_protoReality
The North Atlanta Newton Users Group Newsletter


Volume 1, Number 7
September 30th, 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.



Contents

How to Contact NANUG
NANUG Membership Application Form
From the Orthagonal Office
NANUG Overview
Minutes of the September Meeting
An Interview with Ashley Armstrong
An Interview with Raines Cohen
Views and Reviews
	Accessor
	PaperBack
	The Newton Source
The Real World
NUG News
Ask NANUG
The In Box
Want Ads, Classified, and Cork Board
NANUG Member Bios
_protoReality Index, v1.1 - 1.6



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

On the next page 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?  ;-)

You can also join by obtaining our membership package from our ftp site, 
ftp.amug.org (thanks to our best friends at the Arizona Macintosh Users 
Group!).  After logging in anonymously, change directory down to:

/pub/newton/nanug

The sub-directory RmembershipS contains a copy of the membership card and 
instructions on how to join us.

NANUG Membership Application Form

Name:									

Address:								

City/State/Zip:							

Country:								

Phone:						

Fax:							

NewtMail:						

E-mail address:										

You can:

% Print this page and mail it to:

Mark Underwood
NANUG Membership
3381 Claire Circle
Marietta, GA 30066
USA

% E-mail your personal information to Rmarku@aix3.ema.comS with a subject of 
RNANUG MembershipS



From the Orthogonal Office

Mark Underwood

A Little Lite

This monthUs newsletter is a little light on substance--IUll admit that up 
front.  Part of the problem stems from all of the activity weUre trying at the 
moment, but mostly itUs due to the lack of reviews and code samples.

If you have an app that you especially liked, but we havenUt reviewed yet, 
donUt be afraid to drop us a quick review!  And if youUre the kind that likes 
to code, by all means, use our newsletter as an opportunity to get your code 
seen and used!

Retrospective and Editorial

SeptemberUs meeting was devoted in part to a celebration of the NewtonUs 
anniversary.  Most of the die-hard members obtained their Newt in September, 
when it really began to show up on the shelves (including yours truly).  I 
still keep the first note I wrote on it (RWelcome to NewtonS) in my internal 
store as a piece of nostalgia (I still have my original 1984 Mac, as well--
call me sentimental).

Last month, we had an article on the NewtUs first year, and while many have 
found it lacking in certain niceties, enough of a market for PDAUs has 
blossomed to where the Newton dominates it by only having close to a hundred 
thousand units world-wide.  A new type of personal computer wouldnUt have 
survive on that kind of statistic--and many havenUt!  There are probably 
hundreds of models of PCs, clones, and Rstate of the artS machines that never 
made it, simply because they werenUt RPC Politically CorrectS--i.e., they 
didnUt have that certain something that separates a RneatS product from a 
RusefulS one.

Simply having a big corporate name doesnUt help.  Lots of people like Amigas, 
but Commodore almost went bankrupt trying to find its true niche.  They 
eventually had to add PC compatibility before the machines began to sell 
steady numbers.  Atari has tried five times to break into the computer market, 
a market they came in through the back door by--games alone will not sell a 
machine.  IBM almost lost the PC market to the clones, and now is happy to 
move into the mid-range workstation market.

PDAs are a sore topic with many.  Electronic datebooks are often beefed up 
into things like a Casio Boss--but is that a PDA?  My answer to that is a 
sound RnoS.  You canUt extend the features of a Casio.  There is no CTK (Casio 
ToolKit), nor is there likely ever to be.  But does a PDA need to be 
extensible?

Does a personal computer come with MS Office burned into ROM?

The Newton is not just another category of device--it is another tool.  
Personal computers are more powerful--but they lack true portability.  Even 
RlaptopsS require overhead due to what they are trying to RsimulateS.

Will the idea of the Newton persevere into the 21st century?

Something like it will.



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.  We also hold Ron-lineS conferences from 
time to time to allow our remote members to participate directly.

_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 has a shared InterNet ftp site, ftp.amug.org, where we post all of 
our files--including membership materials and Rbest ofS selections.  The site 
supports anonymous log in, and is located in the directory:

/pub/newton/nanug



Minutes of the September Meetings

Local Meeting

SeptemberUs meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM.

After the usual pleasantries were exchanged, the first order of business was 
to discuss the renewal of the NANUG group programming projects.  If youUre a 
regular reader of the newsletter, you know that at the beginning of this year, 
we tried an experiment in group programming that yielded a couple of beta 
applications, a programming article, and the feverent need for more 
organization!  This time, we are going to try something different--weUre going 
to place the sources of some works in progress out on our ftp site and have 
members and non-members alike try their hand at TcompletingS the apps.

Details about the location and the programs were listed in last monthUs 
newsletter (1.6), in the Code Samples section.

Dan Glazer handed out flyers from the Newton Source, a Newton-only computer 
store in New York City (see DanUs review in the reviews section).

The rest of the meeting was split between interfacing with AOL members in the 
RsimulcastS and trying out some new apps.

The meeting was called to a close at 9 PM.

America On-Line Meeting

The AOL meeting was held at the same time as the RlocalS meeting.  Members who 
joined us discussed such things as the new version of the Newton OS (2.0), the 
new MessagePads soon to be released, and PaperBack (see the review this 
issue).

Hardy Macia, fellow NANUG member and shareware author (MPG, PocketMoney), 
stopped by later to announce his latest--TimeLock.  TimeLock allows you to set 
a password on your Newton, but doesnUt require you to subsequently enter it 
again and again if your Newt goes to sleep for a specified time.  TimeLock is 
available from all the major on-line services and our ftp site.

The AOL meeting ended at 9:00 PM ET.

eWorld Meeting

The eWorld version of the meeting was held a week later (9/20/94) in the UGC 
area of eWorld.  Bill Kearney, another remote member and shareware author, 
gave us a few tidbits on the MP 120, which will be introduced overseas before 
making it into the US.  It will have 2Mb of internal RAM and a socketed ROM--
meaning it can be replaced with another version of the OS (perhaps a version 
with the compiled NewtonScript kernel).

We also talked for awhile with the sysop of the new, large Newton RsupersiteS 
in the United Kingdom (see the corkboard for more details) that reflects most 
of the US Newton sites, such as UIowa, UMICH, Sumex, and our own AMUG.

Members from other user groups nationwide joined the meeting later as part of 
the normal Tuesday night UGC meeting.  From the looks of things, NANUG may be 
called upon to assist Macintosh UGs to set up Newton SIGs (special interest 
groups).

The eWorld meeting was closed at 10 PM ET.

The next scheduled local meeting will be on October 11th, 1994.

Details on locations and times of all local and RremoteS meetings will we 
posted to all NANUG locations and sent via e-mail to members.



An Interview with Ashley Barnard-Armstrong

Anyone who has been a NANUG member for awhile has heard of Ashley--or just 
plain RAshS to her friends.  Early on in NANUG history, Ash and I ran across 
each other on the InterNet, and weUve been conspiring to take over the world 
ever since--or at least the parts of CyberSpace AMUG and NANUG can access!

At last monthUs One BBSCon, held here in Atlanta, Ash and I finally met face 
to face, and after a bit of chili dog madness at the legendary Varsity with 
UGCUs Raines Cohen, her boss Mike Bean, and our own Erica Sadun, I realized 
she would be an excellent person to interview. 

PR:	Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you came to be where you are, 
and what your job is with AMUG (the Arizona Macintosh Users Group).

