

_protoReality
The North Atlanta Newton Users Group Newsletter




Volume 1, Number 3
March 28th, 1994



Notices
Apple, the Apple Logo and Newton are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., 
registered in the United States and other countries.  MessagePad is a 
trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.  All other products mentioned herein are 
copyrighted/ trademarked by their owners.  

The editor and the NANUG (The North Atlanta Newton Users Group) staff are 
responsible for the opinions expressed in this newsletter, unless specifically 
by-lined.

NANUG cannot be held responsible for any damages that occur due to use or 
misuse of the information contained in this newsletter.  It must be 
distributed free of charge, and the original contents remain intact.  Portions 
may be reprinted, quoted, or adapted as long as proper credit is noted.  
Individual portions may bear the copyright of their original authors, who 
should be contacted directly.  All such copyrighted material appears in this 
newsletter with permission of the original author.


Contact Information

For more information about NANUG, meeting times, or newsletter submission 
guidelines, please write:

Mark Underwood
President
The North Atlanta Newton Users Group
3381 Claire Circle
Marietta, Georgia  30066
USA

or E-mail:

InterNet:		marku@aix3.ema.com
AppleLink:		EMA.COMPSV
NewtMail:		MarkU
eWorld:		MarkU



NANUG Membership Application Form

Below is a membership application to join NANUG.  There is currently no 
membership fee.

The benefits of joining, as opposed to just reading the newsletter?  Well, you 
get on our exclusive mailing list ;-) and can take advantage of our user group 
discounts on hardware and software (soon to be published).  Even better is the 
general idea of belonging, donUt you think?  ;-)

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You can:

% Print this page and mail (or e-mail) it to:

Mark Underwood
NANUG Membership
3381 Claire Circle
Marietta, GA 30066

% NewtMail your personal Names card to RMarkUS with a subject of RNANUG 
MembershipS

% E-mail your personal Names card information to Rmarku@aix3.ema.comS (be sure 
to check Ttext onlyU) with a subject of RNANUG MembershipS



From the Orthogonal Office
Mark Underwood

If you though we had a lot to talk about last month, this month was even 
worse!  Apple introduced two new MessagePad models, the new version of NCK for 
the Mac, NCK for Windows is now shipping...

LetUs jump right in!

New MessagePads

Apple introduced the MessagePad 100 and the MessagePad 110 this month, and 
already they are selling like hot-cakes!  The MP 110 is our old friend the 
original MessagePad, but with a little more ROM and a whole new RAM.  Existing 
RoriginalS MP owners can upgrade to the new RAM and OS for $99.  Member Scott 
Leapman has reviewed the RLindyS, A.K.A. the MP 110, for us in the reviews 
section.

The upgrade can be ordered now by calling 1-800-SOS-APPL and following the 
directions guiding you to the upgrade hot-line.  For $99+tax, you get two free 
Newton software titles (from a list of six--including the latest NCK) and a 
post-paid box that you ship your Newt back to them in for ROM replacement.  
The Rturn aroundS will be a week or less before the updated Newton is back in 
your hands, and starts shipping on 4/15/94.

X-Books, Part 2

This monthUs issue is the first RprogrammableS newsletter available anywhere!  
Steve Weyer, author of Newt, the Newton-based, stand-along NewtonScript 
development tool, is profiled in this monthUs interview.  NANUG has licensed 
his Rrun timeS technology so we can start RbundlingS stand-alone applets 
within the newsletter!  Be sure to read the interview for more on this 
exciting tool!

The Real World meets Ask NANUG

Two new columns this month!  In RThe Real WordS, you will hear about the use 
of Newtons for real-world applications.  Al Suding starts us off with a look 
at his Rproof of conceptS integration with Newtons in a large, multi-vendor 
network.  YouUll also read about out first group programming project, which is 
bringing together members from around the world to create a Newton application 
development Rcase studyS.

RAsk NANUGS is taking the place of our letters column (since we have yet to 
receive an RofficialS letter!).  This month, the question is asked, RWhere 
does all my memory go?S

The more things change...

Some of you have asked why the make-up of the newsletter changes from month to 
month.  True, indeed.  This is only our third issue, and yet weUve doubled in 
size, added three columns, dropped one, and so on.

Almost all of our material comes from our members, and they all have various 
schedules.  For example, some of last monthUs Code Samples were actually 
written in 1993--but we didnUt have the techno-savvy in January to put them 
in.  There were lots of tips in January--but thatUs because theyUd been 
accumulating since August!

We also try and gauge reaction of the newsletterUs different parts by our 
member and reader feedback--hence the e-mail addresses.

So if you have a particular section you feel is Runder-nourishedS, please feel 
free to let us know--or if you have the time, write something for it!

Corrections

In the Rwe goofedS department:

Last issue, we reviewed MobileSoftUs MobileCalc.  This month, Erica Sadun 
takes a crack at the product.  We received a few points of clarification from 
the vendor on the product, courtesy of Wendy McConachie:

% MobileCalc isnUt shipped on a PCMCIA card.  For customers who do not have a 
connection kit (or even a computer!) they offer a free service of loading the 
software onto your card - they even cover return shipping.

% In addition to AppleLink, MobileSoft also provides technical support by fax, 
America OnLine and CompuServe.
	AOL:  MOBILESOFT
	CIS:   71062,754
	Fax# 408/376-0163

% The second keyboard is an alphabetic listing of over 300 words commonly used 
as labels in spreadsheets.

% Columns can be re-sized, unfortunately rows canUt.

% If you use the RUntitledS spreadsheet that is open, you can rename it and 
you wonUt have an extra Untitled spreadsheet just lying around.  MobileCalc 
will return you to the spreadsheet you were previously working on if you re-
launch the program in between resets.

There is a simple way to collect and remove all the Untitled spreadsheets at 
one time:

% Do a Find on the word RuntitledS from within MobileCalc
% tap on the routing icon and select Delete

Make sure you re-name all spreadsheets you are working on so you don't 
accidentally erase one in this process.

% When a formula is displayed in a cell (and the cell format is something 
other than text) it means there is a syntax error in the formula.

% The Import/Export feature is scheduled to be released in the April/May time 
frame.  It will enable you to load SYLK formatted files from your Newton to 
your desktop for use with desktop spreadsheets, and vice-versa.  This upgrade 
will be free to all registered owners of MobileCalc.

It is the policy of _protoReality to make sure both sides of reviews are 
covered in a fair fashion, and make sure we get the most correct info out to 
you!



A NANUG Overview
Mark Underwood

Founded in October of 1993, NANUG was created with these ideas in mind:

% To provide timely and correct information about the Newton and all of its 
accessories, software packages, and other Newton-related products

% To assist new and experienced Newton users in getting the most out of their 
purchase

% To provide (hopefully) an un-biased forum for the exchange of user tips, 
hints, and suggestions

% To provide free or low-cost resources for small to medium Newton development 
projects

There is currently no membership fee to join NANUG.  Meetings are normally 
held the second Tuesday of the month.  Future plans include an Ron-lineS 
conferencing system to allow our remote members interactive access to the 
meetings.

_protoReality, our newsletter, is published one a month (normally during the 
third week of the month) in three formats:  a Newton Book Reader package, a 
Rbinary enhancedS text document, and a RplainS text document.  Each format 
strives to convey as much information as possible within the constraints of 
the media.  The RplainS text version, for example, is posted to InterNet, 
while the RbinaryS and Rbook readerS formats are posted to on-line forums and 
ftp sites that support binary up/down loads (AppleLink, CompuServe, America 
On-Line, etc.).

NANUG also distributes a Rbest ofS diskette of free or shareware applications, 
digital books, and other Newton files that are posted on commercial services 
for the benefit of those who do not subscribe to them.  We also provide a 
software RkioskS at the meeting to allow our members who donUt have a 
Macintosh or PC to download these files to their Newton.



Minutes of the March Meetings

Local Meeting

Meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM on 3/15/94 at the Marietta CompUSA 
store.  Discussion of the new MessagePads and upgrade offer was the first 
topic.

Chris Dawson, author of PowerNeWS, gave a demonstration of his daily e-mail 
based news service for the Newton and gave away free copies of the software, 
complete with a 3-day free trial period.

A status report on current membership (see the membership stats) was followed 
by a quick report on the status of the groupUs first programming project (see 
the Real World section for more information).

As management of the CompUSA store has changed, a move was made to relocate to 
a larger and more hospitable location.  This was seconded and approved 
unanimously.  Our new venue needs to have at least room for thirty RlocalS 
members, three phone lines (for our RremoteS members), and access to desktop 
machines.  It has been tentatively agreed to meet at memberUs homes until a 
more suitable place is found.

Local member Dave Saitta brought the group up to speed on the Newton 
MessagingCard and all of its features.

Meeting was adjourned at 9 PM.

America On-Line Meeting

Meeting was called to order at 7 PM on 3/18/94 in the PDA ForumUs Conference 
Room on AOL.

In our first ever Ron-lineS meeting, e-Members were brought up to date on 
current NANUG RlocalS activities and plans.  Discussion of the new MPUs was 
also a major topic.

Many people cruising through the AOL forums stopped momentarily to chat, and a 
few new members were enlisted.  We even helped one interested buyer to help 
make his mind up about buying a PDA.

Future Ron-lineS conferences will be held RsimultaneouslyS with the local 
meeting, and special gatherings for our numerous West Coast and overseas 
members will be held as well.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM

In both cases, the next scheduled meeting is April 12th.



NANUG Membership Statistics 

Total number of members:		166
	RLocalS	25	RRemoteS	141

Members by state (US):
	AZ		3	NH		1
	CA		23	NJ		4
	CO		2	NY		4
	DC		1	OH		2
	FL		8	OR		1
	GA		25	PA		7
	IL		3	RI		1
	MA		6	SC		1
	MD		4	TN		1
	ME		1	TX		5
	MI		3	UT		1
	MN		3	VA		2
	MO		1	WA		2
	MS		1	WI		1
	NC		2	WV		1
	NE		2

Members by country:
	Argentina		1	Hong Kong		2
	Australia		8	Italy			1
	Austria			2	Japan			1
	Belgium			2	Macau			1
	Canada			11	Netherlands		1
	Finland			1	Singapore		1
	France			1	Sweden			1
	Germany			5	UK				5
			USA		120



An Interview with Steve Weyer
Mark Underwood

Steve Weyer has the distinction of being the first Newton developer to have 
created a NewtonScript-based development environment that resides totally on 
the Newt.  This is an accomplishment that rivals MicrosoftUs introduction of 
Basic for the Macintosh back in late 1984--before MS Basic came out, program 
development for the Mac was done by connecting a Mac to AppleUs older sibling, 
Lisa (sound familiar, NTK owners?), and doing all the development on the Lisa 
first before RdownloadingS the program to the Mac.  We caught up with Steve 
just after he finished releasing version 2.0 of his program.

PR:	First, tell our readers a little about yourself, what you do, and where 
you live.

SW:	WeUre currently living in rural Pennsylvania, in a little town called 
Washington Crossing where on Christmas Day 1776 you-know-who crossed the 
Delaware River to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War.  ThereUs a farm and 
woods behind us, but cultural and computer amenities not too far away--weUre 
less than an hour from Philadelphia and a half-hour from Princeton.

We moved from the SF Bay Area (what, youUre crazy?) when my wife got a 
promotion to work at a pharmaceutical company, Janssen Research Foundation, 
which is part of Johnson & Johnson.  She has family nearby, and we decided 
after some initial skepticism that parts of the East Coast were actually quite 
nice, and that there were some reasonable job opportunities for me.  So, we 
traded congestion and earthquakes for moving chaos and weather extremes.

I had worked most recently at Apple for six years, most of that time in the 
Advanced Technology Group (ATG) managing R&D projects in the RIntelligent 
ApplicationsS group (IA instead of AI), with stints at Stanford, Xerox PARC, 
Atari and HP Labs. Although it was tough to leave Apple and the Silicon Valley 
computer culture, I was ready for a change and wanted to get back more to the 
technical and application side anyway.

