THE ENTER KEY.11 

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME"? 

NS 

"WHAT IS THE NAME OF" 

"YOUR BEST FRIEND"; 

F$ 

"ARE YOU MALE OR FEMALE"; 

M« 

"WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK"; 

D* 

"WHAT IS THE NAME" 

"OF ONE PART OF YOUR BODY"; 

B4 

"PRESS THE ENTER KEY" 

"TO SEE THE RAD RHYME." 

a* 

NS" AND "Ft 

"WENT UP THE HILL" 

"TO FETCH A PAIL OF "D4"." 

N*" FELL DOWN AND" 

"BROKE "G$" "E*"," 

"AND "F*" CAME" 

"TUMBLING AFTER." 

SEPTEMBER 19B3 79

LEARN NAMES QUICKER! 

Has the third week of 

school gone by and you 

still haven't learned the 

name of that kid behind 

you with the curly hair? 

Now you can use your com 

puter to help you Learn 

Names Quicker] Simply 

type in this program and 

run it. [You might want to 

help the memorization pro 

cess by adding a distin 

guishing quality after each 

person's name, such as: 

John Doe (curly hair).) 

Apple/Learn Names Quicker! 

10 

DIM C*(60> 

20 HOME 

30 CLEAR 

40 PRINT ■LEARN NAMES QUICKER!" 

50 FOR T = 1 TO 1000 

60 NEXT T 

70 HOME 

B0 PRINT "ANSWER THE QUESTION;" 

90 PRINT "THEN PRESS THE RETURN KEY." 


110 PRINT -HOW MANY KIDS ARE THERE" 

120 PRINT "IN YOUR CLASS"; 

130 INPUT K 

140 HOME 

150 PRINT "TYPE IN THE NAMES." 

160 PRINT 

170 PR I NT "PRESS THE RETURN KEY" 

180 PRINT "AFTER EACH NAME." 

190 FOR X = 1 TO K 

200 INPUT C#(X) 

210 NEXT X 

220 HOME 

230 PRINT "PRESS THE RETURN KEY" 

240 PRINT "TO SEE A LIST OF" 

250 PR I NT "EVERYONE IN YOUR CLASS." 

260 INPUT L* 

270 HOME 

280 FOR X = 1 TO K 

290 PRINT c* 

30(5 FOR T » 1 TO 500 

310 NEXT T 

320 NEXT X 

330 FOR T - 1 TO 1000 

340 NEXT T 

350 PRINT 

360 PRINT "PRESS 1 TO SEE THE LIST AGAIN OR 

370 PRINT "PRESS 2 TO START A NEW LIST;" 

3B0 PRINT "THEN PRESS THE RETURN KEY." 

390 INPUT N 

400 IF N = 1 THEN 270 

410 IF N = 2 THEN 20 

420 END 

Atari/Learn Names Quicker ■ 

10 DIM C*U200),L* 

30 PRINT "PLEASE WAIT...":FOR 1=1 TO 1200:C*< 

I,I>=" ":NEXT IrPRINT CHR*(125) 

40 PRINT "LEARN NAMES QUICKER!" 

FOR T-l TO 1000 

NEXT T 

PRINT CHR* 

PRINT "ANSWER THE QUESTION;" 

PRINT "THEN PRESS THE RETURN KEY." 



110 PRINT "HOW MANY KIDS ARE THERE" 


130 INPUT K 

140 PRINT CHR*(125) 


160 PRINT 

170 PRINT "PRESS THE RETURN KEY" 


190 FOR X=l TO K 

200 INPUT TEMP*:C#(20*X-19,20*X)=TEMP* 

210 NEXT X 

220 FRINT CHR*

TI-99/4 A/Learn Names Quicker! 

10 DIM C*(60> 

20 CALL CLEAR 

40 PRINT "LEARN NAMES QUICKER!" 


60 NEXT T 

70 CALL CLEAR 

80 PRINT "ANSWER THE QUESTION;" 



110 PRINT "HOW MANY KIDS ARE THERE" 


130 INPUT K 



160 PRINT 



190 FOR X=I TO K 

200 INPUT C*(X> 

210 NEXT X 



240 PRINT "TO SEE A LIST OF" 

250 PRINT "EVERYONE IN YOUR CLASS." 

260 INPUT L* 


280 FOR X=l TO K 

290 PRINT C*(X> 

300 FOR T=i TO 500 

310 NEXT T 

320 NEXT X 


340 NEXT T 

350 PRINT 

360 PRINT "PRESS 1 TO SEE LIST AGAIN OR" 

370 PRINT "PRESS 2 TO START A NEW LIST;" 


390 INPUT N 

400 IF N=l THEN 270 

110 IF N=2 THEN 20 

420 END 

Timex Sinclair 1000 Learn Names Quicker! 

10 

20 

40 

50 

70 

80 

90 

DIM C*

HAVE IT YOUR WAY 

Program or Pencil Your Way 

Through This Maze 

BY STEPHEN McMANUS 

Have you ever wondered 

what actually happens in 

side a computer? How does 

a computer perform the 

simplest calculation. like 

adding 1 and 5 together to 

get 6? Follow the pathways 

of this maze, and you will 

be tracing the path of data 

as it is processed in a com 

puter. 

The hub of all the com 

puter's activities is the 

■Central Processing Unit 

(CPU). Located in the CPU 

is the controller, the 

"brains" of the whole oper 

ation, which determines 

what happens within the 

computer from moment to 

moment. Let's say you've 

programmed your comput 

er to perform and display 

or print the results of sim 

ple addition problems, and 

have typed in the numbers 

1 and 5 to be added to 

gether. The controller 

takes the data (1 and 5) 

from your input device 

(your computers keyboard) 

and stores them in memo 

ry. The controller then 

copies the data from mem 

ory into the Arithmetic 

Logic Unit (ALU). At the di 

rection of the controller, 

the ALU does the actual 

processing of data—all cal 

culations and compari 

sons. It adds the 1 and 5, 

and then the controller 

copies the result. 6. back 

into a location in memory. 

Next, the controller copies 

the result from memory 

onto whatever output de 

vice you have: monitor, 

printer, etc. continued 

STEPHEN McMANUS IS ajree- 

lance recording engineer 

living in Los Angeles. He has 

worked with numerous 

musicians, including Toto. 

.Elton John, and Bette Midler. 

{He recently sold his 

motorcycle to buy a VIC-20. 


Central Processing Unit 

Base Version (TRS-80S and IBM-PC)/Mazev 

100 READ A* 

110 H = 0: READ E, ES 

130 CLS: PRINT: PRINT 

140 PRINT "MOVE FROM ";A*i" TO ";B*: PRINT 

160 IF H = 1 THEN PRINT "USE EXIT MARKED "i CHRt(E> 

170 PRINT: PRINT 

190 IF H = 0 THEN PRINT "PRESS 'H' FOR HELP OR" 

200 PRINT "PRESS 'N' FOR NEXT DESTINATION!" 


220 INPUT R4 

230 IF R* < > "H" AND R* < > "N" THEN 130 

250 IF R* = "H" THEN H = 1: GOTO 130 

2B0 IF E* = "OUTPUT" THEN 310 

290 A« = B*: GOTO 110 

310 CLS: PRINT: PRINT 

320 PRINT "YOU DID IT ALL!": PRINT 

330 END 

340 DATA INPUT,66,MEMORY,77 

350 DATA THE ALU,75,MEMORY,76,OUTPUT 

=3" 

\1CTORKOTOWUZ

Lets see if you can per 

form the controller's job in 

our computer maze by 

drawing a continuous line 

from input to output, rep 

resenting the flow of data 

through a computer. Re 

member: You must not 

cross over any of the lines 

you've already drawn. If 

you need help, simply type 

in the accompanying pro 

gram and run it. The com 

puter will assist you in 

moving from one location 

in the maze to another, in 

the proper order. If you 

need more help, simply 

type "H" for help, and the 

computer will advise you 

which exit to take from 

each location. 

Modifications for Other Computers/Maze 

For the Apple II, Apple II plus, and Apple lie change 

lines 130, 210. and 310 to read 

130 HOME: PRINT: PRINT 

210 PRINT "THEN PRESS THE RETURN KEY.11 

310 HOME: PRINT: PRINT 

For the Atari 400 and the Atari 800 add line 50: 

50 DIM A*

in Translator. I heard 

about a program that 

translated English words 

into Pig Latin and I 

thought it'd be fun to try 

and figure it out. I rea 

soned that the program 

would have to be able to 

accept a sentence as input, 

break it into separate 

words, translate them, and 

display them. So I wrote 

the accompanying pro 

gram, in Extended BASIC 

for our T1-99/4A. It took 

me about five hours. 

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS 

The first thing my pro 

gram does is to DIMension 

variables, define colors, 

and display an input 

prompt. After accepting 

the input, the program re 

cords the starting position 

and length of each word 

within the sentence. Each 

word is then translated 

and displayed on the 

screen. 

The ON ERROR state 

ment in line 310 sends the 

program to line 690 when 

ever an error is found. But 

if you have mistyped one of 

the lines of the program, 

when the program reaches 

your mistyped line it will 

consider it to be an error 

and go to line 690, which 

prints "ERROR DETECT 

ED IN SENTENCE." Thus. 

you'll have no idea which 

line you mistyped. To avoid 

this problem, leave out line 

310 until you have run 

and debugged the pro 

TI-99/4A Pig Latin Translator 

100 REM 

gram, and then add line 

310 to the program to han 

dle errors in the sentences 

you type in to be translat 

ed. Also, you don't need to 

type in any of the REM 

statements; they are there 

to explain the program, 

but don't affect its opera 

tion in any way. 

When you have typed in, 

proofread, and tried the 

program, you can make 

sure it's running correctly 

by typing in the following 

words: "ALSO SING! 

STING STRING QUICK 

SQUEEZE YELLOW BY 

DONT." The screen should 

go blank for a few seconds: 

then the computer should 

display: "ALSOHAY ING- 

SAY! INGSTAY INGSTRAY 

ICKQUAY EEZESQUAY 

ELLOWYAY YBAY ONT- 

DAY." and also the mes 

sage "PRESS ANY KEY TO 

TRANSLATE ANOTHER 

SENTENCE." When you 

press any key. the display 

clears and another input is 

prompted. 

You may get an unusual 

mixture of uppercase and 

lowercase letters in the 

translation unless you 

press the ALPHA LOCK key 

down before typing in your 

sentence. 

After you've played the 

program for a while, you 

might have fun modifying 

it by adding letters other 

than "AY/HAY". Or you 

might try altering it to 

translate Pig Latin words 

into English. 

110 REM 

120 REM ////////PIS LATIN TRANSLATORWWWWV 

130 REM \\\\\\\WBY ERIC BUSTAVSON/////////// 

140 REM 

150 REM 

160 REM 

170 REM Arrays ST and L hold the STarting 

180 REM position and Length o-f each word in 

190 REM the input string A* 

200 DIM ST(75),L

ARE YOUR HEATING DOLLARS GOING 

OUT THE WINDOW? 

