[ale] [EXTERNAL] Re: In case you missed it

Jim Kinney jim.kinney at gmail.com
Thu Oct 15 07:51:50 EDT 2020


I had a toshiba laptop that used 4 C batteries. It had wordstar in ROM along with a spreadsheet, database, and a coms program for the built in 1200b modem. An external cassette recorder was used for file storage. OS was CP/M. Really nice keyboard. Amber screen. Used it as a console to an HP server over it's serial port.

I miss neither of them.

On October 14, 2020 1:43:12 PM EDT, JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>Prior to Wordperfect was Wordstar.   Wordperfect was simpler to use. 
>Of course MS gave away Word to kill Wordperfect.
>
>One of the things Symphony did was it had a word processing mode and I
>suspect Ami Pro was a derivation of that word processing functionality.
>
>
>>     On 10/14/2020 1:22 PM Jim Kinney <jim.kinney at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>     I used Lotus Ami Pro word processor. One floppy. Worked like a
>champ.
>> 
>>     On October 14, 2020 11:28:05 AM EDT, JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale
><ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> 
>>         > >         Lotus 123 was the up and coming "killer app" for
>IBM PCs and had supplanted VisiCalc so I never used the latter.  I did
>have a personal Adam Computer (Coleco's offering back in the day) which
>had Coleco Calc installed.  It was woefully painful to use compare to
>123 on PC compatibles.
>> > 
>> >         Lotus made Symphony as an extension of 123 (it had the
>features of 123 plus others not in 123).  In the late 80s I had a boss
>bring SuperCalc in as he thought it was the greatest thing since sliced
>bread.  I used to kid him that it was actually a communist plot to
>reduce America's technological superiority.  :-)
>> > 
>> >         He told me once that there was nothing Lotus could do that
>SuperCalc couldn't.  I had him pull up the copy of Symphony I'd
>installed on his PC then attach via serial to our UNIX based Property
>Management System using its built in terminal emulator.   He admitted
>SuperCalc couldn't do that.  - I didn't tell him 123 couldn't either. 
>:-)
>> > 
>> >         There was another one around in those days I think from
>Borland.   It seemed to be OK as well but I never saw the need to go
>away from Lotus until MS began giving Exel away.   (Even then I
>resisted but eventually corporate America killed Lotus.  Interestingly
>after that MS no longer saw the need to give away office software.)
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> >             > > >             On 10/09/2020 11:06 PM Jim Kinney via
>Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >             I used sc on a slackware install.
>> > > 
>> > >             On October 9, 2020 10:51:08 PM EDT, James Taylor via
>Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> > > 
>> > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >                 However, now that I think of it, SuperCalc. 
>> > > >                  
>> > > > 
>> > > >                     > > > > > 
>> > > > >                         > > > > > > 
>> > > > > >                             > > > > > > > James Taylor via
>Ale <ale at ale.org> 10/9/2020 10:49 PM >>>
>> > > > > > > 
>> > > > > > >                         > > > > > > 
>> > > > > >                     > > > > > 
>> > > > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >                 dBase II on an Osborne.
>> > > >                 Not a spreadsheet, but close enough for then.
>> > > >                  
>> > > > 
>> > > >                 James Taylor
>> > > >                 678-697-9420
>> > > >                 james.taylor at eastcobbgroup.com
>> > > > 
>> > > > 
>> > > > 
>> > > > 
>> > > >                     > > > > > 
>> > > > >                         > > > > > > 
>> > > > > >                             > > > > > > > Scott Plante via
>Ale <ale at ale.org> 10/9/2020 2:19 PM >>>
>> > > > > > > 
>> > > > > > >                         > > > > > > 
>> > > > > >                     > > > > > 
>> > > > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >                 I had Visicalc on my TRS-80 Model 4! :-P
>> > > > 
>> > > >                 On Thu, Oct 8, 2020 at 11:51 AM JEFFREY
>LIGHTNER via Ale <ale at ale.org>
>> > > >                 wrote:
>> > > > 
>> > > > 
>> > > >                     > > > > > I got my start doing spreadsheets
>in Lotus 123 Version 1.A when I was in
>> > > > >                     Accounting. One can do fairly
>sophisticated modeling and programming
>> > > > >                     within spreadsheets but even I knew when
>to move to a database tool.
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     Paradox anyone? :D
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     Back in the 80s if one submitted a hand
>written form with calculations on
>> > > > >                     it, any errors were immediately pointed
>out by at least one recipient..
>> > > > >                     However as things moved to spreadsheets
>printed out people would assume
>> > > > >                     they were completely correct because
>"computers don't make mistakes" and
>> > > > >                     not notice very obvious issues caused by
>bad formulas or just bad input.
>> > > > >                     GIGO is real.
>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     On 10/07/2020 7:06 PM Jim Kinney via Ale
><ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     BWAHAHAHA!!!
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     crash....
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     On October 7, 2020 3:17:31 PM EDT,
>DJ-Pfulio via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     But, but, but I can connect to the 5TB
>production Informix DB
>> > > > >                     with Excel using an ODBC driver. That's
>completely awesome!
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     What? You mean when I do that, production
>transaction rates drop
>> > > > >                     80%? No way! I don't believe you.
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     /s
>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     On 10/7/20 2:33 PM, Beddingfield, Allen
>via Ale wrote:
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     I've been fighting the "a spreadsheet is
>not a database, and Access
>> > > > >                     is not much better" war for about 25
>years.
>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     From: Ale
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     <ale-bounces at ale.org> on behalf of Pete
>Hardie via Ale <ale at ale.org>
>> > > > >                     Sent: Wednesday, October 7, 2020 1:26 PM
>To: Jim Kinney; Atlanta
>> > > > >                     Linux Enthusiasts Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re:
>[ale] In case you missed
>> > > > >                     it
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     Once again, I repeat my frequent
>assertion that a spreadsheet is not
>> > > > >                     a database, and your admin assistant
>probably does not have a
>> > > > >                     CS/Programming degree
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     On Wed, Oct 7, 2020 at 2:19 PM Jim Kinney
>via Ale
>> > > > >                     <ale at ale.org<mailto:ale at ale.org>> wrote:
>Excel blew up in the faces
>> > > > >                     of UK healthcare.
>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                    
>https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/05/excel_england_coronavirus_contact_error/
>> > > > >                    
>---------------------------------------------
>> > > > >                     Ale mailing list
>> > > > >                     Ale at ale.org
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>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                     --
>> > > > >                     Computers amplify human error
>> > > > >                     Super computers are really
>> > > > >                    
>cool_______________________________________________
>> > > > >                     Ale mailing list
>> > > > >                     Ale at ale.org
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>> > > > >                    
>---------------------------------------------
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>> > > > > 
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                 > > > >                
>---------------------------------------------
>> > > > 
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>> > > > 
>> > > > 
>> > > >                 ---------------------------------------------
>> > > > 
>> > > >                 Ale mailing list
>> > > >                 Ale at ale.org
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>> > > > 
>> > > >             > > > 
>> > >             --
>> > >             Computers amplify human error
>> > >             Super computers are really
>cool_______________________________________________
>> > >             Ale mailing list
>> > >             Ale at ale.org
>> > >             https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>> > >             See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>> > >             http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>> > > 
>> > >         > > 
>> >     > 
>>     --
>>     Computers amplify human error
>>     Super computers are really cool
>> 

-- 
Computers amplify human error
Super computers are really cool
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