IUve been consulting, primarily for Janssen, on Renabling technologiesS. One 
project IUve been working on are CANDAs (Computer Assisted New Drug 
Applications) to provide electronic access to hundreds of volumes of documents 
and data submitted to FDA on drug safety and effectiveness. Another project is 
investigating the use of pen-based systems for data collection and validation.  
IUve been building a Newton version of a form that the roving Janssen regional 
monitors can use to track the progress of various studies. We also want 
investigators to be able to enter patient data in clinical trials on a future 
Newton or other large-screen PDA.  The current paper-based processes and 
viewpoints at FDA and pharmaceutical companies are so inefficient and archaic 
that they defy belief.  I like to think that pen-based systems, high-end 
document publishing, hypertext viewing tools, and improved tools for 
client/server database access would help immensely in moving off the 
information backroads and ultimately reducing healthcare costs (are you 
listening, Al and Hillary?)  And, of course, in my copious spare time, IUve 
enjoyed working on Newton software such as PicoFermiBagels and Newt.

PR:	How did you get the idea of writing a Newton-based development system to 
begin with?

SW:	IUd seen numerous queries on the nets about Newton development 
alternatives--queries from a RstarvingS college student unable to afford NTK, 
someone unable to run NTK because itUs only on the Mac,  someone who wanted to 
do some portable prototyping, someone who wanted a subset of NTK thatUs 
simpler-to-use or more customized to a particular application area, others who 
just wanted to learn about NewtonScript.  I also thought it would be nice to 
have an environment that my kids and I could use. I assumed that Apple might 
produce some other scaled-down, more affordable and customizable versions, but 
that this wouldnUt likely occur soon, at least until NTK went final.

I actually began after I realized from the InspectorGadget DTS example that I 
could write and compile NewtonScript on the Newton.  Seeing the Dot2Dot 
example, I started thinking about turtles and Logo--so my initial attempt, 
Newt 1.0, in October 1993--started out as a turtle graphics environment using 
NewtonScript instead of Logo.  Although some users have been interested in 
exploring graphics such as fractals via NewtUs turtle personality, even more 
have been interested in learning NewtonScript and in building their own 
applications.  So, Newt has been evolving to meet explicit and implicit user 
needs, and IUve been borrowing ideas from Logo, Lisp and Smalltalk 
environments that IUve known and loved over the years.

PR:	When someone asks, how do you describe Newt?

SW:	Newt has evolved over time, and somewhat like the famous elephant and 
blind men, what it is depends on how you perceive it.  Newt can be used for 
exploring object-oriented programming, graphics (turtle), mathematics and 
recursion, and/or application development.  So, initially Newt was Ra turtle 
graphics environment using NewtonScript instead of LogoS, then I expanded it 
to Ran object-oriented programming environment for developing applicationsS.  
These two primary uses or personalities of Newt are reflected in the Newt 2.0 
icon.  I donUt know yet whether the name RNewtS was a mistake or not--I 
couldnUt resist the pun on turtle, but, of course, itUs more than that now, 
and the name is also generic and ambiguous, since many users refer to their 
Newtons as Newt.  I should probably describe RUNewt also--itUs basically a 
delivery environment for applications.  With RUNewt, you can run applications 
created by Newt, or beam or mail a Newt-created application to another RUNewt 
user.

PR:	I look at the features in the program (thereUs a lot of them!) and then 
I look at the RAM size you occupy--how were you able to get it all in less 
than 70K?

SW:	Newt seems pretty lean to me also--though I donUt have much to compare 
it against.  No secret compression technology or tricks, though I have grown 
rather fond, lately, of constants in Project Data and AfterScripts.  Although 
it has grown over time, NewtUs not as gargantuan as it might be due to a 
variety of strategies.

Since Newton provides a rich object-oriented environment, any application can 
make use of existing protos, methods and slots as well as system functions and 
data. As I added new features, I attempted to consolidate and reuse my own 
code as much as possible--this often involved some redesign as I added 
features.  Above this level, other size reduction came from relying on larger 
objects when possible--for example, other applications like keyboards, Notepad 
for beaming & printing, RUNewt for saving & running applications--rather than 
implementing and cramming everything into Newt.

I also had to decide which features to include or exclude.  It would have been 
nice to have custom graphics and sound resources, but these can be quite 
large.  I could have released separate demo and registered versions of Newt--
one with demos, one without demos but with more functionality.  I could have 
split NewtUs two personalities into two versions--one for graphics, one for 
applications. Of course, any of these are possible in future versions, but the 
current configuration has been simpler to maintain, distribute and document.

Finally, thereUs the ongoing process of refinement and balancing the trade-
offs of simplicity vs. efficiency whether in space or time.  It helps to 
understand what goes on at layout, build, install, launch and user times, in 
templates vs. views, and  when you've reached the point of diminishing 
returns, especially in readability.

As an example of this, in Newt 1.0, I had initially stored the source text for 
method definitions in my own soup.  In Newt 1.1, I decided that it would be 
better to have the source more visible, plus I could take advantage of the 
NotepadUs built-in support for actions like beaming, mailing, printing, 
synchronization with NCK, etc. After figuring out how to store method source 
in the NotepadUs Notes soup, I realized that I could save NewtUs drawings and 
the registration form there also.  On the downside, we all know how slow it is 
to access Notes or Names when you have many of them and use the filing 
categories or folders.

Over several interim versions, I experimented with ways of optimizing how Newt 
accessed source entries.  Although it is possible to index the Notes soup on 
its folder, this doesnUt work for "Unfiled" or "All".  I used different 
queries to access these and named folders, but eventually decided that the 
complexity and size wasn't worth the slight improvement in speed when changing 
folders.  Instead, it was more important to focus attention on speed of access 
within a folder.  Even more important was to reduce the amount of dynamic 
memory used--to minimize those Rout of frame memoryS messages--since there 
might be several, large representations for a method including its soup entry, 
its source string, its compiled method, and its evaluation result such as an 
application object.  So, Newt 2.0 currently caches references (but not entire 
soup entries) to ensure speedy access within a folder, and it provides some 
support to minimize memory usage for methods that are large, and usually only 
called once, typically for initialization--by making them Rvirtual methodsS.  
Of course, if users start building many projects with many methods and find 
the NotePad mechanism too cumbersome, I may spiral back to using a custom soup 
again.

PR:	What was the hardest part to implement, and why?

SW:	Although the method source saga sounds complicated, the most challenging 
and frustrating part was figuring out how to save applications so that they 
could be run later without Newt and possibly on another Newton.  It wasnUt too 
difficult to create an application frame, make a global pointer to it, and 
reference it from an icon in the Extras drawer.

However, as I discovered, this wasnUt the same as an NTK application which is 
installed in Rpackage memoryS--it didn't persist across resets, and interfered 
with installing and removing other RrealS packages.

I recall demonstrating this version of Newt to Larry Tesler (AppleUs former 
head of the PIE Division -Ed.) at the Newton Developer Conference in early 
December and to several folks in DTS.  Although they werenUt ready to release 
the package format, someone did suggest that I save applications in a soup and 
provide my own launcher application.  If youUve ever tried saving a complex 
frame into a soup, you may already know the problems I ran into.  I soon 
discovered that I needed to understand how things are copied,  how to save 
references to proto frames without cloning the ROM, and how to re-link 
references later, especially when soups remove the _proto slot, so that the 
frame is properly reconstituted later.  Once I had that foundation in place, 
and thanks to tips from users like you, adding the final things like Beaming 
and Mailing of apps, was trivial in comparison.

PR:	What is the biggest problem you have with the NTK environment?

SW:	Well, let me have two biggest problems, one technical and one 
informational. On the technical side, IUd like to see better support for user 
protos and linked layouts--hopefully this will be addressed in NTK 1.0 final.  
Generally, IUd like to see more shared libraries of objects and code, whether 
in ROM or provided in a Platform file. RegisterCardSoupFunc is an example of 
something complex that a lot of applications should not reimplement and thatUs 
now included.  This will be important in keeping down size of applications, 
improving reliability, as well as improving portability across the soon-to-be-
growing Newton family.  A particular example IUd like to see is a :resize 
method that will work for views, analogous to :Drag.  The SizeDoesnUtMatter 
sample is klunky and doesnUt work for some situations.  Also, given the close 
box in the lower right corner of many views, weUll need a different corner or 
gesture in order to resize views.  How about support for custom recognizers?

On the information side, the biggest problem I have is finding answers to a 
specific question (or one that you didnUt know you had).  Where should you 
look--the NTK manual? the Q&A docs? the DTS samples? DoubleTap or PIE 
Developers magazine? PIE developer postings on AppleLink? PDA discussion on 
America OnLine? the npc mailing list? comp.sys.newton.programmer?  the Newton 
book version of the NANUG newsletter?  The good news (and the bad news) is 
that these sources are increasing.  If youUre a full-fledged PIE Partner, you 
have Apple experts available to distill these sources.  For rest of us, the 
bboards are probably our best sources of up-to-date information.  However, 
itUs often difficult to find things and to separate noise from content.  The 
problem is compounded by the subject headers on mail and threads in newsgroups 
which are often generic and useless, e.g., Rgot a problemS, Rme tooS, or 
Rhere's how I fixed itS.  Over time, I expect that more of this information 
will get filtered into official Q&A documents, and then into the manual and 
indexes.  Or, perhaps Newtons will tap wirelessly into the WorldWide Web using 
a faster Find.

PR:	In essence, you could be viewed as cutting into the market for NTK 
itself.  How responsive have the people at PIEDTS been to what you're doing?

SW:	I think the DTS folks have been great in providing information at the 
Developer Conference, and in posting messages to the bboards, often beyond the 
call of duty.  I donUt know if they are aware of Newt or have time to 
experiment with it--I'd be glad to send Kent, Mike or Bob a manual if they 
ask.  I have seen other requests in addition to mine, though, for information 
on package formats, and nothing has been forthcoming.  I can imagine several 
reasons for this:  1) the format is truly messy, complex and/or half-baked and 
not ready for outside consumption; 2) related to this, NTK itself isnUt yet 
finished, so having to document and support this format for other development 
tools would slow down NTK development; 3) by limiting use of the format, they 
can constrain how applications are generated, decreasing the likelihood of 
viruses and malformed apps; 4) perhaps they plan license the format, but 
generally want to control the Newton development tools market.  I think all of 
these are true to some extent.

I see NewtUs application personality as expanding the potential market for 
development tools.  This will happen by increasing awareness of Newton 
development, by providing an Rentry levelS tool, and by training many would-be 
developers, who might then upgrade to a more Rindustrial strengthS environment 
like NTK.  Eventually, I may add a non-programmatic interface for constructing 
applications, find ways to build ever larger and complex applications, and use 
the package format if it becomes available.  Even so, I expect Newt to remain 
more in the class of tools of HyperCard or FileMaker than of MacApp or C++.  
Of course, NewtUs turtle personality addresses a separate educational 
development niche that would otherwise be ignored.  So, hopefully Apple will 
not feel threatened, but will in fact encourage development of other 
development tools.

HereUs an excerpt from a recent message from one of my users:  RBrilliant app. 
It is on its way to justifying the purchase of an NTK and Mac by my company 
(who lock you up even if you mention the word Apple).S

PR:	What future features/enhancements would you like to add to Newt?

SW:	There are many things that I could add.  What I do will depend a lot on 
the number of users who would find it useful and what looks like fun and 
doable to implement.  Probably the first set of enhancements, once I have a 
little break, is in the area of applications: some of what I just mentioned, 
more tested examples for my users, and more of an application editing 
environment using Newton metaphors.  Although I enjoy doing all of this 
myself, IUm hoping that others will contribute here as well.  Books on 
NewtonScript and NTK could enhance the documentation that I already provide.  
I would also like to see other graphics and applications examples, as well as 
other tools that work with Newt, whether implemented in Newt or NTK.

PR:	We hear a lot about how the concept of shareware isnUt working as well 
as the  authors would like.  Why did you decide to make Newt shareware instead 
of trying to find a commercial distributor, and how successful has it been to 
date?

