An Independent Publication for Users of HP Palmtop Computers

Editor's Message .••••.••.••••.••.•.•• E U.S. $7.95

10- The Beginning of the End of an Era •.•• , •

~ Hewlett·Packard will stop production of the HP Palmtop on Q) .c Nov. 1, 1999 . E ::::I Z User to User co- PPalmtop Q) Hal announces a bright idea for the Palmtop, backlighting, E and gives his appraisal of a DOS emulator for WinCE ::::I machines. o > New Products •.•.••••.••.••••.••••. 1 New PalEdn·related PIM Program, Outlook synchronization, Database corruption tester, IR desktop·Palmtop data transfe

• I . 1.' The XTree Alternative ••.•..•.•.••.•. 1: To Filer, X·Finder, Norton Commander, Stereo Shell, add one more file manager program. A veteran user of NEWS Flash! XTreeGold extols its benefits. -. • • I ' • I ••

MUPs •••••••.•.••••.••••.•.••••..• 1 More unusual prose from the Most Unusual Places.

Through The Looking Glass: Add Some Intelligence to Your Palmtop! .•••.••••• 1 Ed examines several artificial intelligence programs and expert systems that work as DOS applications on the HP "Reports of my death Palmtop. have been greatly ~ exagerrated." ~ -Mark Twain Using Your Palmtop to Achieve Financial Independence ••.•••.••.••••.••••••. 2 Can your Palmtop help you achieve financial indepen· New Software, New Upgrades Keep Coming! dence? According to one Palmtop user the answer is ... "Yes!'

Basic Tips ••.•.•.••••.••••.•.••.•.•. 2~

Quick Tips ••.•.••••• •. ••••.•.••••.•. 2!

Advertiser's Index .•••.•••..•.••••.•. 3:

09) PLUS ••• Files on Sept/Oct 1999 ON DISK ...•• . ....• 3: • Arlificiallntelligence and the Palmtop • PROFILE: Using Your Palmtop to Achieve o 7447083112 9 Financial Independence Over 1200 Games, Programs and Utilities lo~r~ palmtop! ~~------~ TheHP Palmtop Paper's

2 CD Deluxe Edition What'sNEW Thousands of products in one! in 19991 "The co InfoBase is one of those 4 650 happy situations where the value Commercial DOS Programs, FREE! Complete Manuals: Megabytes of fast-answer of a product vastly exceeds cost. " - Lotus Agenda • MicroREF DOS and Lotus 1-2-3 hyper-text info, palmtop soft­ - WordPerfect's DataPerfect • 200LX User's Guide ware and e-text classics. • 100/200/700LX Developer'S Guide Here's what HP Palmtop - Button's PC File users have to say about - Free form Square Notes - Accounting Pro 10 1200 The HP Palmtop Paper's - Lotus Magellan Ten minutes to load and master Project Gutenberg e-text files for Ten seconds to find any answer .CD InloBase: Over 200 new and updated you to download and read on Palmtop programs your palmtop. Classics, historical "The CD InfoBase is the ideal documents and more. A lifetime's reference source .... " - Great new software from Japan 45 reading as a free bonus! So much -David Shier, Shier Systems with English documentation material, it gets its own CD! All the freeware and shareware "All palmtop users would - New DOS finds from 45 1991-98 issues of The - Updated popular palmtop games HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK and benefit from having this CD. " and utilities Bonus Issues. -Dara Khoyi, Florida 1200 "It's a great product and well worth PC In Your Pocket and HP Palmtop the money/" Shareware and Freeware Games, - Thomas Rundel, Germany Technical Reference Manual 49 Programs and Utilities. All the inHTML 1991-98 Issues of The HP software that has ever been pro­ "The CD is a downright bargain. " From your desktop or palmtop web Palmtop Paper and Bonus vided on The HP Palmtop Paper -Stan Dobrowski, TeamHP browser, now you can read Ed Keefe's classic Issues in an easy-reading fast­ ON DISK. containing lOO's of ideas of practical uses of search hyper-text format. "I thought the CD was terrific - very the HP Palmtop. useful. " Programmers will appreciate a second -Dorothy Colton, Hewlett-Packard copy of the Tech Reference Manual designed The HP Palmtop Paper's New to be read using HV on the Palmtop.

More Gutenberg Etexts 1999 CD InfoBase 1st-Time It's not one product, it's thousands! Our second CD of Etexts is now com­ CD InfoBase Buyer ... $129.00 #CD9 pletely full. Additional works from Verne, Huxley, Longfellow, Marx, Austen, HG The new 1999 CD InfoBase is the most powerful tool for Wells, Darwin, Woolfe, Lewis, London, Grey, your HP Palmtop because it contains thousands of others. If UPGRADE from '96/'97/'98 Burroughs plus documents such as the you already have the '96, '97 or '98 CD, here's your chance Federalist Papers have been added for your to get everything from 1998 for what the '98 ON DISK Back CD InfoBase •.•.•.••••••.• $79.95 #CU99 palmtop pleasure and reference. Issues alone would cost. If you've never owned a CD InfoBase, we urge you to take advantage ofthis no-risk offer 1998 Issues of HP Palmtop Paper Why walt? The sooner you order the sooner you can start today and see for yourself. If you don't like it, simply return enjoying the benefits of a fully empowered palmtop! Act now! All 6 1998 issues of The HP Palmtop Paper it for a full refund. You take no risk! have been merged into the gigantic palmtop knowledgebase for fast searches.

Order Online: www.PalmtopPaper.com or Call: 800-313-8114/515-412-8330 Fax: 515-412-1819 , Editor.s Message

Eulogy for A Palmtop

On July 6, Hewlett-Packard announced that it would cease production of the HP 200LX and HP 1000CX com­ puters as of November 1,1999. We anticipated that HP would pull the plug on the Palmtop sooner or later, but we hoped that the announcement would come later The lIP Palmtop Paper rather than sooner. Nothing lasts forever and, in the computer business, software and hardware seldom lasts for more than a couple of years. It is to the credit of the HP Palmtop that it lasted for seven years. During its product life­ time it led to the creation of at least a dozen third-party companies, countless Volume 8/Issue 5 users groups and an active online community. It provided material to fill fifty September/October 1999 issues of The HP Palmtop Paper, a book, and almost a hundred disks and CDs full of information and programs that stretched the machine to its limits and Executive Editor/Publisher beyond. Hal Goldstein ([email protected]) Publications Director The only thing that has passed away is Hewlett-Packard's presence in the Richard Hall Palmtop market. What endures is the Palmtop itself. Thaddeus Computing plans Managing Editor Ed Keefe ([email protected]) to continue to support the machine and its users for at least three years. Art Director The word "eulogy" means to speak well of something. So this issue of The AI Constantineau HP Palmtop Paper like every issue of PTP is a eulogy for the Palmtop. We con­ Technical Editor tinue to speak the praises of those who designed the machine and brought it Tom Gibson Department Editor to market. Even more so, we eulogize the hundreds of people who have added Wayne Kneeskern value to the Palmtop with new software and hardware. We eulogize those Contributing Writers who contributed their time and expertise to make the Palmtop a "true person­ Robin Clarke, Paul Merrill, al computer." Linda Worthington Circulation In this issue, I introduce the topic of Artificial Intelligence on the Palmtop. Marge Enright This is something that has not been mentioned in the context of a handheld com­ Sandy Spees puter but it seems like a natural place for this kind of application. Executive Advisor Rita Goldstein Robin Clarke's article on using XTreeGold on the Palmtop shows that there For orders or customer service is yet another tool to manage all the files on our favorite machine. [email protected] The HI' Palmtop Paper (ISSN 10656189) is pub­ Paul Merrill, a former editor of The HP Palmtop Paper, tells how he uses his lished by Thaddeus Computing Inc., at no North Palmtop in his occupation of renovating older dwellings and then putting Court Street, Fairfield, IA 52556. Periodical postage paid at Fairfield, Iowa. Subscription rates payable in them back on the market. U.s. dollars, checks drawn on a U.S. bank, or by credit card - one year: $39; two years: $69. Postage: In his User to User Column, Hal Goldstein writes about the first attempt to U.S. and U.S. possessions free; Canada, Mexico add $6 per year; other countries add $18 per year. put DOS software in a Windows CE machine and offers the brightest idea yet Published bi-monthly. Please allow four to six weeks for the Palmtop: backlighting! for receipt of first issue. Executive, Editorial, Circulation, Marketing and Advertising Offices: no North Court Street, Fairfield, IA 52556. Telephone: (515) 472-6330, FAX: (515) 472-1879. Copyright 1999, Thaddeus Computing. Inc., all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repm­ duced without written permission. Reasonable efforts are made to pmvide accurate and useful information, but the reader must make his or her own investiga­ tions and decisions; the Publisher and Editorial Staff cannot assume any responsibility or liability for the use of infllrmation contained herein. POSTMASTER: Please send any address changes to TIlC HP Paimf<>p Paper, Attn: 1baddeus Computing, Inc., no North Court Street, Fairfield, IA 52556.

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 1 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS The Beginning of the End of an Era

Hewlett-Packard will stop production of the HP Palmtop on Nov. 1,1999.

By Ed Keefe

n June, a memo appeared on the been on the market for only 2 years stolen or irreparably damaged. If you I HPLX-L mailing list and, from (see sidebar on page 5). want to buy a new Palmtop, now is the there, went out to all the mem­ time to do it before the supply runs bers on the list. The memo said that Reactions from Palmtop Users out. Used, like new, Palmtops should Hewlett-Packard planned to discon­ Within hours of HP's posting of the be available for the next three years. tinue production of the 200LX and press release, the news spread through­ In the long term HP wants you to IOOOCX as of Nov. 1, I999! out the Palmtop community. The buy one of their Windows CE Palmtop users anticipated that the responses from users ranged, in tone, machines. The announcement from announcement was coming but HP from grudging acceptance to outright HP indicated that HP 200LX users had indicated, in private communi­ anger: in other words, the classic reac­ would want to "upgrade" to one of cations, that they would not make this tions people experience at the death of the "great" handheld devices in the decision before the end of the year. a friend. For a sample of some of these HP Jornada line. Needless to say, the memo gener­ reactions, see the end of this article. This upgrade appears to be a sen­ ated a rash of responses from long sible choice for a casual user of the HP time Palmtop users. Many of the peo­ What Does It All Mean? Palmtop. Most casual users of the HP ple who read the memo responded After a flurry of reactions, the 200LX run their machines in much with letters to HP arguing that it was online user community admitted that the same way that they ran their HP not in the best interests of the com­ the announcement really didn't mat­ 95LX. They get good mileage out of pany to pull the plug on the only ter in the short run. Life goes on and the Appointment Book and Phone available DOS Palmtop. so does the Palmtop. Book. They typically do not venture In spite of arguments to the con­ In the short term, it means that into the realm of custom databases, trary, HP made the announcement offi­ HP will not be producing an upgrade elaborate spreadsheets, electronic mail cial on July 6 in a press release posted to the HP 200LX. The hoped-for suc­ or add-on DOS and System Manager on the HP Web site at www.hp.com/ cessor to the HP Palmtop, a small PC programs. Few have used HP Calc jornada/ news/ discontinue200.html with more than an 80186 processor, beyond an occasional foray into the (see sidebar on page 4). more memory, backlit screen, etc. will TVM application. In short, their On July 7, the New York Times fea­ not be forthcoming from HP. investment of time and effort in the tured an article by Steve Headlam on In the short run, the announcement HP Palmtop is minimal. This is as it the demise of the HP 200LX. The arti­ means that, if you intend to use the should be, given that most people cle referred to the Palmtop as a "cult Palmtop for several more years, it who bought an HP 200LX are busy classic" and quoted the remarks of would pay to order a second (or third) people who may have little comput­ several Palmtop users including Hal machine that can be tucked away er knowledge. The Jornada handheld Goldstein, publisher of The HP Palmtop where it will be safe and ready to go. would let them do much of what they Paper (see sidebar on page 3). Granted the HP Palmtop you have will do with their Palmtop and they could At about the same time CNet probably last for several more years connect to the World Wide Web and News posted a story about HP's deci­ of normal use. However, consider what send and receive e-mail "out of the sion to stop producing the Palmtop your choices of palm-sized computers box." They might also enjoy the eye­ which, they mistakenly claimed, had would be if your Palmtop were lost, catching, color screen.

2 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 However, for power users, the sug­ Comments on the New York Times Article: gestion that a Windows CE machine is an "upgrade" is ridiculous. Most Bewlett-Pa()kard to Shut nown Production of aCult Favorite power users have spent time, money, and effort to push the Palmtop into We were unable to secure permission database so easily." Its fans created areas where it was not meant to go. to freely quote the full text of the article by what he described as a "Linux-like Consider something like Software Steve Headlam . In place of the article we library of hundreds of applications" Carousel that will let you have up to offer, here, selected portions of the article (www.palmtop.net). including a drug 12 versions of the Palmtop in one and a commentary on what the author formula program for doctors and machine. Consider that the Palmtop wrote about the demise of the HP Palmtop. another that allowed users to turn community has gathered over 1500 Steve's opening remarks com­ the horizontal screen on its side to programs that are known to work on pared the incredulity of HP 200LX read a book page. the machine. Consider that you can fans, at the news that the Palmtop Yet another quote came from Jeff now have up to 96 MB of disk space in would soon be gone, to the increduli­ Johns, a deputy sheriff with the the machine. Consider that others have ty of some Elvis fans. Like fans of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department spent hundreds of thousands of dollars King, Palmtop fans just can't believe in Birmingham, Ala. Jeff claimed that for custom designed, vertical market that the King is gone. (Ed: I've known besides doing business with his software. Stockbrokers, realtors, insur­ the Palmtop and I've lived with the Palmtop, e.g. running criminal checks ance sales people, railroad conduc­ Palmtop for six years and, trust me, the on his 200LX, he rigged it up to an tors, engineers and people in the med­ Palmtop is not Elvis. Yes, HP will soon antenna made of coat hangers, then ical profession have all come to rely on be withdrawing from the market, but the to his police antenna, to talk to the Mir their HP Palmtop. Many of their spe­ Palmtop will live on). space station. "How many policemen cialized applications will not run on a Steve quoted Kevin Havre, do you know who exchange mes­ standard WinCE machine. A full Hewlett-Packard's technical market­ sages with cosmonauts while driving upgrade would mean additional ing manager for North America who around in their squad car?" (Ed: Like expense and a long delay in coming up said "I haven't had to work to sell the HP Palmtop, the MIR is also being to speed yet again. one in two years. It has one of the put out of business. However, it's being most loyal followings I've ever seen. replaced with something equally, or more, Can Others Pick Up the Ball The Palmtop was designed to work as useful. Would that we could say the same Dropped by lIP? a sole computer, not as an appendage thing about HP's commitment to "true, The idea that there will never be to a desktop. It's the smallest Pc. The personal computing.") an upgrade for the Palmtop inspired Palmtop was a PC. A full PC. Period." The final quote in the article came several users to start designing such (Ed: To me this is the most revealing quote from Walter Francis, an assembly line a machine on their own. The HPLX­ in the article. From the lips of an HP operator in Kentucky, who described L mail list has gathered a "wish list manager, we now have an admission that his Palmtop as "a computer that can and several members on the list are HP did little or nothing to market the do everything a desktop can do. It fits looking at costs. The eventual out­ Palmtop. If they had, you would probably in your pocket and runs for weeks on come could be a "request for propos­ not be reading this article.) two AA batteries." He was less mag­ al." There is no promise implied that The NY Tunes article also quoted nanimous about Hewlett-Packard's such a machine would ever be built. Hal Goldstein, publisher of The HP decision to discontinue the line. "Most It does show that there is an interest Palmtop Paper: "The Palmtop's size users of the JX)5 LX Palmtops abhor in an advanced machine for people and versatility made it so popular, the Windows CE interface. For us, who want a truly personal computer particularly among doctors, engineers there is no comparing our sleek and and not just an attachment to and brokers. The applications were fast interface with the eye candy inter­ Windows and the Internet. brilliant. You could customize the face Win CE provides."