Learn Cost-Efficient Insulation 

with This Program 

A READER-WRITTEN 

PROGRAM BY 

BERT GUSTAVSON 

Winters in Rochester, 

New York, can be formida 

ble. In a normal winter, 

the temperature can stay 

below freezing from mid- 

December until early 

March, with a few days of 

thaw to provide brief re 

spite from the cold. Winds 

often whip the snow into 

drifts, and slippery roads 

and poor visibility due to 

the swirling snow make 

driving hazardous. 

In the winter of 1976-77. 

when my fuel prices began 

skyrocketing, I started up 

grading the heating effi 

ciency of my house. I be 

gan by adding insulation 

in the ceiling, building en 

closed vestibules for the 

front and back entrances 

of the house, and insulat 

ing around the water heat 

er and all hot-water pipes 

from the heater to the fau 

cets. 

Then I put my TI-99/4A 

to work to determine 

where my heating dollars 

were going. The accompa 

nying program, which I 

wrote in TI BASIC, will tell 

you which parts of the 

house are allowing the 

greatest amount of heat to 

escape and how much 

bert gustavson is a copy editor 

in the Sunday/Features 

Department of the Democrat 

and Chronicle in Rochester, 

New York, and is the father of 

Jour. He uses his T1-99/4A to 

play games with his son Eric 

(who wrote this month's Pig 

Latin program), to balance 

his checkbook, and to help 

keep his house warm during 

the long winter months. 

-Ql 

SEPTEMBER 1983 85

money you can save by the 

investments in insulation, 

caulking, weatherstrip- 

ping, etc., that you are 

considering. By comparing 

the figures with the cost of 

the improvements, you can 

determine which potential 

investments would be most 

cost effective. 

Of course, this informa 

tion is valuable whether 

you have yet to do any 

weatherizing or have al 

ready begun and are con 

sidering further steps. (If 

you do choose to do insula 

tion yourself, be sure you 

learn proper installation 

techniques or you will not 

get the result you want.) 

As is true with most cal 

culations performed on a 

home computer, you could 

accomplish the same thing 

with a calculator, with an 

abacus, or with plain old- 

fashioned arithmetic using 

a pencil and paper. The ad 

vantage of writing a com 

puter program to do the 

work is that you can 

change the numbers and 

quickly get answers for a 

variety of situations: How 

much will I gain by chang 

ing to double-glazed win 

dows? To triple-glazed? 

What about adding six 

inches of insulation in the 

attic? Twelve inches? 

Eighteen? 

Before you run the pro 

gram—in fact, before you 

start to add insulation or 

do any other weatheriza- 

tion—you should know 

what your present condi 

tions are. The first thing 

you should do is find out 

how much insulation you 

now have. In the case of an 

unfinished attic that's fair 

ly easy: Just go into the at 

tic with a ruler and mea 

sure the depth of the 

insulation. The R-value of 

fiberglass insulation is 

roughly R-3 per inch of in 

sulation. (R-value is a mea 

sure of the resistance of a 

material to the flow of 

heat.) Fiberglass insulation 

is available in standard 

thicknesses of 3sAt inches 

(R-ll) and 6 inches (R-22). 

R-values of loose-fill cellu 

lose insulation (made of 

ground-up newspapers 

treated with a fire-retardant 

chemical) are slightly 


higher per inch of thick 

ness. 

Determining the R-value 

of insulation in the walls of 

an existing house is a bit 

tougher. You can probe 

into the wall cavity next to 

an electrical outlet to find 

out whether there is any 

insulation there: turn off 

the electricity before at 

tempting to probe into the 

wall cavity. In an older 

house—one with the old 

standard of 2-by-4 wall 

studs—the chances are the 

walls have R-l 1 insulation. 

Your local utility company, 

heating oil supplier, or 

building materials dealer 

can help you determine the 

R-values of your home. 

You can keep a better 

check on your heat use if 

you keep accurate records 

of your heating bills and 

fuel consumption. If you 

heat with natural gas, your 

monthly bill will show the 

amount of fuel used (usu 

ally in hundreds of cubic 

feet). Electric bills will 

show consumption in kilo 

watt hours (kwh). Oil bills 

show the number of gal 

lons delivered. 

Before running the heat- 

loss calculation program, 

you also will need to know 

the areas of the various el 

ements of your house. In a 

simple house, the area of 

the ceiling is just the 

width of the house multi 

plied by the length. The 

area of the walls is the pe 

rimeter of the house multi 

plied by the height of the 

walls from floor to ceiling. 

Measure windows and 

doors from casing to cas 

ing on the sides and from 

top to sill. Multiply these 

two figures to get the area 

of each window and door. 

Add all the areas together 

to get the total window and 

door area. The volume of a 

heated space is the floor 

area times the ceiling 

height. Descriptions in the 

program will help you de 

cide the air-infiltration fac 

tor, that is, the airtight- 

ness of your house. Older, 

drafty houses can have a 

complete change of air (an 

air exchange) every five 

minutes, while the new superinsulated 

houses might 

have one exchange per hour 

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS 

Lines 120 through 150 

ask for the total amount of 

fuel you use (YR) and its 

cost (DL). If you use the 

same fuel for heat and for 

hot water, the June, July, 

and August consumptions 

are requested in lines 210, 

220. and 230. (If your wa 

ter heater doesn't use the 

same fuel as your heating 

system, choosing answer 2 

in line 180 will make the 

program skip to line 250.) 

Lines 250-620 accept In 

put for areas and R-values 

of the various elements of 

the house, total volume, 

and airtightness. When an 

swering the glazing ques 

tions in lines 390-410, if 

not all the windows have 

the same glazing, use an 

average figure. For exam 

ple, if only half of your 

windows had storm win 

dows over them (and if all 

your windows were approx 

imately the same size), you 

would give your present 

glazing as 1.5. You can 

COST OF HEAT LOSS 

the R-value of the ceiling 

(RC). 

Line 670 sets the heat 

loss through the walls (LW) 

equal to the area of the 

walls (AW) minus the area 

of the windows and doors 

(WIN) divided by the R-val 

ue of the walls (RW). 

Line 680 sets the loss 

through the windows and 

doors (LT) equal to the 

area of the windows and 

doors divided by the R-val 

ue of the windows and 

doors (GL) (1 for single 

glazing, 2 for double glaz 

ing. 3 for triple). 

If any floor area is over 

an unheated space, such 

as a room over a crawl- 

space, line 700 sets the 

heat loss through floors 

over unheated spaces (LF) 

equal to the area of such 

floors (FL) divided by their 

R-value (RF). 


loss through air exchange 

(LV) equal to the volume of 

the house (VOL) multiplied 

by the air-infillralion fac- 

Present Proposed Savings 

CEILING 

S35 S25 S10 

WALLS 

S62 S31 S31 

WINDOWS AND DOORS 

S68 S45 S23 

AIR TURNOVER 

S133 S80 S53 

count a typical solid wood 

door with a few single 

panes of glass as double 

glazing. 

Line 640 sets the unit 

cost of fuel (UCT) equal to 

the total dollars divided by 

the total amount of fuel 

used. Line 650 calculates 

the amount of fuel used for 

heating by averaging the 

June, July, and August 

use and multiplying by 12, 

assuming that the fuel 

used during the summer is 

for water heating only and 

that the water heating use 

is about the same through 

out the year. 


loss through the ceiling 

(LA) equal to the area of 

the ceiling (AC) divided by 

tor (TR) divided by 50, to 

put it into proportion with 

the other losses. 

Lines 720-770 perform 

the same calculations us 

ing the proposed new insu 

lation factors. 

Line 780 sets the total 

heat loss (TOT) equal to 

the sum of the individual 

heat-loss figures, and line 

790 sets the heat loss per 

unit of fuel (LPU) equal to 

total heat lost divided by 

fuel used. 

In lines 810 and 820, the 

present (PRE) and pro 

posed (PRO) heat losses in 

dollars through the ceiling 

are set equal to the attic 

heat losses (LA and NA) di 

vided by the heat loss per 

unit of fuel multiplied by

the unit cost. (The INT 

statement is used to round 

down the figure to whole 

dollars.) Line 830 prints 

the present and proposed 

figures and calculates and 

prints their difference 

(your potential savings). 

The remaining lines per 

form similar calculations 

for the other elements of 

the house, indicating how 

much of the heating cost 

goes out through the walls, 

the windows and doors, 

the floors, and air ex 

change. 

TESTING THE PROGRAM 

Once you have typed in 

the program, you may 

want to check your typing 

by putting in the figures 

that I used and seeing 

whether you get the same 

results. Here is what I in 

put for my house: 

Fuel use 922; fuel bills 

529.77; same fuel for heat 

as for hot water: June fuel 

use 25. July 49, and Au 

gust 26; ceiling area 1064. 

present R-value 27, pro 

posed 38: outside walls 

924, present R-value 11, 

proposed 22; windows and 

doors 153; present glazing 

2, proposed 3; area of 

floors over unheated 

spaces 0; total volume 

7448; present airtightness 

1, proposed 0.6. My results 

are shown in the table on 

the opposite page. 

TI-99 4A Home Heat Loss Calculator 

100 CALL CLEAR 

The figures show that 

adding R-ll to the ceiling 

would save only S10 for an 

investment of S200 or 

more. Improving the walls 

from the present R-ll to 

R-22 would save S31 but 

would be extremely expen 

sive, because the exterior 

sheathing and shingles 

would have to be removed 

and new 2-by-4 studs and 

3'/2 inches of more insula 

tion would have to be add 

ed. Adding a third layer of 

glazing to the windows 

would save $23, and the 

job could be done one win 

dow at a time with storm 

windows 1 can build at 

comparatively little cost. 

Improving airtightness by 

caulking and weatherstrip- 

ping would save S53. also 

at comparatively little cost. 

Now put in the figures 

for your own house. Try 

running the program sev 

eral times using various 

proposed improvements to 

see how quickly you can 

recover their cost in re 

duced fuel bills. Once 

you've made the improve 

ments that are most bene 

ficial for you, you can 

snuggle UP to tne fire, safe 

in the knowledge that your 

heating costs aren't going 

out the window. 

110 PRINT "HOME HEAT LOSS CALCULATION" : i t i i sb 

120 PRINT "YEAR'S TOTAL FUEL USE (IN"i"GALLON 

S, KILOWATT HOURS," 

130 INPUT "OR CUBIC FEET)? " s YR 

140 PRINT 

150 INPUT "YEAR'S TOTAL FUEL BILLS? ":DL 

160 PRINT 

170 PRINT "DO YOU USE THE SAME FUEL FOR":"HEA 

T AS YOU USE FQR HOT":"WATER?" 