AA:	Well, as I stated in my Bio awhile back, I am 28 year old, recently 
married, and living with two labs (and a temporary Chihuahua - my mother in 
lawUs).  And Ashley is a womanUs name, in my case.  I have a B.S. from Beloit 
College in Behavioral Biology, which I donUt use.  After college, I drifted a 
bit, and eventually found out about the Arizona Macintosh Users Group.  I was 
teaching at a Montessori school at the time, and hanging out at AMUG every 
night.  They had such cool tools, that I played til my hearts content.  That 
was about a year and a half ago.  Then one day, we were hanging around, at the 
AMUG office, which consisted of two Mikes and Bryan, our technician.  Mike 
Bean, the president, brain-stormer, and beginner of BBS in a Box, was thinking 
out loud, when he said RI need to find someone who knows something about 
sharewareS.  Mike was getting busy with other projects, and wanted someone to 
take over BBS in a Box.  Well, fortunately, I was in the right time and place, 
and the job was mine!

PR:	Describe the basic idea behind BBS in a Box and what sort of response 
youUve had from the RbuyingS public.  Is the CD a success?

AA:	BBS in a Box (a CD-ROM), was started by Mike Bean.  Back in the old days 
(90-91), Mike was a Bulletin Board Sysop, and spent a lot of time finding 
files and uploading them for the members.  It was a lot of work, and he 
thought, RwouldnUt it be cool if someone did all the file uploading work for 
everyone else?S  So he set off to make a CD which any BBS sysop could mount, 
and instantly have a huge file base that the users could download.  This way, 
sysops wouldnUt have to spend time and money finding files for their users.  
The CD is set up to run with any bulletin board out there - First Class, 
Telefinder, Second Sight, plus now it works with any PC bulletin boards.  We 
also pioneered the sitc resource to hold our descriptions, and weUve worked 
with First Class, Telefinder, Aladdin and others to be compatible.  The CD has 
become my full time job.  I spend my days finding files, writing each author 
for permission, writing descriptions, adding PICT previews, and pressing an 
updated volume every four months.  For a long time, the buyers have mainly 
been Sysops, and user groups.  Many of the biggest user groups in the country 
(and world) use our CD as their files base.  There are also a lot of 
individuals who buy the CD to have 900 megs (2 CDUs) of compressed files, and 
use it primarily as a files resource.  In our view, the CD is a success as 
long as AMUG breaks even, and can continue to be a helpful user group for 
others.  We are a non-profit user group. You can check out (and download) 
files from the CD at ftp.amug.org.  Look for us at MacWorld San Francisco.  We 
always work in the booth of LaMUG.

PR:	What sort of response has your site had to the introduction of a bunch 
of Newt-heads?  ;-)

AA:	When we first became an InterNet Site, we were going to mirror Sumex, 
and that was all.  UiowaUs newton site was around, but I was getting a lot of 
files not yet on their site, and I wanted to organize my stuff differently.  
Now-a-days, within a few days, we almost always have each-otherUs files.  
Anyway, having the Newton site has brought in many surfers (especially when 
our Sumex mirror was failing), and many complaints that we could only handle 2 
outsiders at once.  WeUre changing providers, and will be upping that a bit.  
Luckily, I have found someone in the U.K. who is mirroring my Newton site, and 
allows 35 users on at a time.  That should definitely help!  We also have a 
Web page, and are working with NANUG to get the newsletter on line.  IUd say, 
if anything, the Newt-heads have shown us how valuable (to the public) our 
site can be!  By the way, we do have an incoming directory (ftp.amug.org, 
/incoming), and the funny thing is that it is primarily little Newt apps that 
I find in there!

PR:	What sort of services does AMUG have to offer to your members?

AA:	We have a 2200 square foot office, with discounted books, used hardware 
and software, plus we have lots of user group deals with software companies.  
We have a monthly meeting (at our resource center), on-hands training, and IUd 
guess about 20 Macs (and one Newton and one Sharp).  We have a First Class 
bulletin board, which will be on the InterNet soon, a monthly newsletter, and 
we are an InterNet provider.  We only have four and a half people working at 
AMUG (plus a technician).

PR:	How do you see NANUG helping out?

AA:	Well, after our hostile takeover of NANUG (oops-ha ha).  I would like to 
see NANUG produce a killer Web page with things that no one else is doing - 
online membership sign-up, file descriptions... And I think we should write a 
book!  ThereUs enough info out there, and the current Newton books are old.  
We could include Facts & FAQS, and the info from my Totally Incomplete List of 
Newton Files database (adding much more author and downloading info).  Maybe 
we could package it with a Mac/PC disk.

PR:	What sorts of things do you use your Newt for?

AA:	I love to read on my Newt, and play games.  I first got my Newt to try 
out all the shareware that was popping up (and the author info was accessible 
only on the Newton).  So, my Newton is constantly having files loaded and then 
trashed (lack of a 50 meg RAM card..).  IUll let you know when the first virus 
is out!

PR:	WhatUs your favorite Newt apps and why?

AA:	LunaLoad, RemoveIt, List-It, Solo, NewtCase, End n Back, SleepAid, 
Personal (any one have any idea who the author/contact is?!), ScrollEx and 
PopExtras.  These are the utilities I use on a day to day basis, (which IUve 
paid for), and which give my Newton a personality!  I also read all the 
TidBITS, NewtonNews, NANUG Newsletters, and I love all the games too!

PR:	What sort of Newt app would you like to see and why?

AA:	I have posted requests to comp.sys.newton.programmer, and received 
programs within a few days - thatUs what I love about the InterNet!  One thing 
I want is to be able to access Usenet News (the NewsGroups) to read and 
respond from my Newton.  When will the voice recognition chip be out? :)  How 
about an app that lets you download a stuffed (.sit) file directly onto your 
Newton??  People can now call a FirstClass bbs to read conferences and their 
mail from their Newton, and I believe FC Retriever is working on downloading 
packages while online, but theyUll be unstuffed.  If theyUre unstuffed, you 
wonUt be able to read a file description first.  We need to work on this with 
FirstClass and BlackLabs.

PR:	Would AMUG be interested in co-producing a RBBS on a CardS for the 
Newton--i.e., a large (4 Mb or more) PCMCIA memory card with a good set of 
Newt apps?

AA:	Is anyone going to run a BBS from a Newton?  Actually, it would be fun 
to make such a card, including docs, directions and author information for 
each app.  These days, there are so many files out there (over 500 for the 
Newton), that we could probably fill 4 Mbs up with our favorites!).  I think 
it could be a great fund raiser for NANUG!

PR:	What did you enjoy most about your recent trip to Atlanta?

AA:	The humidity.  Actually, it was great meeting Mark and Erica, although I 
was severely bummed that I missed the monthly meeting!



An Interview with Raines Cohen

Raines Cohen was a guest at AugustUs local meeting, and provided us with a lot 
of information about how Newton-specific user groups (such as NANUG) are being 
added to the roster of user groups being served by their auspicious 
organization.  The User Group Connection, run for years directly by Apple, was 
Rspun offS last year to become a star in its own right.  With RainesU help, we 
hope to start a NANUG area (along with our other NUG affiliates and friends) 
on eWorld.

Raines paused in the middle of his busy Rglobe-trottingS schedule to answer a 
few questions.

PR:	Tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up at the UGC (User 
Group Connection).

RC:	IUve been involved in computer user groups for 15 years now - going back 
to before I even owned a computer!  It started with an interest in electronics 
and, from there, computers, in 7th grade (Jr. High School) (my dad was a 
patent attorney and when there was nothing else around to read I would pick up 
a patent and read it).