How Will This News Effect handheld market is there such a flex­ files to fill 50 issues of The HP Palmtop Thaddeus Computing? ible and powerful database program Paper. When we consider that most of We, like a lot of Palmtoppers, real­ and a standard spreadsheet. Nowhere the material for the newsletter came ize that we have benefited from the else is there the equivalent of HP Calc from enthusiastic and knowledgeable best "personal" computer that has with its Solver function. users, we realize that Steve Headlam ever been built. We have yet to see When we stop to think about it, may have been right. We've seen the anything like the Palmtop's PIMS in the HP Palmtop line of personal com­ makings of a cult. However we'd like any other machine-be it a desktop or puters has provided us with enough to change the word "cult" to "sub­ handheld Pc. Nowhere else in the insights, tips, tricks, reviews, and pro- culture." The Palmtop subculture

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 3 NEWS: The Beginning of the End of an Era stands for excellence in personal com­ puting and the idea that smaller is Text of HP's Announcement: indeed better. Sad to say, the computing world in Hewlett-Packard Company to Discontinue general, and handheld computers in particular, have become part of the DOS-based Palmtop Series culture epitomized by fast-food restaurants and television shows. That The HP Jornada Family Provides a Great Windows CE Color culture can be summed up in two Handheld alternative for discontinued DOS-based Palmtops words: "consistent mediocrity." We fear that we will lose this sub­ Hewlett-Packard Company today tomers and developers: culture as the Palmtop era fades. To announced that its line of DOS-based • You can Purchase the HP 200LX forestall that eventuality, we plan to Palmtops (the HP 200LX and the HP still at the HP Shopping Village or continue supporting the HP Palmtop l000cX) will be discontinued effective through Normal Resellers with repairs, upgrades and the sale of November I, 1999 as HP migrates its • HP PIM Translation utility to new and like-new, used Palmtops for line of Palmtop PCs to the more pow­ transfer your HP 200LX data effort­ as long as Palmtops and parts are erful and flexible Microsoft Windows lessly to an HP Jomada handheld! * available. We anticipate, based on our CE operating system. • DOS developers, check out experience with the after-market for We encourage existing DOS­ Windows CE developers' resources. the HP Portable Plus laptop, we based Palmtop users to upgrade to • Need to know more about the should be able to provide this service the HP Jornada family of Handheld Jornada family? for three years or longer. PCs, which use Windows CEo These • Still have questions? Check out In the ever changing world of color devices offer a broad array of ourQ&A. computers we hope that, by then, features and opportunities to devel­ • Not available for some regions someone at HP will decide that it's op and run applications. outside North America please check time to return to a quest for excel­ For customers transitioning from with your local HP Office. lence rather than meddling with MS a DOS-based HP Palmtop PC to the * EDITOR'S NOTE: HP PIM Translation mediocrity. Windows CE-based Jornada line, Utility (for HP devices ONLY). This utility . HP offers tools to assist in this migra­ imports persoruzl infomUltion manager (PIM) Users' Reactions to tion*. Windows CE more easily inte­ data (contacts, calendar, and task data) from grates into a Microsoft Windows an HP 100j200LX Palmtop PC or HP the Announcement: 95/98 and Windows NT computing OmniGo Organizer into Microsoft SeTle­ environments. dule+7.0a on your desktop Pc. This allows To make the migration process transfer of PIM data from your older HP A Sad Day Palmtops to your HP CE handheld PCs. a breeze, HP has some tools for cus- If HP headquarters were nearby, Refer to your user [{Uide for more information. I'd protest by melting down a Jornada on their steps and recasting it as a fishing weight (on 2nd thought enriching our appreciation of it year HP pursue their ill-advised market­ maybe the recasting is unnecessary), after year. Also, to the Webmasters ing concepts. Let Micro$oft have this while wearing my 200LX serial cable - every one of them; the shareware round. They are no longer relevant to wrapped as a black armband. and freeware authors who added enor­ us. Forget about them. The world is - Longden Loo mously to the already vast body of too much fascinated by trivialities as it [email protected] DOS software available to run on the is. We are powerful. We are produc­ 200LX; the late and lamented ACE tive and happy people. We are satis­ Thanks for the Great Ride! Technologies, and all the other after­ fied that we have the best that the Wherever Everett Kaser (design market providers; the leaders of the industry has offered to us thus far. I team member and onetime spokes­ Palmtop forum on AOL; and the mem­ cannot think of a better place to be. person for the HP Palmtops) may be, bers of HPHAND and the HPLX List. -Roger Feinman I send him thanks for the technolog­ We are the winners here, because [email protected] ical marvel that he and his team pro­ we have a stable piece of equipment duced at Hewlett-Packard. And I that will last us for years and contin­ Reincarnate the Palmtop think we owe a debt of gratitude as ue to serve many useful purposes. but Make it Better well to Hal, Ed, and their colleagues at You simply cannot say that about a Is anyone really that surprised? Thaddeus for picking up the slack in lot of the hardware and software that This day has been coming for about HP's support for this machine, and has come and gone. Let the bigwigs at two years. But to me, it comes as a

4 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 note of freedom. Released from the shackles of Text of CNET News Article: active service, the 200LX will be even more free to evolve on its own away from its parent company. People now Two Portables Fall Victim to New Trends know that there will never be a fac­ tory-supplied backlight, or more Two early versions of small, hand­ TV set-top boxes, and other devices­ internal RAM, or a motherboard held computers are being discontin­ to support larger and higher-quality upgrade. Therefore, we can sink the ued, products of the ongoing struggle displays, the original versions of money in ourselves. We won't be to design the perfect ultra-portable. "clamshell" portable computers have competing with HP. Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba suffered from lackluster sales. This freedom also means respon­ said this week that they are phasing Products released last year, for sibility. If you want to continue out the 200LX Palmtop PC and example, offering large color displays enjoying your Palmtops as long as Libretto mini-notebook, respective­ and keyboards resembling those of possible, it will mean money. I sug­ ly. They will be replaced by newer, notebook computers, have outsold gest the founding of a Project Magic­ faster, and better-looking systems, these earlier devices, analysts say. like fund that will keep R&D going in the companies say. "What we try to do is take the companies like Thaddeus and Tunes2 The demise is part market forces, technology that is available at the Tech. Things like 486 motherboard part changing technology. time and build the best possible upgrades and backlights are ready Many of today's handheld com­ ultra-portable that we can," said for the final stages of development puters are miracles of industrial Mike Stinson, vice president of prod­ but are limited by money. Why not design, often featuring large color uct marketing for Toshiba, which donate to the cause? It has the poten­ displays and near notebook-size will begin phasing out the Libretto tial to help all of us. keyboards. But it wasn't always that this fall. "We feel like the Libretto We must also work together on way. Early versions of these mid­ was very successful." software. I have started the sys I x size handhelds often sacrificed func­ Instead of the Libretto, Toshiba project (details on news.hplx.net) tion for weight, sometimes result­ will tout its Portege system, which is which will provide a common soft­ ing in awkward devices that were more often used as a full "desktop ware base. difficult to use. replacement" system than the System Manager, which will pro­ Hastening their demise are plum­ Libretto, Stinson said. Toshiba cus­ vide the programming freedom meting component prices. As a result, tomers prefer the 3-pound Portege, required to produce programs for former luxuries such as large screens with its larger display and touch­ large-scale word processing and are increasingly becoming standard. typeable keyboard, to the 2-pound Internet connectivity. Sys I x will, if Designing any portable device Libretto, he said. completed, eliminate the System is fraught with potential stumbling As for HP, although it will con­ Manager and obsolete PAL, making blocks: It is no easy feat to cram most tinue to market "clamshell" or mid­ things faster and more efficient in the of the components of a full-featured size Portable computers, they will process. We need open source, free notebook computer into a device now only run on Windows CE, software to make this happen. Most half its size without sacrificing func­ rather than other operating systems. of all, we need to pull together. tion. Moreover, it is difficult to pre­ "That's why they're phasing it out," HPLX-L, it seems to me, is a very dict which design will catch on with said Jill House, an analyst at loosely knit bunch of people. We consumers. Franklin's credit-card International Data Corporation. need distinct areas of expertise to size Rex device has failed to live up HP will phase out the 200LX immortalize this Palmtop. Program­ to the hype surrounding its release palm-size PC beginning November mers must unite and write sys I x and and the company has said it is con­ 1, about two years after it was intro­ its support applications. Hardware sidering discontinuing the product. duced. vendors must come up with the Palm Computing's PalmPilot, on the funds to complete their upgrade pro­ other hand, has struck a consumer jects. And users must be willing to nerve and soared in popularity. realize the delicate position the Adapting to the latest version of Palmtop maintains as a result of the an operating systems also takes its hardware and software. Unite! toll. As Microsoft has upgraded Programmers specifically should Windows CE - the company's come to news.hplx.net's group stripped-down system for handhelds, "hp200.programmers.asg" for details

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999 5 NEWS: The Beginning of the End of an Era on the sys I x project. We need all the your Windows CE offerings. The aver­ another true handheld with enough help we can get - and we no longer age battery life I have been able to battery life to actually carry for a few have any reason to wait. squeeze out of any WinCE unit is bare­ weeks without being tethered to an -Ian Butler ly greater than your typical notebook. AC outlet. Maybe that handheld is [email protected] Considering I change batteries in my yet to come from HP? if so they will 200LX seasonally this is a major draw­ once again get my business ... if not, Disappointed but Still Hopeful back IMO. If your handheld isn't pow­ someone else eventually will. I am disappointed, albeit not ered and ready to go when you need - Dan Ridenhour entirely surprised that HP has chosen it you end up not bringing it along [email protected] to discontinue production of the HP which kind of defeats the purpose. 200lx Palmtop. IMO (in my humble Second, in your offerings for pre­ Looking to the Future opinion) this was the last of the truly vious HP Palmtop users it may be ben­ and Feeling Lost innovative HP products. eficial to include a copy of the excellent As I have read the posts from those While it is appreciated that HP is XT-CE software which is a PC emula­ searching for alternatives to the 200LX making some special offers available tor for Windows CEo Among other and from those seeking to campaign for 'upgrading' to the Windows CE things it supports the HP 200LX Int5 HP to change I have thought about it platform I will most likely decline. I graphics mode enabling a large body and concluded the following: have already owned a number of these of HP 200LX software to be run with­ - HP isn't going to bring the 200LX (and other companies') Windows CE in the emulator (www.xt-ce.com).This back. Their collective mind has been offerings and have not found a single would provide a better upgrade path taken over by Micro$oft and they are unit which I can make use of. for many users than an extra battery not the company that they used to I do, however, have a couple of (pointing out a weakness in battery be. As we say goodbye to the 200LX, suggestions which may prove helpful life) or an extra organizer (REXX). we also bid farewell to the venerable in your future design efforts. So in closing ... It's been fun. I will old Hewlett-Packard Company. Get First, is battery life!!! Above all else continue to use my 200LX and await your backup machine ASAP! battery life needs to be improved in the day when someone will release - Presently, there is no replace­ ment for the 200LX. We are the last of a dying breed. If we are seeking an Where there's a DoubleSlof~ there's a way... alternative, perhaps we should look in To use 2 PC Cards at the same time - even copy files between Cards the direction of the PalmPilot and a To run multiple PC Card products - SRAM, good notebook computer (especially fax/modem, memory cards, etc. now, with the demise of the Toshiba Libretto, also). To connect Type I, II and III Cards - even a Type II and III at the same time - Linux has a long way to go in order to be a viable, mainstream alter­ To externally power PCMCIA Cards - for those power hungry PCMCIA peripherals native to DOS/Windows/etc. It is just too Unusable. The command line To run ATA flash cards and hard drives ­ commands don't make much sense like the notebooks can! and the GUIs are still somewhat prim­ DoubleSlot, PCMCIA Slot Expander - itive. Solaris has possibilities, but reaching new heights of performance for your HP Palmtop. they both lack widespread hardware Add the Travel FloppyTMto your Palmtop .. . and software support. People used to say that DOS was too hard to use. World's smallest 3.5" floppy drive DOS is easy, Linux is hard to use! As PCMCIA. type II compatible much as I hate M$, I have to give For Palmtops or other DOS/Windows them credit for giving DOS and computers Windows a consistent user interface, and making it easier to use than many Use it to transfer files, archive, or run programs directly from disk other OS's. I would not bother with a Linux/Unix-based Palmtop. Portable like your Palmtop - goes anywhere So, those are my thoughts on the Uses inexpensive 1.44 Mb or 720K diskettes subject(s). Please keep in mind that I may be wrong, and I really don't care. ~ A r.r. 'r rr: 'r~~® 48460 Lakeview Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538-6532 I am just getting tired of the comput­ - ;.:: .: .: In: : :"'.. (510) 668-4900 FAX: (510) 668-4905 T-; C-: '":~ ~ ~~E-: ~ ;-; [email protected] htlp:llwww.accurite.com er industry and it's all-too-constant

6 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 change. I'm tired of lies, greed, mar­ how to program the 200LX applica­ (6P.] ~:~KL;~6 ~ keting hype and lawsuits. Remember, tions on Epoc 32. Another reason that AuthorIzed Palmtop Competence Center folks, it's just a computer, a tool. You I like a Psion/Epoc is that we, Ericsson NOW ··' ORDER YOUR EASY USE CATALOG FOR FREE can't take it with you. support the Epoc and NIT DoCoMo, NEWEST PRODUCTS AND TOP PRICES

Richard Smith the biggest Cellular phone operator in We offer full range of: [email protected] Japan, will introduce the Epae terminal. • HP 200LX (opt. B/32164MB, OS) , 1000CX, 700LXI2110i · HP Palmtop 360LX, 620LX, Jomada 420, Jomada 820e Toshio Konishi (NRj) • Used / refurbished palmtops ( 100LX, 200LX and more ) • Cabling, ATA/Compact Flash Cards, Modem/Fax Cards, Long Live the Palmtop [email protected] Leather·Cases, Micro AC Adaptors, Trans PC Card, HP is NOT making a big mistake Double·Slot, TravelFloppy, Travel Adaptors, mobile printers and more original HP and other accessories by discontinuing the 200LX any more Long Time User • Software : Special palmtop software DOS/PAL & WinCE • Services : Customized solutions, Many EU bundles for than your girlfriend did when she I have never written to The HP mobile computing, InterneVEmail access elI:. dumped you for the nerd with pots of Palmtop Paper, but I wanted to let you We also sell all HP OmniBooks (e.g . 800. 3100, 7100) and provide best service and support for these • call money. know my feelings toward its discon­ It's their choice and their prob­ tinuance. lem. We don't have a problem. The HP200LX has become my • HP200s are robust & long last­ trusted and valued companion. I ing. Yours will serve you well for don't use all its functions, but I could years to come. Replacing it in 5 years not be without its Appointment Book time with the spare you buy now is a and phone functions. More impor­ EASY USE * Aug .-Kierspel-Str.18/20 * D-51469 Bergisch Gladbach lot cheaper than upgrading a CE tantly, I now rely on its 32 meg mem­ machine every 6 months. ory and its 2X speed, as well as the • Most, if not all niggles are built-in fax modem for my email. long as it's published. You are very known about and fixable. Most important is the HP financial much appreciated. Your articles are • Even "asteroid hitting the earth" calculator functions with a separate timely, informative, and your editor­ style problems like the hinge crack keypad. I am a real estate analyst and ial content is, shall we say, "right on". are fixable with a little care. this tool is indispensable to me, espe­ Harmon Garrin • They work - and work well. cially with its ergonomic location. hgarrin@worldnet,att,net They are more useful now than ever What in the world could HP be before thanks to well-written, func­ thinking in changing this feature? I tional 3rd party software. want you also to know that I have • There will be (wishful thinking?) been a subscriber to the PTP for a an inexhaustible cheap supply when number of years, and will continue as the corporations who were using them in vertical applications flood the mar­ ket as they dump them for a modern, supported machine. Tens (hundreds?) Imagine! of thousands were made. Hundreds/­ a few thousand still want to use them. Graphically analyze investment portfolios, market indexes, Nice ratio. Just keep telling people how and exchange rates on your Palmtop! crap they were and that they're prac­ t1i croso f't 4/6/99 tically worthless ;-). Stocks 100 . 0 1.00.0 Chris Randle 90 . 0 90 . 0 [email protected] 80.0 80.0 • 70.0 70.0 • ' ~ 60.0 60.0 ' •~ Japan Users Start Campaign 59.0 50.0 '" 4 '" Many 200LX users in Japan have 49.0 40.0 started conducting a signature cam­ 30.0 paign against the termination of the - Price - Data Regression -Range Regression HP Palmtop. To them, CE machines are not the successor of 200LX. To me, StockChart™ for the HP lOO/200LX a Psion 5 seems to be a successor if A product of Decision Point Systems (~ many excellent 200LX applications including the PIM can run on a Psion Available on our website: hup:llwww.leive.comJdps Price $124.95 5 /Epoc 32. I would be pleased to see if Also available from D&A Software, Inc. http://www.dasoft.com The HP Palmtop Paper starts an article of Kan-Do Enterprises http://www.galaxymall.com!computers/palmtop

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 7 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS User to User: Backlighting!