SW:	I expect that the success of a shareware program depends on a lot of 
factors. Does the program address real user needs ?  How many users are there? 
Is it good quality?  How much does it cost?  What benefit is there in 
registering?  How available is the program and how do users find out about it? 
When Newt was first ready, it seemed premature to seek a commercial 
distributor since there were (and still are) few channels in existence.  The 
potential market in education and programming tools seemed limited, hence I 
doubted that StarCore (Apple's PIEDTS commercial distribution company -Ed.) 
with its emphasis on blockbuster business and entertainment titles would be 
interested.  Shareware seemed like an interesting/fun medium in which to test 
and evolve a product while maintaining creative control.

Success?  Shareware is not a likely get-rich scheme.  Since this is my first 
shareware attempt, I really don't know what a reasonable rate of registration 
should be, assuming that's my measure of success.  I donUt know how many 
Newton owners there are (70,000?), how many have access to on-line services, 
how many understand what Newt is, and how many have Newt, though America 
OnLine does provide a download count.  Of these, how many are using Newt Rfor 
freeS without a manual?  This is an early stage in the market--weUre all 
Rearly adoptersS, right?--and now several months after Newt first appeared, 
IUm pleased with the registrations and upgrade requests I've received so far--
several from on-spot demos at the Developer Conference (including you), 
several from Europe, and others as people have discovered it on InterNet, 
CompuServe and America OnLine.

I guess IUm a Rthe glass is half fullS kind of person.  Not knowing what to 
expect, IUm gratified by the checks IUve received so far.  I suppose over time 
it will be tempting to adopt more of a Rthe glass is half emptyS attitude like 
magazine writers of most Newton review articles--Ronly X copies soldS, RitUs 
missing feature YS, etc.  So, if shareware authors have been disappointed, it 
may be due to the initial phase of the market, not providing what users really 
want, lack of adequate distribution channels or perhaps unrealistic 
expectations.

My early users provided invaluable feedback and encouragement.  As I have 
added new features, such as support for applications, and done a better job of 
summarizing Newt when posting it to the networks, additional users have signed 
up.   InterNet, in particular, is amazing for distribution--I submitted Newt 
2.0 to the uiowa archive, and a few hours later, a user in Austria downloaded 
it from a mirror ftp site in Germany and decided to register.  I wrote an 
article about NewtUs Rturtle personalityS for DoubleTap (this should appear 
soon), and, of course, this interview could help evangelize Newt.  As new 
Newton products come out from Apple and other partners--ones that address 
early problems and add functionality--the potential user base could grow 
enormously.  Last but not least, I hope that word-of-mouth from contented 
users will spread the Newt message.

A comment on the development process itself:  it has been tough balancing time 
and priorities:  family, consulting job, sleep, shareware development, 
documentation and support.  Sometimes there are overlaps: Rhey, kids, letUs 
have some quality time testing NewtS or RI can share this object or method 
from Newt with a consulting projectS or RI can recycle this answer to a user 
into the next version of the manualS.  So, although itUs a bit early to make 
any final pronouncements on success of the Newton shareware route, I encourage 
developers to try it, and users to support Newt and other shareware packages 
they deem worthwhile, especially if theyUre not satisfied with more limited 
and often expensive choices from corporate conglomerates.  Otherwise, speaking 
for myself, it will be tough to find and invest the additional time needed for 
the continual fixes and improvements that any product needs.  (We at NANUG 
second those sentiments -Ed.)

PR:	What do you see as NewtUs place in the general scheme of Newton 
development?

SW:	Currently, I see Newt as providing an environment for learning about 
object-oriented programming and the Newton environment, so it could be useful 
to students and would-be developers.

It can be used for specific applications like the turtle RmicroworldS in 
education, though I donUt know how many schools will be obtaining Newtons in 
the near future.

It can be used to create native applications--we need to discover the 
complexity and size limits--either complete solutions or as prototypes to be 
reimplemented in NTK.  RUNewt could be bundled with other applications to 
enhance functionality.

Over time, I could see Newt providing more and more application development 
facilities, though as I mentioned earlier, I donUt see it as seriously 
competing with NTK.  I think it could be the foundation for classes of other 
tools, e.g., forms generators.  And, I'm sure my users will have lots of other 
suggestions.

PR:	Like most shareware authors, you relied a lot on e-mail to keep in touch 
with  your beta testers and registered users.  Do you find itUs an effective 
means of support, or that we use it only because itUs the only thing thatUs 
practical?

SW:	E-mail has been quite effective from my point of view, especially since 
users are distributed geographically and I can reach many users at once. As 
better telecommunications proliferates, weUll be able to do some live video 
teleconferencing.  With enough users, I guess we could start planning for a 
call-in cable TV show (Newt on RLarry King LiveS answering your questions) and 
various user groups and conferences--RNewt on World TourS.  On which Caribbean 
island should we convene?

PR:	Have you sent a copy of Newt to (Logo language creator) Seymour Papert?

SW:	I havenUt had time to find out if he has a Newton, but IUd be glad to 
send him a manual if he's interested.  I acknowledged Seymour in my DoubleTap 
article for his pioneering work with Logo and children and I enjoyed working 
and sharing Szechwan food with him in the 70s.  I could imagine that the Logo 
community might embrace Newt, though also expect the usual religious fervor 
about the relative virtues and vices of programming languages such as 
NewtonScript vs. Logo.  As IR support improves, it would be fun to use Newt as 
a remote controller for LegoLogo projects.

PR:	If there was one thing you could change about the MessagePad, what would 
it  be?

SW:	Well, I guess more memory (and frame heap) has been addressed in RLindyS 
(AppleUs MP 110 - Ed.), larger screens by other models in the Fall, better 
networking and telecommunications via 3rd party products real soon, and 
supposed upgradability of current MessagePads.  So, if I had to pick one 
specific thing to be addressed, it would be better mechanisms for organizing 
information, especially for built-in applications like Notes and Names.  

The current limit of 12 categories is arbitrary, and it should be possible to 
have large numbers of entries and use categories without resorting to keeping 
everything in "Unfiled" for fast access.  Related to this, IUd also like to 
see better control over how Find does its search.  And I guess the another 
thing (yes, I know,
you only asked for one), and one that Apple IUm sure would share, is that 
there be many more Newtons in peopleUs hands already, to grow the Newton 
community.

PR:	IUd agree to that!  Thanks for your time, Steve, and good luck with 
Newt!



Views and Reviews
Erica Sadun

The South
Yesterday, I was on the phone with Newt guru Rob Bruce who has been helping me 
lately with some beta testing of Peekaboo v.2.  (Its just finished now and 
will be at the sites this next week. More info about it at the end of this 
issue in the Corkboard section.)  He mentioned that it was starting to snow 
heavily and he had to hit the road.  I looked out my window.  The Georgia sun 
shone.  The Georgia road beckoned.  I bid him goodbye, pulled on some shorts 
and hit the road on my bike.  The Atlanta area has sweet rolling hills and I 
biked on my beautiful, proportional Terry while warm Georgia winds gently 
caressed me.  Figgles, all 0.9 pounds of him, rode in my fanny pack.  The 
Newton has just *got* to be the best bike-based computer around.  I canUt ever 
imagine sticking a PowerBook into a fanny pack (although if I owned one, I 
could easily see packing it in my panniers for a weekend trip.  But still five 
pounds and about a foot square size is pretty big for lugging around on a 
bike).

The big question these days is should I, will I, might I upgrade.  The 
simplest and cheapest path for a lot of people is to sell their MP and use the 
proceeds as an upgrade path for the MP110.  Others are going for the 100 
through 1-800-SOS-APPL ($99 + s/h and you get two free software packages).  
One of the biggest disappointments for the software upgrade is that the 
freebies do *not* include the Mystery Capers--a software package I have been 
dying to play with.  Since I donUt actually own Figgles, IUm trying to see if 
I can get him upgraded through my co-op.  Since my original project has been 
transferred from the Newt to OS/2, this doesnUt look promising.  I am strongly 
considering buying a 110 with my own funds if I can swing it--weUll have to 
see what happens.

I gave Georgia Tech a call the other day.  RDo you have the new MP 110?S ROh 
yes, one just arrived.  Bubba is putting it in the display case.S  RHow much 
does it cost?S ROh I canUt tell you that.S RWhat? You canUt tell me how much 
it costs?S  ROh no.  We havenUt gotten the pricing structures for educational 
discounts from Apple--but I tell you, it probably will be as cheap as $700 or 
even $650.S  I thanked him. Hung up.  Shook my head in wonder and disbelief.  
Yeah.  A great educational deal.
The best 110 deals seem to be from Computer City (NOT Circuit City, mind you--
a different chain) in Texas and Florida which is offering them for $629 less 
$100 Rinstant rebateS at the cash register.   Some people who have store 
credit have been able to get an additional 5% discount as well.  
Unfortunately, there are no Computer Cities in Georgia.  Sigh.

The biggest deal about the 110Us seems to be the reflectivity of the screen: 
however, interviewing happy 110 owners reveals that the screen reflects only 
slightly more than the original MP.  That is, one goes from really 
irritatingly reflective to really irritatingly reflective plus one.  Not a big 
change.

Contrast is now located on a spin wheel on the side of the unit and the PCMCIA 
card slot has moved.  However, on the up side, with all that extra memory, all 
the Figgles Utilities work even better than before -- especially KeyboardPRO, 
that notorious memory hog.  IUm almost finished with the next group of Figgles 
Utilities which will include KeyboardLite which will have all the custom 
keyboard facilities of PRO but will put the soup straining, garbage 
collection, etc. into a separate RNewt the KnifeS application.  (Accolades in 
next monthUs issue to anyone who can figure out the three puns that went into 
that name. Send me e-mail at erica@cc.gatech.edu)

With regard to the NANUG group programming project, things seem to be going 
beautifully.  Expect to see some exciting results in the next month or so.  In 
the mean time, check out my article in PIE developers magazine.  IUll be 
posting Newt Chat, an IR chat program (a variation on the Rseed sourceS for 
the group project- Ed.) to the sites in a few weeks.

ScrollEx

This month has also produced a good selection of new software.  The pick for 
the month is the ScrollEx application from Ludovic Durand-Texte.  This 
brilliant applet extends the functionality of the Extras draw and lets you 
scroll through it, rename applications, and move applications to and from the 
card. You can also now use the overview button to get a list of the extras and 
assign applications to the standard screen buttons.  I donUt know how I lived 
without it.  ScrollEx gets a lizardly five out of five Newts on my reptilian 
scale.  Get it! Get it! Get it! ScrollEx is shareware at a very modest $10 
(15DM or 50FF).   Be aware that some people have had problems with backups and 
running out of frame heap memory but I have successfully used my connection 
kit (the original 1.0 version) to backup and restore without any trouble at 
all.

Magic App

Another sweet little applet is the Magic App from some Australian Newt-Pals. 
Magic App will allow you to Move applications between the Newton's internal 
and external storage,  beam applications to another Newton and remove 
applications with a single stylus tap. IUve not had a chance to fully test 
this out but my initial try-outs have been very exciting.  One of the cutest 
things about the app is that you can apparently remove your card with Magic on 
it, stick it into another Newt, copy the app to their Newt and now you are 
ready to start beaming apps back and forth.  The shareware fee is $20.  More 
in the next issue after I get a further chance to play with it. IUll give it a 
Newt rating then.

ViewFrame

IUve also been playing with the  ViewFrame demo and IUve been completely, 
overwhelmingly wowed.  This app is utterly amazing.  It lets you look through 
NewtonScript code from any application--including system code.  Programmers 
who have been using this app are complete raving fanatical fans of it.  Just 
the demo version gets a five-Newt rating on the one to five lizard scale.  
IUll be getting a review copy this month of the real thing so look for a full 
review next issue. In the mean time, if you are looking for a really great 
programming tool, this is one to get.

List-It, Revisited

ThereUs a new version of List-It out with some especially cool features and 
some bug fixes which fixed bugs in last monthUs review. The new version, 2.4, 
is still a bit slow, but you can now rearrange items in the list by direct 
manipulation. Deletion ops are far better and list management is overall 
superior.  Macapa is doing a terrific job responding to users -- so register 
your List-it early and help support its evolution.