I got involved with the New England Apple Tree (NEAT) and eventually received 
an Apple II computer as a Barmitzvah gift.  I then started the Newton Apple 
Kids, a club for kids of all ages interested in Apple Computers...it grew to 
about 100 members, and through there and NEAT I learned a lot about how to run 
a user group.  Somehow, despite the distractions of the computer and summer 
jobs at Lotus, among other places (back when it was a 5-person company), I 
graduated from high school and moved to California to attend UC Berkeley, 
helping to start the Boston Computer SocietyUs Mac SIG on the way.  At 
Berkeley, they were just starting to sell Macs on campus, and I had gotten one 
to go to school with, and I helped start BMUG, originally the Berkeley 
Macintosh Users Group, now an international 13,000-plus member group.

As a result of my reputation and visibility through BMUG, after dropping in 
and out of UC Berkeley a couple of times and consulting here and there, I 
landed at MacWeek in 1989, as a Technical Analyst, writing and editing about 
technical topics.  After 4.5 years I had learned what I could, so I left to go 
freelance and get more involved in online publishing.  The folks at UGC hired 
me as a contractor and eventually as a full-time staffer.  I now serve as 
Manager of Communications, editing the Quick Connect newsletter, running the 
eWorld forum, and generally trying to act as a Ruser group conscienceS for 
UGC.

PR:	eWorld has tried to position itself as the RalternativeS to such 
services as AOL, CIS, and others.  What do you feel is eWorldUs best 
advantage, and why?

RC:	I think there are two main advantages eWorld has right now:  Apple 
information and interface.  Because it is AppleUs official online service, 
Apple is there in a way it is on no other service, answering questions, 
posting searchable support databases, and more.  There is a real depth of 
information you canUt find elsewhere.  And the graphical metaphor of eWorld 
makes it easy to find your way around, especially for the millions of computer 
users not currently into online services.  Oh yeah, one more advantage: the 
unique audience of eWorld helps attract publishers you donUt find elsewhere.

PR:	How does the UGC handle the RNewton-onlyS groups now, and what might we 
expect to see in the future?

RC:	Right now Newton-only groups are a new concept for UGC, and weUre trying 
to figure out how to best serve them with all the info and services we have to 
offer.  Initially, we tried to find them and encourage them by asking Mac and 
Apple II groups to create Newton SIGs, affiliate with Newton groups, and 
otherwise identify themselves.  We now have about 70 Newton SIGs in our Mac 
database, and we have to follow through in starting to develop materials 
specifically for them.

A large part of what we do, though, depends on the interest from a lead 
company (for instance, Apple) to communicate with those groups, and then a 
large pool of successful third-party vendors to participate in the mailings so 
we have fun stuff to send out every month (or however often).  My personal 
feeling is that weUre just getting to that point in the third-party community, 
but we have to go back to AppleUs Newton crew and convince them that in this 
era of reduced budgets in that department that it is worth their while to 
communicate with existing Newton users (what we call Rinstalled-base 
marketing", and we do quite well).

An additional twist is the PC (mainly DOS/Windows) User group mailings we 
started a few months ago.  There are quite a lot of Newton users out there, 
sometimes in SIGs of PC groups (but less so because we havenUt actively 
encouraged it yet).  The problem is, there is also a lot of hostility.  For 
instance, Apple paid for us to send PC groups a month or two ago copies of 
Intelligent Newton magazine.  We got some angry responses from PC group 
ambassadors, not wanting to see anything from Apple, totally unaware of the 
difference between Newton and Macintosh (not even having heard of Newton, 
believe it or not), and telling us to stop sending them stuff, even though we 
include a variety of useful discounts and user-group management tips in every 
mailing.  Basically, we need to move slowly and build a relationship with 
these groups before we can throw them any curves.

My hope is that sometime soon we can start doing a 3rd mailing, independent of 
the Mac and PC mailings, specifically targeted at Newton groups and SIGs 
within PC and Mac groups.  Most of the newsletter can be the same, full of 
user-group management information, we just need to change out the editorial 
content relating to the computer platform.  But now that we are an independent 
company from Apple (for an entire year now!), we need to do things in a way 
that they can pay for themselves - we donUt get a  subsidy just for being 
smart.  So we need to work with Newton vendors to do it in a way that is 
sustainable.

In the meantime, I am pushing ahead on setting up a Newton UG forum on eWorld 
-- admittedly, you canUt access it with a Newton, but you can with a Mac or 
eventually a PC.

IUm also writing a column for Intelligent Newton magazine, summarizing Newton 
UG meetings and happenings.  In fact, IUd like to insert a plug here asking 
all NUGs to keep me up to date and send info about happenings well in advance 
-- like 2 months or more!  Use the address UGCsysop@eWorld.com.  Thanks!

PR:	I suppose we should mention here the basics about the Newton UG area 
soon to be constructed on eWorld.  Can you tell us how you see it being set up 
and what NANUG (and our affiliatesU) day to day role will be?

RC:	Well, rather than having individual Newton UGs struggle to create an 
eWorld presence by themselves, IUd like to put them all together in a single 
forum where they can cooperate to publish meeting info, files, discussions, 
and so on.  Hopefully they can even start to function in some sort of 
international association.

PR:	How successful, do you think, has the advent of Newton SIGs and Newton-
only UGs been on the Newton community as a whole?  We get a lot of positive 
response to our newsletters, but IUm sure you guys might have some hard stats?

RC:	There are a whole bunch of groups out there, IUve discovered in 
researching my Intelligent Newton column.  It is a very vibrant community 
given the relative newness and small base of the platform.  I havenUt been 
involved long enough to have a good sense of the effect it has had on the 
Newton users overall.

PR:	Will we see direct on-line postings of the UGC monthly packet in the UGC
area?

RC:	Yep, thatUs one of the things I do.  It has been for several months and 
IUm now expanding it to broadcast directly to UG ambassadors by e-mail in 
addition to posting it in several places on eWorld, AppleLink, and AOL.



Views and Reviews


Accessor
Chris Zygmont

Accessor is a small utility that adds three small buttons to the Status Bar.  
They are: Default Store, User/Guest Toggle, and Accessor.  It is provided by 
Enfour Media Laboratory, Tokyo Japan and written by Smittie.

The Default Store button, represented by a small Card or Newton icon inside 
the button, lets you set where the notes you write, names you enter and so 
forth are RsavedS.  If the card icon is shown everything is stored there.  
Having this (and the other buttons) saves you from opening the Extras drawer, 
and toggling the check mark in the Card app.

The User/Guest Toggle is a tap saver.  Though I donUt have the need to switch 
to Guest mode as often as I used to, this is very handy to have if you still 
run into that problem.  How many times have your friends and co-workers looked 
at you perplexed as you try to show them what your Newt can do?  Of course 
they are all to eager to try it out only to have you go fumbling through to 
the prefs section to preserve your hard fought and won handwriting style.

Finally, the Accessor button which is represented by the Apple logo, brings up 
the main app itself.  Accessor brings up a draggable window that has three 
headings at the top.  They are Built-in, Installed, and Books.  Tapping on one 
of the headings displays those applications.  If you have more packages 
installed then can be displayed in the Extras drawer, Accessor will allow you 
to get to them.  The Installed display is an alphabetically ordered list of 
all the packages.  Only 18 packages are shown in the list at one time, but the 
scroll arrows will work to get you to last item(s).  Tapping on the Overview 
button displays a notice that the Overview button is not supported except to 
bring up this helpful reminder.  So in one sense it is supported.

At the bottom of the main display is the RPrefs & CreditsS button.  Here you 
can set which buttons are displayed on the Status Bar.

Accessor is a simple application that works.  My only recommendation is to 
remove the icon from the Extras drawer when the user checks the Accessor 
button in the Prefs slip, this would free up just one more space to prevent 
the drawer from going wacky.  I hedge on making this a necessity or a 
criticism.  If there were no icon in the Extras drawer and you un-checked the 
Accessor button, how would you get to Accessor? If the icon can be removed 
dynamically then I say go for it.  If not, we can always ask the Llama to give 
it us.