Hal announces a bright idea for the Palmtop, backlighting, and gives his appraisal of a DOS emulator for WinCE machines. by Hal Goldstein

Farewell HP 200LX? Not Yet. a HP 200LX case. If the technology is light Even so, the Palmtop backlight­ In April someone from HP con­ developed, and we could get enough ing in the prototype works well. Initial tacted me indicating that although of these Palmtops, we might be able testing shows this backlighting as nothing officially could be announ­ to introduce new operating systems in quite useable. ced, it looked like the HP 200LX the Palmtop form factor. For example, would be discontinued. He was con­ we might be able to offer 386 DOS, Technical Details cerned about my business. I told him Windows, or Unix-like Palmtops. Of The backlight is an internal, low­ that I thought HP's decision was a course, all this is speculation. If we power electroluminesent (EL) back­ real shame, but we would still have a have something to report, we'll pub­ light that takes its power from the strong HP 200LX business for some lish it here and in our catalog. While Palmtop. It converts low voltage from years to come. Here's why. we are speculating, I'll report on the the internal Palmtop power supply to Most importantly we have a strong latest on backlighting th~ palmtop. alternating high voltage that drives customer base: many people still find the EL panel. The high voltage excites the HP 200LX tremendously useful Palmtop Backlighting - We're Still phosphorous in the EL panel, which and see no compelling reason to Working on it discharges photons on the zero point switch machines. Frankly, I have been One of the reasons this issue and of the alternating waveform. The high surprised how strong our HP 200LX catalog are a bit late, is that I wanted to voltage is very stable and alternated business remains and how slow our be able to announce backlighting before fast enough so, to the eye, the panel Handheld PC Magazine for users of HP stopped producing the HP 200LX. looks like it is constantly emitting light. Windows CE has been to catch on. However, the pieces just didn't come Fortunately, there are some nor­ In the next six to nine months we together in time. mally unused I/O lines. That makes hope to make large buys on used HP it possible to control the on \ off switch 200LX's and HP 1000CX's. There are Prototype looks good of the inverter board using the 1\0 of many companies throughout the Backlighting the HP 200LX makes the Palmtop micro controller. Conse­ world that use the HP 200LX for a it possible to read the Palmtop in low quently, no additional circuitry is single vertical application. Examples or no light conditions, conditions that required. The user will be able to turn include Coca Cola field reps in Brazil, normally make the HP Palmtop unus­ backlighting on and off with software. Dutch train conductors, Korean insur­ able. Our first prototype fulfills this ance sales people. A number of fac­ promise. In addition, improved reflec­ What's the Holdup tors including discontinuance of these tive characteristics of the upgraded Several factors prevented us from HP machines and no support for DOS screen mean that the display is more making the announcement. The software will force these companies to readable in lower light conditions with­ upgrade process itself is quite adopt a different platform. (If you out backlight. The backlight turns on involved. At this time it could take a represent any such company, please and off with a hotkey - Fn B on my pro­ tech as long as an hour. It requires a contact me at [email protected]. We totype. Preliminary tests have shown disassembly of the LCD display and are interested in purchasing your about a 25-30% reduction of battery removal of the existing reflective polar­ machines). life with backlighting on all the time. izer. The polarizer is replaced with a If we can buy enough of these That should translate to under a 10% transflective polarizer. Then the tech Palmtops, we will be able to resell degradation depending-ding on usage. installs the EL panel and a small invert­ and repair Palmtops for some years to To keep the backlight as low cur­ er circuit board on the motherboard. come. Further, it is now theoretically rent, and because of size constraints, One of the biggest concerns is the possible to put a 486 motherboard in it is not as bright as a laptop's back- danger of destroying screens during

8 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 this delicate process. Screens are years. Ed wants to move the publica­ it does not allow for new entries or expensive and hard to come by. A relat­ tion to the Web where the articles editing of existing information. ed concern involves warranty. There is would be more current and the time In general the emulation seems a lit­ a large subjective element concerning needed to go from idea to readable tle slower than my double · speed what makes a good readable display. material would be faster than two Palmtop although that varies depend­ If even 10-15% of our customers months. My feeling is that many peo­ ing on the software and on how fast the returned their units for the original ple (myself included) like and often processer on the Windows CE hand­ screen, the project could become pro­ prefer information in a physical mag­ held. Unfortunately, the screen gets hibitively expensive. We definitely azine format. refreshed often when running some want to keep the cost under $200. My thinking is that we can have the DOS software. The effect of the refresh­ For more background read David best of both worlds. We could pub­ ing is that it seems slower then it is, and Sargeant's article in the July I August, lish on the Web and take the best of it looks a little strange. Some keys 1999, issue of The HP Palmtop Paper. that material, clean it up, and contin­ needed in a OOS system might not be ue with The HP Palmtop Paper. To do so, on an HIPe. To solve this, £1-£10 plus Please Don't Call we need you to renew. (If we decide to Ins, Del, Scl, CAP, Hm, End, Pup, and If you want to be kept up to date on stop publishing the print version of PDn are labeled and placed on the top the progress of backlighting, visit our The HP Palmtop Paper and you have row above the DOS screen. To access website at www.palmtoppaper.com or renewed, we will offer you credit from these keys you need to point, or used email [email protected]. our catalog or a refund). What do you the mouse device on the HIPe. We would very much appreciate it if think we should do? E-mail me (hal@ In preliminary tests many DOS you did not call just to ask the progress thaddeus.com) . programs worked and some HP of the backlighting. We have a small Palmtop-specific programs ran. phone staff, and it puts a lot of pressure Palmtop software on Windows CE Approximately 70% of the Super on them, forcing them to put other cus­ Handhelds Software Carousel programs worked. tomers on hold. As soon as we are There is an emulator available at Ian Dean is still working on improv­ ready we will announce it in this pub­ www.xt-ce.com that allows DOS and ing XT-CE. He has been experiment­ lication, in our catalog, and on our Web even some 200LX-specific software to ing with getting the HP Palmtop site. Also, despite our best efforts, there run on Windows CE handhelds. XT­ Connectivity Pack to run. If he proves still is the possibility that backlighting CE is an 80188/80186 PC Emulator, successful, then the built-in 200LX won't be feasible. Stay tuned. which makes Windows CE handheld applications (minus Lotus 1-2-3 and PC (H/PC) run like an older PC using Pocket Quicken) would be available Palmtop Paper Archives Online an Intel x86 processor. The setup is for Windows CE users. We have had many requests to put not difficult, but a bit confusing. You All in all XT-CE is a laudable start. archives of The HP Palmtop Paper on need to install a version of OOS on top However, there is a ways to go before our Web site at www.Palmtop of the emulator. You can download the convenience of running DOS and paper. com, and to put this Web HTML Caldera's Dr DOS or you can create a built-in 200LX software is truly avail­ version on our annual HP Palmtop DOS system disk from a pre-Windows able on a Windows CE machine. Paper CD InfoBase. A number of users 95 unit. Once properly installed, you have volunteered to help Ed Keefe in can get to a DOS prompt by clicking Turkish Quake Relief this effort. By the time you read this, from a shortcut that appears on the I received the following from the project may be well under way. Windows CE desktop. Ahmet Ozisik a long time Palmtop However, we still may need your help. I tested the emulator on the Jornada Paper subscriber and contributor Email [email protected] and copy me 820. I made my HP 200LX's PC Card, from Istanbul, Turkey (http://mem at [email protected] if you can assist. which contains a lot of DOS and bers. xoom.com/OZISIK): Palmtop software, the "C drive." Then "If you or your friends want to Future of The HP Palmtop Paper I tested programs with varied results. send aid to the disaster area in Turkey It is hard to believe, but the next Fortunately, DBV works. It is a but are not sure what to do, here are issue completes our eighth year of useful program for the Palmtop that some tips: publishing The HP Palmtop Paper. Ed we have written about in the past. It You can direct aid or donations to Keefe and I have spoken frequently allows for fast loading and searching the Turkish Consulate, Turkish Airlines about its future. Since not many new of database files. That means that I or, in the U.S., Gokhan Uner and his HP 200LX's are sold, most of our sub­ was able to run DBV and view all my wife who are collecting medical aid scriptions are renewals. That means PHONE book entries, as well as with their vehicles in order to give to our paid subscriber base has dropped NoteTaker and Database files. Turkish Airlines. Their numbers are quite significantly over the past two However, DBV only reads these files, 847-878-5882 and 847-885-6368." •

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 9 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS New Products

New PalEdit-related PIM Program, Outlook synchronization, Database corruption tester, IR desktop-Palmtop data transfer.

By Ed Keefe

f you're looking for a different set Currently, Stereo Shell can be dis­ your Palmtop, the installation is easy: I of programs to track appoint­ tributed only as shareware. The unreg­ just replace the unregistered version ments, todo's, telephone numbers istered version of StS is identical to with the registered version of StS and and notes (PIMs), take a look at the the registered version except for an you'll be ready to go. latest version of the PalEdit (PE) pro­ opening shareware screen and a short, gram. Not only is PE a top-flight edi­ sign-off message. However, in the past New Version of Synching Program tor for the HP Palmtop but now it couple of years, if you tried to regis­ Curtis Cameron has recently also serves as the driver for a set of ter the software, you would have dis­ updated his Palmtop-Outlook con­ PIM applications. covered that the normal channels for version program (OLC2LXinst.EXE). If you're willing to invest a bit of doing so had vanished. The author, The version number is 3.01 . time and effort to learn how to use Emery Wooten, stopped supporting The new version has the following this product, you'll wind up with a the program several years ago. features. highly efficient productivity tool that Now, thanks to the "detective • Synchronize a Palmtop file with you'll depend upon. work" of fellow user, Jeff Johns, the an Outlook folder. Both will then have PalEdit and PIM are copyrighted registered version of Stereo Shell is exactly the same set of data. freeware by D&A Software, written available upon request at no charge. • Support of any format PDB or by Andreas Garzotto. The package Jeff contacted Emery Wooten and GDB Palmtop file. includes documentation files, which secured permission to distribute the • Support of Outlook 97,98, and hopefully will get you started using registered version of StS to his friends. 2000, although the latter has not been the programs. If you have further To honor Emery's request, the regis­ tested. questions, please post them on the tered version may not be posted in • Multiple Outlook fields can be HPLX-L mailing list. You can get the any public forum. The only way to get assigned to each LX field, so in case an latset version at www.dasoft.com. a copy for personal use is to send an Outlook field is blank, it will go to a e-mail toJeffJohns([email protected]) second or third to find data to put in Stereo Shell Without a Nag Screen and ask for it. the LX field. Many Palmtop users favor the If you are not familiar with Stereo • You can separate Outlook's Stereo Shell (StS) file manager pro­ Shell, we suggest getting the unregis­ multi-line street address fields into gram when they are working outside tered version, try it out and see if you their first, second, or third lines and of System Manager. StS saves a lot of like it. Like many file manager pro­ assign them separately to LX fields. typing when all you want to do is grams, such as Norton's Commander, • Field mapping is stored for each open a ZIP file or copy a few files from XTree, Volkov Commander, etc. StS different Palmtop file you use, so you one directory to another. Like Filer, takes some getting used to. It has can have several different ones and it Stereo Shell can be used to run DOS almost all the features of other file will remember the mapping for each. programs by pointing and clicking. manager programs with the advan­ • If you pass a Palmtop file name Stereo Shell is an integral part of tage of using only 40K-70K bytes of on the command line, that Palmtop the full installation of Super Software disk space. If you have the unregis­ file, along with all its mapping info, Carousel from Thaddeus Computing. tered version already configured for will be loaded when it starts.

10 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 • If you also pass the string NOB (note taker), and WDB (world enable/ disable the COM port " / run" after the file name, then the time) files but not Lotus 1-2-3 files or conversion process is started auto­ Pocket Quicken files. Another Program to Enhance the matically. Many programs, including DB lIP lOOOCX • Extended characters are con­ CHECK, return a result code that can Since the 1000CX does not have the verted correctly (both directions as be accessed with the ERRORLEVEL HP 200LX Appointment Book, users of version 1.90). variable in a DOS batch file. need to install their own reminder or • Uses a Windows DLL, courtesy Here's a sample batch file that will "tickler" program. Granted, a program of Mack Baggette, to do the LX perform all the necessary checks and like Borland's SideKick+ will serve this importing and exporting. let you back up safely. You will have purpose but such programs generally Version 2.01 may be downloaded to modify it to suit your own Palmtop take up a lot of disk space and are often directly from the following Web site. setup. hard to find. http://cameron.hplx.net Now you can have a small tickler @echooff file (approximately 1 Kbyte) that will Preventing Back Up Woes with rem SafeBkup.bat help you keep track of important dates. nBCHECK dbcheck *.?db >dbcheck.log DIACOM (copyrighted freeware if errorlevel 2 go to error by Jorgen DybdahD is a UNIX-like Most Palmtop users are faithful in rem All is OK, so back them up calendar program that scans through backing up their data files on a week­ copy *.?db a:\ a text file called C: \CALENDAR and ly if not daily basis. Many have auto­ goto end displays the results on the screen. The mated the process using system macros :error output can also be sent to a text file. and/ or batch files that are attached to echo Warning! A possibly corrupted You have to build the CALEN­ an Appointment Book item. file was detected! DAR data file using the conventions The only problem with this is that echo Files were not backed up. given in the DIATXT instruction file. if a database file is corrupted, the :end Once you have it set up and running, backup will also be corrupted. you can put the DIACOM command How can you tell if a database, If there is an error in one or anoth­ in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. That way Appointment Book, NoteTaker, or er of your ?DB files, a message will be the tickler information will appear PhoneBook file is corrupt? The way to recorded in the DBCHECK.LOG text each time you restart the Palmtop. find out is to open the file in the file. Hopefully you will not find such The program should also work on appropriate application and try view­ an error message but, if you do, you the HP 100/200LX. Even if you're sat­ ing all of the items in the file. If you can recover from a safe, backup file or isfied with the Appointment Book, you get an error message, for example, a try to correct the error and run the might find that DIA is useful for things message that tells you that a record is backup procedure again. like reminding you about birthdays, not found, then you know that some­ anniversaries or other fixed events. thing is wrong. However, such a pro­ lIP lOOOCX Users: Get Control of By the way, DIA stands for DIARY. cedure is both time consuming and Your Palmtop. can't be automated. The HP 100/200LX have the Enhance Filer's View Function To solve this problem, Curtis System Manager Setup program to with QuickView Cameron has created a special pro­ adjust such things as screen contrast, The System Manager Filer pro­ gram that will race through almost sound volume, etc. None of these fea­ gram will let you view text files by any System Manager file and look for tures are available on the HP 1000CX pointing at the file name and pressing possible errors. If no errors are found, since it does not contain the System the F8 (View) key. It will not let you you can proceed with a safe backup. Manager suite of programs. look deeply into an .EXE or .EXM file The DBCHECK program is copy­ Now, HP 1000CX users can gain to look for text material. This is often righted freeware and is directly more control over their Palmtop with helpful when you've forgotten what downloadable from the freeware CXCTL program by Nils a particular program is supposed to http://cameron.hplx.net M. Holm [email protected] do. Up to now, you could leave Filer The program will perform the fol­ and use a hex editor to view the file. You can use the DBCHECK pro­ lowing operations and more: (This can be dangerous. One slip of gram in a batch file or you can run it the finger and you risk corrupting alone at the DOS prompt. The pro­ adjust the display contrast the file.) Alternatively you could use gram will check most of the Palmtop's adjust the beeper volume a program such as Vernon Buerg's data files, including ADB (appoint­ set the video mode and zoom mode ments), PDB (phone), GOB (database), set the power off timeout Continued on page 31

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 11 W TO USE YOUR PALMTOP USER PROFILE s More unusual Palmtop prose from the Most Unusual Places.

By Linda Worthington

Yellow MUPmarine tickets, so we're doing the MUP. (for the window the snow is at eye level­ I am sitting in a C-BUG, actually later transmission from 'home'). and my room is on the first floor! the only one in the world. This John: I'm typing on Steve's 200LX Quite a bit more snow here than I was "Controlled Buoyancy Underwater (and finding it hard going, as it does­ anticipating. The temperature outside Glider" was built in the US and cur­ n't have Buddy on it!) It's hours later. when I arrived was hovering around rently is in use here on Isla de Roatan, We ran rampant through the Tech freezing and falling. Honduras, Central America. The two­ Museum until they kicked us out. We Well it is now Sunday; I was too man submarine is designed to go to shot lots of pictures, but only John's tired to send this yesterday. The Lodge depths of over 600 feet (183 meters) are in digital format. I'll let him jump was built c.1937 and it claims to be and daily takes passengers deeper than later. Right now we're waiting to the largest entirely handcrafted build­ 500 feet here in The Cayman Trench. catch the free shuttle over to the ing built this century anywhere in the It is comfortably cool at 500 feet, Winchester Mystery House. world. Everything including all the adequate light and good visibility. John again: We're sitting in the furniture, carpets, curtains, etc. were Life abounds, even at this depth. The lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel. The handmade specifically for the lodge. most amazing sight is the Sea Lily, a Tech Museum of Innovation was pret­ There are some high, thin, cirrus stalk crinoid that has lived without ty neat, but we didn't have time to go clouds but the sky is mostly blue. any evolutionary changes for 200 mil­ through all of it. We rode the light Looking at the cloudbanks beneath lion years and was thought extinct. It rail system downtown and back (the us though I know that most of the looks like a plant but is actually an light rail is essentially an above­ rest of Oregon is having yet another animal that can get up and change ground subway system - no need gray day. Off in the distance I can see locations. Fish and other creatures to put it below ground where it does­ another peak jutting out of clouds. It are curious and come close to inspect n't freeze, snow, or even rain much). appears to be almost due north and so the sub as it hovers silently. Steve Van Dyke [KC], 70611 ,2147 is probably Mount Adams. The boat carries an oxygen tank and John Combs Gary Spiers, and a C02 scrubber and Karl, the [email protected] owner / operator, monitors the oxy­ A Cool MUP for a Hot, Summer Day gen level carefully. The boat stays dry Greetings from the Timberline inside so 'Stanbags' are not necessary. Lodge on Mount Hood Oregon. As I And yes, the submarine is painted a told my wife earlier when I look out bright yellow. Larry Nielsen ABOUT THE AUTHOR A Two-on-One MUP: Linda Worthington is a native New Englander living in Maryland. She Steve: John Combs and I are here is a fly fisherman and loves hiking, photography and computing. Linda's company, LOW-TECH, is designed to help people choose and at the Tech Museum of Innovation in use portable computers. She also uses computers to do extensive vol­ San Jose. My wife is over buying the unteer conservation-related work for several organizations. --~~~....