180 INPUT " (1) YES (2) NO ":F 

190 PRINT 

200 ON F GOTO 210,250 

210 INPUT " JUNE FUEL USE? ":JN 

220 INPUT " JULY FUEL USE? ": JL 

230 INPUT 

11 AUGUST FUEL USE? " : AU 

240 PRINT 

250 INPUT 'TOTAL AREA OF CEILING? ":AC 

260 INPUT " PRESENT R-VALUE? ":RC 

270 IF RC 3 THEN 290 

280 RC=1 

290 INPUT 

1 PROPOSED R-VALUE? ":NC 

300 PRINT 

310 INPUT 'TOTAL AREA OF OUTSIDE WALLS?":AW 

320 INPUT 

1 PRESENT R-VALUE? ":RW 

330 IF RW ) THEN 350 

340 RW=1 

350 INPUT 

1 PROPOSED R-VALUE? ":NW 

360 PRINT 

■Q: 

370 PRINT "TOTAL AREA OF WINDOWS AND" 

3S-0 INPUT "OUTSIDE DOORS? ":WIN 

390 PRINT " PRESENT GLAZING:11:" (1) SINGLE 

":" (2) DOUBLE" 

400 INPUT 

(3> TRIPLE? ":GL 

410 INPUT " PROPOSED GLAZING? ":NG 

420 PRINT 

430 PRINT TOTAL AREA OF FLOORS OVER" 

440 INPUT UNHEATED SPACES? ".-FL 

450 IF FL=0 THEN 520 

460 INPUT " PRESENT R-VALUE? ":RF 

470 IF RF>0 THEN 490 

480 RF=1 

490 INPUT " PROPOSED R-VALUE? ":NF 

500 IF NF>0 THEN 520 

510 NF=1 

520 PRINT 

530 PRINT "TOTAL VOLUME OF HEATED" 

540 INPUT "SPACE? "jVOL 


560 PRINT "AIRTIGHTNESS OF HOUSE:"::i"(.3) VE 

RY TIGHT":: 

570 PRINT " TIGHT - NEW HOUSE":: 

5B0 PRINT "(1) OLDER HOUSE, WEATHER-":TAB(6) 

;"STRIPPED AND CAULKED":: 

590 PRINT "(2) OLD HOUSE, FAIRLY LOOSE"::"

WHAT1 S IN STORE 

SOFTWARE CWIDE 

QUICK TAKE^ ) ON SOFTWARE 

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY 

Welcome to FAMILY C DAAPUTING's Software Guide, the most comprehensive listing 

available of two dozen 

of the newest, most noteworthy and/or best programs on the 

market. Our reviewe rs include families from all over the country who have judged the 

software according tc3 

the following criteria: long-term benefits and applications, 

adaptability, and ad vantages of using a computer for a given task. Following the 

chart are more detai ed reviews of several of the programs. 

Here's a rundown of the ratings categories and what they mean: O = Overall 

performance and ref ers to the software's performance given the limitations and 

capacities of the par icular computer for which it is intended; D = Documentation, or 

the instructions and iterature that accompany a program; EH = Error-handling, the 

software's capacity tcd 

accommodate errors made by the user—an especially important 

consideration with scjftware 

for younger users; GQ = Graphics quality, also evaluated 

in light of each part cular brand's graphics capabilities; EU = Ease of use, after the 

initial learning perio d, which varies from computer to computer; V = Value for 

money, or how the s oftware measures up to its price. 

HOME BUSINESS & HOME MANAGEMENT 

Title 

Manufacturer 

Price 

COMPUTER MECHANIC 

Softsync, Inc. 

14 E. 34th St. 

New York. NY 10016 

(212) 685-2080 

cassette S21.95 

diskS26.95 ' 1983 

MICRO COOKBOOK 

Virtual Combinatics 

P.O. Box 755 

Rockport. MA 01966 

(617) 546-6553 

S40 M983 

THE ORGANIZER 

Timex Computer Corp. 

Waterbury, CT 06725 

(800) 248-4639 

S16.95 '1982 

PROFILE 

Radio Shack 

One Tandy Center 

Fort Worth. TX 76102 

(817) 390-3939 

S79.95 '1981 

SCREENWRITER 11 

Sierra On-Line 

Sierra On-Line Bldg. 

Coarsegold. CA 93614 

(209) 683-6858 

Brief 

Description 

Maintains car records, aids in 

routine automobile 

maintenance, helps save on 

mechanic bills with 

troubleshooting guide. + 

Versatile meal planner includes 

food buying and storage guide. 

Accesses preprogrammed recipes 

or your own creations according 

to nationality, ingredients, or 

other categories. 

A sample program introduces 

user to flexible file system. 

Organizes dala entries 

alphabetically or numerically. 

Makes optimum use of Timex 

capabilites. t 

Keeps track of home inventory, 

records, mailing lists with 

simple, reliable data-base 

manager. Simulates basic 3x5 

file. 

Powerful word processor with 

footnote and index capacities. 

Allows for great flcxilibity in 

determining manuscript 

appearance. + 

Hardware/ 

Equipment 

Required 

Commodore 64.disk, 

cassette. 

Apple II/II +/IIe.64K disk: 

IBM-PC.64K disk. 

TS 1000.16K cassette. 

TRS-80 MII.32K disk. 

Apple II/II +/lie, 48K 

$129.95 ! 1982 

RATINGS KEY O Overall performance: D Documentation; EH Error handling: GQ Graphics quality: EU Ease of use: V Value for money: * Poor: ** Average; *** Oood. 

++** Excellent: a/0 Not applicable: E Btay, A Average; D Difficult: * Longer review follows char! 


disk. 

Backup 

Policy 

Defective disks 

replaced free. 

Refund if not 

fully satisfied: 

S12 fee for 

additional 

copies. 

Defective 

cassettes 



replaced through 

dealer. 


replaced free w/ 

in 90 days; $5 

fee thereafter. 

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WHAT'S IN STORE 


EDUCATION/FUN LEARNING 

Title 

Manufacturer 

Price 

THE ALPHABET ARCADE 

Program Design, Inc. 

95 E. Putnam Ave. 

Greenwich. CT 06830 

(203)661-8799 

cassette S18.95 

diskS23.95 :1983 

ATOR, THE ABC-GATOR 

Timex Computer Corp. 

Waterbury, CT 06725 

(800) 248-4639 

$12.95 '1982 

BUMBLE PLOT 

The Learning Company 

545 Middlefield Rd., #170 

Menlo Park, CA 94025 

[415)328-5410 

TRS-80 cassette $45 

Apple disk $39.95 

TRS-80 disk $65 '1982 

ERNIE'S QUIZ 

Apple Computer, Inc. 

20525 Mariani Ave. 

Cupertino, CA 95014 

(408) 996-1010 

$50'1982 

GORTEK AND THE 

MICROCHIPS 

Commodore 

1200 Wilson Dr. 

West Chester. PA 19380 

[215)431-9100 

$24.95 ■ 1982 

GULP & ARROW 

GRAPHICS 

EduFun Division 

Milliken Publishing Co. 

1100 Research Blvd. 

St. Louis. MO 63132 

(800)325-4136 

cassette $29.95 

disk $32.95 ' 1982 

HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE 

Spinnaker Software 

215 First St. 

Cambridge, MA 02142 

(617)868-4700 

$29.95 1983 

SQUARE PAIRS 

Wizware/ 

Scholastic Inc. 

730 Broadway 

New York. NY 10003 

(212) 505-3000 

cassette $29.95 

disk $39.95 '1983 

STICKYBEAR ABC 

Xerox Education Pub. 

Software Division 

245 Long Hill Rd. 

Middletown. CT 06457 

(203) 347-7251 

$39.95 1983 

Brief 

Description 

Inventive arcade-like games drill 

and practice reading skills. 

Variety of skill levels—spelling 

through alphabetization— 

ensures continued use, software 

growth with children. + 

Catchy melody accompanies 

alphabet lesson. In two 

additional games, kids guide 

gator through the swamp with 

alphabet skills. Very 

sophisticated for the Timex. 

Teaches graphing and mapping 

skills, integers, and beginning 

computer graphics with the help 

of Bumble, a creature from the 

planet Furrin. 

Four games with appealing, lo 

res graphics teach basic 

computer skills (booting a disk. 

using keyboard), spelling, and 

counting. Games feature 

"Sesame Street" characters, t 

Space storybook tutorial teaches 

load and run. keyboard skills, 

and elementary BASIC 

programming to ages 9-14, 

younger if parents participate. + 

Kids must answer basic math 

problems to escape the jaws of a 

huge shark. Games provide drill 

and practice in multiplication 

and addition. Bonus game is a 

simple graphics package. 

Clever graphics and tunes 

accompany display of nursery 

rhymes. Unusual rhyming games 

help children learn 

fundamentals of poetry. + 

Allows for creation of any 

number of your own match 

James to strengthen memory 

and teach lessons, facts of your 

choice. + 

Alphabet, keyboard, and 

^rereading skills taught through 

ively graphics and sounds 

entertaining to very young 

children. Package includes cute, 

noncomputer-related instructive 

materials. 

Hardware/ 

Equipment 

Required 

Atari 400/800. 16K 

cassette, 24K disk. 

Joystick required. 

TS 1000, 16K cassette. 

Apple II/Il+/IIe. 48K 

disk; TRS-80 Color. 16K 

disk, cassette. 

Apple 11 +/Me. 64K disk. 

Paddles required. 

Commodore 64, VIC-20. 

cassette. 

Atari 400/800. 32K disk, 

16K cassette: Apple 11 + / 

He, disk. 

Apple 11 +/He, 48Kdisk; 

Commodore 64. 64K 

disk; Atari 400/800, 32K 

disk; IBM-PC, 64K disk. 

Joystick required for 

Atari and Commodore. 

Apple 11/11 +/He, 48K 

disk; Atari 400/800. 16K 

cassette; TI-99/4A, 16K 

cassette; VIC-20, 13K 

cassette. 

Apple II/II +/He, 48K 

disk. 

Backup 

Policy 

Defective 

material 

replaced free; 

$5 if user 

damaged. 

Defective 

cassettes 


Defective 

material 


in 90 days; SlO 


Package 

contains free 

backup disk. 

Defective 

cassettes 


Defective 

material 


Disks replaced 

free w/in 30 

days: $5 fee 

thereafter. 

Defective 

material 


in 60 days; $5 




n 90 days; $10 


O 

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D EH cc EU V 

2t**OFS.,KMT T ^T1,1 Peri;orn?f^ • Documentation: EH Error handling: GO Graphics quality: III Ease of use: V Value for money; * Poor: ** Avera«: *** Good- 

**** Excellent: Bfc Not applicable; E Easy; A Average: D Difficult; * Longer review follows chart meragc. vnr uooa. 

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SEPTEMBER 1983 93



GAMES 

Title 

Manufacturer 

Price 

APPLE PANIC 

Broderbund Software 

1938 Fourth St. 

San Rafael. CA 94901 

(415)456-6424 

S24.95 ■ 1981 

E.T. PHONE HOME! 

Atari 

1312 Crossman Ave. 

P.O. Box 61657 

Sunnyvale. CA 94086 

(800) 538-8543 

S49.95 i 1983 

FLIGHT SIMULATOR 

Psion Ltd. 

Available through Timex 

Waterbury. CT 06725 

(800) 248-4639 

$19.95 ' 1982 

FROGGER 

Sierra On-Line 

Sierra On-Line Bldg. 

Coarsegold. CA 93614 

(209) 683-6858 

$34.95 i 1982 

KABUL SPY 

Sirius Software, Inc. 

10364 Rockingham Dr. 

Sacramento. CA 95827 

(916)366-1195 

S39.95 ' 1981 

KEY QUEST 

Micro Ware Dist. inc. 

P.O. Box 113 

PomptOP Plains. NJ 07444 

(201) 839-3478 

S34.95



EDUCATION/ 

FUN LEARNING 

The Alphabet Arcade 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Atari 400/ 

800. 16K cassette. 24K disk: joystick 

required 

manufacturer: Program Design 

price: S23.95 (disk): $18.95 (cas 

sette) 

If your child needs some practice 

with the alphabet, this package 

would make a good addition to your 

software library. 