PaperBack
Matt Davis

Freeware by David Fedor (fedor@mcs.com)

Paperback is a Macintosh application that quickly and easily (aka DragTnUdrop) 
translates text files to a RNewton BookS style package (The Windows/DOS 
version has just been released, and works the same way -Ed.)

It started life as a utility for the author to transfer his email to his 
Newton for reading on tedious train journeys.  In its released form, it serves 
this function with consummate ease, and renders the BookMaker debacle 
redundant for all but the most specialised situations.

I use it to download MacWeek into a browsable form every Saturday, and it has 
since been pressed into service for all those other FTPUed and otherwise 
RacquiredS documents that you promise yourself youUll read at the earliest 
convenience. ;-)

It is so simple to use:  Take a Mac text file, drop it on the app, confirm 
your choice of font and the filename/creator if necessary, then hit okay.  
Paperback creates a downloadable package from within the app.  Download with 
any of the Newton downloaders, and Robert is your FatherUs Brother (aka RBobUs 
your uncleS).

Although you can select text and copy it to NewtUs clipboard (therefore 
enabling printing and faxing of snippets), and it includes a dinky slide bar 
to show progress through the document, that is about it.  No printing, no 
searching, no chapters, no styles, no formatting.  No hassles, no cost and no 
worries either.  Everyone will find their own use for this app.

This sideways look at Newton usage could be a lot bigger than a freeware app 
that is useful.  It now strikes me that there is a market for a separate 
RNewton BookMakerS application (without the esoteric dot commands pretending 
to be SGML) - perhaps a RHardbackS.  Or how about a RPaperbackS format to Save 
As... ?

David, with a new family member on the way, is unlikely to develop PaperBack 
much farther than its current incarnation, but you never know...

The steep price and frightening complexity of the NTK (I speak as an ordinary 
Newton user here) has been, until now, the sole point of entry for creation of 
Newton Books.  The frustrations of NCK prevent the use of the NotePad for 
large amounts of text.  Until Apple deigns to split off BookMaker as a 
separate application (with a few revisions along the way ;-), PaperBack is the 
best way to RrediscoverS your Newt.

Downloadable from Compu$erve and AppleLink and possibly other corners of the 
InterNet I have yet to reach (Such as AMUG, AOL, and eWorld - Ed.)



The Newton Source
Dan Glazer

I was invited to a wedding in New York City but I knew that the only reason I 
accepted the invitation was so that I could go to the Newton Source.

I got on the Long Island RR and rode for an hour to reach my destination.  
When I got off the train I had to ask a number of people that were collecting 
for charities directions for their efforts.

When I arrived at the Newton Source I was amazed by the cavernous halls of 
Newton software and supplies!  Just kidding--IUm sure that you have closets in 
your home that are bigger than this store.  However, I was still happy to be 
there.  I was with my fellow Newton brethren.  I was in the Newton Toys TRU 
Us.  I was content.

I found the employees very helpful and the prices of the software about the 
same as anywhere else.  The Newton Source does carry some software that I have 
not seen any place else.  For instance, a new program, MoreInfo, is a 
tremendous tool that has totally transformed by Newt into the perfect 
scheduler.  There were also games I had never seen, such as a golf game with 
great graphics.  When you buy a software program, they are happy to download 
it to your Newton at no charge.

I asked the owner of the store how the store was doing.  He said that the 
store was doing well and that they are going to open another store in San 
Francisco.  So I know that with Newton enthusiasts like myself, that the other 
store should succeed.



The Real World

MilkNewtons
Chris Zygmont

No itUs not a new type of dog treat for Fido.  ItUs what happened to me the 
other night while online.  There I was sitting down comfortably in front of my 
Mac with some milk and cookies waiting for the eWorld conference to begin.  I 
RwalkedS into the room and was greeted by my fellow online friends.  Mark 
Underwood was there so I struck up whatUs called a Rone to oneS with him about 
NANUG.  Obviously I wasnUt paying attention to the position of my elbow in 
relation to the glass of milk.  The next thing I knew there was milk all over 
my copy of Programming for the Newton, some assorted papers, and to my 
horror....  my Newt!!  My online friends were quickly notified of the milk 
accident.  ACK!!! MILK ACCIDENT.......MY NEWT!!!!  Mark was quick to respond 
to my concerns.  He tried to calm me down as best he could from Atlanta and 
offer up some suggestions as to how I might respond to this calamity.  I 
quickly ran upstairs to the kitchen to get some paper towels.  Not very 
environmental but could do the job and was handy.  The Newt was still running 
(though a little soggy).  The Milk got on the screen, on the edge by the power 
switch (oh great I suppose itUs fried now) and just inside the edge of my 2MB 
card.  I finally got everything mopped up.  The Newt is fine but recovering 
from a lactate hangover, some papers are a little wet.  I imagine that if I 
should hold up a match flame to the papers, the milk might reveal the answers 
to my inner psyche then again I would probably just burn the house down.  The 
screen looked a little milky at first ;-)  My copy of the NTK books sitting on 
the top of the Rhodes/McKeehan book were spared.  Mark and I laughed at the 
event.  I thought I should end this story with a moral.  RDonUt drink and 
write, at least not milk, cookies, and Newtons (PDAUs that is)S  :-)



NUG News

NANUG User Group Affiliates

ChiILNUG Meeting 10.11.94 6:00PM

RThough seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or 
understand.S  At least once a day, Rlet me see that(newton)S, so much user 
interest in the Newton, but they just donUt get it; equate Newton with only 
text recognition.  Look for our minutes to follow featuring the top ten 
shareware, a review of a new app for making pseudo books without the Newton 
Tool Kit, a review of Accountable, and a review Tapworks.

The fifth meeting for the Chicago IL Newton Users Group will be held at 
McCarthy & Magee, Inc. 9950 West Lawrence Ave., Suite # 200, Schiller Park, IL 
60176 VOX 708.671.0444, eWorld.

The site is one stoplight south of the intersection of routes 190 and Mannheim 
road, or the corner of Lawrence and Mannheim.  Our building is the Starlight 
Building, the one right on the northeast corner of Mannheim and Lawrence.  
Take the elevator to the second floor, our suite is right in front as you exit 
the elevator.

Hope you can see us on Tuesday October Eleventh!  Questions?  Contact Kerry T. 
McCarthy at CompuServe 72520,1334, eWorld/Newton Mail/AOL KTMcCarthy, VOX 
708.671.0444, FAX 708.671.0499, US Mail Kerry T. McCarthy, McCarthy & Magee, 
Inc. 9950 West Lawrence Ave., Suite # 200, Schiller Park, IL 60176.



Ask NANUG

NANUG Members


This request comes from Ashley:

I have a need for a program/hack... Sometimes I want to print one article out 
of a book (I was printing a review from NANUG), and it's several pages.  But 
each page prints on a separate sheet of paper! Has anyone written anything 
that let's you queue up a few pages to print, and then prints them 
consecutively on one or more pieces of paper? - Or, it one that lets you print 
all of the pages designated in your bookmark area. - That's what I'd like!

Mark, we have so many Newton programmers which are members, so I'm submitting 
this request - maybe it can start a new "request" area in the newsletter :) 

Okay, members!  Ash has given us a challenge, and a new purpose for the RAsk 
NANUGS column.  If you can writer her a quick hack or an elegant solution to 
her problem, mail it to us here at NANUG!