12 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW

The XTree Alternative

To Filer, X-Finder, Norton Commander, Stereo Shell, add one more file manager program. A veteran user of XTreeGold extols its benefits.

By Robin Clarke

have used the XTree file manager sion was only for Windows. Since set up as my preferred editor. I program for as long as I can then, there have been no new ver­ One of the best features of XTG is remember; yet I have seen little sions. However, the Xtree style still its application launcher. This oper­ reference to it in Palmtop literature. I lives on in Windows 95/NT where ates through a menu system that lets hope that my enthusiasm for the pro­ Norton Navigator and Norton NT you perform any number of differ­ gram will come across in this article Tools File managers can be config­ ent operations on a file. and encourage you to recover a copy ured to run in "XTreeGold mode". Although a complete installation of XTreeGold 3.01 from your DOS In essence, XTreeGold (XTG) is a of XTree is quite large in Palmtop archives and try it on the Palmtop. If powerful and easy to use file manager terms, you can get by with about 300 you don't have a copy of XTree, skim with a multi-window display. XTG Kbytes and still have 90% of all the this article to see if the program does lets you create, view, edit files and functions of the program. something that you like. Then add run programs. It also lets you extract XTree will run under System an item to your ToDo list to look for and view files from compressed Manager, however, it will only per­ a copy of XTreeGold on the World archive files. form the simplest of tasks when used Wide Web. The program occasional­ Like Lotus's Magellan, XTG has a this way. If you ask it to do more than ly will come up for sale. However the lot of "viewers" for looking at docu­ the memory of the computer will "for sale" sign turns to "sold" usual­ ments from various word processors. allow, XTree will gracefully advise ly within a couple of days. It's still a Also like Magellan, most of these you that it doesn't have enough mem­ popular application. viewers are out of date and not very ory to do what you want. A simple The Symantec Corporation holds useful. However, the default, gener­ solution is to use XTreeGold in con­ the rights to XTreeGold, but no longer ic viewer is quite capable and can be junction with Maxdos or in a separate sells or supports it. configured to make almost any file Software Carousel session. viewable. The viewer can enforce A Little Background word-wrap and filter out high-order XTree Lets You Have It Your Way In 1985 Executive Systems intro­ (garbage) characters. You can also set XTree is highly configurable. duced the first version of XTree. The up the program not only to view but However, the default, basic screen file manager program used a new, for also edit both text and binary files will look somewhat like Screen 1. that time, "graphical" directory tree with the built-in hex editor. The largest window is a directory presentation. It was one of the first File-list and view windows may tree. In this configuration you can programs that tried to save computer be simultaneously displayed for rapid view only the root directory and its users from the dreaded DOS prompt. search through the contents of numer­ subdirectories. The window at the Over the next eight years, ous files. It has an undelete function bottom of the screen shows the names Executive Systems added more and and can use its own or an external of the files in this directory. There are more features to XTree and changed file editor. For example, I have PalEdit only four files shown since the option the name to XTreeGold 3.01. In 1993 the parent company merged with ABOUT THE AUTHOR Central Point Software which, in turn, Robin Clarke is a physicist working with CSIRO, the Australian was gobbled up by Symantec. Government Research Agency where he is involved in the thermal per­ In 1994 Symantec introduced formance of buildings and thermal insulation testing. His interests are com­ XTreeGold, version 4.0 but that ver- puting, photography and snow skiing.

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 13 REVIEW: The XTree Alternative

r;-X.:.T:..;",:-e.:...e..:...-_F_1_· l_e__ D_ i ",_e_c..:...-t.:.o.:...r::.y alAnt:TW T as' Wi ndow 97- 97- 85 12 : 25 : 42 aM to show all the files' details is in effect. Wc :' ~~ i t.J!"T FILE * .* aAlt+R DISK C: You can change this to show more Available i.,:.,i.... , !++ It~~1' ~y~e:s ::0!f: :~s ... ) Bytes 1.939.656 &- a- Switcn to di s k ..• Ct:rl+L file names with fewer details. ;j:j+ l"'Cikfhi cs Treespec . . • , The window on the right gives 1,:.i:.J.• •• +++ ~~obl ca;eesna AYai 1 able space • .• A • • & - ForMat diskette . .. Al t+F2 ~ disk statistics. This introduces the ? :i!. ~ !iEih ~giti!i:;~ed space Alt+W first XTree curiosity. Only files which iii autoexec.bak 254 . a . . 29- 99 97 9:96:94 PM ; autoexec. bat 486 39-95- 99 12 : 95 : 96 244 .a. . 39- 95-99 12 : 96:56 aM have been "logged" are part of the : ~~7Sltf)( : ~~~ 11.769 .a .. 13- 19- 93 12:16:12 aMPM statistics data. In this case the logged Press F1 (or the :right Mouse button) Cor descriptions oC the Menu iteMs. \I files are those in the root directory. Screen 1: XTreeGold's default opening screen shows a directory and a whole lot more. This screen shows the pull-down menu having been activated reveal­ ing the options under "Volume". If the pull-down menu is not acti­ vated, file management options are displayed at the bottom of the screen, as in Screen 2. The options presented with these commands represent the heart of XTree's personality. They allow single­ letter commands, visible as the capi­ Screen 2: File management options appear either at the top or the boltom of the screen in XTreeGold. talized, first letter. Different shading reinforces this but the shades of grey Path: C: 'PFILES'WORD5- 5 97- 97- 85 9 : 4 2:45 aM did not survive the screen capture f:"~: buddy. eXM 37 ~ 929 .a . . FILE *.* .a .. . a .. DISK C: process. Screen 2 demonstrates much .a .. Available .a .. 1.149.224 . a .. Bytes more about XTree. It shows the .a .. SHOWALL Statistics .a .. Total . a . . Fi les 27.1 optional split view of two different .a .. .a .. M=¥~t~ n g 3 #299#757 . a . . Fi les 271 directories. On the right is a fully .a . . Bytes 3# 299#757 .a .. . a .. T~n:~ 9 recursed view of the directory tree . a . . Bytes 9 .a .. CUl":rent File 1"' ••• wo:rd . exe along with the files in one directory. .a .. Bytes 738 ~ 281 ALT FILE Batch Copy File display JFC Log Move Open Release Since the files show no additional data COMMANDS So:rt c:rite:ria Tag Untag eXecute Quit F2 £o:rMat F3 :reloq di:recto:r~ F4 COMPa:re F5 open zip F19 con£iq you can squeeze eight file names into Screen 3: XTree uses ALT and CTRL keys for various types of copying and moving of liles. the window. On the left is a '1arge" file view. This shows the full contents of ASCII (no Mask) the XTree directory that fortunately just fits here. Another personality fea­ ture of XTree is that successive press­ ing of the Enter key cycles between cursor-in-a-directory-window, cursor­ shows existing scan code~ ente:r new code : 2C (:fo:r ~ 2~ ) in-a-small-file-window and cursor-in­ E 9194 xxxx : 9194 98 . 94 shows existing shi£t state ~ ente:r new code : 94 (£o:r ~ Ct:rl ~ ) a-Iarge-file-window, as in the left-hand ~~~t lS~~G(!e s screen. This may take some getting UIEW COMMANDS ,.4 sc:rol1 used to, but it constitutes a very quick Screen 4: An example of a full screen view in XTreeGold. and convenient way of navigating about. You can change or eliminate this feature if you don't like it. XTree uses the Alt and Ctrl keys to expand the number of options that are accessible with single-letter com­ mands. Pressing the Alt key brings up the options shown in Screen 3. Actions such as Copy and Move appear to be duplicated on both screens but there are differences. On F1 help ESC cancel the main screen, these operations Screen 5: XTree comes with a hex editor built in. apply to the highlighted file only.

14 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 Helpful Add-ODS to XTree Word 5.5 adapter from the Palmtop Connectivity Pack to connect I don't travel with a laptop and I find that much of the to a standard 9-pin mouse cable. This is quite unwieldy work I do on my Palmtop is word processing. Although - recommended only for testing. I have cannibalized an both Memo and PalEdit are fine as editors, they are very LX serial cable connector shell (slit it down one side) and average word processors. Like many other users, I've rebuilt it with new 10-pin insert connecting to a Logitech found that Word 5.5 for DOS works very well so I put up mouse with only 18 inches of cable. This is shown in the with the 900 Kbytes of disk space that it consumes on the accompanying photograph. It was not particularly easy Palmtop. Where possible I use margins that allow the 64- to do and is not recommended for the non-adept. The column Palmtop zoom mode to be used for improved mouse is labeled "10 rnA" and in fact it adds about 6 readability. I use a number of macros to make version 5.5 rnA to the standing current under DOS when it is loaded. emulate Word 97 on the PC as much as possible (such as This is not a great burden to the Palmtop, which gener­ Ctrl-X/C/V for Cut/Copy/Paste). Microsoft offers a ally consumes anywhere between 20 rnA and 80 rnA free utility, WDSUPCNV.EXE, that adds extra file con­ depending on what it is doing. I use a simple batch pro­ version features to Office 97 and allows documents to be gram, shown in screen 8 to load and unload the mouse dri­ saved in Word 5.x and other less-used formats. Obviously ver. Physically removing the mouse cable while the dri­ many features of Word 97 are lost but simple formatting ver is loaded can lead to your Palmtop consuming a con­ is preserved. I also use Word 5.5 in DOS on the PC so it stant 80 rnA, presumably due to a confused serial port. is my universal format. A bonus is that it reads and writes RTF files but the downside is that it compulsive­ Read More About It ly writes BAK files. I access Word 5.5 from a batch file that There have been several books written about XTree. I deletes all BAK files upon exiting. can recommend Official XTree by Beth Slick (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc, published 1992) which is comprehen­ CuteMouse on the Palmtop sive and clearly written. Most applications for the Palmtop, including those The easiest way to discover more about XTree is to visit under System Manager, don't use or support a mouse. the "XTree Fan Page" site maintained by Matthias Winkler However a mouse improves productivity in both XTree at http://xtfp.arkanda.net. Matthias discusses the many and Word 5.5 so I occasionally use one. My favorite mouse XTree clones and successors, including ZtreeWin, under driver is CUTE MOUSE by Nagy Daniel. It can be active development for Windows 95. Part of the reason obtained from his Web site at www.vein.hu/-nagyd/ . for these clones is that XTree is no longer available from When using a mouse, I generally reconfigure XTree to call or supported by Symantec. Unfortunately this limits the a mouse-supported text editor, usually Microsoft's Edit. appeal of XTree both within the Palmtop community and It has a very small footprint, only 7 Kbytes. I have found more widely. Further exacerbating this situation is the fact that some mice do not work on the Palmtop so you'll have that only versions 3 and later support the current versions to experiment. Use the cable and the 9-pin crossover of Zip (PKZIP2.04g).

With Ctrl they apply to all tagged "Branch" command that displays all shows Gemcap.com displayed as hex files and with Alt they also apply to logged files in a branch. In this case I've on the left and ASCII on the right. all tagged files, but will copy / move selected the root directory and told The README file describes a tricky the path as well. XTree is interactive. XTree to show a two-column display process for changing the "hot-key" in It describes what it is about to do and with the file sizes and to sort the list on the GEMCAP program. Typically asks for confirmation. If you don't the size from the largest to the smallest you'd have to use the DEBUG pro­ like this, you can change it. file. This is a quick way to find any gram, but with XTree I only had to The operational focus of XTree is unwanted, space-hogging files! locate the relevant bytes in GEMCAP on files. Operations on directories, for Screen 4 is an example of the XTree (42 followed by 00 on the first line) example trying to preserve a directo­ full-screen view. It shows part of the and edit them as hex values. The Tab ry structure as you move and copy README file for GEMCAP, the pro­ key toggles the cursor between the files, is not an XTree specialty. If XTree gram that I used to capture these hex and the ASCII work areas. You has an Achilles heel, this is it. For screen images. The text in this screen can use this editor to write ASCII text these operations, Filer in System serves as a useful illustration of the if you like, but it is not recommended! Manager is a better choice. power of the alternative hex view / - Screen 6 shows the XTree menu Screen 3 also demonstrates the edit, which is presented in Screen 5. It system, accessed by the F9 key. The

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999 15 , No-Risk 3D-Day !Money-Back Bua,an'ee! , What are you ADD , , , 3 Greal Optionsl .11l1l1le

Get the Best of the Best! Warrantied. Guaranteed. Proven. AHordable! • A Brand New HP 200LX • A Refurbished HP 200LX • Upgraded to 6, 8, 32, 64 or 96 MB • Upgraded to 5, 8,32,64 or 96 MB USED means LIKE NEW! We buy a lot of palmtops. We • Upgraded to DoubZeSpeed • Upgraded to DoubZeSpeed resell the best. We maintain very • In-the-Box with Manuals • Free 90-Day Warranty (extendable) high standards for palmtops we • Free One-Year Warranty (extendable) • 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee resell. Those that don't make the grade are used for parts. HP Manuals not included. engineering combined with 200LX 1000eX Thaddeus Computing's quality 2 MB· Used Palmtops are currently in short '499 #20N2 '470 #CXN2 control processes ensures that 2 MB DoubleSpeed 574 #2002 535 #CN2D supply. 64 MB and 32 MB orders will your Used palmtop will meet or 4MB· 599 #20N4 be processed first. exceed your expectations! 4 MB DoubleSpeed 674 #2004 6 MB DoubleSpeed 619 #2006 589 #CN6D 200LX 1000eX 8 MB DoubleSpeed 659 #200N 639 #CN8D 5 MB DoubleSpeed '349 #20US '279 #SCXD 32 MB DoubleSpeed 895 #2032 845 #C32D 8 MB DoubleSpeed 399 #2008 319 #8CXD 64 MB DoubleSpeed 1175 #2064 1145 #C64D 32 MB DoubleSpeed 599 #20LN 555 #32CXD 96 MB DoubleSpeed 1499 #2096 1469 #C96D 64 MB DoubleSpeed 899 #20U6 835 ' HP factory memory not upgraded. 1 year HP warranty. 96 MB DoubleSpeed 1225 #20U9 1159 #96CD

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade Now! Guaranteedt

1. Free-up PC card slot for email and Web 5. Have more fun - challenge your mind. 9. Expand capability of indispensable access anywhere. Add 20 games with Super Software Palmtop you know so well, rather than 2. Be more productive. Add 20 applications Carousel. invest time and money on less developed with Super Software Carousel. 6. Run vertical software for work or play on Windows CE platform. 3. Have more information available all the your Palmtop with Software Carousel. 10. Free up PC card slot for more storage, for time. 7. Have English Dictionary and language backup or for printing. 4. Access Phone, Database, ToDo data and do translation software a keystroke away. 1-2-3 computations twice as fast. 8. Take advantage of hardware breakthroughs.