In the first of three programs, the 

child helps Diver Dan remove let 

tered mines and fish from the 

depths of the sea in alphabetical or 

der. The second program, "Letters 

for Lisa," features a frog-like crea 

ture gobbling up letters, again in al 

phabetical order, as they move 

across the screen. In the most ad 

vanced game, "Order Please," the 

player is given a list of words to al 

phabetize. This game accommodates 

three different skill levels, and is 

timed, as well, so a player can try to 

improve speed with accuracy. 

One of Alphabet Arcade's stron 

gest attributes is the variety of skills 

it challenges. "Diver Dan" and "Let 

ters for Lisa" use colorful graphics 

and entertaining sounds that delight 

younger kids. (The only limits to my 

five-year-old daughter's use was my 

tiring of her repeatedly singing the 

letters of the alphabet!) At the same 

time, the most difficult program on 

the disk is not easy by any young 

ster's standards. Older children can 

compete for the best scores. 

At five, my daughter found "Order 

Please" too difficult, but she'll grow 

into it in a few years. It's disappoint 

ing to spend so much money on 

software only to find your child 

quickly mastering the skills and 

shelving the program. I'm glad to say 

that with Alphabet Arcade, my little 

girl can get good alphabet practice 

now; plus, she will be learning some 

thing substantial for years to come. 

The software won't grow dusty on 

the shelves. —dean van de carr 

Ernie's Quiz 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Apple II 

plus/lie. 64K disk: paddles required 

manufacturer: Children's Television 

Workshop/Apple Computer 

PRICE: S50 

Ernie's Quiz is a package of four 

simple games intended for four-to 

seven-year-olds. Two of the games 

make use of familiar faces from 

"Sesame Street." In "Guess Who." 

the TV show's characters appear on 

the screen one at a time while the 

child guesses their identities. In "Er 

nie's Quiz," the point is to guess 

which character is being described 

from the series of given clues. Unless 

your kids arc "Sesame Street" fans, 

these two games aren't likely to be 

very captivating. The other two 

games can be fun for any young 

child: "Jelly Beans" involves count 

ing the number of beans in ajar, 

and "Face It," creating a face from a 

selection of different features. 

The low-resolution graphics are 

cute, the games simple, and "Guess 

Who." very tolerant of spelling errors 

(important in software for young 

children). Children find the games 

fairly interesting for a while. But 

"Jelly Beans" and "Ernie's Quiz" 

could work almost as well in print: 

they really do not take advantage of 

the computer's capacities. Also, por 

tions of the programs run on with 

out giving you a chance to stop 

them at mid-play. One young user 

said at one point, "Oh no. how do I 

;top the computer?" I shared the 

iame feeling as the picture in 

"Guess Who" appeared dot by dot on 

the screen, yet there was no way to 

make the picture pause without also 

making a guess. 

A special word about the manual: 

t includes detailed suggestions for 

noncomputer activities. This is typi 

f 

cal of CTW's emphasis on stimulat 

ing imagination through simple, 

readily available materials. Such ac 

tivities are valuable, but the same 

kinds of tips can be obtained from 

CTW publications that cost far less 

than this expensive software. 

—TONY MORRIS 

Gortek and the Microchips 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Commodore 

64. VIC-20. cassette 

manufacturer: Commodore 

PRICE: S24.95 

Perhaps not every child clamors to 

learn computer programming. But 

for the majority who do, Commo 

dore's Gortek and the Microchips is 

one of the freshest, most original 

approaches around. In fact, you 

would have trouble convincing my 

kids that Gortek is anything but a 

game! 

With its big, colorful storybook- 

style manual and two cassette tapes 

containing 11 programs. Gortek can 

take a child who is a total novice all 

the way from learning how to load 

and run programs, through an in 

troduction to keyboard and comput 

er concepts, up to BASIC program 

ming. 

According to its packaging, Gortek 

was designed for 10- to 13-year-olds. 

But at our house, five-year-old Molly 

and my seven-year-old twins. Timmy 

and James, have been using it for 

several months. They started out 

with lots of help from Mom. Dad. 

and big sister Beth (14). Now they 

load and run programs pretty much 

on their own. They can copy pro 

grams from the manual with mini 

mal grown-up error checking. Kids 

immediately pick up on the idea that 

they must learn programming in or 

der to help Gortek save the planet 

Syntax from nasty Zitrons. 

At S24.95, Gortek costs less than 

most games for Commodore sys 

tems. It may very well be one of the 

continued on page 96 

SEITKMHEK 15JB3 95



continuedJrom page 95 

best software buys on the market. 

Its only problem is one common to 

cassette programs—long loading 

time. It also has another drawback, 

and I speak from bitter experience. 

Once your kids have Gortek, they 

might never surrender the family 

computer again! 

By the way, nonprogramming par 

ents will learn some computer basics 

with Gortek, too. What better way to 

learn than by sharing a computer 

adventure with your children? 

—BETSY BYRNE 

Hey Diddle Diddle 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Apple II 

plus/He, 48K disk; Commodore 64. 

64K disk; Atari 400/800, 32K disk; 

IBM-PC, 64K disk; joystick required 

for Atari and Commodore 

manufacturer: Spinnaker 

PRICE: $29.95 

Four lines of a nursery rhyme ap 

pear accompanied by illustrations 

that take shape slowly. Then follows 

a delightful bit of music and the fi 

nal four lines of the rhyme. No won 

der young children find this entire 

display spellbinding. Even if they 

are too young to read the rhymes, 

they are captivated by the clever 

graphics and music. 

Besides this first entertaining 

piece, there is more. In "Rhyme 

Game" players unscramble lines, re 

arranging them into the correct or 

der. You can choose to unscramble 

either the first four or all eight lines 

of each rhyme. For an added chal 

lenge, you can add a timer that ad 

justs your score the faster you un 

scramble the rhymes. Two players 

can alternate until one finally com 

pletes the rhymes correctly. A scoreboard 

keeps track of things like high 

scores and total rhymes solved. 

Kids reacted enthusiastically to 

the pace, graphics and sound of Hey 

Diddle Diddle. One unexpected re 


action came from Matt. At 11. he is 

just above the suggested three-to-10- 

year-old range. He immediately start 

ed out by trying to unscramble all 

eight lines of each rhyme. For the 

most part Matt didn't know the 

rhymes, so he had to proceed logical 

ly—trying to figure out how the poet 

might have put the eight lines to 

gether, thinking about what lines 

rhymed with what, and what pattern 

of rhyming might be used. He 

learned how some lines "set the 

stage." while others "explain what 

happens afterwards," and so on. 

Faults are few. and tolerable in 

this striking piece of software that 

adds exciting, unusual dimensions 

to building kids' poetry and reading 

Skills. —TONY MOIiRIS 

Square Pairs 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Apple II/II 

plus/lie. 48K disk; Atari 400/800. 

16K cassette; TI-99/4A, 16K cassette; 

Commodore V1C-20, 13K cassette 

manufacturer: Wizware/Scholastic 

Inc. 

price: 339.95 (disk); S29.95 (cas 

sette) 

Boys and rock groups seem to be 

all that is interesting to 15-year-old 

Kristin these days. But I did manage 

to sit her down at the computer re 

cently by asking her the names of 

some of her friends and who they 

were "going" with, and feeding this 

"data" into Wizware's Square Pairs 

program. She played the resulting 

game a couple of times, and then 

created one of her own called 

"Rock," which required matching 

rock groups with their hit recordings. 

An infinite number of these kinds 

of games can be created for Square 

Pairs. The object of each is to recog 

nize and match associated pairs— 

countries with their capitals, for in 

stance—a little bit like the old TV 

show, "Concentration." 

The screen displays a grid of num 

bered boxes. A player enters a first 

box number, signifying one word, 

and then a second number for an 

other word. The computer then an 

nounces "match" or "no match." A 

successful pair gives the matchmak 

er another turn. A mismatch, and 

play passes to the next participant. 

Ten samples—including elemen 

tary word and geography games—are 

provided, but the useful part of this 

program is the ease with which you 

will be able to create new match 

games. 

Younger kids will find this an en 

tertaining way to learn about almost 

anything—from family facts to his 

torical tidbits—while strengthening 

their memory powers. 

The manual is elegantly brief and 

informative, the program easy to use 

and very forgiving of mistakes. For 

the price, however, it should provide 

added capacities—maybe the match 

ing of three items or multiple match 

ing of one. —david wilson 

GAMES 

Flight Simulator (Strategy) 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: TS 1000. 

16K cassette 

manufacturer: Psion Ltd./available 

through Timex 

price: S19.95 

Because of the high cost of flying, 

many pilots are trained with com 

puter flight simulators. Now Timex 

has a game that simulates such sim 

ulation. As the pilot of a small, high- 

performance aircraft, you use the 

monitor screen to safely launch, 

navigate, and land. All this, via a lot 

of fun. 

As a licensed pilot. I found the 

flight instruments in the computer 

ized cockpit to be reasonably faithful 

to real life. You climb, descend, turn 

left and right, accelerate and deceler 

ate, while monitoring such things as 

fuel consumption and altitude. 


due l hm 

teaches, too? 

i no I Book 

ue hnd 

That's an easy one: HesWare educational software. 

The children with the most answers in school are usually the children who enjoy learning. 

HesWare helps develop your child's interest in learning by making it fun. And along the way, develop 

familiarity and proficiency with computers—a skill that is becoming more and more essential to success. 

HesWare educational software combines enjoyment with a creative learning experience. Unlike 

video games, HesWare educational programs involve Vour child—and that keeps their interest. Whether 

it's creating colorful and artistic pictures with Turtle Graphics, 

making up funny faces with Facemaker or helping America's 

favorite canine, Benji, save kidnapped scientists (and learn 

about the solar system in the process,) or any of the programs 

in our education library, HesWare gives your children a positive 

attitude toward learning and technology. 

It's not expensive to give your child a headstart on the 

future. HesWare programs are available for most popular home 

computers, including the Commodore VIC 20 Commodore 641' 

Atari1," and IBM® 

HesWare educational software. Just one of the 

ways HesWare is expanding the computer experience. And 

expanding your child's horizons. Look for them at your 

favorite software retailer. 

Human Engineered Software, 150 North Hill Drive, Brisbane, CA 94005 

800-227-6703 (in California 800-6327979) Dept. C20 

HesWare and Facemaker are trademarks of Human Engineered Software. VIC 20 and Commodore 64 are trademarks 

of Commodore Electronics Ltd. Atari is a registered trademark ol Atari, Inc. IBM isa registered trademark of International Business Machines 

C 1983 

Pleases the 

tough 

customer:




For armchair pilots from six to 60. 

Flight Simulator is as instructional 

as it is fun. Its excitement is en 

hanced with a "wind effects" option, 

which adds the challenge of wind 

factor for more experienced fliers. 

—JAMES ROBERTS 

Key Quest (Arcade) 

hardware requirements: VIC-20, car 

tridge; joystick required 

manufacturer: Micro Ware 

price: S34.95 

You're roaming through one of the 

great treasure troves of all time. Sur 

rounded by riches beyond your wild 

est dreams, you progress from level 

to level, warding off the monsters 

who inhabit the 24 levels. They are 

doing their best to keep you from 

leaving alive. Your only weapon is a 

blaster, but it only fires right and 

left, not up and down, so don't get 

caught in a vertical passage. It may 

look simple, but don't let the illusion 

fool you. 