The In Box

More letters from members:

Dear Mark,

I was reading _protoReality 1.5 the other day (23 Aug.) and saw Mark BlankUs 
letter (Mystery Capers).  It just happens that I had written my own short 
evaluation of CMCapers the very same morning (for the next update of my Newton 
FAQ).  As I agree more or less with EricaUs review I felt that Mark BlankUs 
letter would also apply to me.  Thus I have added two more paragraphs to my 
FAQ comments on CMCapers.  You might be interested:

ColumboUs Mystery Capers

Commercial software
Distributed by StarCore

COMMENTS:  IUve tried the demo of this package.  I was not impressed.  The 
pictures are cute, the interface is nice, but I didnUt like the two demo 
mysteries!  The so-called mysteries are pretty lame and/or the solution not 
too logical.  On the basis of the demo I would give a 1/5 mark to this game.

Erica Sadun has reviewed this game in _protoReality 1.4 (the NANUG 
newsletter).  Her opinion of the (demo) game is similar to mine.  The creator 
of the game has written to NANUG to complain about such an unfair review based 
only on the demo.  Well, if I donUt like a sample of something I think that 
itUs perfectly logical to assume that I wonUt like the whole thing.  If the 
trailer of a movie is poor, itUs very unlikely that I will pay to see the 
movie.  I might miss an excellent movie, but chances are that I wonUt. 

The whole point of a demo software is to let you test it so that you can 
decide if youUre likely to need/enjoy the full package.  I didnUt like the 
demo so I think that buying this software will be a waste of money.  This is 
my opinion only and a lot of people might disagree with it, different people 
have different tastes (if I see good reviews about CMCapers IUll mention them 
and let the reader decide). 

And if your demo is not representative of the full package, thatUs a big 
mistake, YOUR mistake not mine, nor EricaUs.


Jean-Christophe Bousson

And now for something completely different:

Hello!

When I purchased my Newton MP 100, I was absolutely stoked, I was full of 
ambition, drive and great ideas about what I could do with my Newton.  I knew 
that it would take a few weeks to get it up and running, taking Uni Notes,  
Phone Book, Database etc etc etc...

Alas, my Newton did not even show the slightest glimmer of living up to the 
media and Apple based hype about the overrated PDA.

Week 2: Newton became DEAD SLOW, after uploading a meager address book and 
diary schedules.

Week3: and 19 or so Duracell Packs later, I became sick and tired of the 
slowness, lack of RAM, lack of peripherals etc. etc.

You know what was the best thing about my Newton?  The price--because when I 
returned it to the Department Store, for a Psion Series 3a, I actually got 
around $700.00 back, enough to equip myself with a brand new 28.8k Hayes 
Modem.

I have had the Psion Series 3a now for 2 months, and I couldnUt be happier.

I doubt youUll publish this, but hey, what the heck, you seem to be a dozy 
gitt.

If anybody wants info re the Psion, check out comp.sys.psion or mail me and 
IUll mail you information.

You see, like Victor Kiam, I liked the Psion so much, my store now sells them, 
and they really do sell themselves...at a rate of around 17 per week, at 
AUD$850 thatUs quite good, and yes I still have stock of the ridiculously 
priced Apple Newton MessagePad 110Us.

Have fun!

Neal MacDonald
Former NANUG Member

Well, Neal, to each his/her own!  IUm glad you like your Psion--after all, if 
you find a tool you like, use it!  I have used my Newt for over a year now, 
and have never regretted it.

But tell me...whatUs a dozy gitt?  ;-)



Want-Ads, Classified, and Cork Board

-%-

From the folks at AMUG:

Thanks for last monthUs review and ad - one correction: weUve also pressed an 
ISO version of Volume 12 which contains the Newton files. The PC user will 
have to un-MacBinary and then UnStuff, but then itUll work fine.  A bit more 
work, but workable...

Volume 12 is $45 for NANUG members for the 1st CD (with the Newton stuff), and 
an extra $15 for the second CD.  This is a special for NANUG members, and it's 
also our upgrade price.  We also have a pre-order special thatUs $40 for both 
CDUs...the next one is out in January.  People can email me with questions 
ashley@amug.org.

-%-

On September 15th, we celebrated the launch of eWorld in Canada -- and the 
beginning of our world-wide roll-out of eWorld -- with a free trial offer for 
new eWorld subscribers.  Now newcomers can freely explore the depth and 
diversity of eWorld.

* WeUre giving every new subscriber 10 hours of free time, and weUll waive the 
first month fee.

* WeUre waiving the $2.95 business hours surcharge between Sept. 18, 1994, and 
Feb. 15, 1995.  One basic rate covers access to eWorld from the US and Canada 
anytime.

eWorld is easy to understand, easy to use and easy to navigate.  An engaging 
interface designed around a town square makes it easy for people to find what 
they need.  eWorld offers around-the-clock access to information and services 
from scores of well-known publishers of news, business, sports, travel, 
finance, entertainment and learning topics.  Members can also exchange 
electronic mail with anyone who has an InterNet address.  And an enthusiastic 
and diverse community means members can share views and ideas with like-minded 
people in live conferences and events.

Some eWorld highlights:

* The Computer Center spotlights ZiffNet/Mac, the Apple Customer Center, many 
Macintosh hardware and software companies, many computer publications and 
BMUG.

* The Business & Finance Plaza offers eWorld of Work, Inc. Magazine, Real-Time 
Marketing, Nolo Press, eWorld Market Quotes and Working Solo.

* The Arts & Leisure Pavilion showcases Hollywood Online, BAM Music Universe, 
Religions & Spiritualities Forum, Living Well, Fodor's Worldview, EAAsy Sabre, 
10 Percent Interactive and Inside Games.

* The Newsstand delivers eWorld Sports, Reuters/Variety Entertainment Report, 
the McLaughlin Group Online, Voices and Views from Tribune Media Services, 
Interactive News and World News from Reuters.

* The Learning Center hosts Apple Global Education, Groliers Encyclopedia, 
Educator Connection, Blackberry Creek and Time Machine.

* The Community Center hosts diverse guests from business, entertainment and 
computing in addition to online games with the best online hosts anywhere.

The coming months will bring additional improvements and changes in eWorld.  
Today we launched eWorld in Canada and in the near future weUll provide 
service to other English-speaking countries (and weUre already at work on 
eWorld in other languages).

We also have many more exciting events, publishers, forums and services in the 
works.

To get a copy of the eWorld software, call the eWorld Assistance Center at 1-
800-755-4556 or use the Software Starter Kit form in the eWorld Products area 
of the Info Booth.

Peter Friedman
Vice President, General Manager
Apple Online Services

-%-

I would like to contact with Spanish Newton users to interchange experience, 
tips, etc.  I use my Newton in Spanish and I have a lot of problems:  for 
example, my user dictionary--itUs very, very big--I canUt edit it, never 
enough memory.

Please E-Mail me!
Melchor Amor Arcas
E-Mail address:  MelchorA@eWorld.com

-%-

Message Manager Press Release

Ohgi -One Software
13215-C8 SE Mill Plain Blvd.
Suite 234
Vancouver, WA 98684

Phone:	(206) 944-8183
Fax:		(206) 944-0798

Contact:	Craig Rittenhouse
		Ohgi One Software
		(206) 944-8183

Ohgi-One Software Announces Message
Manager for the Newton MessagePad

New Application Efficiently Manages
Voicemail and Phone Messages

Vancouver, WA -- August 1, 1994 -- Ohgi-One Software, developer of Newton 
RbusinesswareS, today announced Message Manager, the first Newton compatible 
application that intelligently manages phone messages.

For business people who need to manage, return and archive phone and voicemail 
messages, Message Manager minimizes this effort.  Unlike other alternatives to 
recording messages on the Newton, Message Manager allows users to focus on 
writing down the message information, while a powerful search facility 
automatically inputs the caller information.