800-373-8114/515-472-8330 Fax: 515-472-1879 II' .11",,11' RH 20 11100 ex • Upgrade to 2, 5,8,32,64 or 96 MB • Upgrade to Douh/eSpeed • Free 90-Day Warranty (extendable) Upgrade* lour HP 200lX or 1000CX Palmtop FROMffO- 5 or6 MB ** 8MB 32MB 64MB 96 MB*** 1,2 0r4MB ' 119 #UP5 ' 159 #UP8 '395 #UP32 '675 #UP64 '999 #UP96 50r6MB N/A 124 #U86 360 #U326 640 #U646 964 #U966 8MB N/A N/A 330 #U328 6\0 #U648 934 #U968 32MB N/A N/A N/A 455 #U643 799 #U963

64MB N/A------N/A N/A N/A 599 #U964 Upgrade any HP I 001200LX/IOOOCX to DoubleSpeed only: '75.00 #UPCD * All memory upgrades include DoubleSpeed free. You may also upgrade your I MB 200LX or 1000CX to 2 MB: '89.00 with DoubleSpeed # U 12D, or '49.00 without DoubleSpeed #U 12. ** 2 Meg units with serial numbers greater than or equal to SG6 will upgrade to 6 Meg. *** 96MB upgrades can only be performed on 2 meg units with serial numbers greater than or equal to SG6. Great gift for you, a friend, colleague, or family member! WARRANTY Upgrading speed and/or memory voids HP's warranty. Thaddeus Computing provides a free 90-Day Warranty on all Used and Upgraded Palmtops, and a Free One-Year Warranty on New Palmtops. You "Ooooh, I like this! More palmtops to have the option of extending these Warranties at the time of purchase as follows: follow." 90-Day Warranty extended to One-Year '25.00 #1 YRW -Satisfied upgrade customer 90-Day Warranty extended to Two-Years '75.00 #2YRW One-Year Warranty extended to Two-Years '50.00 #IX2W "It works great!" -Steve Carder "64 Meg Doublespeed combination is In the U.s.: All palmtops: '9.50 each. Upgrade in a hurry? One day U.S. turnaround service is available fantastic !" for Upgrades: '55 (#HIDT). Outside U.S.: All palmtops: '35 each. We cannot guarantee delivery time outside U.S. (normally one to two -Edward Caine weeks). "Wow, is that thing fast! And all that memory! I highly recommend the IMPORTANT! UPGRADE CUSTOMERS: ThaddeusPalmtopsforanyone Upgrading removes all data, so be sure to do a complete back-up before shipping. Use a thinking of upgrading." trackable method of shipping. Please include daytime contact info in case we have questions. -Robert J. Vondra Non-U.S. customers: write "Used Equipment For Repair" on your shipping container.

Email: [email protected] Order Online: www.PalmtopPaper.com REVIEW: The XTree Alternative

XTree Edit Options XTreeMenu 97- 97- 85 12:32:94 aM Palmtop has frozen. ~8RD 5.5 ICOH299LX Applications such as XTree, LXPIC Magellan, Stereo Shell, and System PICE" Manager's Filer provide an enormous enhancement to DOS which other­

DIET wise is a bare-bones command lan­ XIHE guage. Each program has similarities

Move iteM RenaMe IteM Undo but they each do things in their own F19 cOMMands Fl nelp ESC exit unique way. My preference for XTree Screen 6: XTree also has a very customizable menu system for launching applications. is partly historical and partly due to the fact that it offers a continuity of menu presents a list of the available Zip-version of the usual XTree dual­ approach with my preferred NT Tools operations, each of which has an asso­ window display with fully recursed File Manager on the desktop. By all ciated script of up to 17 lines. The subdirectories above the small file means consider alternatives which scripts are essentially DOS batch com­ window. If no directory or path infor­ suit your own style . • mands. However, XTree uses its own mation is present in the archive, zip­ interpretation of the batch language's file contents simply come up in the "%1" parameter. In XTree "%1" rep­ large file window. Creation of (or Shareware/Freeware resents the current file, "%2" stands addition to) existing ZIP archives is mentioned in this article for the directory and "%3" stands for handled separately within the stan­ XTree 2.0, WDSUPCNV.EXE and CUTE· the path. With this interpretation, you dard XTree windows. XTree does not MOUSE are freeware programs that are can, for example, select the image directly support any other compres­ available on this issue of The HP viewers PICEM and LXPIC to dis­ sion formats but most operations with Palmtop Paper ON DISK and on the Web playa file or to open in file-list mode these could easily be written into at www.palmtop.net. in the chosen directory. In addition to application menu scripts. Earlier ver­ Diet and Gemcap are freeware programs available on the 1999 CD InfoBase from the menu, every file extension can be sions of XTree could handle PKZip 2 Thaddeus Computing. associated with a particular batch file. files in a similar way. FM31.ZIP is a freeware clone that is This lets you select a file with a .DOC available for download from the XTree extension and call the PalEdit pro­ Conclusions Fan Page on the Web as well as from gram whenever you issue the "Open" Several people have petitioned www.Palmtop.net.Itis also available command in XTree. Symantec to offer XTreeGold as on this issue of The HP Palmtop Paper The utility of the XTree application "giveaware" as Lotus has done with ON DISK. This is a faithful emulation menu is evident from the range of Magellan. Pending a reply from of XTreeGold 3.01. HOWEVER, the applications listed in Screen 6. Apart Symantec, you can try an evaluation documentation and program interface are all in German. from opening Word, BV or the copy of the earlier XTree 2.0 program, Palmtop icon editor (ICON200), you available on the XTree Fan Page on can run compression programs like the World Wide Web. Let me men­ Diet and XINE on chosen files. The tion, however, that version 2.0 is not XTree menu allows you to Diet and the same as XTreeGold 3.01. It is lim­ Undiet in seconds. XINE is on the ited, not configurable and does not Palmtop's D: drive. HP chose it to handle the standard PKZIP 2.04g files. expand other files on the D: drive (In this regard it is very much like such as the KEYBEZ "kit" files. XINE Magellan.) Furthermore, the color is bi-directional and recognizes enhancements in version 2.0 can't be whether the file on which it is to oper­ changed which makes it difficult to ate is normal or already compressed. use on the Palmtop. I recommend It also achieves a quite reasonable that you use a program, CGAHELP to compression, though not competitive convert the colors to grey or black with PKZip, and is incredibly small at when you run XTree 2.0 otherwise less than 2 Kbytes. However, it is you'll wear out the [ON] [/] keys try­ slow! ing to adjust the colors. Also without XTree also handles existing ZIP CGAHELP you might miss the exit archives. When a selected ZIP archive prompt that asks you to press Y to contains directory information, the leave the program. If you can't see contents are initially presented in a the prompt, you might think that the

18 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 OW TO USE YOUR PALMTOP USER PROFILE Through The Looking Glass: Add Some Intelligence to Your Palmtop! Ed examines several artificial intelligence programs and expert systems that work as DOS applications on the HP Palmtop.

By Ed Keefe

he field of artificial intelligence crash, later called "Black Friday." The of a problem and figure out both T (AI) has been around almost media blamed the crash on "com­ WHAT to do and HOW to do it. as long as have computers. The puterized trading" which they linked Given such a computer, the first prob­ dream of AI experts has been to turn with AI trading programs. From that lem I'd pose would be "tell me how a pile of wires and switches into some­ point on the phrase "artificial intelli­ to acquire all the wealth in the world," thing that mimics human intelligence. gence" fell into disfavor. which, on second thought, makes me In the 1960's and '70' s, AI was However the field of AI is still alive wonder if a leading software compa­ pretty much the domain of comput­ and doing quite well. You interact ny doesn't already have such a 5GL er scientists. People like John with AI every time you stomp your computer in operation. McCarthy and Marvin Minsky at the ABS-brakes. However you won't hear We'll see more artificial intelligence Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ford, GM or Daimler / Chrysler claim in future Palmtops. Pattern recogni­ (MIT) refined the concepts of AI and that their cars possess "artificial intel­ tion, a branch of AI, will eventually developed Lisp, the premiere, pro­ ligence." To do so might imply that give us speech and handwriting recog­ gramming language of AI. They even their cars were headed for a crash. nition that actually works. You prob­ built computers that were optimized You can also see traces of AI in ably won't need a password since to use the language. Fourth Generation programming lan­ your Palmtop will only respond to In the mid-1980's, PC program­ guages (4GLs) such as Borland's C++ your voice and your face. Instead of mers tried adding small amounts of Builder, MS Access, Excel and Lotus using a spreadsheet and a database to AI to already existing programs. 1-2-3. Much of the "intelligence" hides analyze a new car purchase, you'll Word processors, with AI, were in the background. You tell the pro­ just tell your Palmtop to look at your supposed to eliminate the need for gram what you want to do. The driving and spending patterns for the typists. Decision support and expert "intelligent" code-builder tells your past two years and list three automo­ systems were touted as replacements computer how to write the program bile choices that will work best for for middle managers in factories and you want. In application programs, you. If the information isn't available offices. Doctors could use AI pro­ some artificial intelligence may come in your Palmtop an AI, software agent grams to help them diagnose dis­ to the foreground in the form of will know enough to connect to the eases. Financial managers and stock­ Wizards and context sensitive help Internet and find what it needs. brokers could feed their ticker tapes screens. After you've looked at a cou­ For today's Palmtop, artificial into AI-enhanced programs and then ple dozen Wizards, you'll probably intelligence is limited to what can be head for their favorite golf course. agree that this so-called "intelligence" done on a DOS-based machine. It's Software marketing people start­ is somewhere between the intelli­ not a whole lot, but there's still ed to use the catch phrase "artificial gence of a slugworm and a housefly. enough to keep an experimenter busy intelligence" in their advertisements. It's still pretty primitive. for several months if not years. According to the ads, AI was sup­ What is needed for the full real­ The remainder of this article posed to revolutionize the computer ization of AI is a Fifth Generation describes several programs that will industry. However, in 1987, the US computer. Such a computer would let you explore AI on your Palmtop. stock market suffered a spectacular accept the natural language statement Once you see what the programs can

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 19 HOW TO USE: Through the Looking Glass

engineer you could develop a trouble­ shooting program that will save you Sources for AI Software time and frustration down the road. If you're an investor you could try In the field of Artificial something like the IMPshell program Intelligence, the name Joseph S. to see if it will help you make better Weintraub appears again and again, investments. If you're an insurance often in the context of his having salesperson, you could put your won the Loebner prize for AI, con­ expertise in your Palmtop and have it versational programs. The first such handy for those really tough selling program, called ELIZA is a com­ tasks. Most of the programs to be puterized counseling session with mentioned will be included in this a robot. Joseph Weintraub didn't issue of The HP Palmtop Paper ON write the program. However, he Joseph Weintraub DISK. They will also be available on took ELIZA to the next level and the S. U.P.E.R site with the keyword gave it a larger vocabulary and a Mind Media is where I found copies "intelligence" in the description of better way to handle input from the of the PC-Therapist IV for DOS and the file. That will make it easy to get user. He called his program "PC­ PC Therapist V for Windows. Sad to all the programs in one pass. Just con­ Therapist" and entered it in the say, neither version will run on the nect your computer to www. Loebner contest. He started working Palmtop. PCT4 will start on the PalmtopPaper.com and click on the on his contest entry in 1986 and Palmtop but quickly dies when it's "Downloads" icon. In the download entered it in the 1991 competition. To called upon to display graphics. screen, type the word "intelligence" win the $100,000 prize the AI pro­ Apparently an EGA screen is (without quotes) in the search field gram had to convince ten judges required although this is not men­ and click Fetch! This will bring up a that they were communicating with tioned in the documentation. list of the relevant files on the a living person rather than a com­ A competing program to PC S.U.P.E.R. site and you can proceed to puter. Joseph won first place but not Therapist, called The Explorer, is download them from there. the full amount since his program also available from Mind Media. If only fooled five of the ten judges. He you want to converse with your For Those New to AI won first place in 1992 and 1993 but, Palmtop about your feelings, prob­ If you know little or nothing about again, the big money eluded him. lems and aspirations, Explorer will the topic of artificial intelligence, the His one-person company, work but I don't promise any "break place to start is with a few, short arti­ "Thinking Software," offered some throughs" as a result of using it. cles. The AI-Tutor file contains four of the best AI software for DOS­ Other programs offered by Mind text files: FUTURE.TXT, NATUR­ based PCs in the past ten years. Most Media claim to help you brainstorm AL.TXT, NEURAL.TXT and EXPERT. recently "Thinking Software" has ideas (Brainstorm) and write term TXT. These files present what was fallen on hard times and has gone papers just by loading your research known about expert systems, neural out of business. Even though it's in the Palmtop and pressing a single networks, robotics and natural query possible to find portions of the com­ key. (Autowriter). Both programs use languages in 1991. It's not the most pany's former Web site on Prodigy, a database search engine to pull sen­ current information but it's still a good the link to the home page is broken. tences from text files and string the introduction to the topic. The archive The best, current source for DOS sentences together. Sorry, folks, this also contains a file viewer program based, Artificial Intelligence is a isn't what I would call "generating a that will run on the Palmtop. Web-based company called Mind report" or ''brainstorming.'' How­ However, the four text files are all you Media. Its address is www.mind­ ever, if you become intrigued with need. You can either print them out or media. com. The company offers the field of AI, Bruce Ehrlich at Mind read them on the Palmtop using Filer many older, DOS, AI programs that Media is now the keeper of the flame or Memo. The other two text files in will run on the HP Palmtop. These for shareware and inexpensive soft­ the AI-Tutor archive give some infor­ programs sold for between $150 and ware. If he doesn't list a program mation on how to use a new PC and $300 but are now sold for $15 each or you're looking for, he may be able to how to get in contact with Thinking $50 for a bundle of 5 programs. find it in his off-line collection. • Software. See the sidebar for more information about this company and its founder, Joseph Weintraub. do, you may be able to figure out how problem domain. For example, if to modify the programs to suit your you're a programmer or a network

20 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 Expert Systems a built-in editor and information view­ carry liability insurance. Such pro­ To get a hands-on feel for one area er. Here is where the challenge begins. grams could not be offered "as is" of AI, I recommend taking a look at the Suppose you wanted to create an with all the responsibility for their files that deal with Expert Systems (ES). Expert System that would solve most use resting with the user. If the expert To get an idea of what an expert system of the problems that users have with system produced inaccurate or mis­ is, think of it as a database, but use the their Palmtops. You would begin by leading results it would be a field day terminology "knowledge base". collecting all the knowledge of for lawyers who would probably use Most databases have a search Palmtop experts over the past six their own expert system to assess engine that will let you look up years. The next step would be to cat­ damages and develop strategies to information based on keywords or egorize all the problems that users use in the courtroom. phrases. The search engine for a have posed. Once you had that infor­ The files that contain ES shell pro­ knowledge base is called an "infer­ mation you could begin to build both grams are: ence engine" that lets you find infor­ the knowledge base and the set of ESIE stands for Expert System mation based on your answers to a rules that would link the questions to Inference Engine.With ESIE you can series of questions. The simplest ques­ the answers. put some "smarts" into your person­ tions are those that expect a Yes/No If you decide to accept this chal­ al computer. You can build custom response or questions that ask you to lenge, you'll soon discover that the "knowledge bases" that help make pick from a multiple-choice list. The task is too much for one person to decisions or to make our computers more sophisticated inference engines handle. You'll also begin to appreci­ "more human." are those that will let you type a ques­ ate why "knowledge-based" pro­ The Expert System Toolkit pre­ tion in "natural language." The grammers were earning hundreds of sents, for the first time, a simple menu engine will parse your question or thousands of dollars for their work driven approach to generating your problem and try to answer or solve it even in the 1980's. To create a medical own rule-based backward chaining with the information in its knowl­ or financial expert system demanded expert system. When it is complete, edge base. Users of the Q&A data­ that the "knowledge worker" have your Expert System will ask you (or base program will already be familiar the equivalent of a Ph.D. degree in the user of your system) a series of with this technology. the subject, be an expert at research­ questions (QUERIES) to be answered The files that are available include: ing answers and be a whiz at logic. It on a scale of O(No) to 10(Yes). At the The Amateur Reasoner: an early also helped if the person knew how to conclusion of the consultation the attempt at creating an expert system program a computer. You may also Expert will draw a graph of the User's using the Pascal language. One sam­ understand why companies that mar­ responses, and finally display the cor­ ple knowledge base tries to predict keted such expert systems had to rect solution (GOAL). how long you'll live and the other sample figures out an animal you may be thinking about. The file is called AMATEUR.ZIP. New! Link-A-Printer II Automotive Diagnosis: over 200 windows full of technical information Smaller size & Attached cable for those who want to see how an Link-A-Printer II is a serial to parallel converter expert system can help with their auto­ that allows direct printing from your OmniGo motive problems. The information may 100 to any parallel printer. It also works with the be out of date and the online updates HP 100/200LX. may no longer work. However the pro­ $79 gram will give you an idea of what's involved in creating a knowledge base Link-A-Printer II has a built-in connectivity cable that plugs into your OmniGo Filename: AUTOS.ZIP. 100 Since it does not require batteries or extra cable Link-A-Printer II is simple and easy to use. ES Shells An Expert System Shell is simply Also Available Link-A-Printer I the brain and the input/output tools Requires connectivity cable and optional battery Features auto for an expert system that you will on/off fixed 9600 baud . $59 build. The only thing missing is the knowledge base and the set of rules Greenwich Instruments LTD Tel: 704-875-8490 European Distributor that will guide the search for informa­ Fax: 704-875-2801 Tel: 011-44-181-302-4931 tion. Most of these ES shells come with Toll Free: 800-476-4070 Fax: 011-44-181-302-4933

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 21 HOW TO USE: Through the Looking Glass

