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<body>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.<br><br>I miss neither of them.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On October 14, 2020 1:43:12 PM EDT, JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale <ale@ale.org> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
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Prior to Wordperfect was Wordstar. Wordperfect was simpler to use. Of course MS gave away Word to kill Wordperfect.
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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.
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On 10/14/2020 1:22 PM Jim Kinney <jim.kinney@gmail.com> wrote:
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</div>I used Lotus Ami Pro word processor. One floppy. Worked like a champ.
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On October 14, 2020 11:28:05 AM EDT, JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale <ale@ale.org> wrote:
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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.
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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. :-)
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<br>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. :-)
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<br>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.)
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On 10/09/2020 11:06 PM Jim Kinney via Ale <ale@ale.org> wrote:
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</div>I used sc on a slackware install.
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On October 9, 2020 10:51:08 PM EDT, James Taylor via Ale <ale@ale.org> wrote:
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<pre class="k9mail">However, now that I think of it, SuperCalc. <br> <br></pre>
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James Taylor via Ale <ale@ale.org> 10/9/2020 10:49 PM >>>
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<pre class="k9mail">dBase II on an Osborne.<br>Not a spreadsheet, but close enough for then.<br> <br><br>James Taylor<br>678-697-9420<br>james.taylor@eastcobbgroup.com<br><br><br><br></pre>
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Scott Plante via Ale <ale@ale.org> 10/9/2020 2:19 PM >>>
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<pre class="k9mail">I had Visicalc on my TRS-80 Model 4! :-P<br><br>On Thu, Oct 8, 2020 at 11:51 AM JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale <ale@ale.org><br>wrote:<br><br></pre>
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I got my start doing spreadsheets in Lotus 123 Version 1.A when I was in
<br>Accounting. One can do fairly sophisticated modeling and programming
<br>within spreadsheets but even I knew when to move to a database tool.
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<br>Paradox anyone? :D
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<br>Back in the 80s if one submitted a hand written form with calculations on
<br>it, any errors were immediately pointed out by at least one recipient..
<br>However as things moved to spreadsheets printed out people would assume
<br>they were completely correct because "computers don't make mistakes" and
<br>not notice very obvious issues caused by bad formulas or just bad input.
<br>GIGO is real.
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<br>On 10/07/2020 7:06 PM Jim Kinney via Ale <ale@ale.org> wrote:
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<br>BWAHAHAHA!!!
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<br>crash....
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<br>On October 7, 2020 3:17:31 PM EDT, DJ-Pfulio via Ale <ale@ale.org> wrote:
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<br>But, but, but I can connect to the 5TB production Informix DB
<br>with Excel using an ODBC driver. That's completely awesome!
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<br>What? You mean when I do that, production transaction rates drop
<br>80%? No way! I don't believe you.
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<br>/s
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<br>On 10/7/20 2:33 PM, Beddingfield, Allen via Ale wrote:
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<br>I've been fighting the "a spreadsheet is not a database, and Access
<br>is not much better" war for about 25 years.
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<br>From: Ale
<br>
<br><ale-bounces@ale.org> on behalf of Pete Hardie via Ale <ale@ale.org>
<br>Sent: Wednesday, October 7, 2020 1:26 PM To: Jim Kinney; Atlanta
<br>Linux Enthusiasts Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ale] In case you missed
<br>it
<br>
<br>Once again, I repeat my frequent assertion that a spreadsheet is not
<br>a database, and your admin assistant probably does not have a
<br>CS/Programming degree
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<br>On Wed, Oct 7, 2020 at 2:19 PM Jim Kinney via Ale
<br><ale@ale.org<mailto:ale@ale.org>> wrote: Excel blew up in the faces
<br>of UK healthcare.
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<br>
<a href="https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/05/excel_england_coronavirus_contact_error/">https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/05/excel_england_coronavirus_contact_error/</a>
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<pre class="k9mail">Ale mailing list<br>Ale@ale.org<br><a href="https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale">https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale</a><br>See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at<br><a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo</a><br></pre>
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<pre class="k9mail">Ale mailing list<br>Ale@ale.org<br><a href="https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale">https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale</a><br>See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at<br><a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo</a><br></pre>
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<br>Computers amplify human error
<br>Super computers are really cool_______________________________________________
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<br>Computers amplify human error
<br>Super computers are really cool
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</blockquote></div><br>-- <br>Computers amplify human error<br>Super computers are really cool</body></html>