PC World (January 1989)

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Source: PC World (January 1989)

PC World was one of the most well known and widely distributed PC related magazines for many years. There was a LOT of content in 1989. This issue has over 300 pages. This was the better part of 5 years before I had my first “PC” (I had a Commodore 64). If you were using a PC you were probably using DOS though you might have been using Windows 2. XT compatible machines featuring an 8088 or 8086 processor were still widely in use but if you were lucky you had a 286 or even a 386 but those were expensive. The January 1989 issue of PC World includes:

Reviews

  • Fast Floppy Backup – Reviews and comparisons of six backup tools designed to back up your hard drive to floppy drives. This was when a typical hard drive could be anywhere from 20MB to over 100MB and you were probably using a 1.2MB 5.25″ floppy drive (though it could be as small as a 360K disk drive). Tools looked at here include Fastback Plus, Corefast, Back-It, PC-Fullback, BackEZ and DS Backup+.
  • The Hardware Shelf
    • Intel Connection CoProcessor – A PC fax expansion card designed to convert disk files to fax format and send them to a fax machine.
    • NEC PowerMate 386 – A high-end 20-MHz 386 based computer with 2MB RAM, 1.2MB floppy drive, 130MB ESDI hard drive and a whopping 237 watt power supply. All for the low price of $9295. Apparently this is a poor performer compared to similar IBM and Dell machines.

    • Mitsubishi MP 286 – A 12-MHz 286 based computer for $3895 which is cheaper than a similar model Compaq Deskpro but about $1000 more than other comparable machines.
    • Microscience HH-3120 – A 112MB SCSI hard drive for $1195.
    • ThumbScan PCBoot – A unique hardware based security device that consists of an add-in board and key fob. Upon boot, the screen flashes while you hold up the key fob. Then a PIN appears in the key fob for you to type in to gain access to the PC.
  • The Software Shelf
    • AlphaWorks 1.0 – A low-end integrated software package featuring a word processor, database, spreadsheet, and telecommunications that uses dBASE III and 1-2-3 file formats.
    • WordStar Professional 5.0 – The latest version of this once powerhouse word processing package that features updates for desktop publishing, mail merge, menus, and more.
    • Windows/286 2.1 – The latest version of Windows. It didn’t REALLY get popular until version 3 though.
    • Norton Commander 2.0 – A DOS shell enhancement that adds things like directory trees and the ability to display 1-2-3 and dBASE files along with much more.
    • SpinRite 1.2b – One of the best hard drive utilities of the time. Allows you to reformat a drive without losing date, reset a disk’s interleave ratio, and more.

Feature

  • Buyers’ Guide: EMS 4.0 Memory Boards – Memory expansion was much more complicated in the XT/AT days. The EMS 4.0 standard allowed 8088 CPUs to access up to 32MB of RAM with an individual executable using up to 1MB. This overview covers twenty-one EMS 4.0 memory boards to extend your PC beyond the 640K barrier.

News

  • Top of the News – AST releases three new 386 based systems starting at $4195; Plus Development ships hard drive targeted for network file services; Hayes introduces first V.42 modem, $899 for 2400bps and $1299 for 9600bps; and more.
  • Industry Outlook – A new category of software is coming: Personal Information Mangers; new laptops feature lighter screens and disk drives; 80286 based laptop sales exceed 8086/8088 based machines and expected to continue growing fast; Digital Video Interactive (DVI) offers multimedia capabilities; and more.
  • Product Outlook – New products include the PS/2 Model 30 286, Turbo Pascal 5.0 and Turbo C 2.0, Adobe Illustrator, and more.
  • Briefly Noted – A brief look at upcoming products including DualPage and PS 2000 monochrome monitors, FlexCache 25386DT memory cache for 386 machines, TG-1140 40MB tape backup system, and more.
  • Update – Updates to existing products include AST’s Premium/286 Model 140V which offers new VGA graphics and a memory board, version 2.0 of Fastback Plus, and more.

How To’s

  • Accelerating Excel – Various tips for Excel to help improve productivity including pre-selecting the data entry area, using mass data entry, Filling instead of Copying, using custom number formats, and more.
  • Macros for Word – Twenty tools for Word in the form of macros. Macros given here include saving the current document in ASCII format, making a document double spaced, toggling hidden text, justifying text, listing files in a specific documents directory, drawing a box, opening and closing notes, selecting a printer, and more.
  • Tips and Techniques – Design tips for creating and organizing a worksheet; WordStar tips for printing a file to ASCII, running Telmerge as a stand-alone communications program, stripping carriage returns from an ASCII file, and more; tips for maintaining your LaserJet printer; modem commands and other tips; and more.

Perspectives

  • Richard Landry – Between 1984 and 1987 the cost of business PC ownership more than doubled from $7500 to $18,000 but return on investment remained flat at 10%. However, upcoming improvements in multitasking and GUI development are expected to improve productivity.
  • Letters – Letters from readers about WordStar, the GridCase 1520, accounting software, and more.
  • David Bunnell – Discussion about creating a national network for education. The Internet seemed to supersede any such concept. I know four years later the college I went to was already Internet connected.
  • Stewart Alsop – IBM licenses NextStep from Next (headed by Steve Jobs at the time).
  • Another Angle – ISA vs. MCA vs. EISA…

Departments

  • In This Issue – A preview of what to expect in this issue.
  • 1988 Annual Index – An index of the previous year’s (1988) reviews, features and how to’s.
  • Consumer Watch – Beware of recommendations from your computer dealer…they’re probably getting paid to push certain products; Make sure that when you buy online, you are getting everything you need. E.g. a $1599 laser printer really is going to cost you $1720 if it doesn’t include a toner cartridge and cable; Beware of cheap power supplies (good advice still today); when buying a computer pay attention to the number of free slots, not just total slots; and more advice.
  • The Help Screen – Printing worksheets on legal sized paper in landscape mode on a Laser Jet Series II; dot matrix printer recommendations, using multiple config.sys files, advice for computers in the classroom, connecting an external floppy drive to an IBM PC; and more.

…and more!


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