IMP Shell is a Expert System de­ gramming language. The full language into the future (Filename: Brain12). velopment environment. It contains programs were very costly. Now, how­ The Neuron Expert disk from all the utilities needed to develop and ever, there's a free version of standard MindMedia is a commercial package test new Expert Systems, and run Prolog on the CD InfoBase from that will let you develop Expert them when they are finalized. All Thaddeus Computing in the ONDISK Systems using neural network tech­ functions are menu driven and directory for Marl Apr, 1996. It's a very nology. The package sold originally appear in Windows. IMP Expert good 16 bit implementation of Prolog for $195 but has been discounted to Systems are rule based, backwards that will work on the HP 200LX. $15 which is less than the cost of most chaining systems. They are very fast shareware. The package comes with and not limited by an artificially small Other AI Avenues to Explore StockNet, a neural network that helps number of rules. The field of artificial intelligence you pick winners in the stock market. XXXPERT is an Expert System doesn't end with Expert Systems. In Just answer 33 questions about a stock development facility that includes an the past decade the scope of AI has and Neuron Expert IV will give you a editor, file manager and Expert widened and now includes such top­ buy or sell signal proven more accurate Systems inference engine packaged ics as "neural networks" and "fuzzy than any other method of stock market together in one integrated environ­ logic" among other things. prediction. This might be an interesting ment. You can use XXXPERT to devel­ Neural networks (NNs) are a program to play with, if you under­ op Expert Systems that use rules you fledgling attempt to get a pile of wires stand the jargon of the stock traders. write in an English language syntax. and transistors to emulate the human FuzzyOne provides an excellent You can develop Expert Systems that brain. NNs are good at examining way to gain a complete understand­ will aid you and others in doing things and comparing patterns and "learn­ ing of fuzzy logic. You can specify that you would not be able to do con­ ing" from their mistakes. This tech­ inputs and outputs, add and modify sistently as well without XXXPERT. nology may be the answer to speech shapes, formulate rules, then test the XXXPERT allows you to define expert and handwriting recognition in future system through simulation. If the out­ knowledge just once then apply it computers. The downside is that such put is not what is expected, only a repeatedly time after time. technology takes more processing few keystrokes are required to change power than can be supplied in the the input conditions. The new data Beyond Shells current HP Palmtop. can immediately be simulated. To aid If someone else's ES shell program Fuzzy-logic isn't something prac­ in the design of the system, a learn doesn't do what you'd like then it's ticed by a cuddly version of Star Trek's mode can be activated. The program time to create your own. Many of the Mr. Spock. It's a refined version of the sends data it is working with to a file early ES shells were written in C so logic you studied in school. Household for your review. Once the design is you'd need to have a working knowl­ appliance manufacturers have already proven, an application can be created edge of the C programming language adopted the technology to make their containing everything needed to and a fairly good idea of how an washers and dryers more efficient and implement your system. • inference engine works. easier to use. Microsoft has applied Some of the later ES shells were fuzzy-logic in its context-sensitive help Comercial Products written using the Prolog program­ screens in programs such as Excel and Neuron Expert, PCTherapist, The Explorer, ming language. The advantage to Word. If you're stumped with how to Brainstorm, Autowriter - ($15 or less); using Prolog is that the language is do something in Excel, you're sup­ Mind Media: (800) 818-9445, Fax: (408) designed to process logical com­ posed to be able to click on the Office 426-8519; Web: www.mindmedia.com mands. The disadvantage is that it's Assistant icon and get a choice of help a high level language and, invariably, screens that deal with your problem. Shareware/Freeware it won't do exactly what you want it That's the theory anyway. AMATEUR.ZIP, AI-Tutor.ZIP are available to do. The result is that you'll wind up Here are some files that will let you on this issue of The HP Palmtop Paper creating add-ins, usually written in C. explore this technology on the Palmtop. ON DISK and at www.palmtop.net There have been various Prolog The Brain is an advanced neural AUTOS.ZlP, ESlE.ZlP, EXSYS.ZlP, IMP-INFS.ZlP, development kits that have come to network simulator that is simple XXXPERT.ZIP, BRAIN12.ZIP, FUZlY202.ZIP market and just as quickly have faded enough to be used by non-technical available at www.palmtoppaper.com (In the Downloads page. Search for away. For example, Borland's Prolog people, yet sophisticated enough for Intelligence to find them all.) was a commercial program that serious research work. Based upon the worked on the Palmtop. For a while it back propagation learning NLQ algo­ was my favorite. However, once I rithm, The Brain allows you to train the began to use it, I realized that it was computer to learn what you want it to only a subset of the full Prolog pro- learn. The Brain gives you a glimpse

22 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 W TO USE YOUR PALMTOP USER PROFILE

Using Your Palmtop to Achieve Financial Independence Can your Palmtop help you achieve financial independence? According to one Palmtop User the Answer is ... "YesJ"

By Paul Merrill

hat images do the words that you do it. To my delight, two information into a hand-held W "financial independence" months after my first talk with Curly, recorder, then, at home, I transfer this bring to mind? The casino I bought my first two small houses. At material to my Palmtop's DataBase in at Monte Carlo? gleaming Ferraris, this writing three years later, I have a file called "houses.gdb." I created champagne and caviar? The defini­ four houses, three of them completed, the fields I need for this information, tion of financial independence to Joe and can finally see the light at the such as: Address, Owner, Owner's Dominguez and Vicki Robin, co­ end of the tunnel. phone, Date last sold, Problems, etc. authors of the book "Your Money Or Here's how my Palmtop keeps me Later I will take these addresses to Your Life," is having enough money organized, on track and in the right the courthouse to look up the owners' to meet your daily needs (enough so frame of mind along the way. names, addresses and phone numbers. you don't have to work unless you After contacting the owner, I move the want to) - and a little bit extra. Looking For A House entry to the "Dead pile" or hopefully To me it means having "time" - After three years I still have a set up an appointment in ApptBook to time to write novels, to draw car­ repeating appointment in ApptBook get together with him or her. toons, study guitar, learn Spanish, that signals me monthly to call my The other way I use my Palmtop travel and pursue meditation and various real estate agents and remind at this stage is to keep in touch with yoga. For the last three years I have them that I am still here, waiting for the people who will be assisting me focused the majority of my time and them to call me about a property. when things get going. This, and energy on making financial indepen­ I also cruise the streets when I every other business I know of, is a dence a reality in my life through the have the time, recording addresses relationship business. Just like a sales­ purchase and rehabilitation of rental of houses I might be interested in. man, I contact the people I will be real estate. For these same three years This is what I'm looking for - dealing with - advisors, real estate my Palmtop has been helping me on unkempt houses with tall, unmowed agents, other landlords with whom I the way, one keystroke at a time. grass, cars on blocks, with peeling swap tools and advice - to wish paint and hopefully some well placed them a happy birthday, happy Buying Rental Property­ litter - in a nice neighborhood. As anniversary or just to chat about my Buying an Income they say in all the real estate books, latest toy. "Hey, Dick, you've got to When you buy a rental property there are three important things to see this auto-feed sheet rock screw you are buying yourself a potential consider when buying property: loca­ gun I just bought. It's really cool!" income stream - hopefully for life. tion, location and location. For birthdays and anniversaries I My financial independence mentor I record addresses and pertinent use a repeating appointment in and guide, Curly Smith, suggested I use rental real estate as my vehicle because I already had carpentry skills ABOUT THE AUTHOR and, well, not much else. Paul Merrill is a former editor of The HP Palmtop Paper currently working as a I am convinced now that the way self-employed carpenter in Fairfield, Iowa. His side jobs include selling Christmas is not complicated and doesn't require trees in California, and teaching "English as a Second Language" (ESL) for a local brains or money. What it requires is community college.

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 23 HOW TO USE: Using Your Palmtop to Achieve Financial Independence

ApptBook that pops up monthly figure out how much I can pay for ning, I want their knowledge. At this telling me to check them for the month. the property, given the interest rate I point I can still cancel the contract I have customized my PhoneBook know the bank will charge me and the using one of the "escape" clauses I to have a check box for every month rent I think I can get, adding have built into the contract. (If you do of the year. When I know a person's $150/month minimum profit. Then, your homework using the 100-house birthday or anniversary, I enter it in since sellers and buyers expect to rule, you should never need to the appropriate field, then check the compromise on the offel~ I lower my "escape" out of a contract. I never corresponding month's check box. bid accordingly. have, but this kind of clause allows On the last day of each month I cre­ Next I list the price I want in an me to sleep at night during the nego­ ate a subset for that month: (F6) appointment in ApptBook that I keep tiating process.) (Subset), (ALT) (Define), (Fn) moving forward into the current day. Due to the damaged state of some (UpArrow) to the correct screen, This way I can know instantly, with­ houses, I have been forced to borrow (TAB) to the appropriate check box, out having to redo my figures each money from private lenders at exceed­ select it by pressing (SpaceBar), (FlO), time, how high I can go and still make ingly high interest rates. I will use TVM name the subset, (FlO) (OK), (FlO) the purchase work. Also, I list other again when I have fixed the house up (OK). This way I bring up the houses I am looking at in the Note and need to refinance it, working back­ PhoneBook listings for the people I field of this same appointment to ward in TVM to figure the interest rate need to call. remind myself that this is not the only and number of periods (time span of I also use my Palmtop during this deal out there, not to get too attached the loan) that I want, based on the time to stay positive. I have three to it and to stay with my numbers. At income the house is bringing in. repeating Events that appear daily at the bottom of the Note field I list the top of my ApptBook screen, that promises made on the listing sheet Closing contain affirmations (e.g., "I don't or by the real estate agent such as To follow the closing process I set need anything I don't already have"), "and of course, you get to keep the a series of alarmed appointments in knowledge (e.g., "A sincere compli­ a/ c units, piano, stove, etc." I date ApptBook. This is a critical time and ment works wonders") and rules (e.g., these promises using (Fn)(Date), I like to check with my real estate "Don't make unnecessary calls, (Fn)(Time) at the bottom of the agent and attorney to see that every­ answer the phone or otherwise pro­ Palmtop keyboard. thing is progressing smoothly. If they crastinate after 8:00 p.m. or you must I must say, sometimes I sympa­ need some information or a docu­ donate $10 to charity"). thize with the real estate agents I work ment, I volunteer to get it for them. with. For example, my last purchase They usually decline my offer but it Negotiating originally listed at $35,000, far above lets them know that their speed is The 100 House Rule (from the its unkempt value. My first offer was important to me. book "Think Like A Tycoon," by Bill at $15,000. I set a repeating appoint­ lt is very important to have all the Greene) says to get the information on ment in ApptBook to call my real facts and figures of the deal at your the last 100 houses that have sold in estate agent every month to present a fingertips at all times. In your Palmtop the area you are looking at. You can new offer. First I presented the offer you want the phone numbers of all get this list from your local real estate verbally. If that was rejected, I pre­ parties concerned: attorneys, real agent. What you are after is the sented the same offer in writing one estate agents, back up lenders, pest address and selling price, not the orig­ month later. Here's how it went: inspectors, knowledgeable friends in inal asking price. Don't make an offer the field, insurance agents, real estate until you have looked at 100 houses. Asking price $35,000 mentors, utility companies, etc. I also At this point, you are an expert at Paper offer 6/17/98 15,000 keep the numbers of local lumber­ valuing houses in that area and you Verbal offer 7/20/98 15,000 yards, plumbers, painters and electri­ can make an offer on every house Paper offer 8/29/98 16,000 cians. You may have nagging last that fits your criteria. Verbal offer 10/6/98 17,000 minute questions or need to get bids Never make an offer based on the Paper offer 10/17/98 18,000 accepted on necessary repairs that you weren't asking price of a house. Make your expecting. Once I got a message from offer based on what you feel is a good Once I have done my job, namely my insurance agent one day before deal for you. Sometimes that may be getting a signed offer on a house I closing telling me that he wouldn't much lower than the asking price. To am excited about, I bring in the big insure the house I had just signed off. figure my initial offering price I open guns, the experts. These are my real Boy, did I scramble! up HP Calc's TVM (Time Value of estate advisors and I want their final Money) function. I enter the infor­ seal of approval. If there is a prob­ Fixing It Up mation I need, working backward to lem that I didn't notice in the begin- Palmtop/ real estate tip - Every

24 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999 so often go into your real estate data­ 3. A tasteful mailbox - I put up a - e.g., 510). Don't forget to enter some­ base (where you keep your "Errors I vertical one, mount it on the wall thing in the Memo field. You need all have made in the past" list and next to the front door and paint it your information to be as complete as remind yourself of past mistakes and the same color as the accent trim. possible since you might have to look possible future pit falls. For example, 4. Fancy brass numbers - Spend the back at this entry years later if the one of my notes reads "Only tear off time and money necessary to pick IRS audits you. a small section of the roof at a time if the right ones. I have set up a handy way to move the weather is iffy!" I can still hear the 5. An elegant, brass, lighted door bell. backward through my Pocket plaster falling off the ceiling in big Quicken check listings by month. I chunks during the night. This information and any perti­ create a new listing on the first day of Now comes the real job of fixing nent prices, item numbers, etc., I enter every month (F2) (Add), and enter up the property. I get out my Palmtop, in my database under the house in "ZZZZZ" in the Payee field. I list the go to PhoneBook and call for a dump­ question. Transaction Type as a deposit and ster to be dropped in front of the leave all the other information blank. property. When you deal with a Avoiding Lists of Clutter This way if I want to go back a month dumpster company or any other com­ In ApptBook, I create an appoint­ at a time, I simply press (Z) when I am pany, here is something I've found ment for the new house (e.g., "(DO in the main screen. invaluable. In PhoneBook's Note field NOW!) 510 E. Adams INSIDE JOBS Remember that rehabbing a house for that entry, always list: LIST - info below"). I roll over this is a big project. Don't forget to take 1. The company or store's hours for appointment one day to the next. In some time off along the way. I take a the week the Note field I list the items to be half day every Sunday afternoon and 2. The department manager's name fixed and delete them as they are get out of town, away from the phone 3. The names of helpful employees completed. Hopefully I will decide and the cell phone, and into nature. I 4. The amount of your contractor's some of them are not critical and can don't take my Palmtop. I've found discount. (Once you are on your be moved to my "To Do In the that spending three hours redesigning second house, you are worthy of a Future" list in DataBase. This is my my PhoneBook does not classify as a contractor's discount.) Palmtop "round file" for non-real "day off." Next, in my real estate database, I estate ToDo's as well as real estate make an entry for the house and enter: ones. As it is said, "out of sight, out of Finding A Good Renter 1. Day of week for garbage pick up mind." It's amazing how really press­ Finding a good renter in impor­ 2. Loan information (the payment, per­ ing items like "make new labels for tant. Bad tenants will create a desire centage, duration, the loan number, spice jars," never seem to bother you in you to end your career in real estate future balloon payments, etc.) when you move them to your fast. To help me do this I list any 3. Names of the next door neighbors DataBase's round file. And though I "qualified" people who have ex­ 4. Property tax amounts will probably never look at these pressed interest in renting a house 5. House color information (it's the items again, having them "some­ along with their phone numbers. same for all my houses) - body where" inside my Palmtop makes me When I get a vacancy I call them all. color, exterior, interior, trim color, feel better than deleting them. Human Here are some good rules of etc. My last house had wood psychology, I guess. thumb when picking a tenant: columns that I matched with Sherwinn-Williams Plum Mahogany Record Keeping 1. Don't jump at the first tenant that stain. That information will be Record keeping during fix up is comes along because you need the invaluable if ever I need to touch up CRITICAL! You will be referring back money. It's better to lose a few a worn spot. to your check register in Pocket weeks rent than to have to ask an Quicken many, many times. This irritated 6 foot 4 inch, 275 pound Palmtop/Real estate Tip- could be to see if you've paid a mort­ tenant to move out. The most important fix up items gage due, to check a rent deposit, to for a rental house seem to be: see how much your last utility pay­ 2. Never say "Yes" to a prospective ment was or any of a myriad of rea­ tenant while they are standing in 1. Beautiful colors - critical, inside sons. So, when you buy items for two front of you. Go home and think and out. Spend the time and different houses, use Splits (F3) to get about it when you can be some­ money necessary to pick the right to Pocket Quicken's Transaction Splits what objective. ones and stay with them. screen, then keep the amounts sepa­ 2. Fancy light fixtures - I buy close­ rate. For each item, you can enter the 3. Go with your gut. Trust your outs, brass or crystal. Project name (I use the house address instincts. If your mind says, "Yes,"