PrefsPatcher and Sleep Aid

A couple of gems are PrefsPatcher and Sleep Aid from Dan Rowley and Tom 
Collins. PrefsPatcher lets you close your preferences and formulas with a 
single click (rather than having to back out through the overview). 
PrefsPatcher also adds a cute little dual function button to your Notes status 
bar which gives you direct access to RPSrefs and RFSormulas.  My status line 
is already so cluttered that this feature wasnUt immediately appreciated--but 
when you realize that the single button gets you to both apps (depending on 
where you click), I began to respect it a lot more.

Did you ever wish that you could set two sleep times?  One for batteries and 
one for when youUre plugged in?  Sleep Aid addresses this very sensible 
problem in a very sensible way.   It sticks in a preferences panel which gives 
two sleep times: one for low power (battery) and one for high power (AC).  
Terrific idea, great implementation.  I really really really liked this.  I 
was less impressed by the actual RApplicationS part of the package.  Four 
buttons let you reboot, sleep, open prefs and kill prefs.  Gotta say, I hated 
the reboot sound (ROM_funbeep for you Sound aficionados).  The dialog looked a 
bit like an afterthought, but otherwise this app performed as advertised.

PrefsPatcher gets a solid three Newts. If the two-step exit for Prefs and 
Formulas bothers you, definitely install it. Sleep Aid receives an additional 
newt for a total of four Newts on the one to five scale because it addresses a 
need that has bugged me for ages.  Both are solid little packages that didnUt 
seem to upset Figgles at all and both show a lot of promise.

Happy

A cute little three-lizard freeware app Happy from S.A. Laing looks through 
your Names database for upcoming Birthdays.  It reminds you once a day and 
after hard resets. A clever idea and a nice little applet.  If youUre in the 
Richmond, Virginia area, take S.A. out to lunch.

MobileCalc, Revisited

For some strange reason, I had to remove KeyboardPRO in order to review the 
next piece of software.  MobileSoftUs MobileCalc spreadsheet is a true Newton 
application.  IUm not sure why it has such problems with KbdPRO but the two 
just donUt seem to like each other.  IUm hoping that KbdLITE will live more 
peacefully with it--weUll see in future columns how that goes.  To be safe, I 
removed almost all software from Figgles for this review.

It took a few seconds to start up MobileCalc--at first I really thought that 
it wasnUt working at all.  (The times in seconds listed in this column were 
made using the SuperClock freeware stopwatch on the Mac.)  But then when it 
did come up, I was suddenly in a full, professional Newton interface.  A 
spreadsheet showed eleven rows and three columns.   Great!, I thought, IUll do 
my budget.  For comparison, I also performed the same budget in ClarisWorks on 
the Mac and in Excel on the PC.

It took me a while to figure out how to use the program--unfortunately, youUre 
going to have to read the manual first; there is no way to figure out the 
interface otherwise.  I tend to try first and read later.  My initial 
impression was uniformly negative.  However, an hour later when I finally gave 
up and consulted the manual, I began to understand more of the logic behind 
the program.  On the other hand, during that time, the Newton auto rebooted 
about four times.

One thing to keep in mind is that MobileCalc is geared towards numeric entry 
and that there is a decided bias towards rows of numbers rather than columns 
of numbers--a bias I found extremely surprising since almost all my 
experiences with spreadsheets shows that people generally enter columns of 
data (similar data types) rather than rows (across data types).  Also, the 
display is three columns by eleven rows.  If you want to see a set of data, 
you donUt want to be scrolling across the screen.  Every scroll will cost you 
about six seconds.  It took almost a minute to scroll from A to H.  Keeping 
things in columns is imperative in this case.  Although, MobileCalc provides 
movement icons on the bottom of the screen, navigation is slow, slow, slow.  
Be prepared to be patient, patient, patient.

Columns can be resized by dragging their labels.  However, be prepared to wait 
fifteen seconds between each move.  MobileCalc has to do a lot of bookkeeping 
after a resize and will not accept the next move for a long while.

Double tap a cell and a slip will appear to help you put numbers into the 
cell.  Want words?  The RkeyboardS icon will bring up a labeling slip that 
puts pre-built words into cells.  Doing my budget, the first thing I wanted to 
enter was RElectricityS, but this failed to appear on the list. Instead I 
picked RFuelS from the E-F list instead.  RClose enough,S I thought.  Once a 
label has been entered, the slip advances to the next column.  I wanted all my 
labels in the first column.  After all, when you have a three column by eleven 
row display, you want to take advantage of the columns.

Since there is a cell button in the Labels slip, I tapped on that.  A list of 
letters from A-Z appeared.  I selected A.  An A appeared in the input line.  
That canUt be right, I thought.  I pressed enter.  An A appeared in column B1 
and the active cell changed to C1.  I double tapped the input line.  The 
standard keyboard appeared.  I typed RElectricityS.  Return.  In C1, the label 
Electricity appeared and the active cell  became D1.  The spreadsheet did not 
scroll.  When I entered Rhello?S in D1, it was placed off screen.  I could not 
see it.

Well now, I mused.  There has GOT to be a way to get to A2.  I dug through the 
manuals again and eventually found that you can double tap on a cell--with the 
labels slip open it will set the active cell.  Finally!  I double clicked and 
double clicked and sure enough it worked.  Selecting a new active cell takes 
about five seconds.  But beware! You *have* to press return first or your new 
data will be lost.  I could have kicked myself when I figured this out after 
having laboriously typing in RElectricityS for the fifteenth time. (Yes, I 
know, if KbdPRO hadnUt been taken off Figgles, I could have typed it with a 
single click.  Go figure. (Bad pun-Ed.) ) 

I more or less arbitrarily filled in the rest of my column.  Now, I was ready 
to enter the data.  I closed the labels slip and double clicked.  (Be careful 
to get rid of the standard system keyboard before double tapping cells.  You 
will get error 0 otherwise). 

I double tapped on B3.  The number slip appeared without any trouble (about 
seven seconds).  I typed 74.  Then I double tapped B4.  My input line now read 
74B4.  I deleted back to 74, pressed enter and, miraculously, was 
automatically moved on to B4.  Hey, I thought, I am getting the hang of this 
baby.

Now, onto summing the column. I looked in the back of the manual at the index 
under Sum.  Nothing.  I looked under formulas for Sum.  Nothing.  Finally, I 
found Arithmetic Functions.  It told me how to multiply C2 by 8.  Not very 
helpful.  I just want to SUM darn it!  Finally, I found the individual 
function glossary and on page 69 of the manual, I found SUM. It referred me to 
page 34 where I was told to write + at the bottom of the column. I did so.  In 
only fifteen seconds, the sum appeared.

Whew.  All the basics were now under my belt. I was now ready to do my 
comparison with Excel and ClarisWorks.  I started completely from scratch, 
ready to use my RtrainingS to create a simple budget spreadsheet for six 
months and eight budget items.  I took a break after my initial two hour 
training session (I had been working on learning the system from 10:30 to 
12:30), and came back to the machines fresh.  To cut a long story short, 
knowing exactly what to do, it took me another hour to set up my spreadsheet, 
get the column sizes right, do the summing and so forth.  I didnUt bother 
trying to get the column formats to $xxx.xx.  On the PC and Mac, the same 
spreadsheets took me under ten minutes each including data entry, setting 
fonts, summing, etc.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no data import facility in MobileCalc to 
read in from or export to other Spreadsheets.  (It will be added in the near 
future-Ed.)
IUm holding off on giving MobileCalc a Newt rating this month.  I found the 
initial experience so frustrating that I do not believe I would give it a fair 
judging.  (I kept feeling like the lead character in the RCriticS TV show.)  
So wait Ttil next month for a more impartial score.

Until then, I can be reached at erica@cc.gatech.edu.  Drop me a line.

Erica


SOFTWARE REVIEWED

ScrollEx ($10, 15DM, 50FF)
Ludovic Durand-Texte
80, Bd. St. Marcel
75005 PARIS, France

Magic App,  $20, UK#15, Aussie $25
PO Box 711
Kew VIC 3101, Australia 
CompuServe: 100026, 1301
InterNet: syd@suburbia.apana.org.au 
AppleLink: AUST0737
FAX it to: +61 3 349 2815
(Visa accepted)

ViewFrame $70 ($60 for PIE Developer
Subscribers.  Site Licenses available)
Creative Digital Systems
293 Corbett Ave
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.621.4252
415.621.4922 (fax)
cds@netcom.com
72722.3225@compuserve.com
cds sem@aol.com
cds.sem@applelink.apple.com

List-It 2.4, $10
Macapa Software
440 Upper Edison 
#7 St-Lambert 
Quebec, CANADA J4R 2V5

Prefs Patcher(free), Sleep Aid ($5)
Innovative Computer Solutions
1075 N. Miller #142 
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Dan: drowley@kaiwan.com
CompuServe: 73563,2343
Tom: ics@indirect.com
CompuServe: 75460,2121

Happy (free, voluntary donations)
c/o Brand X Software
3228-L West Cary Street
Richmond, VA  23221

MobileCalc
Mobile Soft
307 Orchard City Dr.
Suite 207
Campbell, CA 95008
408-376-0497



AppleUs MessagePad 110
Scott Leapman

First off, for all those people out there following the Newton Newsgroups on 
the UseNet, this article is not intended to be a critique of Apple Computer, 
Inc., the original MessagePad (MP), or AppleUs upgrade policy from the MP to 
the MP100.  It is an overview and evaluation of the MP110 by an original MP 
user.

I bought my MP back in September (v1.03) and have loved every minute of use. 
At times it was frustrating, especially during the Rgetting to know youS phase 
of handwriting recognition (HWR) training.  Even after almost 6 months of use, 
we sometimes don't completely get the message across to each other.  There are 
times when I write something that I know Newt won't be able to interpret, and 
it does, and other times I write so clearly that anyone could read it, and 
Newt gets it wrong.  As an overall package, though, the original MP meets my 
needs and enables me to work more efficiently and effectively than before.

Now there is a new MP on the block; the MessagePad 110 (MP110).  Some of the 
main criticism of the original MP was poor battery life, low internal RAM, and 
no built-in cover.  The MP110 solves all this and more.  The MP110 also has 
the new ROM that supposedly incorporates all the system updates from the MP, 
as well as adding enhancements to improve the HWR.

The following is an attempt at a detailed comparison of the MP110 to the MP 
(and the MP100 where applicable).  I have only had the MP110 for 3 days, so 
there may be some omissions, however unintentional.

Hardware 
(or WhatUs New on the Outside):

The MP110 case is the same rubbery texture and greenish hue as the MP.  The 
case is narrower, longer, heavier, and thicker.  The on-screen contrast 
control has been changed to a rotary contrast dial on the left side of the 
case.  As I understand, Apple did this because users were accidentally 
dropping the MPs on-screen contrast control to minimum, and couldn't find the 
control to raise the contrast back to normal.  I don't know why they just 
didn't put a minimum setting on the on-screen control?

The power switch is basically the same.  It feels a little less sturdy, and 
doesn't have the same spring to it, but it works the same.  The speaker is now 
on the bottom edge of the MP110 rather than on the front.  BTW, all references 
to locations on the MP cases are relative to the screen being the front, and 
battery compartment being the back.  As a right-hander, I was always covering 
the speaker grille on the MP when resting my hand on the front of the case. 
Now the speaker is obscured when the MP110 is placed in its leather case.  I 
guess you can't win Tem all.

The IR window is roughly the same, although I heard that the IR speed is much 
higher than that of the original MP.

Most noticeably different is the location of the card slot and stylus holder, 
and the addition of a flip-over cover.  If anyone out there has read RDefying 
Gravity:  The Making of NewtonS there is a picture of a prototype Newton with 
a flip-cover.  The MP110 is not this design, but is similar.  It is more 
similar to the (Aargh phhbt) Zoomer cover.  There is a release button just 
below the Apple logo on the bottom edge/front of the case.  The cover is 
double-hinged, and springs open a bit when the release button is pressed.  
When closed, the bottom edge of the cover is completely flush with the case, 
although the sides are not.  The cover can be latched open with a clip on a 
battery door to keep it out the way.  On the back of the cover is a Rcheat 
sheetS similar to the Sharp EP, and little rubber feet to protect your 
furniture when the cover is latched open.