Craig Rittenhouse, Ohgi-OneUs founder and president said, RWhen the Newton 
MessagePad was first released, many users wanted to eliminate their old 
Tpaper-basedU organizers,  but while built-in applications existed for names, 
phone numbers and a calendar, there was no efficient way to track phone 
messages.S

According to Rittenhouse, RVoicemail and phone messages are a reality for many 
mobile professionals, who need to spend most of their time away from their 
desks.  Message Manager minimizes the effort needed to manage their phone 
messages.S

Intelligent and Flexible Message Management

Message Manager leverages information already stored in the Newton, and can 
automatically input the caller information when the user specifies a name or 
company to match.  Users can then write the message details in either ink or 
text, and additional information can be added or changed at any time.  This 
approach enables users to quickly and accurately record messages.  In 
addition, new contacts not in the Names application can be added directly from 
Message Manager.

Messages can also be archived.  Most people can recall a time where they have 
been desperately trying to locate a phone number or message that they jotted 
down some time ago.  Message ManagerUs archive feature stores all of the 
userUs calls, and any particular message can be instantly recalled.

Advanced Integrated Features and Ease of Use

Message Manager also includes several other advanced features to provide a 
complete, integrated solution.  A dialer feature is available to dial the 
phone number of messages, and will even automatically include prefix or credit 
card information.  Custom Views allow users to filter and view messages based 
on specific search criteria.  Messages can be transferred to the Notepad, 
where they can be printed, faxed, beamed, or filed.  Finally, an intuitive 
user interface and on-line help facility ensure ease of use.

Pricing and System Requirements

Message Manager is available directly from Ohgi-One Software for $29.95.  The 
Newton MessagePad, MessagePad 100 and MessagePad 110 are all supported by 
Message Manager.  A memory storage card is not required, but is recommended.

Ohgi-One Software develops and markets business and entertainment solutions 
for the Newton MessagePad and compatibles.  The company is located in 
Vancouver, Washington.


Newton and MessagePad are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

-%-

UK Newton Archive Update

In an effort to improve the service to the Newton community I am transforming 
the UK Newton archive mirror,  into what I hope is a one stop shop for Newton 
related material on the InterNet.

A new machine has been made available for the new Newton mirror site. This has 
about 200 megs set aside for the archive. This has allowed me to mirror as 
many Newton sites as I can find (with the exception of the Newton section of 
ftp.apple.com, I have asked Apple but without response...yet).

The sites are :

University of IOWA (2 Areas) 
Sumex Newton section 
Cornell Medical School 
AMUG-NANUG 
University of Michigan (2 Areas) 
CDS (The publishers of PIE Developer)
Newton_News archive
University of Texas
University of Manitoba
The UWM portables archive
The University of New York

There is obviously quite a lot of overlap between sites but that is in the 
nature of completeness. I hope this will prove a useful resource for all 
interneted Newton users. We are mirroring sites which have slow connections to 
the net and also allowing users of slower European nets to access resources 
faster, nearer home.

The archive is updated at 3am GMT/BST everyday.

The Host is called:  newton.sys.uea.ac.uk
Userid: anonymous 
Password: <your email address>

If there are any other sites that should be mirrored or if you have any 
comments about the archive please let me know. The old mirror will be 
discontinued soon. I have tested it extensively but you never know with new 
systems, if you have a problem accessing the site please contact me.

I would like to thank the School of Information Systems at the University of 
East Anglia for making available the resources for the new archive especially: 
Dr. R. Dowsing, Prof. F. Woodhams, Dr. B. Williams and Mr. S. McCullagh

Regards, Greg Newton-Ingham

School of Information Systems 
UEA Norwich 
Norfolk NR4 7TJ 
ENGLAND

Email: greg@sys.uea.ac.uk 
AppleLink: INGHAM 
eWorld: GregNI

-%-

Product:	Personal Media(tm)
Company:	Gaia Software
Available:	October 1994

Description: Personal Media(tm) is an operating environment on top of the 
Newton  operating system that is designed to streamline the capture, 
organization and communication of free-form information.  It provides  a more 
natural, paper-like, drag-and-drop interface with multiple notepads, multiple 
workspaces, and integrated communications.

Benefits: Most people using the Newton today find it attractive for tracking 
contacts and to-doUs, but discover they need a more dynamic environment that 
lets them handle a larger working context of information with less computer-
style complexity.  This is where  Personal Media comes in for almost anyone 
who uses the Newton as a personal information tool.

The Personal Media environment provides free-form workspaces, lets you  create 
document-like notepads and information, and simplifies the Newton human 
interface by eliminating menus, computer commands and multiple steps required 
for communications.  Unlike traditional single-function software applications 
products (e.g., forms and spreadsheets), Personal Media presents software as 
media for work rather than as a tool.  You can drag and drop a notepad on a 
messaging icon to beam, e-mail or fax; organize work in multiple workspaces; 
and change from one workspace to  another, with information laid out and ready 
to use.

Features: Personal Media provides true notepads with pages that turn, tear out 
and can be dynamically organized.  Any number of notepads can be created, 
named, sized, organized, filed, recycled, e-mailed, faxed and  beamed.

Workspaces can be organized in a visual, free-form manner as suits the  user, 
and can contain multiple documents and paged views of  information such as 
contacts, files, and the message box.  Multiple workspaces can be created and 
named to organize tasks or projects.  To  switch tasks, simply switch to 
another workspace.  Information is laid  out just as you left it, making it 
easy to switch between working contexts.  

The message box provides integrated Rdrag and dropS communications.  A 
Personal Media document can be e-mailed or faxed by simply dropping it and a 
destination onto the message box, or it can be beamed by drag  and drop to 
another Personal Media user.

The file cabinet provides access to work that has been put away from  the 
current or any other workspace. Information (notes, e-mail, text, contacts) on 
a workspace can be dropped on the file cabinet icon for  storage and accessed 
later with a tap of the pen.  Personal Media also lets you move documents or 
workspaces back and forth between storage cards and NewtonUs internal memory.

Availability: Personal Media will be available in October on disk (Mac and PC  
format) and on PCMCIA memory cards.  A Newton Connection Kit is required to 
install the disk version.  A modem is required for e-mail and fax 
communications.

Gaia Software was founded in 1991 to develop and market new types of  software 
for handheld devices.  Personal Media is conceived as a cross-platform 
operating environment for the Newton and similar platforms. Gaia will announce 
versions for other platforms as they  become available.

Note:  Gaia Software and Personal Media are trademarks of Gaia  Software.

-%-

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

Bjorn Orneland

I am 49 and married, we have 5 wonderful children and will have our sixth in 
the beginning of February 95--wonderful!!  I have a BA in social siences and 
started working at RStatistics SwedenS with planning of surveys 1973.  Started 
my computer career with a ZX81 made by the Brittish genius Sir Clive Sinclair 
(remember??)  1984, I was able to smuggle into our organisation a Macintosh as 
a typewriter--the ruling people said it was a toy and the rule was C/PM and 
the Australian Micro-BEE computer for computing!!  Anyway today I am together 
with 3 collegues responseble for the about 100 DTP-macs in a 1500 PC network.  
I am also involved with new Technology for data collection, this is where 
Newton appears.  I am on my way to try to sell a system for census in a 
country in Africa.  We are prototyping with RFilePadS and expect ROmniformS to 
be our final application.  I belive that what is going to make Newton a great 
success is the fact that it is middle technology and the volumes are with MS 
Windows.  I hope you know me a little by now and welcome your tips and trikx 
on my internet Rbigmac@mittsystem.seS.

Brian Schussler

Brian Schussler (Newton Sys) is the Newton Online Manager for the PIE division 
of Apple Computer, Inc.  He manages the Newton forums on eWorld and AppleLink, 
collects customer feedback for the engineering team, and distributes official 
Apple & StarCore product information, software, demos, and press releases to 
other commercial online services.  Each Monday  on eWorld, he hosts the 
NewtonUs Coffee online conference for Newton end-users.