Key Quest combines some of the 

best elements of both chase and ad 

venture games. More than just a 

shoot-'em-up, Key Quest can be 

played by anyone, almost as soon as 

the picture appears on the monitor. 

The joystick control is easy to use 

and every member of Ihc family can 

achieve some success in a relatively 

short period of time. The color 

graphics are delightful, if a bit prim 

itive, but VIC-20 owners couldn't 

hope for a more enjoyable combina 

tion of arcade action and strategy. 

Wizardry (Adventure/ 

—JAMIE DELSON 

Fantasy) 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Apple Il/II 

plus/lie. 48K disk: IBM-PC, 64K 

disk 

manufacturer: Sir-tech Software 

PRICE: S50 


It's the stuff of myth and legend. 

First, thou chooseth a throng of 

brave souls, and spendeth their gold 

on arms and equipment for their 

journey into the dungeons that lie 

far below the castle. With this crew 

thou set forth against all sorts of de 

mons and monsters—kobalds. skele 

tons, ores, and evil wizards. With 

patience and good use of ye olde 

noggin, ye shall acquire wisdom and 

power and ye shall triumph over 

darkness. 

Since its release in 1981, Wizard 

ry has been widely hailed as one of 

the most intriguing and exciting 

computer games ever produced. It 

has consistently placed highly in the 

sales charts, and its phenomenal 

success has prompted two sequels in 

an industry in which sequels are 

rare. The demand for more Wizardry 

is understandable: Having attained 

the highest level in the first one, 

that can't be the end of it. You've 

taken your characters through great 

adventures, so you simply can't let 

them retire. There are bigger and 

better adventures ahead. 

Wizardry's only drawback is its 

screen—almost entirely devoted to 

clues, instructions, and written 

commands. Only a fraction oi" it de 

picts the maze through which you 

travel. But Sir-tech has cracked that 

problem: The third in the Wizardry 

series. Legacy of Llygamyn (which 

we will review in an upcoming issue) 

features a 3-D graphics display of 

your adventure, filling 80 percent of 

the screen. 

GAR I AN RAIDERS (2) 

GARIAH NAGES (2) 

HORATIO'S OPTIONS 

FMGHT S)PELL P>ARRY 

R>UH U)SK 

• CHARACTER HftHE CLASS AC HITS STATUS 

1 HORATIO E-FIG -6 158 158 

2 IACO E-FIG -6 184 84 

3 CRESSIDA E-PRI 5 1?Z ill 

4 GUILOENSTERN E-NIH 

5 PISTOL E-THI 

6 TROILUS 

With or without full-screen graph 

ics. Wizardry accomplishes what few 

home games can: It transports you 

to a world as fantastic as your 

imagination. Fun is hardly the word 

for a game that makes you think 

while you're free to dream. 

—JAMIE DELSON 

(Editor's note: In the October issue 

of family computing we will take an 

in-depth look at the adventure 

game phenomenon, including the 

Wizardry series, and feature an in 

terview with the series' creator. 

Andy Greenberg.) 

Zork I (Adventure) 


plus/lie. 32K disk 

MANUFACTURER; Infocom 

PRICE: S39.95 

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[xtf.-.is Id Ik us! ai «s1. 

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;.;>: :•>: 11 ilitj 

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HOME BUSINESS 

The Organizer 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: TimeX 1000. 

16K cassette 

manufacturer; Timex 

PRICE: S16.95 

Excellently designed and doc 

umented. The Organizer permits the 

user to maintain files of almost any 

description for home or small busi 

ness. Keyboard prompts are well 

documented and comprehensive. 

They include forward, backward, al 

ter, select, inform, delete, reset, or 

der, list. copy, and print. After re 

viewing and using a sample provided 

with the program to become familiar 

with its various commands, you may 

then design a format for data entry 

suited to your needs. 

All data entered is automatically 

stored in alphabetical order regard 

less of the point of entry. Any item 

can be immediately displayed by the 

use of the "S" (select) key. Any nu 

merical or alphabetical data can be 

listed in order by the use of the "O" 

(order) key. The "I" (inform) key dis 

plays the total number of files, the 

number of data categories, and the 

total percentage of available space 

that has been used. 

Data can be changed or altered by 

the use of the "A" (alter) key and 

placing the cursor in the desired lo 

cation. The cursor moves rapidly 

about the screen: left, right, up, or 

down for selection of categories to al 

ter or order. 

This versatile program stirs the 

imagination with its almost unlimit 

ed possible applications. I have used 

it to maintain inventor)' records, 

statements, and directories of many 

kinds. 

The Organizer is a well-written, 

well-documented program—one of 

the best home and business applica 

tions available for that machine. 

Screenwriter II 

—JAMES ROBERTS 


plus/He: 48K disk 

manufacturer: Sierra On-Line 

price: S129.95 

Having learned to use a word-pro 

cessing program, chances are you'll 

never willingly turn to the typewriter 

for much more than an envelope or 

two. Word-processing programs are 

many—some complex to use, some 

limited in capability. Prices range 

from S29.95 to several hundred dol 

lars. Seldom do you find the right 

one among the first few you inspect. 

And often, after having lived with it 

for awhile, you discover things un 

noticed earlier. Prepare to invest sev 

eral hours in learning to use a WP 

program, and several more to be 

come proficient. 

Screenwriter II is my choice for 

word processing on the Apple for 

several reasons. It allows lowercase 

letters and 70 column lines (that 

means 70 spaces) without extra 

hardware. It permits intricate for 

matting (the way the words and 

lines will be printed on the page), 

and it has built-in footnoting and 

indexing procedures. The file-man 

agement commands are simple. 

These are just a few of its important 

features. 

Screenwriter II has a few limita 

tions that have driven me to a frenzy 

on occasion. Hyphenation is un 

wieldy. Loading, saving, and clean 

ing up files is a slow process. The 

slowness with which the program re 

ceives keyboard input doesn't bother 

me. but it might annoy the more 

proficient typist. Finally, Screenwrit 

er II is not a simple system to learn. 

But it takes time to learn how to use 

any good, capable program. 

Screenwriter II meets my needs for 

word processing on the Apple II plus 

more completely than any other WP 

program I have yet to find. It may be 

right for you too, but don't select it 

or any other word-processing soft 

ware until you've inspected it in 

light of your requirements. 

—DAVID WILSON 

HOME MANAGEMENT 

Computer Mechanic 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Commodore 

64, disk and cassette 

MANUFACTURER: SoftSynC 

PRICE: S26.95 (disk): S21.95 (cas 

sette) 

When I received Computer Me 

chanic a few weeks ago. I was all set 

to take it over to a friend who runs 

an automobile shop. After all, what 

would an average mother of four 

want to do with such an impressive, 

but too-technical-sounding piece of 

software? After a quick reading of 

the back of the box. and a glimpse 

at the documentation. I realized that 

it was meant just for me and my '73 

Pinto (an old. cranky beast that re 

quires monthly attention). 

Computer Mechanic has turned 

out to be a "white knight to the res 

cue" for situations in which (I blush 

to admit) I usually have to holler for 

my husband, or call the auto club. 

One day, the Computer Mechanic 

and I solved part of the Pinto riddle, 

without any "help" from my skepti 

cal husband. I loaded the Computer 

Mechanic and selected the "Diagnos 

tic" section from the main menu. 

The screen that followed offered two 

choices: "Car won't start." and 

"Starts but runs rough." I chose the 

latter and was then given some more 

options, from which I chose "Rough 

idle." The Computer Mechanic sug 

gested that I check my spark plug 

wires, which I did. I found, to my 

glee, that my plug wire was loose! 

The program has the clue to such 

mysteries as oil changing, tire rota 

tion, and engine tune-up. All I do is 

type in accurate records of when 

these chores were last attended to. 

and my Pinto's mileage at the time. 

This "When to Check" section, inte 

grated with the program's data-base 

manager will provide specific main 

tenance schedules for dozens of 

cars, provided they are American- 

made. High-resolution graphics also 

show the location of items that re 

quire periodic checking. The pro 

gram then gives detailed instruc 

tions on how to go about these 

checkups. 

BRAKES 

CHECK CONDITION OF 

"RflCE PADS OB BRflKC 

HOES 

iaarei.mi.fiw; 

CHEW tWEEL CVUHDERS 

KLrURM SPPIMG& 

SPPIMG&.Cfl 

HOSES DRUMS AM6/0R 

ROTORS. 

SH 

ADJUST PflRKIKG BJtfiKE 

ttflS HECESSftUVtt 

The Computer Mechanic is unlike 

any book you could buy about car 

maintenance. There is something 

very personal and encouraging about 

the way it walks me through the var 

ious procedures step-by-step. It will 

not turn someone into a grease 

monkey overnight, but it will put an 

end to those needless S25 trips to 

the garage. Just be careful that you 

don't become your neighborhood's 

local "white knight"! Me? I'm off to 

help my friend Nancy get her car 

started! —betsy byrne 

SEPTEMBER 1983 99


NEW HARDWARE* 

COMPUTERS 

Adam 

manufacturer: Coleco Industries. 

Inc.. 999 Quaker Lane S., West Hart 

ford, CT 06110; (203) 725-6000 

PRICE: $600 

Coleco, the toy manufacturer first 

known for its swimming pools and 

then for its ColccoVision game ma 

chine, announced two years ago thai 

it would make an expansion module 

to convert its game machine into a 

home computer. The company has 

now made good on that promise and 

thrown in a surprise—its indepen 

dent Adam home computer system. 

The Adam comes complete in one 

box. with 80K RAM (expandable to 

144K). a built-in word-processing 

program, and a letter-quality print 

er. Because the Adam's Smart BA 

SIC is compatible with Apple's Ap 

plesoft BASIC, the computer will be 

able to run the many programs writ 

ten for Apple computers. It will also 

be able to run CP/M programs, 

which a means a potentially huge 

software library will be available. 

But most of this software is still in 

the planning stage. Instead of a cas 

sette-tape or floppy-disk storage sys 

tem, the Adam employs a "data 

pack" system. This data pack looks 

like a cassette tape, but works al 

most as fast as a floppy disk, accord 

ing to Coleco. Since the data pack is 

a completely new type of storage sys 

tem, virtually no software has been 

written in that format. However, the 

Adam has two built-in data-pack 

units, allowing an amazing 500K of 

storage space. 

Atari 800XL 

manufacturer: Atari Inc.. 1312 

Crossman Ave.. P.O. Box 61657, 

Sunnyvale. CA 94086: (408) 745- 

2820 * 

PRICE: S299 

Atari's 800XL. the second computer 

of its "new generation'" line that will 

100 FAMILY COMPUTING 

replace the 400. 800. and 1200XL 

models, maintains the advanced 

sound (four voices) and high-resolu 

tion graphics (256 colors) that Atari 

computers arc known for. The new 

model has 64K RAM (not expand 

able) and 62 typewriter-style keys. 