IUm used to using the leather carrying case on the MP, and will have to get 
used to the hinged cover.  I just hope it doesnUt break, but if it does, the 
MP110 should still work just fine.

The PCMCIA card slot is relocated to the right side rather than the top of the 
case.  The eject button is a little larger than previously.  Also, the MP card 
lock not only prevented the eject button from being pressed, but also lowered 
a restraining tab to prevent the card from popping out.  The MP110 does not 
have this tab.  The card lock switch only prevents the eject button from being 
pressed.  Any industrious user can remove the card while the ejection button 
is still locked.  I donUt think this will be a problem, itUs just different.

The stylus is really different.  Its only similarity to the Zoomer (Aargh!  
Phhbt!) stylus is that it telescopes.  It has already been dubbed the Torpedo 
(tm) due to its shape, and is definitely heavier and of larger diameter than 
the ZoomerUs.  It's also longer and IMHO, nicer.  The thing appears to be made 
mostly of metal, and is spring loaded.  The extension part of the stylus pops 
up automatically when you remove it from its holster.  The stylus now is 
stored near the top of the MP110, accessed from the right side.  A neat-o 
design, if you ask me.

The power and serial connections are roughly the same location and use the 
same connectors.  The only difference appears to be the rubber flaps that 
cover them.  They're still there, but just different.

The screen is 16 pixels shorter than the MP.  IUve downloaded the majority of 
shareware titles to my Mac, and will try them out for compatibility with the 
MP110.  Some have said that the MP110 screen is more reflective than the MPs. 
I have not found this to be the case, and find them equally annoying, yet 
still usable.  I did notice, however, that the screen seems to require more 
pressure with the stylus.  I guess IUll get used to this over time.

The back of the Newt is essentially the same.  There are four rubber feet that 
are more like skid pads then rubber knobs.  The lock for the card ejection 
switch is on the back as well.  The battery compartment door is harder to 
remove, but this could be so that the flip-cover latch stays in place (it's 
located on the battery cover itself.)  There are also two metal strips near 
the battery compartment.  These are for the drop-in charging station.  Word 
from Apple is that the MP110 rechargeable battery packs will charge in about 2 
hours.  With the charging station, you donUt have to cable the Newt to 
anything to charge it's internal battery pack and an additional pack.  Just 
place it on the station and youUre charginU!

Things are really different inside the battery compartment.  There are now 
four side-by-side AAs where 4 stacked AAAUs used to be.  There is no interlock 
switch for RReplace Main-In Use-Replace Backup.S  The backup battery is still 
in there, but is screwed down in the same way that the Sharp Wizards do it.  I 
guess it just wasnUt worth the expense or engineering time for something that 
wonUt be utilized very often.  LetUs face it, how often did you have to 
replace the backup battery in the MP?  The reset switch is still in there, and 
is still accessible with the stylus.  The blue thermister has been replaced 
with what appears to be a metal piece between the two middle batteries.  Also, 
there is a small switch between the same batteries that will most likely 
detect when the rechargeable battery pack is installed.

Overall, the narrower case is easier to hold, but the added weight, partially 
due to the larger batteries, makes it a little more tiring to hold.

Software 
(or WhatUs New on the Inside):

First off, every original MP can be upgraded to the same software 
functionality as the MP110.  The MP110 has extra RAM, though, that wonUt be 
included in the upgrade, but the MP will supposedly reclaim the 30K or so that 
was taken in the 1.05 upgrade.  I have yet to verify this since I don't have 
an upgraded MP ;-).

I syncUd my MP and restored to the MP110 using the Mac NCK, and everything 
went flawlessly.  All applicable items were transferred, including my 
handwriting preferences and training, my personal word list, and all data.

The major differences in the Newt OS are in the HWR options.  At the bottom of 
the screen is an additional icon that looks like two parallel diagonal lines. 
Tap this and then you can toggle letter-by-letter, or word list recognition 
depending on which is set up as the default.  You also have an additional 
choice to use number-only recognition.  These settings are in effect as long 
as that icon is selected, and go back to defaults when you close it or tap it 
again.

When you double-tap a recognized word, there is an additional choice below the 
word list, and above the keyboard, called RTry letters.S  This option passes 
the written word through the letter-by-letter recognizer, but is only 
available when the default in the HWR preferences is word recognition.

Deferred recognition is now available too.  You can write anything in 
electronic ink, and transform it to text later.  IUve found this feature to 
work well, and it allows me to jot notes a little faster than normal.  You can 
either select a series of words written in ink and double-tap them, or just 
double-tap a single word to recognize the word as text, without selecting the 
word first.  Apple has just informed me that there is no limit to how deferred 
the deferred HWR can be.  Newt stores a bunch of info on how you wrote what 
you did, and this info is lost after a certain period of use.  Similar to 
double-tapping on an incorrect word to bring up a possibility list.  You can 
attempt to recognize ink weeks later, but the recognition may not be as good 
as if you tried to recognize it minutes later.  Bottom line, you can write in 
ink, and recognize it much later if you desire.

The Preferences section is a little different too.  I donUt have my original 
MP next to me, but it seems that there are fewer fields in the Personal page.  
The Date and Time page seems the same as do Locale, Sound and Sleep.  The 
Memory page is the same, with the exception of more installed memory showing 
up.  Pen Alignment is the same, but there are many differences in the 
Recognizers page.

There were 7 fields in the MP Recognizers section: 

	% words in word lists 
	% words not in word lists
	% words with punctuation
	% numbers
	% telephone numbers
	% dates
	% times of day

Now there are 3 fields, one with two sub-fields: 

	% words in word lists
	% numbers, dates, times
	% letter-by-letter recognition
		% in Names file only
		% everywhere

The shapes recognizer area is the same as before.  A great new addition is the 
option to use letter-by-letter recognition in the Names file by default.  Now 
you don't have to use the keyboard as much when writing in someoneUs name.

The Handwriting and Letter Styles pages are the same, as are the rest of the 
Preferences pages.  The OS version of my MP110 is listed at the bottom of the 
screen as R1.3(344052)S.

Another minor modification in the MP110 is that it seems that the font size 
for all text fields is enlarged when that field is selected for entry.  This 
is convenient as it makes it easier to read what you are entering into a 
field.

The Names and Dates applications seem unchanged, and I havenUt loaded up my 
Extras drawer yet to see if it scrolls.  (It doesnUt, but ScrollEx 1.4 (not 
1.5x) will work on MP 110-Ed.)  The lack of the contrast control seems to be 
the only difference in that area.

The rest of the system seems unchanged.  Except for the addition of deferred 
HWR and better control over HWR preferences, the Newt OS seems identical to 
version 1.05 running on my MP.  I have noticed that everything seems a little 
faster, probably due to more RAM space for system overhead.  Anyway, thatUs 
all for now.  I'll be writing a list of shareware app compatibility next.  In 
case anyone is interested, Dell Crossword Puzzles and Other Games, and 
ColumboUs Mystery Capers both appear to work fine on MP110.  Those are the 
only commercial applications that I own.

Now for my personal opinions:

IUve been using the MP110 for four days, and will probably return it this 
weekend.  I love the ROM, and am pleased with the battery life and extra RAM, 
but just canUt get used to the flip-cover, heavier case, and stylus.  The 
overall case design just doesnUt fit me right.  I keep my Newt in itUs leather 
case at all times, and use it not only for screen protection, but also for 
scratch protection of the MP's case, and storage for the PCMCIA cards.  I 
bought the leather case for the MP110 as well.  With the inclusion of the 
flip-cover, a carrying case is no longer necessary for screen protection.  It 
seems to be a bit of a nuisance to keep the cover closed and in the case, but 
if you leave the cover open with the MP110 in its case, then the screen isnUt 
as protected as the MP was in itUs metal-backed case.

I guess what it comes down to is that if IUve got a flip-cover, I donUt need 
the case for protection, so it is rather redundant.  If I donUt have a flip-
cover, I need the case for protection.  Without the case, there is no place to 
store your PCMCIA cards.  IUve also noticed that the case muffles the speaker, 
and makes it difficult to remove the new stylus.

On the subject of the stylus.  I find that the seam between the two halves of 
the telescoping mechanism rubs my hand and is uncomfortable.  IUve gotten used 
to the flat MP stylus, and might get used to the MP110Us, but I wouldnUt use 
the stylus as reason to upgrade to the MP110 from the MP.

The MP110 is (IMHO) larger and heavier enough to make it less comfortable to 
hold, and the screen has just enough reflection to make it harder on my eyes 
than the MP.  IUm sure that the vast majority of shareware that was coded for 
the larger screen will eventually be modified to automatically resize 
depending on the size of the screen it's running on, but I think IUd rather 
have the larger screen just the same.

The docking station will only have recharging contacts.  As long I have to 
plug in the serial cable to the MP or MP110, I might as well plug in the power 
cable too.

The latest word from Apple is that the MP100 is going to have the 1MB RAM.  If 
that is the case, and they are doing a logic board swap during the MP->MP110 
upgrade, then it seems to follow that the upgrade will include the 1MB RAM 
also.  None of this is verified, and a lot can happen in the 3 weeks we have 
until the upgrades start shipping.

The following is list of my opinions in comparison of the two MessagePads:

Original MessagePad (assuming ROM upgrade) and MP100 Likes: 

% compact size
% screen size, contrast and reflectivity 
% larger speaker on front 
% full-size stylus
% the whole PCMCIA slot mechanism
% lighter weight
% battery compartment (seems well engineered)

Dislikes:

% low user RAM
% poor battery life

MessagePad 110 Likes:

% larger user memory
% longer battery life
% charging stand (versus separate charger and power adapter)

Dislikes:

% heavier case
% longer and thicker case
% flip-cover (seems unnecessary and likely to break) 
% telescopic, spring-loaded stylus (likely to break)
% smaller, quieter speaker
% battery compartment (too similar to the ZoomerUs, which seems like a 
calculator)
% PCMCIA slot location, lock and eject switch
% contrast knob (on-screen would have worked with a minimum setting.)

The MP110 is just not for me.  But please visit your local Newton reseller and 
try it for yourself before taking my word for it (just make sure you buy it 
under a 30-day MBG!).  You might like it, then again, you might agree with me 
and prefer the original MP design.  Either way, the ROM upgrade is definitely 
worthwhile.  My completely trained MP110 had more accurate HWR than an equally 
trained MP.

Thanks for your attention, and good luck with your Newt, whichever one you 
use!



AppleUs PCMCIA Fax Modem
Scott Leapman

I bought my Newton MessagePad back in September and received the dreaded 
cigarette pack modem as part of the RCommunications System.S  Since then, I 
havenUt done a lot of faxing, but the modem did function just fine when the 
need to connect my Newt to the rest of the world arose.

Recently IUve found that this need is occurring more frequently, and it's 
becoming annoying to carry around this little black box with me.  I decided to 
try out the Newton Fax Modem Card (PCMCIA) as a viable alternative.  My main 
rationalizations for NOT previously getting this modem (aside from already 
owning a perfectly functional modem that was paid for) was main battery drain 
and not being able to fax something from a RAM card using the modem card since 
the Newt only has one card slot.

I was mistaken about not being able to fax an item from the RAM card using the 
modem card.  Whenever you fax something in the Newt, or do anything that 
requires the Out Box, your document gets stored in the NewtUs internal memory. 
For this reason, you can safely fax or print an item that's located on the 
card, then remove the card, and still access the item.  This is a great 
feature, except when you have too little space left in the internal RAM to 
store the Out Box items.  As I understand it, these items cannot overflow to 
an installed memory card.  Anyway, my first objection to using the Fax Modem 
Card was quickly dispelled.  On to the second.