He first started with Newton as a support rep at SOS-APPL during the MacWorld 
launch in August of 1993. RThe first two weeks were really interesting, we had  
beta Newtons, with some screen shots of the final product and were supporting 
customers with the final product.  It worked much better than I expected.S  
Brian went on to write the Newton Trouble Shooting Guide used internally by 
Apple support reps in the US and international locations, before taking over 
his current position.

Chris Wisnoski

My name is Chris Wisnoski, I am 22 yrs old.  I work at Wells College in 
Aurora, NY ( a small liberal arts all-womenUs college). Aurora is in the 
Finger Lakes area of NYS not far from Ithaca or Syracuse.  My official title 
is RMicroComputer Support SpecialistS but I am actually the Director of the 
Office of Computing Services overseeing all computers on campus except the 
AS/400.

I love my Newton MP 110, but have majorly underused it.  If I can ever get an 
AOL client or something IUll be majorly thrilled.  

I grew up in another small Ivy League school town Hamilton NY.  The home of 
Colgate University.  I went to Hamilton HS where my major pursuit was 
football, girls, and drinking.  HS was very easy for me despite attending one 
of the best public schools in the state.  Somebody once even said I was smart.  
After HS I went off to Canisius College in Buffalo NY to play college 
football.  I hurt my knee in the first season, ended my career and thus 
transfered to Utica College of Syracuse University in Utica NY.  I majored in 
Business Mgt. and Comp Sci.  I grauated on time (despite my transfer) on May 
15, 1994.   On June 13, 1994 I started my job here at Wells. While at Utica 
College I was a  Senior Systems Specialist and was pretty much the the person 
everyone called when they needed help with their computer.  I got into 
networking Novell mostly, and did some telephone work.  I grauated and got a 
job.

I bought my Newton as a graduation present to myself.  I would like to 
consider doing some coding for the Newt but have now time.  I am a NYS 
Emergency Medical Technician and volunteer my time to the local ambulance 
service in town.  Starting Sept 21 I will be taking the NYS EMT III (Critical 
Care Technician) class (One small step from a Parimedic.  I hope to soon get a 
job working professionally (part time ) to make a few extra bucks.

As you can tell I was not an English major.

Well thatUs my whole boring life you can wake up now!  Sorry :) 

Christopher Wittenberg

I am currently a student at the University of Southern California pursuing my 
MIS degree.  Also, I am working for a bonding company as a Network  
Administrator for their LAN of pcUs.

My background includes a four year term in the Marines, serving in Europe as  
well as Asia.  I was a police officer for awhile as well, but I have returned 
to school to get my degree.  Hopefully, this endeavor will be worth it!  
Everybody says so, anyway.

I have tried numerous hobbies, such as foil fencing, river rafting,  
parachuting, and chess.  As a matter of fact, I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting a chess 
game for the Newton!  What would be really great is if I could code it; but  
since IUm a beginner, I will probably start out with something a little less  
challenging...(like tic-tac-toe!).

IUm a sophomore, and when IUm not giving speeches in my business courses, I  
am trying to learn NewtonScript.  If anyone out there in S. Cal. would not 
mind giving me a few pointers, or collaborating on a project, email me at 
chrisww@eWorld.com!

Well, thatUs pretty much everything.  IUve had my Newton for about six months 
now, and it is a fantastic tool.  Hope you people enjoy yours as much as I 
enjoy mine!

Danny Burkes

I am 27 years old, originally from Athens, Ga., and currently residing in 
Atlanta, Ga..  I received a BS in Chemistry in 1990 from the Georgia  
Institute of Technology.

I have been playing with and programming all types of personal computers 
(except Macintoshes!) since I was about 13 years old.  Most of my computer 
knowledge is self taught, although I did take some very useful data  
structures and software engineering classes while I was at Ga. Tech.  I  enjoy 
hacking all sorts of electronics, from computers to satellite  equipment.  I 
also enjoy collecting and restoring early-60s American  automobiles.

I am a sucker for new technology, as evidenced by the fact that I bought my 
Newton (Sharp ExpertPad, actually) in November of 1993.  I have been waiting 
and waiting for the Windows NTK so that I could enter the commercial software 
market on the Newton, but, after a year of waiting, I have decided that I 
canUt wait any longer, and IUm currently in the process of purchasing a used 
Mac.  I hope to crash headlong into the Newton shareware market in the next 
three months or so.  I use my Newton primarily as a name/address book and for 
a todo list, for which I use NotePak.

I am employed as a Software Engineer by Lotus Development Corp., where I work 
primarily on AmiPro for Windows, OS/2, and XWindows/Motif.

Ed Karnes

My name is Ed Karnes and on American Online IUm known as LA Ed.

I have been using my Newton (Sharp ExpertPad) for about six or eight months.

I use my Newton at work to keep track of my numerous appointments and the 
people that I work with.

I especially like to try out shareware programs and if they are really neat 
and I can use them I send in my shareware fee as soon as possible.  By the 
way, keep up the good work RguysS, most of the packages are really great!

I work for the City of Los Angeles as a Electrical Supervisor for the Dept. of 
Recreation and Parks.  We do all the electrical work for the City Parks, City 
Golf Courses, the L.A. Zoo, the Planetarium in Griffith Park, and we also have 
camps in various locations throughout the city, and in the mountains that 
surround Los Angeles County.  We even have a camp as far north as Mammoth 
Mountain in the High Sierras of California.  As you can tell I work in the 
park every day of the week and itUs great.

I really look forward to the advancement of the Newton platform and I hope the 
technology advances at least as fast as the Macintosh is.  The things this 
little machine can do is mind boggling to me and never ceases to amaze me.

Jean-Christophe Bousson

IUm preparing a PhD in Molecular Genetics (South Paris University & Imperial 
College London).  When IUm not extracting DNA or growing bacteria, IUm role-
playing, reading SF or RexploringS my computers (a Mac LC II & an upgraded 
original MessagePad).

My love story with Apple goes a long way back to the Apple IIe (1982) but itUs 
the MP that I find really exciting.  If only it was 3 times faster.  I bought 
it in October 93 when it became available in the UK.  IUm using it mainly as a 
data storage device (addresses, notes, bank accounts, biological data, etc...) 
which is always with me.  I used to have a notebook where I was writing down 
ideas, adresses, projects, etc... But it was getting very messy (with 
corrections and all that), I had to type in my Mac most of my notes, I was 
always afraid I would lose that precious notebook and, when full, it was a 
pain to transfer data to a new one.  I was considering buying a Filofax (which 
wouldnUt have solved all the problems) when came the Newton.  It was the 
perfect solution.  Well, not so perfect as we are all aware, but OK for me 
anyway.  Now I couldnUt do without it (although sometimes IUm want to throw it 
through a window !).

For my own use I started to compile a list of all the useful Newton 
information I came across.  It became quite a large document (and is still 
growing fast) so I decided to make it available on the Internet.  There had 
been a FAQ from someone else, but the last update I could find at the time was 
from September 93 (now it is March 94).  Because of that the title of this 
document couldnUt simply be RNewton FAQS so it is RNwt MessagePads Facts & 
FAQsS (...yes I know...sorry, IUll do better next time !).  I try to  publish 
one update per month but itUs quite hard because of the volume of info 
available and because Imperial College Biochemistry Department forbids posting 
to Usenet newsgroups (thanks to Ashley for her help).

My top 12 packages:  Password, TapStyles, Accountable 2.0, NewtCase 1.1, 
StatusBar Buttons 2.0, BookCase 1.2, Convert 2.0, Happy, StewPot, 
_protoReality, TapBoard, PaperBack 1.01. 