Included are a HELP key, an interna 

tional character set. and 29 graphics 

characters. BASIC is built in to the 

800XL. an improvement over the 

Atari 800. which required a plug-in 

cartridge. All of the more than 2,000 

programs written for other Atari 

computers will run on the 800XL, in 

cassette tape, disk, or cartridge for 

mat. There are over 1,000 factory- 

authorized Atari service centers in 

the U.S. 

SV-318 

manufacturer: Spectravidco Inc., 39 

W. 37th St.. New York. NY 10018; 

(212)869-7911 

PRICE: S300 

The most innovative feature of the 

new SV-318 computer, the first mar 

ket entry from Spectravideo. is its 

built-in keyboard joystick. The joy 

stick, designed primarily for game 

playing, can also be used to control 

cursor movement. Besides its full 

range of regular typewriter keys, the 

SV-318 has 10 function keys. You 

can change the function of these 

keys so that they implement the 

most frequently used commands, 

such as LIST or RUN. The keys, 

however, are made of flat rubber, 

and are thus less efficient for ex- 

tended typing than concave typewrit 

er keys. 

The SV-318, with its sizable 32K 

ROM built-in memory, has solid 

sound and graphics capabilities, and 

can run CP/M programs. This gives 

the user a large library of business- 

oriented programs to choose from. 

Coleco video game cartridges also fit 

into the SV-318's cartridge slot. The 

computer has ports to accept all 

types of peripherals, and its 32K 

RAM is expandable to 256K. 

Timex Sinclair 1500 

manufacturer: Timex Computer 

Corp.. P.O. Box 2655. Waterbury. CT 

06720; (203) 573-5000 

PRICE: S79 

The little Timex Sinclair 1500 comes 

equipped with 16K RAM, which can 

be expanded to 32K. In contrast 

with the flat-membrane keyboard of 

the TS1000. the TS1500 has 40 fullmovement 

keys, including 22 graph 

ics characters. The TS1500 also fea 

tures the "one touch" key-word 

entry, first introduced on the 

TS1000. This allows the user to en 

ter commands, such as LIST or 

RUN, by touching one key, instead 

of typing out the whole word. The 

screen display is black and white. 

The TS1500 is compatible with 

the library of several hundred soft 

ware programs and all the peripher 

als available for the TS1000, includ 

ing the TS 2040 printer. The new 

computer is designed to be used 

with a TV and a cassette recorder or 

cartridges, and can be hooked up to 

a modem for telecommunications. 

Timex says it will introduce this mo 

dem later this year. 

continued on page 102 

'These products have been announced 

by manufacturers, but are not necessar 

ily in the stores yet. Some products may 

still be in the development stage. Call 

the manufacturer for expected date oj 

delivery.

The Way 1b KEYBOARDING Success 

Animated graphics are the stepping stone to learning the 

keyboard. KEYBOARDING-ALPHA-PAC features ani 

mated graphics galore! 

This exciting NEW touch keyboarding program teaches the 

letter keys one step at a time. It shows you which fingers should 

strike which keys. It even shows you how to sit properly at your 

keyboard and the correct way to position your hands 

over the keys. What's more, the illustrations are ani 

mated—they move! So you can see how to 

move yourfingers and how your hands 

should look when you keyboard properly. 

The directions, illustrations, exercises, 

and user-input all appear on the display 

screen. As you practice, the program leads 

Clip out this handy coupon and mail today to receive your 

copyfies) oi KEYBDARDING-A1PHA-PAC. 

Please send me _ KEYBOARDING- 

ALPHA-PAC diskette packagefs). for the following 

hardware: 

D TRS-80 ■ Model III or 4. 48K minimum 

D Apple&lle, 64K minimum 

Name 

Address 

City State ZIP 

Phone number 

:Make check or money order payable to: 

South-Western Publishing Co. 

theway. An illustration of the keyboard remains on the screen for 

the first exercises. You can refer to the illustration on the display 

screen instead of looking at the keyboard. How handy! 

When you makea mistake, 2 things happen: 

1. The keyboard locks up until you strike the right key. 

2. The correct key flashes on the illustrated key 

board on the screen until you find it andean 

continue with the exercise. 

This user-friendly, easy-to-use program can 

be completed in no time. In fact, the 30 short les 

sons require only about 25 minutes each. 

Mail your order to: 

Soulh-Western Publishing Co. 

Attn: Benjamin H. Willard 

5101 Madison Road 

Cincinnati, OH 45227 

Keyboarding has never been so 

easy-orso much fun. 

□ I have enclosed S79.50 for each package 

ordered, plus S1.50 per package for post 

age and handling icheck or money order).1 

D Please bill to my VISA: 

D Please bill to my MasterCard: 

No __ 

Expiration Date 

Signature


NEW HARDWARE 

continued from page 100 

PRINTERS 

CX 4800 Printer/Plotter 

manufacturer: Leading Edge Prod 

ucts. Inc., 225 Turnpike St., Can 

ton. MA 02021: (800) 343-6833 

price: S695 

This printer/plotter can draw circles. 

arcs, and lines—in four colors. 

Black, red. blue, and green ballpoint 

pens are standard, but the owner 

can opl for different colors. Six user 

controls tell the printer what direc 

tion to move in and when to switch 

pens (colors). The CX 4800 also 

works as a letter-quality printer, but 

It prints only eight characters per 

second. 

IMPACT "40" Printer 

manufacturer: Fidelity Electronics. 

Ltd.. 8800 NW 36th St.. Miami. FL 

33178; (305} 888-1000 

PRICE: Si60 

Designed to connect directly to the 

VIC-20 and Commodore 64 comput 

ers, the IMPACT "40" printer pro 

duces a 40-charactcr line in black or 

red. The dot-matrix printer uses or 

dinary adding-machine roll paper, 

which is 2.75 inches wide. It prints 

at 65 characters a second. 

Microline 82A 

manufacturer: Okidata Corp.. 111 

GailherDr.. Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054: 

(609) 235-2600 

price: S650 

Speed, variety of type, and af- 

fordabilitv are the main attractions 

102 FAMILY COMMUTING 

of Okidata's Microline 82A. At 120 

characters per second, the 82A 

prints 80 columns o*f standard char 

acters or 132 of condensed print. 

The printer can also create bold or 

double-width characters. A graphics 

software package, included with the 

printer, allows for line graphs, 

charts, or pictures. 

MONITORS 

Gorilla Monitor 

manufacturer: Leading Edge Prod 

ucts, Inc.. 225 Turnpike St.. Can 

ton. MA 02021: (800) 343-6833 

PRICE: S99 

This high-resolution, green-screen. 

nonglare monitor can display a full 

25 lines of 80 characters apiece. 

Leading Edge says that characters 

on the screen don't flicker, and that 

scrolling characters or darting 

spaceships won't appear smeared or 

streaky. A built-in tilt bracket lets 

the user adjust the monitor to a con 

venient angle. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Koalapad Touch Tablet 

manufacturer: Koala Technologies 

Corp.. 4962 El Camino Real. Suite 

125, Los Altos. CA 94022: (415) 964- 

2992 

price: $125 (includes Micro Illustra 

tor Island Graphics software pack 

age} 

You can draw on this touch tablet 

with your linger or with a stylus, 

and create an image that appears 

immediately on the computer moni 

tor. This sketch-pad method of 

drawing is much quicker and more 

flexible than using a keyboard to 

produce the same effects. The new 

Koala product can be used with 

Atari. Apple, IBM. and Commodore 

computers, and comes with a con 

necting cable. Also included is the 

Micro Illustrator Island Graphics 

software package, which allows the 

user to select shapes, shadings, and 

"paint brushes" from a menu. Koala 

offers additional game and educa 

tional software packages for about 

S50 each. This software, including a 

video coloring book, a music in 

struction program, animated car 

toons, and a graphics tool kit. is de 

signed to be used with the touch 

tablet. 

Voice Box II 

manufacturer: The Alien Group. 27 

W. 23rd St.. New York. NY 10010: 

(212) 741-1770 

price: SI69 

The Voice Box II. a programmable 

speech synthesizer, converts typed 

or stored text into speech and/or 

sound effects. The Voice Box comes 

in two models—one for the Atari 

(shown here), which plugs into a se 

rial port, and one for the Apple 

(S215), in the form of a card that 

fits into a slot in the back of the 

computer. The Voice Box can be pro 

grammed to pronounce foreign lan 

guages, and sound effects. 

With additional software, the Voice 

Box can give language lessons, teach 

grammar, dictate a poker game, and 

sing Beatles songs. Users can alter 

the lip movements, tone, and speed 

of the "talking face" that appears on 

the monitor.

ITia ■! ii|iin Eucni 

■vniimv Your source for software and books 

at substantial savings! 

More programs, more projects, 

more ways to use your micro 

for home, hobby, and business! 

Select any 6 books 

for only $2.95 when you join 

MACHINE & 

ASSEMBLY 

LANGUAGE 

Microcomputer 

interfacing 

Handbook: 

A/D & D/A 

(values to S131.70) 

7 very good reasons to try 

The Computer Book Club 

Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214 

XACfliNE 

INTELLIGENCE 

tttnai 

HOME 

L.i'DMPl'TEfi 

• Reduced Member Prices. Save 20% to 75% on books sure 

to increase your computer know-how 

■ Satisfaction Guaranteed. All books returnable within 1G 

days without obligation 

• Club News Bulletins. All about current selections —mains, 

alternates, extras —plus bonus offers. Comes 13 times a year 

with dozens of up-to-the-minute titles you can pick from 

• "Automatic Order." Do nothing, and the Main selection 

will be shipped automatically! But... [f you want an Alter 

nate selection—or no books at all—we'll follow the instruc 

tions you give on the reply form provided with every News 

Bulletin 

• Continuing Benefits. Get a Dividend Certificate with every 

book purchased after fulfilling membership obligation, and 

qualify for discounts on many other volumes 

• Extra Bonuses. Take advantage of added-value promo 

tions, plus special discounts; on software, games, and more 

• Exceptional Quality. All books are first quality publisher's 

editions, filled with useful, up-to-the-minute information. 

ilili 

Uma io ; 

R ITHM 

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Ltii ns.o 

S j 

CDfTlPUTER 

5DFTUiflRE 

-»«WJA»--- 

Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214 

HOUJIO 

! CtT JTBRIED 

cp/m 

1427 

List S2I.U5 

C!li Y 

Please accept my membership in The Computer Book Club ' 

and send tliefi volumes circled below, billing me$2.95 plus 

shipping and handling charges. If not satisfied, I may return 

the books within ten days without obligation and have my 

membership cancelled. 1 agree to purchase 4 or more books 

at reduced Club prices (plus shipping/handling) during the 

next 12 months, and may resign any time thereafter. 

336 1050 1085 1160 1195 1251 1^71 

1275 1295 1369 1389 1391 1394 1398 1407 

1427 1428 1449 1455 1468 1473 1478 1485 

1489 1496 1506 1522 1523 1533 1B20 

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Internaliimal Money Orders In U.S. liull.irs. Canada must remll in U,S, dollars.] 