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 25 HOW TO USE: Using Your Palmtop to Achieve Financial Independence

month's payment on the day that falls 15 days later. This simple manipula­ Books IRead and Recommend tion, Curly tells me, cuts your loan term by approximately 25 % while The following tools of the trade proved to be priceless: you pay the same total amount of Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. A book that money per month. I thought my bank will surely turn your head around and change your thinking about money might object to this idea since they in a positive way. would be losing interest money, so I called them about it. They didn't care How To Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt and Live Prosperously by Jerrold one way or the other. As long as they Mundis. How to stop the downward spiral of being in debt. received their money on time, they The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clausen. Common sense laws of told me, everything was fine. gaining wealth written as a series of short entertaining stories. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. A book to make you aware of the Life on the Riviera power your own thinking plays in your success or failure. I can't say my life has actually As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. Same comment as above. landed me on the Riviera yet. But in the mean time, one of my favorite How I Turned $1,000 into $5,000,000 In Real Estate by William Nickerson. games is to go into HP Calc's Done by the author parttime while he worked another job. This book deals Currency Conversions application more with apartment buildings rather than single family homes, but still has (MENU) (Applications) (Conversions) a lot of good information. (Currency), play with different rates of exchange and dream. Joe says never but your insides are doing summ­ amortized over 15 years are pay for a vacation when you are finan­ ersaults, go with your feelings first. $477.83 per month (principal and cially independent--donate your time interest). to a charitable organization in the On Being an Organized Landlord 3. These payments amortized over 10 country you want to visit and let them In my PhoneBook I have a field for years are $606.64 per month (prin­ pay for your travel and expenses. e-mail addresses. This will come in cipal and interest). Since I am single, my target "reju­ handy when I am in Argentina and This is especially pertinent to land­ venation" (I don't like the word need to e-mail my bank to check rent lords like myself who live in the mid­ "retirement") amount is $1,000 per deposits or e-mail a friend to ask him West. The house referred to earlier, month. Whenever I tell someone this, or her to call a plumber in response to purchased for $18,000 has a mortgage the usual response is, "No one can an e-mail I just got from a tenant. on it of $13,500. It currently rents for live on $1,000 a month!" You can keep track of similar rent $375. The difference in payments by But it can be done easily. Again, the amounts deposited in your bank length of term on this mortgage (at concept comes from Your Money or account by assigning each house a 8.25%) is: Your Life. My plan is to teach English slightly different rent amount. For • 30 year - $101.42 per month as a Second Language or do volunteer example, the rent for my 200 E. • 15 year - $130.97 per month work (travel with expenses paid) for Madison is $375.oI. For 510 E. Adams, • 10 year - $165.58 per month six months a year. While I'm gone, the rent amount is $375.02. This way, With the cash flow it currently has, my $1,000 per month income will be which deposit has been made can be I chose the 10-year amortization. I cut adding up in the bank. This way, for easily identified. off 20 years of payments to the bank. the six months a year when I am Another way to save money is to home, I will have an effective income How To Save Money With pay your mortgage bimonthly. I have of $2,000 per month, and this I know Accelerated Payments eight repeating appointments in I can comfortably live on. I will have You can save a lot of money by ApptBook reminding me to pay my the time to ride my bicycle rather than making accelerated payments. Com­ mortgages bimonthly on my four drive and I know how to find great pare the payments on a particular loan houses. This is a trick that my mentor deals on the things I will want or need. based on a 30 year, 15 year, or 10 year Curly showed me. The first time you What about future opportunities to amortization schedules. For example: pay your mortgage you make your make money? According to Joe and 1. The payments on a $50,000 loan normal monthly payment plus 50% of Vicki they are easier to spot when you amortized over 30 years at 8% that amount. From then on, starting don't spend all of your day working. • interest are $366.88 per month 15 days later, you pay half of the (principal and interest). monthly amount on the scheduled 2. The payments on the same loan day of the month, and another half

26 THEHPPALMTOPPAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 • •• B ASIC TIPS •••

Unless otherwise noted, the Basic Tips are by Ed Keefe.

synchronize Pocket Quicken files with Quicken for Windows. Days to Y2K Assuming that you have the HP Editing the Notes Fields in Any Several local TV stations have been Connectivity Pack on your Windows Database displaying the number of days until 3.1 desktop computer, type the batch The Notes fields in all the database Jan.1, 2000. That may be useful for file into NotePad and save it as programs for the 200LX (i.e., the rest of the viewing audience but PQ_SYNCH.BAT in the same direc­ Appointment/ToDo, Note Taker, we Palmtoppers already have a Y2K tory as the Cpack software. Database, WorldTime, PhoneBook) countdown timer built into the are somewhat unique in that they allow Palmtop. Look on the right side of the Rem PQ_SYNCH.BAT up to 32K bytes of information to be second line in Appointments. It will rem ** Connect with LapLink, and stored in each note field. The Notes show something like 200/165, which rem wait for connection fields are great for storing information: means that 200 days have passed IIra1 not so great for editing the informa­ and 165 days are left in the current IIra2 tion contained in them. There are very year. IIra3/c few shortcut keys to edit a note. Here wait are the shortcut keys that do work: IIra_env /w if errorlevel 1 goto wait CTRL+FN+END : jump to the end of rem ** Backup my LX files a note, Hiding Sensitive Information xcopy /m/s f:\*.* d:\user\backuplx CRTL+FN+HOME: jump to the start of If you have information such as rem ** Start the LX emulator from a note. Personal Identification Numbers for rem HP Connectivity Pack CTRL+RightlLeft ARROW: jump for­ ATM cards, the registration code for tkernel ward/backward to the start of a word. commercial software, or health infor­ cg mation, you could store this in a Memo rem ** Sync. Quicken file at There are no shortcut keys for such file and secure the file with a pass­ d:\user\quicken\qdata.qdt common tasks as deleting whole word. However, if some hacker wants rem ** with Pocket Quicken file at words. The best you can do is high­ to get at the information, they often rem ** light a word or phrase by holding down can break the password protection. d:\user\backuplx\quicken\qdata.pdt the Shift and pressing the Arrow keys. So, to further protect your informa­ rem ** for details, see sample file Then press the DEL key. There is no tion, rename the Memo file to some­ from HP Connectivity Pack shortcut to highlight whole words or thing like DIRECTRY.COM or FILER. pp /s d:\user\quicken\qdata.qdt EXM. If a hacker uses a hex editor or d:\user\backuplx\quicken\qdata.pdt a file viewer to look inside the file, q Card-Link the password protection will have c:\tmp\qdata.log 1 -1 1 for SRAM and ATA flash memory cards turned the text into "garbage" which rem ** Unload LX emulator looks a lot like a typical.EXM or .COM cg file. A hacker might not guess that un200 this is not an executable file and may rem ** Copy the synchronized file give up. It's not a perfect solution to rem back to the LX protecting sensitive data but it does copy Why struggle with cables? Transfer keep it away from the casual hacker. d:\user\backuplx\quicken\qdata.pdt files the quick and easy way by adding Philippe Lewis f:\quicken\qdata.pdt a memory card slot to your desktop PC. [email protected] c:> Works like a floppy di sk drive You will also have to modify the <".> Connects to a desktop parallel port $179.95 Model CL680 for Type I and Type II cards drive and path parts of the batch file 189.95 Model CL683 for Type I, II and III cards to suit your own setup. 199.95 Model CL682 has 2 slots for Type II Pavlo Cvstodio SYNCH PQ With Quicken for Pavlo. [email protected] Steele Creek Technologies, Inc. Windows 14035 Appling Lane, Charlotte NC 2~278 Phonc 01 Fax (704) 588- 1780 Here's a batch file that will let you Fincllmcst clri\crs at www.carcllink.com

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999 27 paragraphs. after a while, friction would heat things vantage is that the Database or The best technique for editing large to the point where the glass would NoteTaker program will only open the amounts of data in a Note field is to break. Kiss the hourglass goodbye. A currently active file. You can't use this use the F2 key to Save the note to a PC Card that draws more than 150mA method to automatically open a dif­ disk file and then open that file in acts much like an overpowered suc­ ferent Database file. Memo or another editor such as tion pump. It might work for a while, The KEY200 program calls for a PalEdit or VDE. When the editing is but it will eventually suck the life out text file that will remap the keyboard. finished and you've saved the file of your Palmtop. Key in the following text into Memo back on the disk, you can switch to the and save the file as Notes field. Press the F4 (Clear) key ©ffil1© C:\_DAT\DNB.TXT and then press the F3 (Insert) key to Solver and 1·2·3 bring the text file into the field. Ctrl Filer: "Ctrl Ctrl"Ctrl Filer "Filer To get help on using HP Calc and "Filer Filer: Ctrl Memo "Memo "Ctrl Solver with Lotus 1-2-3 look first at the Filer: Ctrl Phone "Phone "Ctrl help screens in Solver (CALC, CTRL+S, F1). The help screen will give Remarks-The first line sets the Be Careful When Trying New you a short introduction to the tech­ CRTL+Filer keys to open Filer. The Flash Cards nique of using 1-2-3 as a "back-solving" next two lines toggle between the There are a lot more PC Cards on tool. Look also in the TVM function of Database and NoteTaker application. the market nowadays than when the CALC for help on using 1-2-3 as a To activate this file, put the follow­ HP 200LX was introduced. Some of place to store an amortization table. ing command in your AUTO the older cards are beginning to enter (CALC, CTRL+ T, F2(Amort), F1 (Help». EXEC.BATfile somewhere before the the "used" market at bargain-base­ If the help screens are not enough, try command that starts System Manager ment prices. The prices make them the User's Guide. It contains some (i.e., 200 or 100). very tempting. good examples on how to use these D:\BIN\200 C:\_DAT\DNB.TXT However, look closely before invest­ two applications synergistically. For If you're using KEY100 on the ing any money in a PC Card. The more examples of how to use these two 100LX, you'll need to change the first most critical number to look for is the built-in applications together, get a copy part of the command to reflect this. If current needed to run the card. HP of the SLVR_HLP.GDB database file you're using Software Carousel, put designed the 200LX's card slot so from the CD InfoBase or from the the command in the batch file that that it would provide a maximum of SUPER site and select the Subset that starts the System Manager work area. 150 milliamps (mA). Some PC Cards deals with 123Stuff. Once everything is in place you require 300 or more milliamps. to can press CTRL+Filer to open Filer or work. They probably won't work on the press Filer to open your Database battery power supplied by the 200LX. program or double click Filer to open Some users have found, however, NoteTaker. Use Key200 to Load Database that these cards will work if you plug If you don't use NoteTaker, you can Files in the Palmtop's AC adapter. modify the DNB.TXT file to open the THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! In Many users have explored a way to PhoneBook by omitting the Ctrl and other words, don't do this. You may load Database, NoteTaker and Phone­ "Ctrl words from the Filer: line. get the PC Card or modem to work Book files by highlighting the file in If you like KEY200 as a way to but you risk destroying the PC Card Filer and pressing Enter. The method make your Palmtop behave, here's port on the HP 200LX: not something involves the use of FILER.INI along another line you can add to DNB.TXT. you want to do. It's difficult to repair with a keyboard stuffing routine. "More More : More "More Menu and may have a domino effect in Here is another way to do almost "Menu A "A T "T destroying other parts of the Palmtop. the same thing using the HP 200LX's This line will let you double click the Consider the following analogy. built-in KEY200 program. Users of the More (& ... ) key to open the Application Drawing 150mA of electric current HP 1OOLX can use the add-in KEY100 Manager and Terminate All applica­ through the PC Card port of the program available on the CD InfoBase. tions and put you at the DOS prompt. 200LX is like letting sand fall through The advantage to this method is that You may prefer that to preSSing More the opening in an hourglass. If you you click the Filer key once to open a Menu All Terminate. • wanted to speed up the hourglass Database file and double click it to you could hook a suction pump to it. open a NoteTaker file. To open Filer The sand would probably move itself, however, you'll have to get used through the opening a little faster but, to pressing CTRL+Filer. The disad-

28 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 ••• QUICK TIPS •••

All Quick Tips are by Ed Keefe unless otherwise noted.

plex batch file, you'll recall how difficult Importing Database files into it was to develop an "IF.. . Fixing the Date with Excel THEN ... ELSE" statement. The nor­ DATETEST.EXE mal IF command in DOS can only test We have received several requests for three things: 1) the existence of a The HP 200LX's built-in calendar for software that will transfer data­ file, 2) the equality of two strings or 3) suffers from some of the same prob­ base files to the Microsoft Excel an Errorlevel value returned at the lems that effect the calendar in other spreadsheet or Access, the MS data­ end of a program. IFF40 is a small computers. On occasion, if the machine base. program that will let you enhance the crashes or you are forced to do a hard There is no software that performs DOS "IF" command in several useful reset (CTRL+Shift+ON), the date may this task because the task does not ways. The program is a standard DOS be reset to Jan. 1, 1980. When this require additional software. program: not a TSR. It may be used at happens, you typically have to reset You can handle the task by con­ the DOS prompt or put inside batch the calendar to the current day and verting a database or Phonebook file files. It returns a range of Errorlevel update the Appointment Book by press­ to a Comma Delimited Format (CDF) numbers that can be interpreted by the ing the F5 (Goto) and F4 (Today) keys. file using the built in Smart Clip func­ normal IF ERRORLEVEL batch com­ The DATETEST.EXE program can tion. Once you have that accomplished mand. The various things that I FF40 help alleviate some of these reset­ you can transfer the CDF file to your will test for include the following: hassles. desktop computer and use the File A - Actual RAM Available To use the DATETEST program Open command in Excel and it will C - sCan a whole disk for a file simply transfer it to the Palmtop and walk you through the process of sep­ D - has the Date been reset? include the command DATEST 1999 arating the various fields in the data­ E - checks for Empty drives in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The next base into different columns in the L - checks the Label of a disk time you restart the Palmtop, spreadsheet. As with many Windows' M - lets you build a simple Menu DATETEST will check if the value of applications, don't expect to get it right similar to one that uses the the year that pops up is less than the on the first try. It may take several DOS Choice command. value of the year indicated on the attempts before you learn how to do P - Prompt is a variation on the M DATETEST command line. A hard things the Microsoft way. (Menu) option. reset is most likely to reset the date to The process is a little more com­ Q - Question allows for Y or N 1980. In this case the DATETEST plicated if you're trying to import the response. program would find that 1980 is less file into Access but, again, there are R - seaRch will let you search for than 1999 and the program will then enough help wizards in Access to get multiple files in a list ask you to enter the correct date from the task done. S - Size tests for the space left on the keyboard. The DATETEST pro­ To expedite creating the CDF file a disk gram is the work of Lihu Avital / Pitron you can use the XLATEIMERGE pro­ X - tests for eXpanded (EMS) [email protected]. gram in the HP Connectivity Pack. memory by pages. The only caution is that Notes fields Some of the functions in this pro­ All About Backing Up in the database files will be truncated gram are duplicated by other DOS Over the years we've often remind­ to about 2 Kbytes. If you have notes commands but the RAM test is unique ed Palmtop users to back up their soft­ that are greater than 2 Kbytes in length as is the test for Date. The latter test ware and data. With the availability of you may have to export them to text could be most useful on the Palmtop 32, 64, and now 96 MB RAM disks as files on the Palmtop and import them where the occasional hard reset alters well as mammoth flashcard drives, separately into an Access Note field. the system date and messes up the backing up is becoming more of a Appointment Book. The IFF40.ZIP necessity and more of a challenge. archive contains about 10 sample Users have risen to the challenge. batch files to get you started. IFF40 is Here are some of the methods that the work of John Knauer, Jr. CSi Palmtop owners have devised to save Small Enhancements for the 75236,1466 and is freeware. their data and, on rare occasions, DOS batch file Language save their sanity, when the Palmtop If you've ever tried to create a com- decides to obey Murphy's Law.

