mbetuasbingtontJost Monday, August 6. 1984 spring, Zencalc was replaced by "Mycalc", which is easy to use, fast, and powerful; it now has a SORT II PERsoNAL function together with a large li­ CDMPUTERS II brary of mathematical operations for both business and technical work. It is a great buy at $59.95. There is no Software Toolworks' Software Made Less Hard word processor as such, but the company offerS a pair of pro­ grams-the "PIE" editor, at By T. R. Reid The Software Toolworks was $29.95, the "TEXT" formatter, at When last we met in this space, I literally founded in a garage (it sub­ $39.95-which together can do the was emoting enthusiastically about sequently moved to a garden shed) job. PIE, the writing program, is IBM's forceful move into the low­ by a computer jock named Walt limited and not much use for more price software business (the IBM Bilosfky and some friends in 1979. than a simple letter. But TEXT is a Assistant Series), a development They got into personal computers powerful tool for putting any doc­ which offers flrm proof that the age back in the days when you sfill had ument into the form you want for of outrageously priced software is to build your own, and began pro­ printing. It can generate a table of about to end. ducing programs to give their com­ contents or an index and put foot­ The world's biggest computer puters something to do. They were notes in. It has all sorts of interest­ company deserves credit for taking driven not by profit motive but ing gimmicks; for example, if you this pro-consumer step that some rather by the sheer joy of writing print on a continuous roie of paper, major software houses are resist­ good code. TEXT will print a dashed line be­ ing. But IBM is hardly a pioneer in These beginnings are reflected tween pages to tell you where to rip this business of reasonably priced today in the two most important the sheets apart. software. attributes of Software Toolworks' The Toolworks has a $50 spell­ The days of cheap software date programs: they're priced low, and ing checker, SPELL, that works as back to that dark era of pre­ they work well. well as programs costing three history-about 1978 or so~when Bilosfky's crew started out sell­ times as much. It has some utility the personal computer was just in ing programs for hobbyists who had programs in the $25 range and a its birth throes. Many of the orig­ built their own Heathkit computers, series of excellent games ranging inal low-cost software companies, and Heath-Zenith software is still from $20 to $35. It offers a few hpwever, were pushed aside by the heart of the line. But now the programming languages, including a siick new software houses like Lir firm offers most of its big sellers in "C" compiler ($50), a Z/80 assem­ tus that offer highly marketed prod­ IBM (MS-DOS) format and it has bler ($30), and a fun implementa­ ucts at high prices. adapted them for Apple, Kaypro, tion of the LISP "artificial intelli­ One of the early outfits that has Epson, DEC, and Xerox 820 ma­ gence" language ($40). survived is a quietly competent, chines. The programs are stocked' All of the firm's programs are low-budget, minimally advertised at Computerland and some other·. graced with features that the entire operation known as "The Software stores, but still aren't easy to flnd. software industry should be re­ Toolworks." I have no relationship I noted in this space last fall that quired to provide. with this company except that of Toolworks' "Zencalc" spreadsheet For one thing, this company customer; I've bought several of program was an outstanding soft­ trusts its customers. Its programs their programs, all at bargain ware bargain, because it could rre not copy-protected. prices, and have been pleased with match or beat many of the high­ Further, the programs come with every one. priced spreads at a rock-bottom. ;elf-patching instructions so you· can price. My only complaint was that it :hange things you don't like. You Jacked a command to sort entries in Continued on next page alphabetical or numeric order. This- IPAGE 24 Washington Business Software ToolworliS Is a Company on Your.Side From preceding page freshing! Every piece of software~ built in. The LISP language in­ can easily speed up or slow down at any price, has limitations, but cludes a free version of the famous any game, or even re-draw the at­ here is a company secure enough to "ELIZA" program, in which your tacking monsters to make them ug­ face up to shortcomings and offer micro emulates a psychoanalyst. lier. If a program has a standard set­ tips on how to deal with them. Of course, if we could just get the ting you don't like-e.g., which sym­ While the big, expensive soft­ rest of the software industry, with bols the spelling checker should ig­ ware firms love to charge you an its tradition of high prices, lousy nore-you're not stuck forever. You extra $50 or more for templates, manuals, and abysmal support, to can change it yourself. supplements, etc., Software Tool­ emulate the Software Toolworks, The manuals are the most honest works seems to enjoy throwing we computer addicts wouldn't need . in the industry. "SPELL is not per­ them in for free. MyCalc comes a psy~ho~nalyst : . j fect," its manual admits. "It has with loan and mortgage amortiza­ Re1d 1s a wr~ter on the Nat1onal 1 three major limitations." How re- tion tables and the federal tax code staff of The Washington Post. ! .