This order subject to acceptance h\ Tha Computer Rnok Club* fahc-9B3 

-


EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT 

AN EASYTO-FOLLOW INTRODUCTION FOR FAMILIES 6 SMALL BUSINESS 

INCLUDES A 16 PAGE ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTION BOOKLET FEATURING t COMPUTER SELF-QUIZ 

PRACTICE COMPUTER KEYBOARD WITH SAMPLE PROGRAMS • COMPLETE COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY 

NARRATED BY STEVE ALLEN AND JAYNE MEADOWS 

COMPUTERS ON THE 

HIT PARADE 

It may not make the Top 40. but 

Everything You Always Wanted to 

Know About Home Computers 

should be a hit with recent and pro 

spective home computer owners. 

Comic couple Steve Allen and Jaync 

Meadows have teamed up again, but 

this time they're playing it straight 

on an album that introduces and de 

mystifies the basics of buying, us 

ing, and programming home com 

puters. The dialogue on this disk is 

plain and simple; the accompanying 

booklet equally straightforward. 

Available at both record shops and 

computer stores on Casablanca rec 

ords and tapes. 


BYTING SATIRE 

Flustered by the floppy disk? Reeling 

from too much RAM and ROM? Why 

not push the ESCAPE key and enjoy 

a few laughs with The Official Com 

puter Hater's Handbook? Author 

D.J. Arncson. who poked fun at Ox 

ford cloth and debutantes with his 

Original PREPPY Jokebook and 

Cookbook, now offers something for 

"everyone who doesn't know and 

doesn't care about how the darn 

things work." Actually, the hand 

book is especially amusing for those 

of us who know a little bit of the jar 

gon and have already agonized over 

the distinction between bits and 

bytes. Some of the more entertain 

ing sections include "How to Turn 

Off Computer Conversations." "Hope 

for the Hopelessly Addicted," and 

"Signs of Computer Use in School 

Age Children." The book also has a 

glossary' that could set introductory 

computer courses back 10 years. For 

instance, Arneson defines a floppy 

disk as a "serious curvature of the 

spine." The Dell paperback is avail 

able at most major bookstores for S3.95. 

APPLE HARVEST 

This autumns Apple Collection cata 

log features a bushel of handsome 

compuler-rclatcd gifts, most of 

which arc polished off with the cele 

brated rainbow Apple logo. If you're 

looking for that great apple in the 

sky. there's a colorful dragon-tail 

kite, a full 25-fcct long, made of rip- 

stop nylon (S27). The 100 percent 

cotton jersey with kangaroo pouch 

pocket, which comes in royal blue, 

jade, and red. will ward off the win 

ter chills when you're playing foot 

ball instead of Frogger (S31). Among 

the many desktop items is a shiny 

brass stamp box ($27). And since 

even computer hackers get hungry. 

there's a wicker picnic basket com 

plete with table cloth and cloth nap 

kins (S45). To check out other items 

in the free catalog, contact The Ap 

ple Collection. P.O. Box 306. Half 

Moon Bay, CA 94019: (800) 227- 

6703: in California: (800) 632-7979. 

COMPUTER 

HATERS 

• cemwuna boo: kx (vtarONt wto ooti 

so aotsin cam ho* in d»«w thimgs wo

DISKETTES OF DISTINCTION 

Some wear their hearts on their 

sleeves, so why not wear a diskette 

on your lapel and advertise your 

technological savvy? Onc-half-inch- 

square diskettes mounted on lapel 

pins, tie tacks, and stick pins are 

available in gold or silver vermeil 

(S12 or S10). For the crowning 

touch, ask about custom-made 14- 

or 18-carat versions, with or without 

diamonds and rubies. Add S2 ship 

ping and handling when ordering 

from MCN. Inc., Computer Jewelry, 

P.O. Box 9393, Simms Center, San 

Rafael, CA 94901: (415) 453-7033. 

HAVE COMPUTER, 

WILL TRAVEL 

Keep your computer comfy in tran 

sit—on business trips, vacations, 

even to grandmothers house. Dura 

ble luggage with Velcro straps and 

foam pads inside to secure hardware 

protects your computer from bumps 

and bruises. Cases are available for 

most major models; prices range 

from S49 to Si39. depending on 

size. Check your local computer 

store or contact the manufacturer 

directly: Computer Case Company, 

5650 Indian Mound Ct., Columbus, 

OH 43213; (800) 848-7548. 

SOFTWARE HOUSING 

Sleep soundly with your diskettes 

tucked away safely in this sturdy file 

box. Made of molded plastic, these 

files come in putty or black and hold 

more than 150 5l/»-inch diskettes. 

Available for S25.95 at stationery 

stores or, with UPS charges, 

through the manufacturer—Evco Of 

fice Products, 100 W. North Street, 

De Forest, WI 53532: (608) 846- 

4722. 

SEPTEMBER 1983 J05


BOOK REVIEWS 

The Complete Handbook of 

Personal Computer 

Communications 

Alfred Glossbrenner 

St. Martins Press, 1983 

348 pp., softcover. SI4.95 

Few of us realize that we are acquir 

ing a powerful communications tool 

when we buy a home computer. It 

contains a universe of information, 

unimagined services, and communi 

cations potentials. All one needs is a 

modem, a serial interface, and com 

munications software to open this 

world for exploration. 

Anyone intrigued by the comput 

er's vast communications possibil- 

ties will find Alfred Glossbrenner's 

The Complete Handbook of Person 

al Communications invaluable. 

Glossbrenner tells us everything 

about how to go "on line." and what 

we can get out of it when we do. He 

discusses in detail some of the major 

information, news, and service net 

works available to us. as well as 

many of the specialized services— 

computer bulletin boards, electronic 

shopping, and banking networks. 

Glossbrenner reserves his techni 

cal discussions for Ihe final chapter, 

which rounds out this informative 

book along with a number of com 

prehensive appendices. 

—STAN GOLDBERG 

Computers for Everybody 

(2nd edition) 

Jerry Willis and Mcrl Miller 

Dilithium Press, 1982 

186 pp.. softcover. S7.95 

Every vocation/avocation has its 

T.T.O. (Thumbed Through Often) 

reference book ... . The Joy oj Cook 

ing, Chapman's Book of Piloting. 

etc. A good source of standard infor 

mation for the computer novitiate is 

ComputersJbT Everybody, a buyer's 

guide dedicated to helping you pur 

chase a home computer. 

The first half of the book contains 

a pinch of computer history, a tanta 

lizing list of what computers can do 

and how they can be used, and a 

smattering of essential software and 

hardware guidance. The second half 

is an extremely up-to-date (but not 

for long) guide to 40 popular com 

puters and their peripherals. The 

writing is direct, informative, and 

sprinkled with interesting trivia. 

The use of clever cartoons makes the 

book even more readable. 

However, it has its share of prob 

lems. The information is sketchy in 

106 PAMILY COMPUTING 

places, overdone in others. There arc 

so many buyer's guidelines that you 

almost need a computer to figure 

them out. 

Nonetheless. Willis and Miller did 

their homework, and. as the title 

suggests, no matter how much you 

know, you'll learn something about 

computers from this book. 

Katie and the Computer 

Fred D'Ignazio. 

—ROBIN RASKIN 

Creative Computing Press, 1979 

38 pp.. hardcover. S8.95 

Author Fred D'Ignazio. to quote from 

his biography, "believes that the 

computer should be introduced to 

children as a wonderful tool, rather 

than as a forbidding electronic de 

vice." His little book. Katie and the 

Computer, sets out to teach basic 

computer concepts by letting the 

young reader follow Katie through a 

fantasy adventure in Cybcrnia. a 

world inside the machine. 

Like Lewis Carroll's Alice in Won 

derland. D'Ignazio's book reveals 

deep logic through whimsy and 

wordplay. Normally abstract and dif 

ficult ideas—the operating system, 

binary math, bits and bytes, and 

programming errors—are trans 

formed into engaging characters and 

their significance made apparent 

through exciting and humorous nar 

rative. Young children delight in the 

story, and Stan Gilliam's profuse 

and colorful illustrations can help 

slower readers to follow the plot on 

their own. The book would be best 

read by parent and child together, 

preferably with a home computer at 

hand. Even the most computer-so 

phisticated adult will find something 

to laugh at in Katie. 

—JOHN B. JAINSCHIGG 

Pilgrim in the Microworld 

David Sundow 

Warner Books. 1983 

240 pp.. hardcover. S15.50 

If you're an avid computer game 

player, this eloquent glimpse into 

the soul of a video gamer will strike 

a responsive chord. But for those 

who've never experienced the joys of 

a joystick, the book reads like the 

maniacal diary of an obsessive per 

son. In either case, it offers insights 

into the aesthetics of the computer 

game. 

Devoid of character, plot, and dia 

logue. Pilgrim nevertheless reads like 

a novel. Sundow s style is versatile. 

informed, perceptive, lyrical, and un- 

dogmatic. Rather than looking at 

the sociological phenomena of video 

games, he gives us the personal sto 

ry of his attempt to triumph over a 

single video arcade game—Atari's 

Breakout. 

Sundow has done for the arcade 

game what Robert Pirsig's Zen and 

the An of Motorcycle Maintenance 

did for the Honda. The game is the 

vehicle; the destination is an inti 

mate knowledge of the inner self. 

—ROBIN RASKIN 

FC's Home Library 

Of the many computer books on the 

market, some are fast approaching 

classic status. Not all the informa 

tion in them is new, but ii may be 

new to you. Here are a few that de 

serve special note: 

THE micro millenium. Christopher Ev 

ans. Washington Square Press. 

1979. 308 pp.. paperback, $3.95. 

This book readably traces the 

computer's history and fancifully 

maps its future, discussing the 

benefits and problems computers 

pose to culture and civilization. 

MINDSTORMS; CHILDREN. COMPUTERS, 

and powerful ideas. Seymour Papert. 

Basic Books. 1980. 230 pp.. paper 

back. S6.95. Informative, profound. 

If somewhat technical study exam 

ines the potential of computers, and. 

specifically. LOGO language lo "pro 

vide children with new possibilities 

for learning, thinking, and growing 

emotionally." 

THE PERSONAL COMPUTER HOOK, and 

THE WORD PROCESSING BOOK. Peter 

McWilliams. Prelude Press. 1982. 

300 pp. & 319 pp.. softcover. S9.95 

(both books). Witty, comprehensive 

introductions for the "absolute nov 

ice" include delightful illustrations 

and. most important, buyer's guides 

based on McWilliams's frank ap 

praisal of machines on the market, 

with periodic complementary up 

dates. 

the SOUL OF A new MACHINE, Tracy Kiddcr. 

Avon Books. 1982. 293 pp~, pa 

perback. S3.95. Fascinating. Pulitzer 

Prize—winning account of the inven 

tion and development of a business- 

type microcomputer also profiles 

the team of engineers behind its cre 

ation. SI

ADVERTISER 

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Hytec 

Infocom 

Krell Software Corp. 

Leading Edge cover 2. pg. 1 

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Microzine 

Muse Software 

Plato {Control Data Publishing) 

Protecto 

Rana Systems 

Science 83 

Softsmith 

South-west Publishing 

Spectravideo 

Spinnaker 

The Computer Book Club 

Wizware 

Educational Software Catalog 

for Your Family 

Just Released! Sunburst's new 

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A Go-Everywhere Cordless Phone 

That's A Digital Clock Radio Too! 