Justin York

I am an undergraduate in Computer Science at Iowa State Univ. and I hope to 
graduate in U95.  IUm getting tired of theory courses, but I guess itUs all 
part of the training...

IUm 22 years old, and a real product of the technology generation.  I grew up 
with computers(my math teacher in grade school was afraid to let me near one, 
since he didnUt know what I was doing).  I knew I wanted a Newton the minute I 
saw one on CNN (a CES promo, showing the concept) but I wasnUt sure what IUd 
do with it.  I bought one when the MP110Us were released, and IUm still trying 
to figure out what to do with it! :)  I bought NS BASIC so that I could 
program it, but IUm already running out of ideas! :( IUve been playing with 
the NTK demo, and I may just have to get the real thing before I graduate. 
(unless anyone out there wants to  loan theirs to me) ;)  IUve beta tested 
before, so if anyone needs testers...

Other than computers, my hobbies include electronics, reading sci-fi (Gibson 
and Sterling are my favorites), listening to weird music (anyone like the Orb? 
Drop me a line), and now the RMagic: The GatheringS card game.  I also like to 
walk (and I grew up in a town where EVERYONE has a car!) for no reason at all.  
IUd also like to learn Esperanto, Russian, and Sign Language.

In the future, IUd like to play with GPS on the Newton, and possibly develop 
GIS systems.  If anyone needs a Co-op student, or intern next summer, please 
contact me! 

If you think I might be an interesting individual, my email address is 
Rjyork@iastate.eduS (at least until I graduate). E-mail is always welcome! 

Chris Zygmont

I am a Mechanical Engineer at Indiana Michigan Power's Cook Nuclear Plant.  I 
have been a Newton user since October 1993.  Currently IUm working on becoming 
a Newton programmer with the recent purchase of NTK.  Eventually I would like 
to pursue a career in Newton programming as well as for the Macintosh.  Newton 
has been an interesting experience.  It and I have grown over the past few 
months.  Improvements in recognition and the OS (I started with 1.04 traded it 
in so-to-speak for a version 1.11 and finally upgraded to 1.3) have been 
largely responsible.  I had been using the Franklin Day Planner book and 
system for a couple of years.  I wanted my Newton to serve as a replacement.  
While the Franklin Day Planner is more than just a calendar, (in fact it is 
more like a religion) the Newton contained the essense of the FDP but not the 
extra functionality.  The Newt worked fine for a while.  I, like most folks I 
have talked to, had to fight the recognition system many times.  After a few 
frustrating attempts to get it recognise my handwriting, (I dont have problems 
with RIUllS but IUll be darned if I can get it to recognise RofS) and decided 
to use the Newt only for the Names File and a few shareware programs (like 
Minefield)!  I found the ability to just write in the Franklin Book easier, 
but not as compact and potentially useful as the Newton.  Carrying the two 
around became cumbersome so I decideed I had better get some use out of my 
$700 investment.  About that time I discovered NotePak which was recommended 
to me by my friend Hardy Macia.  This and a rededication to the Newton has 
been the key to my current success with it.  One final thought, I would like 
to share with you what have been the most useful and highly recommended 
packages:  RPNCalc a terrific RPN style calculator, MPG and PocketMoney both 
written by my friend Hardy, NewtCase, NotePak, and Mailsaver.  Thanks guys!  
You can contact me on eWorld at: Ziggy CCC or ZigMeister.

Matt Davis

Matt Davis is a Multimedia producer with Project Multimedia based in Surrey, 
UK.  After four years in Broadcast TV Graphics, Matt switched to interactive 
multimedia and has spent the last four years with Macs, Director, and a 
Chapman Stick (work that one out, folks!).

Matt bought his Newton in September 93 having wasted money with Psions, 
AgendAs, Filofaxes (7 of them - now distributed worldwide, no doubt...).  Its 
2 Meg card contains NotePak, ListIt, Solo, ClockWise and MPG.  It also 
contains numerous RPaperBackS documents (see review) that shuffle on and off 
through time.

The Newton replaces a festering pile of PostIt notes, old envelopes, three 
diaries and gawd knows how many treeUs worth of printed text documents.  It is 
soon going to be a MP100, as the 110 wouldnUt function as well as an alarm 
clock.  It has proved far more useful than a filofax as it goes Rdink dink 
dinkS when you're about to miss a TV program - a much appreciated feature.

The Newt sorely needs a built in modem and a very loud speaker.  Matt would 
also like to know what happened to SleepSound Pro, as he misses it dearly!


_protoReality Index

Another present from Ashley:  an index of the first six issues of 
_protoReality!

Each entry is in the form of:

article, v1.x mmm yy

Thanks, Ash!


24, V1.1 Jan 94
A Second Glance at the Newton, V1.5 Sum 94
Accountable 2.0, V1.6 Aug 94
Accountable, V1.2 Feb 94
An Interview with David Alford, V1.2 Feb 94
An Interview with David Dunham, V1.2 Feb 94
An Interview with ICS, V1.4 Apr 94
An Interview with Kent Sandvik, V1.1 Jan 94
An Interview with Maurice Sharp, V1.4 Apr 94
An Interview with Steve Weyer, V1.3 Mar 94
AppleUs MessagePad 110, V1.3 Mar 94
AppleUs PCMCIA Fax Modem, V1.3 Mar 94
Australian Newton Conference, V1.5 Sum 94
BBS In A Box, Vol. 12, V1.6 Aug 94
Black Box, V1.1 Jan 94
Chicago, Il NUG, V1.6 Aug 94
ColumboUs Mystery Capers, V1.4 Apr 94
Dyno NotePad, V1.5 Sum 94
GeoAssist, V1.3 Mar 94
GoFigure, V1.4 Apr 94
Happy, V1.3 Mar 94
HeapIt! v1.0, V1.4 Apr 94
Jigsaw Puzzle, V1.5 Sum 94
KISS Solar Panel Power Supply, V1.4 Apr 94
List-It, Revisited (2.4), V1.3 Mar 94
List-It, V1.2 Feb 94
Magic App, V1.3 Mar 94
MobileCalc, Revisited, V1.3 Mar 94
MobileCalc, V1.2 Feb 94
MobileMath, V1.1 Jan 94
MoreInfo, V1.6 Aug 94
Morphion, V1.1 Jan 94
Mr. Advisador, V1.2 Feb 94
New NewtonMail Modules, V1.5 Sum 94
NewtCase 1.1, V1.6 Aug 94
Newton User Groups, V1.5 Sum 94
NotePak, V1.4 Apr 94
Notion, V1.4 Apr 94
NUG News, V1.6 Aug 94
PageXpress 2.0, V1.6 Aug 94
PDA Panache Stylii, V1.6 Aug 94
PDA Panache, V1.4 Apr 94
Philadelphia-area, V1.5 Sum 94
PrefsPatch v1.0, V1.4 Apr 94
PrefsPatcher, V1.3 Mar 94
QuickFigure, 1.4, V1.4 Apr 94
See-through MessagePads, V1.5 Sum 94
Sleep Aid, V1.3 Mar 94
SNAP, V1.2 Feb 94
Soup Utilities, V1.2 Feb 94
South Florida NUG, V1.6 Aug 94
Stealth Pen, V1.4 Apr 94
Sydney, Australia, V1.6 Aug 94
TermLimit 1.1, V1.2 Feb 94
The German Newton, V1.2 Feb 94
The NANUG UG Affiliate Program, V1.5 Sum 94
TimeReporter, V1.4 Apr 94
Toronto-area, V1.5 Sum 94
ViewFrame, V1.4 Apr 94
Yahtzee, V1.1 Jan 94