The external modem has not only its own power source (2 AA batteries) but can 
also use a Newton AC adapter.  Thus, this modem draws no power from the 
NewtonUs meager power supply.  The Fax Modem Card does draw itUs power from 
the AAAUs (or AAUs for MP110 users,) not only when in use, but also when 
idling (installed but not in use.) According to the SOS-APPL line, this modem 
will drain the NewtUs power supply about 10% to 20% faster when installed 
(even when not in use) than when not installed!  Bottom line is; either use 
the AC adapter for the Newt whenever the modem is installed, or install it 
only when using it, and promptly remove it when you're done.

I guess the convenience of not having to carry the external pack in a separate 
case (the Fax Modem Card fits nicely in the Newton Carrying Case, either 
leather or otherwise) but there are no cables to connect or appendages to flop 
around.  IUve sent several faxes with the card modem, and havenUt noticed a 
significant battery drain.  In other words, I left the Extras Drawer open 
while faxing, and didnUt notice the battery life indicator dwindle to nothing 
over the span of the 2 minute fax.  I guess long faxes would drain the 
batteries faster, but then again, there isnUt a ton in the Newt that big!  Ok, 
faxing a novel in Book Reader format would take a while, but use the AC 
adapter when doing this!

Now the hard part of my decision...finding one!  I called 5 mail order houses 
with no luck; MacWarehouse, MacConnection, MacZone, Apple Catalog, and J&R 
Music World.  None had the item in stock, and a few didn't even have it yet. 
One actually said it wasn't release yet!  Next I called Circuit City and 
Computer City with no luck again.  Finally I found a nice cache of them at the 
local CompUSA.  I hate buying things when I can't price match, but oh well. 
$179.99+tax and a short drive later I was happily faxing from my new Fax Modem 
Card.

On first glance, the card looks like it wonUt fit in the NewtUs standard 
PCMCIA Type 2 slot... it does.  The neatest thing about this card is its X-
Jack connector.  This modem is actually made by Megahertz for Apple to AppleUs 
specifications.  I called Megahertz to find out the differences, and was told 
that although a lot of their other PCMCIA fax modems would work in a Newton, 
the Apple-labeled one was suggested due to its decreased power drain.  IUve 
even heard of their 14.4 kbaud fax modem working, but also sucking the NewtUs 
lifeblood down in 10 minutes!  No problem if youUre tethered to an AC adapter, 
but if we didnUt want to be mobile, weUd use our desktop computers to fax.

The card feels very sturdy as does the X-Jack.  Slide the card in NewtUs slot, 
and you get a RA Communication card has been inserted.S message.  The card is 
completely flush with the NewtUs case until you release the X-Jack connector. 
It is a little slide-out tray that allows you to plug the phone line directly 
into the card.  No messy adapter cables.  The connector slides back into the 
modem when not in use.  The modem even has a tiny speaker so you listen in for 
the Newt to connect.  ItUs not a loud speaker, and may even be inaudible in 
all but the quietest of working environments, but it does work.

All in all, I guess the Apple Fax Modem Card is a worthwhile investment for 
any mobile Newton user who needs modem capabilities.  It is convenient to 
carry, install, and use.  The battery drain is not appreciable, and is well 
overcome by the convenience this device provides.  Keep in mind, though, that 
if you donUt already own a fax modem for the Newton, you can still pick up the 
external one for about $100 or less.  ThatUs almost half the price of the 
PCMCIA modem, but is a pain to carry around.  Then again, you need something 
to justify your purchase of that Communications System Carrying Case! ;-)



GeoAssist
David Tuttleman

Traveling with your a Newton can be like traveling with your office in the 
palm of your hand.  Now with GeoAssist, traveling can be that much easier.  
Packed with many features, GeoAssist enables you to have a library of 
reference information in the palm of your hand.

All of the controls are managed from a main screen.  A distance tool allows 
you to obtain the distance between any two points on the map.  Simply select a 
point A and then a point B and the program figures the distance.  Zoom in and 
Zoom out buttons allow you to see greater detail of the maps, but only to the 
state level in the USA map and country level in Europe.  No other details are 
available at this time for any other area in the world.

A city locator is used to touch a point in the USA and the closest city will 
be displayed giving the user the telephone are code and the local time.  Time 
zones can be displayed for the entire world--but only approximates with no 
real definitive lines--just digital clocks lining the top and bottom of the 
screen.  GeoAssist allows you to set your home information, so when you are 
away from home you just select your location, tap RIUm hereS, and all of your 
necessary information changes.  When dialing home, GeoAssist inserts the area 
code and uses the calling card number that was input, in addition to changing 
the time zone you are in--very handy!

NewtonMail, SprintNet access numbers for all the 50 states are listed by 
state, area code and city.  Simply access the NewtonMail area  of the program, 
select the first letter of the state in the alphabet list, then view the area 
code and city.  Your current NewtonMail access number is displayed and 
GeoAssist allows you to replace it with the state and city you just selected.  
You no longer have to carry around a piece of paper or small book of access 
numbers, a tool that was needed the from the start of NewtonMail.  Good Show!

GeoAssist has as part of the package a unique option that tracks real time of 
a flight that you are on.  Enter a departure time and estimated arrival time, 
and Flight Track puts a small airplane icon on your map--then it travels along 
the map showing you the current location of the flight.  Flight Track also 
displays the elapsed and remaining time of your flight.  The locations shown 
are not an exact location of your flight but really a graphical representation 
of the progress of your flight.  This option is only available for cities in 
the US and Canada.

Telephone area codes are also a part of the GeoAssist program.  A convenient 
alphabetical list allows you to select a city, and the program gives you the 
area code and local time.  Nice!.  Telephone reference numbers are loaded into 
this database.  Airline,  auto rental, express mail, hotels and even credit 
card hot lines for stolen and lost cards are in the 800 number directory, all 
nicely broken out into separate categories.  There is even a list of local 
weather phone numbers--toll calls, but very convenient.  GeoAssist has an 
option menu that allows you to customize the display for miles vs. kilometers 
and temperature in !F and !C, good for those of you into the metric system.

Overall I find GeoAssist is a very easy, valuable addition to your Newton for 
all travelers and non-travelers alike.  I wonUt leave home without it.  I give 
it 4 out of 5 bulbs.  GeoAssist needs at least 475K of free space and must be 
installed on your card using the Newton Connection Kit.  It is recommended 
that you use System 1.05 or later.

Happy Trails!
David Z Tuttleman

GeoAssist
Avail Technology, Inc. 
1250 Oakmead Pkwy., Suite 210 
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3599 
408 730-6855



Code Samples

Letters for Newt (Part 1)
Kristina Weyer 
(with _protoGhostWriterDad Steve)

This is not an article about writing letters or e-mail to your Newton , like 
RDear NewtS.  ItUs about simple programs that tell the Newton how to draw 
letters like RHS.  Newt is a neat program that my dad wrote that allows you to 
write NewtonScript programs, using a more complex form of Logo and the turtle.  
(To try out the examples in this article, you can obtain a copy of Newt from 
various networks.  If you use it and like it, please register by sending my 
dad $25.)

To get started, my dad showed me how to draw with Newt using simple commands 
like go and turn (some of which I already knew from using the Turtle when I 
was younger).  My first letters were pretty simple and had very basic 
commands.  

Here's what my first program for H looked like:

H_letter func()
begin
	:go(50); 
	:turn(180); 
	:go(25); 
	:turn( -90); 
	:go(25); 
	:turn(-90); 
	:go(25); 
	:turn(180); 
	:go(50);   
	:turn(-90); 
	:move(20); 
	:turn(-90);
end

After you write the program and save it, and you havenUt forgotten to include 
semicolons and colons -- you wouldnUt believe how upset the Newton gets if you 
leave out a semicolon-- you can actually run it with :H_letter().

I wrote programs for RES, RLS, and ROS so I could write RHelloS.  The Hello 
program is pretty simple:

Hello func()
begin 
	:H_letter(); 
	:E_letter(); 
	:L_letter(); 
	:L_letter(); 
	:O_letter(); 
end

To make this work correctly, I had to make sure that each letter always 
started in the same place -- I chose the lower left corner, and always ended 
up in the same place, the lower right.  This worked pretty well, and I was 
getting excited.  Some of my letters had bugs, but it was pretty obvious which 
letters were drawn incorrectly, and how to fix them. I was about ready to do 
the rest of the 26, when my dad looked at it said, RwouldnUt you like to be 
able to make the letters different sizes?S.  That sounded like a good idea, so 
he showed me how to use variables.  HereUs what my next version of H looked 
like:

H_letter func(hsize,vsize,sep)
begin
	:go(vsize); 
	:turn(180); 
	:go(vsize/2); 
	:turn( -90); 
	:go(hsize); 
	:turn(-90 ); 
	:go(vsize/2); 
	:turn(180); 
	:go(vsize);   
	:turn(-90); 
	:move(sep); 
	:turn(-90);
end

hsize is the horizontal size or width of the letter.  vsize is the vertical 
size or height of the letter.  sep is the amount of space to put between 
letters.

My dad wrote a little program that would let me spell different words with 
Newt using the letters I had already made.

spell func(str,left,size)
begin
	local i, sep := size/2; 
	local hsize := size, vsize := size*2; 	:movePt(left,0); 
	for i := 0 to Strlen(str)-1 do 
	Perform(self,intern(str[i]&"_letter"),
		[hsize,vsize,sep]); 
end

When we entered :spell("ellie",-110,30), Newt moved over to the left, and then 
wrote my sisterUs name.  Each letter was 30 wide, 60 high, and 15 apart.

Because Newt starts drawing from wherever it is and in the direction itUs 
heading, you can make letters on an angle or write upside down.  When I 
started doing the other letters, it started getting tricky because some of 
them needed angled lines (such as A, and N).  This can be a major problem 
since the hsize and vsize change, therefore changing the angle that Newt needs 
to turn so I couldnUt put in a specific angle.  Then, my dad showed me how to 
use :goPt.  This allows you to tell Newt to go to a point relative to where 
it's starting.  HereUs how I did RAS:

A_letter func(hsize,vsize,sep)
begin 
	:gopt(hsize/2, vsize); 
	:gopt(hsize/2, -vsize); 
	:movept(-hsize/4, vsize/2); 
	:turn(-90); 
	:go(hsize/2); 
	:turn(90); 
	:movept(3*hsize/4, -vsize/2); 
	:movept(sep, 0); 
end

I redid most of my letters using :goPt but then we discovered a bug in Newt.  
When we tried making the letters at any other angle other than straight up, 
the letters no longer looked like letters.  My dad said heUd have to think 
about this new problem.  A few hours later, he had fixed it by writing a long 
complicated program (at least it seemed that way to me) explaining to the Newt 
how to do :goPt at an angle.

Around this time, he took another look at my letters, and said that the 
programs  were pretty verbose and difficult to read, and maybe there was an 
even easier way to write the letters.

Next month:
IUll show how we redid the letters one more time to get rid of all of the gos, 
turns, and goPts and just use number coordinates to represent the letters.   
Another neat program my dad made was OutlineChar which allows you to make 
outlined letters.  IUll also show you how you can draw letters with fonts 
using Newt.



The Real World

Newton Integration Proof-of-Concept
Al Suding

The Newton reminds me of my first personal computer which I bought in 1979.  
RWhat a great idea,S I said, RI wonder what IUll use it for?S  Some of my 
corporate friends at the time said, RGot a personal computer, eh? ... Why?S  
The Newton reminds me of that experience.

Eventually, word processing, spreadsheets, small business databases, desktop  
publishing, and graphics made my personal computer indispensable.  While I  
havenUt reached that clarity of use yet with my Newton, things are starting to 
occur to me.

Currently IUm experimenting with digital books for portable, custom versions  
of reports, company files, and reference material.  Here is a preliminary  
example that has only been done as a proof-of-concept.

We have an application built with Frontier, Tempo, FileMaker Pro, and Word 
that maintains reference material, internal articles, and technical addendum 
on a LAN.  The material is kept in Word files and organized by topic on a 
Novell server.  Each topic has a distribution list that is open for anyone to 
join.  When new material is added to a topic, an e-mail is sent to everyone on 
that topicUs distribution list by the application.  If a person is on multiple 
distribution lists, he receives just one consolidated e-mail a day.

