This issue I want to review a manual written by Mike Fink, of Domino Cubes , a Z88 hardware and software vendor. This manual can be purchased from Domino Cubes for $10.00, or can be gotten free with the purchase of a Z88.
The Manual A starts out by telling you that it is written for people that know nothing about computers. This is not quite true, as he does use terms almost immediately that are not in the jargon of the non-computer literate. Examples are cursor, reset, word processing. This may seem minor, but it is the area where most texts that claim to be for the absolute beginner fall down. A glossary should be available at the beginning, or each new term (new to non users) defined as it is first used, possibly with an example given. With this done I would have much more faith in manuals. Aside from this point, the manual assumes only that you can read and understand English. With the manual that comes from Cambridge when you buy your Z88, I believe that the learning curve (amount of time it takes to assimilate data) can be shortened for new users of the Z88.
The manual starts out by getting you to get the computer turned on and introducing you to the uses of the various keys on the keyboard. By the time you are done you will have learned the rudiments of navigating the keyboard and the various menus. You are started off in Pipedream, and cover how to use it as a word processor, and then briefly what to do to use it as a spreadsheet. Where necessary, you are referred back to the Cambridge manual and given the page numbers to use.
The manual then goes on to cover the Diary, Printer Editor, Panel, and then BBC Basic. For those raised on Sir Clive’s other computers, the coverage of BBC Basic is necessary, as there are changes, but not so many that this can not easily be overcome. This was necessary as Sinclair gave up his own Sinclair Basic and QL Super Basic to Amstrad a few years back (not that they have done anything with Super Basic since then). At this point Mike goes on to cover the Calendar, the Alarm, and Formatting. This covers the original part of the manual.
The rest of the Manual A consists of excerpts from various sources, such as Cambridge Z88 NewsNotes, Z88 EPROM (a small English magazine and club devoted to the Z88) and PIPELINE (a short lived magazine started by Time Designs Magazine and Paul Bingham).
Would I say that the Manual A was worth $10.00? Definitely yes, particularly for someone new to computers. I have been a computer user since 1974 and managed to learn things about the Z88 that were not readily apparent with the material that came with my Z88. It is not perfect and has a few minor misspellings, but the data on how to use this little portable computer is what we are after, not an “A” on a book report!
I inherited my review copy of this manual for the Z88 from a friend, and am glad I got the chance to see it. Mike Fink of Domino Cubes also has a Manual B for the more advanced user of the Z88. I hope to get a chance to review it in a future issue of UPDATE Magazine, the best source for Sinclair users in North America.
This manual can be obtained from Domino Cubes , 1800 7th Ave. Suite 1-C, New York, New York 10026. The phone number is 212-749-7061.