SIGN OFF 

IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND, SHOUT 

BY EDWARD ROSENFIELD 

Imagine yourself in a computer 

store. Next to you stands a salesper 

son, babbling on about RAM, ROM, 

and RUN. Do you interrupt this 

stream of computcrese and insist on 

a language you can understand? Or 

do you smile weakly, timidly nod 

your head in agreement, and leave 

the store sure of only one thing: 

"Something must be wrong with me. 

1 didn't understand a word." 

Now picture Harry Truman in the 

same computer store with the same 

incomprehensible salesperson. After 

several minutes, Harry can't take it 

anymore and suddenly shouts, 

"Show me!" People turn around and 

stare. The salesperson is dumb 

founded. Nobody has ever demanded 

that 

But it's time to start making de 

mands; it's time to change our atti 

tudes. No one should have to play 

the role of the intimidated customer 

hovering in the corner. We need to 

take the stance of Harry Truman 

and his fellow Missourians and in 

sist "Show me!" every time a com 

puter baffles us. 

Odds are that the most important 

change to come in the world of com 

puting will not be a change in pro 

gramming language, or a new kind 

of machine. Instead, it will be a 

change in our attitude. Stop think 

ing, "Something must be wrong 

with me." Start thinking something 

must be wrong with them, the peo 

ple who are making computers in 

comprehensible to us, the average 

users. After all, we are the new wave 

of computer buyers. 

How can computer manufacturers 

begin to get the idea that things so 

far have been needlessly difficult for 

the average person? The first step is 

not to let computer salespeople in 

timidate you. It may make their jobs 

easier if you're afraid to ask ques 

tions—or accept answers you're too 

embarrassed to admit you don't un 

derstand—but it won't help you 

make the right decisions. 

BDWfcRD ROSBNFELD is a communications 

consultant to major corporations, and Is 

creative director of Video Music Arts, in 

New York. 


If salespeople find they are forced 

to spend more time with their cus 

tomers in order to answer questions, 

they will help pressure the manufac 

turers to produce equipment that is 

easier to sell. Our attitude must be 

clear: "Explain this to me in a lan 

guage I can understand and maybe 

I'll end up buying this computer." 

Unfortunately, you can't even ex 

pect smooth sailing once you bring 

the computer home. When you sit 

down with your new purchase and 

open up the user's manual, watch 

out. Your self-esteem might take a 

quick plunge—and your anger could 

rise. 

That brings you to the second step 

to improved relations between the 

consumer and the computer manu 

facturer: Take the initiative and 

communicate any frustrations you 

had setting up and operating your 

new computer. 

Many operating manuals are writ 

ten in a way that seems designed to 

test our patience. Don't blame your 

self when you can't recognize a word 

in the first sentence. Remember that 

"bits" and "bytes" and "baud rates" 

are not common household words 

that have somehow escaped your 

family's vocabulary. If it makes you 

feel better, go ahead and hurl the in 

struction pamphlet across the room 

in exasperation. But before you 

blame yourself for your seeming in 

eptitude, ask yourself: "Are these 

IT'S ONLY A COMPUTER 

After battling all the technological 

jargon and computerese, it's easy to 

lose sight of what computers are and 

what they're good for. Here's a list of 

things to keep in mind. 

1. The computer is a machine. 

2. The computer is made by hu 

mans. 

3. Turn off a computer, and it 

usually forgets everything it's ever 

been told. 

4. Computers know only what we 

have told them; therefore computers 

are only as smart as the person who 

programs them. 

5. You control the computer, and 

teach it to control whatever you 

SHOW ME! 

instructions comprehensible?" If 

they're not, write a letter to the man 

ufacturer. 

The only way to change the situa 

tion most consumers encounter is to 

speak up now. Demand clarity, every 

step of the way. Such demands will 

certainly reorient salespeople, and, 

ultimately, will be communicated to 

manufacturers who arc anxious to 

know what people want. 

Start speaking up in these pages. 

Write to family computing and explain 

what you need from your computer 

and accessories. It's up to all of us to 

make sure we get machines that are 

easy to use. forgiving of human foi 

bles and mistakes, and well docu 

mented. If we start demanding such 

changes now. computer makers will 

deliver—and soon. 13 

want: your family budget, your home 

security, a new home business, etc. 

6. Computers do things very 

quickly. This can mean more time 

for you. 

7. Computers are just another 

step in the evolution of communica 

tions. 

8. Computers are only frightening 

because they're so new. Soon we will 

be using them as easily and natural 

ly as we pick up the telephone. 

9. The first computers, like the 

first calculators, were enormous. 

Now calculators fit in a pocket; so do 

some computers. 

10. It's never too early—or too 

late—to start using computers.

Tl 

FUN? 

rid will our children do 

the computer?

1 

ENTER A FANTASTIC WORLD OF FUN 

AND LEARNING! 

WITH 

WHAT IN THE WORLD 

IS A "MICROZINE?" 

Microzine is an interactive magazine on a 

computer disk, and it can open up the world of 

computer learning to your children more effectively 

than any other children's software available today. 

Microzine comes to you from Scholastic. We've 

been trendsetters in children's publishing for 

over 60 years. Now that traditional teaching 

methods are being enhanced by computer-taught 

materials, Scholastic is ready with the innovation 

that creates an ongoing "dialogue" of fun and 

learning between your children and your com 

puter. Like a magazine, but unlike other software 

for children, Microzine is constantly current and 

topical. Your children receive a new four-program 

Microzine disk every other month and build 

their own Microzine Library! 

3 

2 

WHAT CAN YOUR 

. CHILDREN DO WITH 

MICROZINE? 

Microzine can help your 9-13-year-olds take 

advantage of one of the most important uses your 

computer can have: exploring new and more effi 

cient ways of learning and thinking. (If you don't 

own a computer, your children may be able to use 

one at school or a friend's home, or borrow one 

from your local public library.) 

Microzine was created with the recognition that 

today's children take naturally to computers and 

that tomorrow's adults will need to be computer 

literate—no matter what their careers. 

WHAT IS "COMPUTER LITERACY" AND HOW 

• DOES MICROZINE HELP ACCOMPLISH IT? 

At Scholastic, we believe that learning how to utilize a computer's wide-ranging capabilities should be 

an important part of every child's education. This kind of computer literacy is no longer an option, but 

a necessity, if our children are to take their places in the computer age. To this end, Microzine is designed 

to spark enthusiasm and teach these essential skills: 

* following directions 

* vocabulary 

* what a computer 

can do 

* learning to use a computer 

* the nature of programming 

* using the keyboard 

• everyday applications * graphics 

• word processing logic 

* parts of a computer 

• data handling * problem solving

4 •WHAT WILL THE FIRST YEAR OF MICROZINE BRING? 

An ever-expanding library of fun and learning! 

Every eight weeks there are four full-length programs and the variety is incredible: 

Who's that trying to solve 

the Mystery at Pinecrest 

Manor, lost in 

the Northwoods 

Adventure and 

challenging the 

far reaches of 

space on Mission 

to Planet XII? 

Could it be some 

one we know? 

(With Microzine, 

anything is pos 

sible.) All set for 

takeoff on the 

Space Shuttle— 

or maybe a hot air 

balloon race? Wow! 

(Will Microzine 

ever get down 

to Earth?) 

Back safe on 

Planet Earth, 

visit the Pet 

Store. "A fla 

mingo for your 

bathtub? Or 

maybe a rare 

three-humped 

camel?" 

JUST TURN 

THE PAGE TO 

FILL OUT YOUR 

MICROZINE 

REPLY CARD 

NOW! 

BUSINESS REPLY CARD 

FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 2316 HICKSVILLE, N.Y. 

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BYADDRESSEE 

Scholastic, Inc. 

P.O. Box 947 

Education Plaza 

Hicksville, NY 11802 

Too wild? Gift Store 

offers practical 

suggestions for 

everyone from 

Great Uncle 

Oscar to your 

16-year-old 

twin sisters. 

Or explore your 

creative options 

by composing a 

song, writing 

and illustrating 

a book, or invent 

ing your own 

game. 

Microzine is 

always full 

of questions. 

If you've ever 

dreamed of 

talking to a 

computer game 

designer, Ask 

Me gives you 

the chance. You 

won't believe 

all the current 

big stars wait 

ing to ask you 

questions, too. 

NO POSTAGE 

NECESSARY 

IF MAILED 

IN THE 

UNITED STATES 

"1

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BECOME A CHARTER SUBSCRIBER TODAY 

AND YOUR FIRST MICROZINE IS JUST $7.95. 

(A $39.95 VALUE: YOU SAVE $32.00!) 

Thereafter, pay only $24.95, plus shipping and handling, for each Microzine you accept. 

You save nearly 40% off the retail price by subscribing! 

Each bimonthly Microzine Package contains; 

a Microzine Floppy Disk with Four Complete Programs. 

On your first disk, discover: 

1. POSTER. What's two spaces wide, slow, green and 

silent—and changes to three spaces wide, fast, pink 

and squeaky? It's an imaginary paintbrush that 

lets you create as many colorful posters 

as you want! 

2. SECRET FILES. If your children want to 

remember who starred in their favorite horse 

movie of 1982, they need Microzine's elec 

tronic filing system. It works just like the 

electronic filing systems adults use. 

3. ASK ME. Robert Macnaughton of "ET" 

fame is standing by to accept questions—and 

ask a few of your children in return! 

4. HAUNTED HOUSE. There's never been 

a haunted house so funny—or one so willing 

to let you plan your own visit! Like all 

Twistaplotsf this one ends differently every 

time you venture inside. 

NOTE: The first Microzine Package also 

contains a bonus: a separate data disk that 

can be used to save original posters and other 

personal creations! (A $4.95 value.) 

The Microzine Handbook 

After consulting this monthly step-by-step guide written in 

plain English for users 9-13, your children will be able 

to show you how Microzine activities work. Easy-to-follow 

instructions encourage independent work habits, 

creative thinking and follow-through. 

O.K., Scholastic. 

We're ready to enter a fantastic world 

of fun and learning. 

Start our Microzines coming! 

□ Please send us Microzine a 1 (featuring Poster, Secret Files, Ask Me and Haunted House) and enter a 

Charier Subscription to Microzine for the child named below. Bill me the special introductory price of just 

$7.95 (plus shipping, handling and any applicable sales tax). We will be billed $24.95 (plus delivery) for 

every Microzine we keep. After purchasing Microzine » 1, we are never obligated to buy even one addi 

tional Microzine, and we may cancel our subscription at any time. If we arc not delighted with the intro 

ductory Microzine, we may return it within 10 days and pay nothing. 

□ I've already purchased Microzine *■ 1. Please start our subscription with Microzinc "2, for which I will 

be charged just $7.95 (plus shipping, handling and any applicable sales tax). 61010 

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MAGAZINE ON A MICROCOMPUTER DISK. 

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with a home computer 

co 

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COMPUTING 

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off the cover price! 

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INSTEAD OF SAVING FOR YOUR 

KID'S EDUCATION, MAYBE YOU SHOULD 

BE SPENDING FOR IT. 

We'd be the first to encourage parents to save for their kids' education. 

But money alone isn't enough to get anybody into college. Let alone through it. 

At more and more colleges today computer skills are becoming 

mandatory. And at some colleges, those skills are required for 

admission itself. 

But with saving for tuition and room and board, who has money for 

computers? One answer is the Commodore 64. 

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You also get full-color graphics, a nine-scale music synthesizer, 

Univumty

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