A HyperCard application lets a user browse the topic categories and open  
documents with Word.  In a prototype version, IUve added an option so that if 
a Newton Digital Book version of a document is available, a person can load it 
to their Newton.  This provides a way to make a copy of a document for later 
review while traveling, in a meeting, or simply at home, without printing it.  
I estimate a 1 MB RAM card can store approximately 1000 pages, including  
graphics.  ThatUs a load in anyoneUs briefcase.

When the documents are in the Newton, it is simple enough to mark a page to 
fax or mail to someone.  For example, RHey, Joe, check out the new department  
support structure for Novell.S  Or keep a to-do with a copy of the relevant 
paragraph or text.  Or just keep all those details of project plans handy for 
meetings or hallway conversations.  Plus, be able to make notes on those pages 
for later follow-up.

Right now, I manually format and create the digital books.  It doesn't take 
long; but with the volume of material we have, even 15 to 30 minutes each is 
too long.  So, a future step is to set document publishing guidelines so that 
through scripting, a document can be turned into a simple digital book on the 
fly.  IUve also done some experimental importing of Lotus NOTES data, as well 
as corporate data from a mainframe by first capturing it in my Macintosh with 
ClearAccess.

It is feasible to have much of my personal office files and relevant corporate 
data on one or two Newton RAM cards.

In combination with scripting, agents, custom views into INFOSHRE, corporate  
data, and external business news services, it is possible to provide custom 
creation of digital books under the control of each recipient.

In summary, the goal is to automate interfaces to text and numerical data such 
that a person accessing a database can say, RThatUs the information I need on 
this trip or meeting, put it in my Newton.S  Or, RIUll put this Lotus Notes 
information, on-line accounting information, project information, and 
commercially available business news into a Newton Rbriefing bookS for myself  
or my manager that can be reviewed when it is convenient.S ... Cool!


Al Suding 
Southern California Edison 
818-302-3173 
Newton mail: asuding 
AppleLink: B0134 
CompuServe: 70277,1431



NANUG Group Project #1
Project Chat

As the world becomes more and more RwiredS, it becomes easier for people to 
perform their work RremotelyS and at their own timetable, rather than the 
clocks.  As a way of proving this, NANUG has initiated a group programming 
project, hopefully the first of many.  Below is the original project plan that 
was sent to NANUG members last month:

- % -

Group Project Purpose:
To introduce NTK and NewtonScript programming, using a small to medium-sized 
programming project, as well as generate a RusableS application to release to 
public domain (with documented source and a project diary).

Background:
Erica Sadun and Mark Underwood got together on 2/21/94 and cobbled together a 
basic asynchronous, state-less IR RchattingS applet, which became the starting 
point for the group programming project.

Step 1:	The basic applet was distributed to three programming teams, with 
each being given a different aspect of the final product to implement.  Each 
team had access to a copy of NTK and at least two Newtons.  It was expected 
each team would initially spend a good evening or twoUs worth (about 4 man-
hours total).

Step 2:	Each version, when ready, will be distributed to NANUG members via 
e-mail for beta testing and user interface feedback.

Step 3:	At a future NANUG meeting, the three groups (or representatives 
thereof) will present their work and then decide on how best to integrate the 
three versions into the final product.

Step 4:	Via e-mail, the final version will be assembled.

Step 5:	NANUG members will again be sent the RbetaS application to test.  

Step 6:	A documentation team will prepare both RwrittenS and RTiny TimS 
versions of a userUs manual.  

Step 7:	The final app, all source(s), documentation, and a diary of the 
work effort will be uploaded to all major services and ftp sites.

Specifics:
The three programming teams consist of two RlocalS and one RremoteS groups, 
with each group consisting of at least two people (since this is an app that 
requires two Newtons to test!).

Team 1:	Chat Team

Team OneUs task was to turn the basic text-based chat prototype into a very 
solid platform on which to base the final product.  Ideally, the app should 
consist of a status line, a received text area, an area in which to write/type 
what you want to send, and a single RconnectS button.  Because of the nature 
of the IR protocol, the connection has to be established in the following 
order:

1.  listener starts listening
2.  active guy starts activating
3.  active guy begins with the first send.

This should be accomplished with a simple dialog that is tied into the 
viewSetupDone script (perhaps using AddDelayedAction) or by including a START 
button which disappears after it is hit the first time, and the conversation 
starts.

Team 2:	Draw Team

Team TwoUs job was to take the basic app and convert it to where it can send 
drawings instead of text.

The drawings could be sent:

% as individual strokes
% as completed, recognized objects
% as points and line segments
% something else that works quickly?

In the drawing app, a facility to save/print/route the transmitted drawing 
would be ideal to add.

Team 3:	Game Team

This is the RremoteS team, and this is a double-experiment--not only are we 
trying to create a group-based project, but via e-mail!  Team ThreeUs task is 
to take the basic app and implement as many IR-based games as time permits.  A 
list of possibilities include:  BattleShip, Stratego, Gin Rummy, Go Fish, 
Checkers, Chess, and Maze Wars.  Keep in mind that IR requires line-of-sight, 
about 5-8 feet (2-3 meters) maximum distance for good, clean contact.  Avoid 
games that would cause each Newt to RcompeteS for access time--stick with 
Rstate-drivenS (one person makes a move, the other then makes his/her move in 
reply) games.

Beta Users:	All NANUG Members

During the beta testing, please contribute as much as possible to the user 
interface design of all three teamUs efforts.  RRemoteS members will probably 
have to enlist a (currently) non-NANUG member in order to test things out--be 
sure this other person understands that this software is RbetaS and may have 
bugs!

Final Team

Once the three phases of RchatS are complete, at the next scheduled NANUG 
meeting, we will assemble a team to RmergeS the three projects into a final 
RchatS application.  This final version will be sent to all NANUG members for 
beta testing.

Documentation Team

The Doc Squad will be responsible for assembling the documentation and 
creating the RTiny TimS version (on-line book reader format).  Once the first 
draft is finished, it will be sent to our RoverseasS members, so that they can 
begin translation.  The documentation team will also be responsible for 
coordinating the translation of the app itself into the other languages.


- % -


In real life, of course, we all had Rday jobsS, which was going to make 
working on the project a little difficult.  As the month went by, Team 2Us 
effort got underway at once, followed by Team 3.  Team 1 was delayed, and so 
one of the authors of the original RseedS code revised the package--making 
Team 1Us assignment change to that of being responsible for the final 
integration.

Team 2 concentrated on the idea of sending RstrokeS information to the other 
Newton, rather than sending the RfullS shape.  Doing this allows more 
RinteractionS between the users, but presents the problem of making sure the 
RhandshakeS between them is rock solid.  The initial app is in beta at this 
time.

Team 3 began work on an RadventureS style game as the first effort.  They 
started with the idea of a Rstand-aloneS game (single user) in order to get 
the movement of characters, players attributes, battle, and navigation 
debugged.  Once the basics were in place, the beta was shown to the project 
manager as a preliminary before working on the IR-portion.  In this mode, two 
Newts would face off, head-to-head, in the maze.  An option to allow the two 
RteamsS of characters to unite against the beasts in the maze itself (a sort 
of RquestS mode) is being considered.

WeUll keep you up to date on the progress in the months to come!



Tips, Hints, and Secrets
NANUG Members

From Ashley Barnard Armstrong:

I took my leather case (a gift), which I didnUt use much because itUs heavy 
and big, to a purse repair place and had them run a strap through it (thereUs 
an opening by the zippers and middle part).  Now it looks like a purse!  I 
wore it to AppleUs PowerMac product announcement.  One of the guys there asked 
if IUd registered to win a Newt, and I pointed and said, yep, but I hope itUs 
a 110, IUve already got a classic!  He said he thought I just had a 
purse...ItUs kind of cool....

From Luc Desaulniers:

For Canadian members who have access to an independent company for long 
distances (in my case STN), you know, the type that says itUs cheaper if you 
give them your long distances business.  By going through this carrier (you 
dial the local number of the carrier + Access code + account number + the 
number you want to reach*), and by changing the 800 to 700 in the Apple number 
(1-700-767-2775 instead of 1-800-767-2775), your call gets directed to the 
border as a long distance and then, you get on the US 800 network where it is 
free.

When I got the Apple Customer Rep at the other end of the line, she started 
asking the required information for the upgrade, and when we got to the 
address bit and I gave her mine in Montreal, a heard a small Roh, youUre 
calling from MontrealS then a little silence, and she went on with the rest of 
the info.  Looks like I slipped through the cracks!

Now confirmed, I will be getting in April my little gifts (as an appreciated 
customer, of course) and my shipping box!

(EditorUs note:  If anyone else outside the US and Canada gets their update 
processed in this method, please e-mail with the details!  WeUll pass along 
the experiences!)

From Kerry McCarthy:

Connection 2.0 errors?  If you Sync both at home and work you get 2 Macs in 
the connection box.  On LocalTalk, choose the right Mac--even on a serial 
connection, choose LocalTalk-and choose the correct Mac.  Tap cancel, tap 
connection, and then serial.



Ask NANUG
NANUG Members

IUve had a Newton for a few months now and really love it.  IUm really 
intrigued by the way memory works, particularly with Flash Cards etc.  I 
didnUt get my flash card for a while, had filled up the standard memory a few 
times, and had a pretty large address book (about 180 names). This didnUt 
leave much memory to play with.

When I got the Flash Card (2mb) I thought RyippeeS--IUll be able to do what I 
want!  However, I have moved everything to the flash card, but still get many 
out of memory problems i.e. having to reset (via dialog box).  Using the 
applet RMemoryS it seems I have about 87k free but about 77k is permanently 
used by ???  IUve used a couple of diagnostics but canUt work out what uses 
all this memory.

My guess is that you either have one or more programs installed RinternallyS, 
or you have other soup entries that havenUt been moved to the card.

In the Newton, the line between TmemoryU and TstorageU disappear.  Everything 
is stored either in the built-in RAM (whose size varies by the model of 
MessagePad you have) or on the installed RAM card(s).  To the Newton, these 
two, physically separate areas of RAM are access as one larger area.

Within the internal RAM, a portion is set aside for OS patches, global 
variables, user preferences, and related items.  On the old MPUs this brought 
the 640 K of total internal RAM down to about 160 K (using OS 1.05, for 
example), not leaving much for everything you added:  Names, Dates, Packages, 
etc.  Adding a RAM card increases that amount by the size of the card--but the 
system changes canUt be stored on the card, as it could be removed to make way 
for another one.

You have the option to set where all new items get added--either RinternallyS 
or to the RcardS (if itUs present)--in the Extras drawer, tap the icon for the 
card, and make sure the RStore new items on cardS option is checked.  

The memory areas in a Newton are called RstoresS by Apple.  If you have a RAM 
card, you should keep as much as possible on the card, to leave the internal 
store as large as you can.

During use of the Newt, the internal store is used by the system dynamically 
(in handwriting recognition, for example).  One of these uses is called the 
Rframe heapS, where package data is kept while theyUre open and running.

In order to make the best use of your memory, here are some guidelines:

If you donUt have a RAM card:

% Make sure youUre at Newt OS 1.05 or later!

% Turn off anything you donUt use often--automatic beam options, handwriting 
recognition categories, etc.  Study your Prefs carefully, and experiment.

% Get an applet that performs garbage collection (gc) on demand.  Many 
free/shareware programs donUt clean up after themselves and can leave large 
chunks of memory in use, even if youUre not using it.  KeyboardPRO and Memory 
are two examples.

% Some programs have the option to Rturn offS when not in use (MobileMath and 
MobileCalc are two).  Deactivating these programs will free up memory being 
tied up for things like Intelligent Assistance and global Finds

% Get a soup RstrainerS (such as Souper, StewPot, or KeyboardPRO) and review 
what soups are installed.  You may have removed an app, but its data may still 
be present!

If you have a RAM card:

% All of the above suggestions, as well as:

% Move as many things as you can to your card.  Use soup utilities (such as 
Souper and StewPot) to move soups from the internal store to the external.  
Use programs like ScrollEx to move your apps from internal to card.  The Names 
and Dates built-in apps have ways to move entries individually, or as a group, 
from the internal store to the card store.

