Msg: 1395 *Conference*
01-22-92 17:34:48
From: LEX JENKINS
To : SETH KIMMEL
Subj: TWO CENTS WORTH!
Hi, Seth, Caught your message regarding accessories for the Model 100 and wanted to throw in my two cents. I believe that most of those products you mentioned are hard to find, although Club 100 carries many similar items. Traveling Software now sells and supports only MS-DOS products and has turned over its interest in most Model 100/102/200 products to Club 100, which is good for those of us who like 'em. I'm not sure what's happened to PCSG, but since they're in my neck of the plains (Fort Worth/Dallas) I'll give 'em a call. Regarding the Booster Paks: unfortunately, it appears they've been dropped. You might find a used one. Be certain it's for the Model 100, if you want to retrofit it to your present laptop - the 102 has an entirely different system bus. I know that Marty Pekar and I have Model 102's with Booster Paks and I doubt either of us would sell or trade 'em! On the other hand, you still can get most of the best stuff the Booster Pak's got, without its extra size and weight: RAM expansion up to 32K (well, 29638, actually), RAMdisk-type chips, programs on ROM, etc. My Booster Pak has a 1 meg RAMdisk, 1200 baud internal battery powered modem, ROM programs including Ultimate ROM II, T-Word with Sardine, Lucid and X-Tel, and sockets for several more ROM and/or RAM IC's. With all that, it's too much and not enough! I got the 102 along with a DVI, which was useless because the system bus needed by the DVI was taken up by the Booster Pak. So I didn't have a disk drive that would work with it, but didn't think I'd need one for a while, either. Wrong. I quickly filled up all but 40K of the RAMdisk (I use mine at work daily), and began scrambling for my old cassette recorder to offload some files. While the 102 with Booster Pak is terrific, it does have its drawbacks, and some of its "features" have been of little benefit to me: 1) With 5 NiCad AA batteries, 4 AA alkalines, 1 9-volt, and a lithium battery for the RAMdisk, it's twice as thick and heavy as a standard 100/102. It fills up my briefcase and makes it difficult to close; 2) The internal 1200 baud modem uses the RS-232 serial port, which I also use to print files on our HP LaserJet II at work, so I must plug, unplug and replug daily; 3) I like the 1200 baud modem, but I could get by with the built-in 300, and save the few ounces the internal modem and its 9-volt battery add; 4) Other than a trial run, I haven't used the T-Word with Sardine ROM. I've always enjoyed looking through the dictionary, and I dont' get the same pleasure from an electronic spelling checker; 5) I like some programs on the Ultimate ROM II, namely T-Word, X-Tel, ROM-View 80 and T-Base (in that order). I haven't found a use for IDEA!, which is painfully slow. Much as I like my Booster Pak, I could get by with a "stock" Model 100/102 with a 32K workspace, a 32K RAMdisk, and one ROM: Lucid or Multiplan (spreadsheet programs). I have both. Lucid is faster, more flexible and more powerful. It's also more difficult to learn because of a mediocre manual. Multiplan's documentation is excellent, and if I had used it first I probably wouldn't even miss Lucid. That'll take care of your financial calculation needs, once you've set up the formulas. The rest of the goodies in the Booster Pak can be matched by programs in Club 100's library: enhanced word processing, database and telecommunications features. And I stongly recommend SIDKIK.BA, in the Menu 7 Uploads section. It does what ADDRSS and SCHEDL do, but better. It also includes multiple alarms, an automatic appointment reminder, calculator and calendars. It is my favorite single program beyond those built into the Model 100/102. It's a little tricky to set up, so read SIDKIK.DOC too. Good luck! <Lex>