NEW: A QL newsletter – QLusa, 419 Parkwood Dr. E., Orange Park, FL 32073; $15 a year-bimontly
NEWS: Speedysoft, Byron House, 15 Lady Byron Lane, Knowle, West Midlands, B93 9AT. Order Spectrum software at low prices from England-pay by plastic (Visa-Mastercard) Enroll a new member and get a FREE game. Some oldies, some goodies, but the price isnt too bad, the shipping charges do bring it up a bit.
REVIEWS: Recent purchases include Omni Calc2 for full size printers, Pixel Print Plus! from Knighted Computers, 10 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and MScript Version 5.3, Font Manager, and Mail Sort/Label Print, from Jack Dohany, 390 Rutherford, Redwood City, CA 94061. I can only give a brief and initial review of the above, as I have had limited time on each of the above.
Omni Calc 2,($19.95) by Microsphere (a TS2068 version by Knighted Computers) comes in Spectrum and 2068. Using the OM64000 version and a print driver you can printout to your full size printer. It is impossible to get into the program to goto disc drives. With the Oliger system a NMI save is the only way to get it to disc, but all saves and loads of data have to be to tape. It is fast by tape, but still hang up. Never having used a spread sheet program before, I found it a little difficult to use. But with a couple hours practice, I started making simple spread sheets, balancing the checkbook and monthly statements. It appears that one could do state and local taxes quite easily. The biggest drawback, only 3 columns, and a permanent left column are on the screen, with 15 rows and if you are like me and forget what is in the 7th column while working on the 13th column, you will have to take notes, or keep bouncing around the spreadsheet. It would be a little nicer in a 64 column screen, but you can’t have everything, can you? One could have a GREAT little spreadsheet program with disc load/save and 64 character screen width.
Pixel Print PLUS! ($19.95) by Stan Lemke. I have not had much luck with this program. I plan to write Stan and ask him how to use the program. This program has several other support programs, for fonts and icons and a Tasword converter at $20 a clip. After I learn how to use it, I will write a review.
MScript Version 5.3 ($25) by Jack Dohany- I bought Version 5.0 a couple years ago, and have not been dissappointed on bit. I have tried Tasword again, but do not like the letters (too hard to read) and find it too confining. 5.3 has a souped up cursor control, cataloging (disc or tape), drive control ( 0 to 3 ), use (tape or disc), Format, Erase, Give Name, and new view memory control and IMBEDDED letter codes (greatly solves many little problems). It is fexible, fast and Easy to use. Of course this is from a long time user of MScript who did not know anything about paging screens with the CS & SS and 6 or 7. The documentation is VAST, read or skim it once you have the program up and running. Try each feature, reread the documentation carefully, and play with it a little. I am waiting for V6,…
Font manager ($20) by Jack Dohany, came with two libraries of fonts, 20 per library but many appear to be the same. About 22 seem different. Works in 32 character mode. Lots to read on this, and I need a lot of time to play with this one, more of a review later.
Mailing label Printer/Sorter, is a modified MScript by Jack Dohany, to Print mailing labels, and the list can be sorted by ZIP or by last name. Additional info can be put in the file, but not printed if preceeded by a semi-colon. As I had my mailing list on Mscriot, it was not much of a chore to put into the Sorter program.
From Vancouver TSUG’s Bits and Pieces…” recent flyer from A+ Response had the following listed:complete QL…$89,QL kit no software…$75,QL chip set,all…$39, QL US power supply…$15, m/carts pak…$15, QL User Guide…$10, QL Tech guide…$10, QL sevice manual…$12
Fred Nachbaur, is getting outa the commercial end of things TS1000- just not enough users.
Ed Grey Enterprises (formerly Grey & Clifford) PO Box 2186, Inglewood, CA 90305, write for catalog.
Brooklyn Close-out Corp. 167 Clymer St., Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-963-2377 still have a few 2068s with 2040s 2 cart and 3 cassettes for $130. a 2040 for $20, a 1000 + 16K for $30….”
For those with a 1000 or 1500, and a modem, and 32K of RAM available PLUS a static RAM board (Hunter) and the ZX-Term-80 RLE graphics are possible. See the June 88 issue of “ZX-Appeal” of the Vancouver Sinclair Users Group. This is by Greg Harder, [address omitted], Denver CO- who donated it to public domain. If you write Mr. Harder dont forget to include A SASE for a reply.
From J. Colonna, SINCUS:-“Xpress News Service-on Newchannels Cable Company Hookup your computer to current news, sports, weather and all, for a one time charge of 11.50, and $15 a month on top of your cable TV sevice. You need a serial port, we provide a cable splitter, a little box and software. First month free.” Call 607-798-8001 if interested.
Chicago Area TSUG’s “NITE-TIMES NEWS” reports:” According to Joe Newman of LIST, A+ Computer Response is no longer selling individual QLs, they have some 800 QLs to sell off.
John McMichael, 1710 Palmer Dr. Laramie, Wyoming 82070 has hooked up a Okimate 20 color printer to his TS2068 via his Commodore 1520 Plotter interface card. He has developed software that enables B&W and COLOR screen dumps, LPRINTing, LLISTing, and printouts from customized MScript Versions 5.0 or 5.2 on the Okimate 20. Send a SASE for price list.
REMOVE Lenslok from Art Studio, in the June issue is a short program which will enable one to get rid of the lenslok copy protection.[ Please refrain from making illegal copies, just play around with your own copy. ]
Note: Please include a SASE or at least postage when expecting a reply from other users, user groups or small businesses. Those quarter dollar stamps can drain what little is in the bank real fast. And to those of you who already do perform this act of courtesy, Thank you.
In case you missed our last issue, we are still trying to help our friends at Knighted Computers, 10 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069, who are still in business and are still active in supporting the 2068 and 1000 series. It was erronously reported in two newsletters and corrected to date in only one. Spread the word- let’s not loose a vendor due to a editor’s mistake!
From member Richard Hurd, “MIDI is coming!” Richard has ordered a Spectrum MIDI I/F, and chose RAM Electronics “MUSIC MACHINE” which has MIDI IN, OUT and THRU. A twistor board is necessary to contect to a 2068. Anyone or group interested in MIDI drop SINCUS a note and we’ll pass it on to Richard. He also notes that John Mattewson is in the final stages of offering a MIDI I/F for the 2068 and will if enough interest build a buffer board for all the peripherals you want to hang off a 2068.
Also from Richard, he wrote for help on getting Spectrum and TS2068 ROM calls, in the last issue Harold Crandall (Oxford, CT) answered him, and Mr. Hurd sends his thanks to you Mr. Crandall. [ Transcontinental sharing of problems and answers, I’m glad we could help ].
Get a disc drive- it will save you time, loading programs in a fraction of the tape time, discs are cheaper than tapes, and in no time you will be trying to get organized, one generates more with a disc, and therefore clutters many a disc with files here there and everywhere, but it is FAST!