% If you own the Newton Connection Kit, every once and awhile, back your 
Newton up to your Mac or PC, then once you have a good backup, reformat the 
RAM card, then restore the contents of the card.  Over time, the card becomes 
littered with orphaned objects, a process very similar to hard disk 
fragmentation.  The internal store gets RwipedS every time you do a reset.

Using these tips, you should be able to manage your RstoresS effectively.



The Sharper Knife
Elaine Barrett

This monthUs editorial comes from the other side of the blade--specifically 
from our neighbor to the north of the United States--written by Luc 
Desaulniers of Quebec, Canada.

So whatUs with Apple?

Apple is the greatest!  Apple is the worst!  Apple will go wherever IBM is 
heading!  Deficits (how many billions of times have you read this?).  Ok, Ok.  
LetUs think about this a little more closely.  Apple is licensing the Newton 
OS.  Smart move on their part, I guess they have learned from the Macintosh 
experience.  Ok, they have a new CEO and a new President, then letUs get on 
with a program to start a marketing renaissance (Apple wonUt be able to rely 
on IBM in the next few years the way the latter is going financially).  Apple, 
what signals are you sending out to your loyal consumers?

Did you hear the latest about the release of the 110?  It seems that Apple is 
listening to the users, but which users are they?  Apparently not Newton 
users.  They (Apple) in their infinite wisdom decided that, after listening to 
the RusersS, they would developed a newer form, pen, and more ROM, with a new 
name on the outside (besides, mind you,  my hands are big enough to withstand 
the actual width of the original Newton!).  What do they care about me, the 
average non-programming Joe?  What, do I think that only developers and 
programmers are going to buy their products?  Who are the people that use all 
those software products that are developed?  Us the plain JoeUs that use the 
Newton as a tool instead of a programming device!

Sounds like the old Mac IIvx syndrome!

An Apple PR representative actually acknowledged the fact that even with the 
newer version, the recognition is not perfect--so be it.  They say Apple will 
offer a special promo for the poor of us that actually bought the first 
version--as long as they live in the US!  Ok, Ok , I will cool down (itUs easy 
in the middle of the winter while living in Canada).  That same spokesperson 
had the guts to tell me that by the end of the year the flawed 110 will be 
replaced by a newer version.  Hello?  Is anyone home there?  Apple, when I do 
Beta version testing of something, I donUt buy the hardware to test--I try the 
software and then, after trying, make reports to the people concerned, and if 
the product is even worth buying, I will let them know!

I have not even started with the news the newer NTK!  Ok (again), you pay 895$ 
US for a Beta version, Apple praises the developers for using it, and promises 
that once you buy it you get a free final version (remember, this newer 
version is also a beta).  Well, this author, who has just the bad luck to live 
in Canada, has been waiting for the system upgrade (1.05) from Apple after two 
telephone calls!!! (mind you, I got it anyhow through the BBS).  Good example 
of corporate policy.

What does the future hold for the Newton?  It is great for the Newton even 
with the repeated attempts by Apple to make getting upgrades on just about 
anything new that comes out for the Newton difficult, if not close to 
impossible.  Why is it great?  Because there are user groups who believe, 
albeit the manufacturer, that the product is great and has a lot of potential.  
So, long live Apple!  Apple is probably the only corporation outside Microsoft 
and Quark that snub at their clientele while praising them as a top dollar 
market who come back for more.  You know whatUs worse, they are right!  I 
believe!  And God told me that if by the end of the year, if I donUt get a 
million dollars, I will die--so please send your contributions to me, care of 
NANUG.

--Luc Desaulniers



Want-Ads, Classified, and Cork Board

-%-

We are planning a RNewton Development Conference and ExpoS to be held late May 
in Sydney, Australia.  Although not agreed yet, we hope to have substantial 
support from Apple Computer Australia.

We are looking for high quality speakers (both developers and clients), 
delegates, and any vendors who would like to support the product expo.

The conference is intended to stir up interest in Newton development in 
Australia, and is aimed at three main audiences:

1. Business, Government & Education organizations toying with the idea of 
PDAUs

2. Existing or wanna-be Newton developers, software & hardware vendors

3. Any existing Newton Message Pad or other PDA owner

The 3-day, live-in conference will have separate streams for developers (or 
potential developers) & those who are new to Newton.

Conference Sessions will take the form of Keynote addresses by leading 
industry figures (hopefully from organizations with Newton projects underway, 
& from established developers) followed by extensive hands-on workshops, 
training and demonstration sessions.

In fine RPuppy-Dog SaleS tradition, it is planned that every delegate will be 
issued a Newton MP (with 2Mb card) for the duration of the conference, and 
they will be encouraged to load & try out software and hardware for 
themselves. Every delegate will be encouraged to develop one Book Maker 
application and one simple NTK application during the extensive workshops. It 
is planned that delegates will be able to purchase their Newton MP at very 
special pricing at the close of the conference.

Naturally, a map of the hotel and surrounds, the conference agenda, and a list 
of delegates will be pre-loaded on their Newtons - maybe even the Keynote 
papers if we get them in time!

The associated mini-expo will feature Newton & Mac products, software and 
accessories for demonstration & sale. US software manufacturers not currently 
represented in Australia are being invited to participate.

Registration fees will be kept fairly low (around AUS$495 twin-share, 
including airport transfers & all food). Vendors will be charged an additional 
fee to cover costs of staging the expo (probably an additional AUS$500 but 
depending on space required).

If you are interested in participating at any level (especially as a speaker), 
or have ideas to contribute, please reply to me via AppleLink SIMMO, or on 
CompuServe 100237,3253. You can also reach me by fax in Sydney on 011 61 2 954 
0037.

Robin Simpson
Conference Convenor
AUStecc - Australian Technology Consultants Consortium Pty. Ltd.
30 Darley Street
North Sydney  NSW  2060
Australia

-%-

    

PEEKABOO: 
The ProgrammerUs Friend
Version 2.0
c1994 by Erica Sadun.  All rights reserved.

No longer do you have to compile "Trace" statements directly into you program.

Forget about those "BreakOnThrows" too.  Want to look through your soups? Or 
download a lot of software without the hassle of Connect/Download/Open Extras 
again/Search for Connection/... How about setting your printing detail?  Or 
get a screen shot of your application?  What about instant garbage collection?  
Or peeking through your software (or others' software) while it runs?  How 
about instant access to the program you're debugging without always going back 
to Extras or your Extras access program?  Or how about timestamping?  Or 
looking at the memory stats? Peekaboo not only lets  you turn tracing on and 
off while you debug but you can peek through  your software as it runs and 
peek through global system calls while  you experiment.  Additional buttons 
let you set detail depth and call up the "Toolkit" application.

All you have to do is connect up the Inspector to NTK and you're ready to go.  
Peekaboo is shareware but, hey, its really cheap.  Just $12.50 (Free to users 
who registered 1.0 by 4/1/94) Please help support Figglesware by sending your 
check in soon.

Erica Sadun
112 Hampshire Court
Avondale Estates, GA 30002
attn.: Figgles Peekaboo version 2.0

-%-

SleepAid 1.0 
Release Announcement 3/20/94

Innovative Computer Solutions is committed to supporting its Newton 
applications.  This announcement is to let you, our users, know what we are 
doing.  We have had several reports that SleepAid 0.9b is not compatible with 
the MessagePad 110 or the German MessagePad.  We understand why it does not 
work with the German MP, and we are trying to figure out how to make it 
compatible with the new MP 110.  We would like to release a version that fixes 
both of these problems but Dan, our head programmer, is in the process of 
moving.  He has been out of town for two weeks, and will not get a chance to 
work on SleepAid until next week.  We hope to have v1.0 ready by March 26th.  
Please e-mail ics@indirect.com if there are any other bugs to report, or 
features you would like to see in the next release. 

-%-

AMUG ( the Arizona Macintosh Users Group) Presents BBS in a Box, Volume XI, 
April '94!  RBBS in a BoxS is a Macintosh-format CD-ROM which contains over 
600 megabytes of compressed shareware, freeware and public domain files--in 
categories such as QuickTime, Business, Games, Utilities, Newton, and more!  
This volume contains 1.6 Mb of compressed Newton files - over 50 files!  
(Note:  the CD is an HFS disk, and can only be run on Macintosh systems.)  

AMUG is offering a discount to NANUG members, who can purchase the disk for 
$45 US (Retail value - $119) + $5 US shipping ($10 US out of the USA).

For more information, contact AMUG at ashley@amug.org or (602) 553-8966 
[voice],  602-553-8771 [Fax], or mail to us at:

Arizona Macintosh Users Group (AMUG)
4131 N. 24th St., Suite A120
Phoenix, AZ; 85016.

-%-

Would you like to post an ad or other Newton-related classified item in 
_protoReality?  If so, please send your ad copy, via e-mail, to:

marku@aix3.ema.com

with a subject of RNANUG AdsS.  Items will be carried in the current monthUs 
issue is received before the 15th of the month, otherwise it will be in the 
following monthUs issue.  NANUG reserves the right to refuse publication if 
the content is deemed unsuitable for our audience.

Currently, there is no fee to list an item.  Please limit the size of your 
text to no more than two Newton Book Reader sized RpagesS (about a single 
typed page).  If you want to include graphics, they should be no larger than 
3Sx 4S (8 x 10 cm).



NANUG Member Bios


Erica Sadun 
Erica is a doctoral student at Georgia Tech who is going to be finished with 
her degree Real Soon Now.  Although she doesn't actually own a Newton (Figgles 
is just a good friend), she thinks hand-held PDAs are really neat.  Along with 
being a Trustee of NANUG, Erica is our chief staff reviewer.  She is hoping to 
review a Lindy as soon as one is sent for review to the user group.  She 
promises to love it and hug it and call it George.

Luc Desaulniers
In the past 20 years:  formerly Translator in Toronto, Marketing Supervisor 
for a tool company, Marketing Manager for a Swiss watch company, public 
relation Agent for a world aluminum company, artist (painter) with exhibits in 
New York, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, Creative Director and Administrator 
for an advertising firm, VP in a public relations firms, and now President and 
owner of a corporate communication and design firm for the past 4 years.

Bought my first computer in 1980 (a Commodore 64), owned my first Mac in 1984, 
and a Newton since last November. A couple of years ago, made a fork between 
taking the time to learn new software in lieu of writing it, due to lack of 
time. Amateur of Sci-Fi, collector of video films (over 200 at this time). 
Avid reader of Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Omni magazine since 1974.

Love to travel, wind sailing, restaurants, Flash Gordon, Star Trek, Grand 
Prix, and Indy racing, exotic foods and of course computer and technology as a 
whole.

Hate lazy, scrooge, always-right-syndrome, and me-I-and-myself people.

Simon Coles

I am a Final Year student on the MEng in Information Systems Engineering 
course at the University of Surrey, UK. 

My final year project is to develop a communications aid for severely disabled 
people, based on the Newton.  Hopefully you will hear more of this later!

During the holidays I work for my sponsoring company, Motorola LMPS in 
Basingstoke, UK.  Generally I manage to work my way into jobs that require 
working on Macintoshes, last summer this meant developing 4D databases. 

Languages include NewtonScript, (favourite :-), Smalltalk (second favourite), 
Pascal, 4D, Omnis, and C (yuk!).

I am also an RSI survivor (which meant 18 months off University to recover :-( 
), and hence have an interest in all things ergonomic.  BTW, has anyone else 
found writing on their Newton (plastic stylus on plastic screen) becomes 
painful after a while?

Kristina Weyer

Kristina is in 7th grade at Newton Junior High School in Bucks County, 
Pennsylvania.  When sheUs not playing with the Newton, she enjoys playing 
saxophone in the jazz band.  Her competing math team recently finished 6th 
place in the state MathCounts championship.  She just finished reading 
RHitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyS (her Dad thinks that might make an 
interesting first Newton application for her to build).  She can be reached on 
America Online as RKrisboS.