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 29 An Automated System Macro the assumption that the former often than monthly but not weekly) To backup a C: drive to the A: drive changes more often and needs more Copy the entire contents of your desk­ on a daily basis, use the following backups than the latter. top's or laptop's hard drive to a larg­ System Macro. Set the macro to run Reserve the c: _dat\ directory and er hard drive and perform an incre­ automatically at 4:00AM or whenev­ it's subdirectories to hold data and mental back up of that drive to a mag­ er you're not likely to be using the configuration files. neto-optical cartridge or a read/write Palmtop. Create a c:\s directory to hold CD ROM. system utilities Create a c:\a direc­ A Monthly backup: {Filer}{Menu}q{Filer}{FS}c:\{Enter}{D tory to hold applications. Copy your laptop or desktop hard own }{Menu }fba:\c_bakup\{Date }{Lef Use an appointment, such as "113" drive to a tape cartridge. The back­ t}{Left}{Left}{Left}{Left}{Left}{Del}{Ri above, to run a batch file that will ZIP up procedure may sound like the ght}{Right}{Del}{Enter}y{Menu}q{Ap the c:\_dat directory and its subdi­ invention of someone with an obses­ pt}{Left}{F4}113{Enter}{Enter}{Alt+D} rectories and store the archive in sive-compUlsive disorder. Not so! You +{F10}{Menu}q A:\BACKUP. Once a week, perform may only see the benefits of such a the ZIP backup for the C:\S and C:\A system when your Palmtop loses all Here is what the macro does. directories. Then backup the flash­ its information and your desktop com­ (Filer){Menu}q. - Wakes up Filer card to the hard drive on a desktop or puter loses its hard drive. In that case and then quits it. laptop computer. you could either be out of business or {Filer}{F5}c:\{Enter}{Down} - Open Every 3 or 4 months, weed out the staring at a bill for thousands of dol­ Filer again and go to c:\_dat. files on the desktop/laptop backup lars from a data recovery service. {Menu}fba:\c_bakup\{Date} - Use that are no longer useful. Transfer Alan Striegel the Filer Backup command to put all the remaining files or archive to an [email protected] the files in A:\C_bakup\ within a dated external medium such as a ZIP disk subdirectory. or a tape. Practice Safe Backup and Restore Modify the next part of the macro to temporarily change the date format in The most thorough back up proce­ No matter what method you use Setup to Julian, then use it. Then dure ever. to perform a backup of your Palmtop, change back to what you normally use. The following backup procedure here are a couple of cautionary notes. {Left}{Left}{Left}{Left}{Left}{Left} may sound like overkill but, if your 1. Every time you open one of the - This edits the date format data is your business, there is no built in database applications, the file MM/DDNY and takes out the "f'. such thing as overkill. is changed and the archive bit for the {Del}{Right}{Right}{Del}{Enter}y{Me Take a look at this routine, by Alan file is set. If you are using PKZip or nu}q - Confirms the name. Striegel. You will probably have to XCOPY to perform an incremental {Appt}{Left}{F4}113{Enter}{Enter}{Alt modify it to suit your own hardware backup based on the setting of the +D}+{F10} Goto Appointment. Set the and software setup. It's well worth archive bit, the database files will be day for the previous day and Find the the effort. Note that this routine is not backed up even if you did not change "113" macro item. Advance the date limited to the Palmtop but includes anything in the files. of the item by one day and save it. other computers on which you store 2. If for some reason, a database To use the macro as an appoint­ critical data or irreplaceable software. file is corrupted it will be backed up. ment, set the time to say 4AM and put A Daily backup: Oftentimes this will overwrite a previ­ "IIX" (no quotes) in the description Compress the entire contents of the ous, "good" backup of these files. field where X is the macro number. C: drive into a ZIP file on the A: drive 3. To get around this, back up the of the Palmtop. Then copy the entire database files (Le., those that have an Using PKZip to Back Up contents of the A: drive (a flash card) extension of .?DB) to a different loca­ Other users prefer the PKZip com­ to the hard drive of a desktop or laptop. tion on the A: drive or on the hard pression program to make back up This latter step can be quite fast if your disk of your desktop computer. Do files. Here's the command that will desktop or laptop machine has a flash not send the files to the same direc­ get the job done. card reader, otherwise use a serial tory where the previous database files pkzip -a -ex -0 -p -P -r a:\backup c:\*.* cable and the Transfile 200 program, are located. or ZIP.COM to effect the transfer. 4. No matter how elaborate or Use Some Structure to Simplify a A Weekly backup: sophisticated a backup procedure Backup Procedure Copy the entire contents of your becomes it's worthless if you can't Alexander Gutfeldt, suggests the desktop's or laptop's hard drive to an restore the whole Palmtop, or parts of following structure for a C: drive. external removable hard drive or tape the Palmtop's data and applications, Separate data and programs on drive. An Occasional backup: (more from the backup files. Before you pat

30 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 New Products continued from page 11 yourself on the back for backing up, LIST program. ware companion to the popular run a test to see how easy it will be to Now, with QUICK.V, you can stay Transfile Win200 software distributed restore your Palmtop. If it's impossi­ in System Manager and view files for free by Hewlett-Packard. It will ble or difficult to restore, it may be time either as text files or display the hexa­ also work with the HP Connectivity to return to the drawing boards to decimal version of the file. Pack and other file transfer software. look at other backup procedures. QUICKV.EXM is a small, System­ You can plug the IR-HP5 directly into Manager Compliant file viewer for the DB-9M serial port on your desk­ Turning NUMLOCK Off the HP 100/200LX. Some of the fea­ top or connect through a cable. (A 6- On most PC's you can choose to tures of QuickView are: foot DB-9M to DB-9F cable is includ­ have the computer start with the • Text and Hex viewing modes ed with the adapter.) As an added NumLock function active or inactive. • Supports the zoom modes of the bonus, the IR-HP5 also works very Usually this is done through the BIOS HP-LX nicely with Linux and either lxtools or settings. For example, on some PC's • Integrates well with X-FINDER LXFileman. Setup is simple. Just use you can press the F2 key after you tum • Runs in 7k of memory, 10k when the sets erial program to make sure the machine on and you will gain using the file open dialog your serial port is set for spd_hi. With access to the BIOS (Basic Input Output • System manager compliant: uses the 200LX pointing at the IR-HP5, the System). There is no such option on the HP-LX user interface, can be Filer will answer commands from the Palmtop. However, to activate or task-switched, leaves your DOS your Linux box via infrared! The IR­ inactivate the NumLock key on the process free for other applications. HP5 is constructed inside a DB25- Palmtop you can run a small program • File to be viewed can be chosen via DB9 adapter shell so is very small that will do the same thing. file open dialog or passed by the and only weighs a few ounces. • Here is the hex-coded version of clipboard. the program created by Eric Meyer, Shareware/Freeware the author of VDE and many PC util­ Some Known Limitations are: mentioned in this article ity programs. It does not show database type To build the program, exit System files nor will it let you perform a PalEdit 2.2b and PIM 1.0a are freeware by D&A Software, written by Andreas Manager by using the More Menu AT search in such a file. Garzotto. They are available directly from command. At the DOS prompt type QuickView has some problems www.dasoft.com and will be on The HP DEBUG viewing files that are larger than 64 Palmtop Paper ON DISK. e100 b8 40 00 8e cO bf 17 00 26 80 Kbytes or more than 128 pages long. Stereo Shell 4.01 is a shareware program 25 df b8 00 4c cd QUICY.EXM is copyright freeware that is no longer supported by the author. It is available on the 1999 CD InfoBase from 21 by Alan Krempler of Graz, Austria: Thaddeus Computing, Inc. and on the Web rcx [email protected] at www.palmtop.net. 11 OLC2LXinst.EXE is freeware available on this nnolock.com Smallest Infrared Device issue of The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK and w The HP 200LX has an infrared (IR) on the S.U.P.E.R. site at www.palmtop.net. q port that can send and receive sig­ DBCHECK is copyrighted freeware by Curtis nals to other computers and print­ Cameron. It is available directly from http:// cameron.hplx.net and will be on The When you finish typing in the pro­ ers. The IR protocol that is built into HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK and on the gram, press Enter and you should the HP Palmtop doesn't meet the lat­ SUPER site. see that a new file NNOLOC.COM est specifications. However, that is CXCTL.EXE, QUICKV and DIA.COM are all free­ has been created on your disk drive. easily corrected by getting a copy of ware available on The HP Palmtop Paper ON For those who want a prewritten the most recent IR driver from the DISK and on the SUPER Web site. program that does the same Num­ SUPER site. If you have the latest dri­ Lock setting, goto http://home. vers, there may still a problem since Commercial Products t-online.de/home/stefan.peichl there may be no way to connect to mentioned in this article This Web site and the small your desktop or laptop computer if it IR-HP5 - $39.95; a serial infrared adapter NumLock program are the work of doesn't have an IR device. available from Thaddeus Computing, Stefan Peichl. • Here's a device that will remedy www.palmtoppaper.com. 800-373-6114. that situation. Shareware/Freeware The IR-HP5 is a serial infrared mentioned in this article adapter that will connect your HP DATETEST.EXE and NUMLDCK are all freeware 100/200LX to a desktop or laptop via and will be available on this issue's The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK and online at the Palmtop's built-in IR port. It works www.palmtop.net. at 57600 Kbps so it's the perfect hard-

THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999 31 How To Contact Us Products Advertised in this Issue of Please note: The HP Palmtop Paper does not and cannot provide technical support. There are a number of ways to get in touch with The HP Palmtop Paper The HP Palmtop Paper staff. You can write, mail us a disk with your comments, send Internet e-mail, COMPANY PRODUCT PHONEIFAX NUMBERS PAGE fax, or call. Our mailing address and contact infor­ mation is: Accurite ...... Floppy Drives for 100/20LXIDouble Slot...... 51()..668-4900; Fax: 510-668·4905 ...... 6

Thaddeus Computing, 110 N. Court Decision Point Systems ...... StockChart ...... 7 Fairfield, IA 52556 USA Phone: 515-472-6330 or 800-373-6114 Easy Use ...... Palmtops & Accessories ...... +492202951781; Fax: +49 2202 9557760 ...... 7 Fax: 515-472-1879 Internet [email protected] Greenwich ...... Link·A-Printer ...... 800-476·4070 or 704·875·8490; Fax: 704-875-2801 ...... 21

TO SUBSCRIBE, change address, or clear up any Steele Creek Technologies ... CardLink Drives ...... Phone/Fax: 704·588·1780 ...... 27 problem with your subscription, contact our sub­ scription department. Call or fax us at the phone Thaddeus Computing ...... 800-373·6114 or 515-472-6330; Fax: 515-472-1879 numbers above. E-mail usat:[email protected] 1999 CD InfoBase ...... IFC

Technical Support Upgrade Your Palmtop ...... 16-17, BC HP Technical Support - HP offers technical sup­ port from 8 am - 5pm P.5.T. Phone: 970-392-1001. On-Line Support-{)ffered by these bulletin board services: o COMPUSERVE: GO HPHAND FORUM - Software on Call 800-848-8990 or 614-457-8650. o AMERICA ON LINE: Keyword The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK PALMTOP - Call 888-265-8001 for membership information. September/October 1999 o INTERNET NEWS GROUPS: You can find al/ the software described in this issue at www.palmtop_nel/super.html news:comp.sys.palmtops.hp which is now sponsored by our Web site www.PalmtopPaper.com. news:comp.sys.handhelds news:alt.comp.sys.palmtops.hp PRODUCT FUNCTION FREEWARE/SHAREWARE o To sign up for the free Palmtop Paper Newsletter send an e-mail to listserv@ CUTEMOUS.ZIP Mouse driver program Freeware unbounded.com. The subject line of the email must be empty and the body of the Freeware message should contain the words CXCTL10.ZIP Take control of HP 95LX Subscribe PalmtopPaper (omit the brackets). DBCHECK.2IP Check integrity of database files Freeware o To register for the HPLX news service use your Web browser to go to news.hplx.netl DIA.ZIP Keep appointmentsitodos in Diary Freeware and fill in the form. You'll be notified by return mail with your registration. FM31.ZIP German clone of Xtree Gold 3.01 Freeware o HPLX-L mailing list: To subscribe, send an email to: LISTSERV@UCONNVM. IFF40.ZIP Enhance DOS batch IF command Freeware UCONN.EDU In the message body, put: SUBSCRIBE HPLX-L or www.sp.uconn. NUMLOCK.ZIP Control numlock on HP Palmtop Freeware edul -mchem1/ HPLX.shtml OL2LXINSIZIP Outlook Contacts to HP PhoneBook Freeware How to Submit an Article The richness of The HP Palmtop Paper comes PE.ZIP New version of PalEdit Freeware from the contributions of Palmtop PC users. We and your fellow users welcome your submissions. PIM.ZIPPIM Add-on to PalEdit Freeware (1Ne do not offer payment for articles, your reward is knowing that you've helped others.) If you have PTP47.2IP Text file of this issue's articles Freeware a good idea and want to "go for it," send it in via CompuServe e-mail [75300,2443], Internet: ed@ thaddeus.com, or send disk or hard copy to Ed PTPDSK47.2IP Database of files on this disk Freeware Keefe at the above address. Alternatively, you can send an outline of your idea. We will try to guide QUICKV.2IP View files as ASCII and Hex Freeware you as to when and whether we would use the article and contact you if we need clarification or READMEZIP Text version of this document N/A have any suggestions - please include your phone number. We may want to use an article but for a variety of reasons you may not see it for many XTREE2.ZIP Try Early version of Xlree File Mgr. Freeware months. Please understand that we CalUlOt promise to run any particular article at any particular time. UNZIP.EXE Unzipper executable file Freeware If you can, especially if you write a Palmtop Profile, send us a photo of yourself.

32 THE HP PALMTOP PAPER SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 1999 The HP Pahntop Paper ON DISI{

Gel...:u 'the :great fteeWai'e and sbai'eW.e you ~ about in eti:h iSSue ofTbe HI' Paimrop POtPer- This invaluable supplement to The HP Palmtop Paper also contains detailed information from advertisers plus the full text of The HP Palmtop Paper for text search. ntrs: The best palmtop tips and the best free­ ware and shareware on two 1.44 Meg floppy disks. Included FREE with your The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK subscription, or can be purchased sepa­ rately.

"Best Tips ON DISK" comes free with The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK subscription

1 YEAR '99.95 #001 2 YEARS '159 #002 SINGLE ISSUE (Specify Vol. and No. or Best Tips) '33 #SGLO Shipping per year: U.S. FREE ....Can! Mex '6 ...... Outside N.Amer. '18 'The HP Palmtop Paper has saved me Single Issue: U.S. '4 ...... Can/Mex '6 ...... Outside N.Amer. '9 countless hours offrustration" -Steve Mitchell Subscribe Today! Included with your six or twelve bi-monthly issues are the Mict'oREF Quid{ following one-time bonuses: Rcfcl'cncc Lotus 123 and • Best Tips • PC Card Review • Subscriber PowerDisk DOS 5 Guidcs 1 YEAR '39 #PTP1 2 YEARS '69 #PTP2 Shipping per year: U.S. FREE Can! Mex '6 Outside N.Amer. ' 18

Handheld PC Magazine For Users of Windows CE MlcroREF Quick Reference Lotus 123 and Dos 5 Guides Interested in Microsoft's new Windows CE operating system? #MLOT #MOOS What better way to stay on top of it than with a magazine from Get the DOS and Lotus Answers You the publishers of The HP Palmtop Paper? Need - Fast and Easy Locate subjects fast. Numerous examples and illus­ Subscription includes: trations. • 6 bi-monthly issues "Far superior to any other gUide, cheat sheet, or • Annual Handheld PC original documentation. .. an excellent guide for all Magazine Windows CE Buyer's users.... Highly recommended!" Guide -John Dvorak, PC Magazine • Special Report: 12 Important EACH '14.95 BOTH '25.00 #MBOT Things Every Windows CE User Should Know • Handheld PC Magazine's Goodies Disk - the 20 best PC In Your Pocket Windows CE -based freeware/shareware games, utilities, and applications. UP Palmtop book: Ideal for users, 1 YEAR '19.95 #HPC1 2 YEARS '34.95 #HPC2 great gift for Can! Mex '6 Outside N.Amer. '18 interested friends The editors of The HP Palmtop Paper have organized some of their best material into a read­ ADanDon: Palmtop Devalopen and Emhuslasts able, practical book about the HP The Developer's Package includes everything you need to write software, design hardware, or sim­ Palmtop. The book is filled with ply understand the inner workings of the HP Palmtop. The Package includes: hundreds of real-life examples of the HP Palmtop's fea­ tures and capabilities. Busy professionals describe how 1) Printed copy of 586-page Developer's Guide they use the HP Palmtop to organize their time, informa­ 2) Disk containing HP-created source code and utilities for developers tion, and money to be more effective. Order directly 3) Complete set of kits for marketing your Palmtop product from us and we'll include a disk containing most of the 4) CompuServe starter kit (CompuServe is where Palmtop progranuners hang out) software mentioned in the book. Written both for users 5) PAL: a C source code library for developing software with the look and feel of the HP Palmtop and for those considering purchasing an HP Palmtop. built-in applications '79 #GOEV '19.95 #PCIP

Order Online: www.PalmtopPaper.com or Call: 800-373-6114/515-472-6330 Fax: 515-472-1879 HP To Discontinue HP 200LX November 1. BUY NOW!

Palmtop Golden Age Over? Make It. •• We Think Notl

Dear Palmtop User, It's amazing. Yes, HP discontinues the HP 200LX Nov. I. But you could have fooled Palmtop users and developers. New Palmtop possibilities appear weekly. There's tons of new software. Examples: www.dasoft.com.s PIMILX, Outlook file transfer tools, and a database file corruption tester. Also, commercial DOS software such as Borland's Turbo Pascal and Symantec's ThinkTank have now been released in the public domain. Use keyword search at www.palmtoppaper.comldownload.htm. Also, check out new Palmtop listings at www.palm top.net. You'll be amazed! Last issue we introduced the 96 Meg upgrade. In the future, we hope to announce HP 200LX backlighting! Furthermore, your HP Palmtop investment is safe. HP continues its support until November, 2002. We plan to supply knowledge, repairs, upgrades, and used Palmtops for at least that long. Finally, an active and knowledgeable group of users continue to provide free technical support See Pages 16-17 For Details. and the latest Palmtop news via an email list - sign up at www.sp.uconn.edu/-mchemll HPLX.shtmI. For knowledge visit www.hplx.net. By the end of this year, 8 years of The HP Palmtop New Palmtop Accessories Paper can be found at www.palmtoppaper.com. Also discontinued Nov. 1. ORDER NOW! The Palmtop is alive and well! AC Adapter Serial Connectivity Cable HP Connectivity Kit

Visit our Web site We'll Buy Your Palmtop I www.PalmtopPaper.com

Order Online: www.PalmtopPaper.com or Call: 800-373-8114/515-472-8330 Fax: 515-472-1879