                     On Disk Monthly's
                         Issue #74
     *    *    *    M  A  I  L  B  A  G    *    *    *


                          LETTERS
                          -------

Thanks so much--issue #72 was superb! The Print Shop
Utilities (5.0) and graphics, which included fishing lures,
butterflies and states of our nation, were a real surprise.
I will get lots of use from them.

I took advantage of your two-year subscription extension
offer back in September because of your attention to both
.PCX and Print Shop graphics. Thanks for the opportunity!
Will you be getting involved in some higher resolution Print
Shop graphics?

I love Mailbag. I learn several new details each time I read
this column. Each month I immediately print it out, read it,
then highlight your best suggestions and corrections! I
would like to suggest that you please put the ODM issue
number back with the Mailbag title.

If I upgrade my XT with CGA to something bigger and
better, like a 386 with VGA, do I need to let you know?
                                  Sheree McKee
                                  Clarkston, MI

RESPONSE: Glad you enjoyed issue #72. Since so many 
subscribers are into graphics, we'll continue to publish 
"old" Print Shop and .PCX on alternating issues. We have no 
plans to add high resolution Print Shop images for Print 
Shop Deluxe at this time, though we will keep a close eye on 
it. How many subscribers have bought this program? As you 
probably know, New Print Shop will convert "old" or original 
Print Shop images to "new" format (so will our Print Shop 
Utilities 5.0 published on issue #71). And Print Shop Deluxe 
will "import" New Print Shop images, so there is a 
way...albeit roundabout. 

Sheree, I put the issue number BACK on Mailbag just for you.
Finally, unless your new system means that you need a
different disk size, you don't need to let us know.

                        *    *    *

I thought that I would send you a short note just to let you
know that I still am enjoying your subscription. I sat one
day and figured out how to play the solitaire game (it helps
to read the instructions). That is an excellent game. I
really enjoy it. I was also playing with Grocery Kart, which
is an excellent program.

I noticed you stopped the ball from exploding on the last
issue (you know the ball that explodes and Softdisk
appears). I was reading some of the complaints about the
menu. Personally, I think it looks great and I don't see any
need to change except to improve it, if it can be improved.

Being Canadian, one program that I would love to see is a
metric conversion table. Something to think about! That's
about it for now.
                                  Lance Compton
                                  Duncan, B.C., Canada

RESPONSE: Thanks for the kudos. Yeah, the "ball" animation
is neat, but we'll pull it off an issue when we run out of
space before we pull a program. That's why it's missing from
#72. I like your metric idea enough to explore it further.

                        *    *    *

I gave DOS Manager (#70) top rating on the Report Card, but
as I've continued to use it I've grown to appreciate it even
more.

I depend more and more on DOS Manager to view [downloaded
compressed files] and tell me what they contain--especially
when I'm seeking a particular file I want to upload
elsewhere. This is much easier than going to specific
directories to view them with their native archiving
utility.

So far, DOS Manager has proven perfectly compatible with DR
DOS 6.0 and SuperStor compressed files on my hard drive, as
well as uncompressed and archived files on my floppy drive.
Keep up the good work.
                                  John R. Dye
                                  Olympia, WA

RESPONSE: DOS Manager is on all our hard drives here.

                        *    *    *

I have a few comments and suggestions:

1) I would like to see "first letter" highlighted hot-keys
for launching menu items, such as in Departments. I am one
of those who prefer to do most things from the keyboard, and
using arrow keys and Enter just involves more keystrokes.

2) After reading a Mailbag letter on issue #72, I wondered:
why don't you publish a separate product or version for
those with 512K, monochrome, XT's and the like? Admittedly,
I probably don't fully realize the complexities involved,
but you might retain or gain a few customers! Those with
"older" systems should be willing to accept less-than-
spectacular representations of your offerings, since they
probably aren't used to color VGA-style graphics anyway.
Although I'm sure many of the more advanced games, etc.,
wouldn't run at all on such systems, perhaps these people
could at least access 80%-90% of each disk's contents. Would
something like this literally involve writing two completely
different versions (CGA and EGA/VGA) of each feature?

3) I would love to see a "Questions and Answers" column. I
myself would probably write in asking about the differences
in graphic modes.

4) Yes, all of the screens that continually assault you as
you maneuver through On Disk ARE annoying, especially when
it requires a key press to get rid of them. If they must
exist, have them appear for a second or two and then
disappear. Oh, my God! Is it possible? Subliminal messages
from On Disk Monthly?
                                  Devin Kuhl
                                  Minneapolis, MN

RESPONSE: I'll keep your "first letter" idea in mind. At
present the menu isn't set up to accept that type of
input. We've had so many complaints from "mousers," however,
that we're making every effort to allow you to click your
way through everything, only using the keyboard when
necessary for entering data. Maybe you'll become a mouser?

A separate product is always an option. That's one of the
questions that we'll have a better handle on when you've all
mailed in your Graphic Surveys (Editor's Corner on #73).
Currently every program (except the Catacomb Abyss Sampler
on #72) has CGA and EGA support, which means separate
graphics for graphic programs. Unless our minimum graphics
requirement increases (it's currently CGA), we feel we have
to publish programs that CGA customers can use (no matter
how "ugly" some of them may be because we were forced to use
640 x 200 two-color, hi-res CGA to "match" 640 x 200
16-color EGA screens). And yes, we would have to develop
separate versions of practically every graphics program were
we to attempt to do them in both 4-color CGA 320 x 200 AND
640 x 200 or 640 x 350 EGA. These resolutions just don't mix
and match.

Send in your questions! They'll be answered right here in
the "Mailbag" column. I'm reluctant to add yet another
department button to an already crowded screen, but there's
no reason why I can't split "Mailbag" up into "Letters" and
"Ask ODM." Bring 'em on!

I hear what you're saying about the "screens." If you're
referring to the "ads," well, you can turn those off by
pressing F5 when the first one appears (or by running the
issue with "GO /NOAD" from the DOS prompt). However, each
program will continue to have a two-screen title sequence
(if that's what you mean). We do this for several reasons:
1) each program is now developed as a stand-alone, so that
when it's copied away from the menu or sold as a separate
product it will be ready to go; 2) we have to make sure you
see, or at least have the opportunity to see, all that "not
shareware," warranty and liability stuff to keep our lawyers
and corporate types "happy"; and 3) our programs continue to
be uploaded to bulletin boards and conscientious BBS
managers continue to remove them when they spot the "not
shareware" message.

                        *    *    *

I requested and received a Back Issue catalog from you.
After looking through it, I realize I still have a problem
finding what I need. I publish a newsletter for a tennis
club and am looking for appropriate clip art. Is there
anyway you can tell me which issues contain tennis clip art?
                                  Jane Hess
                                  Redwood City, CA

RESPONSE: I checked with Steve Maines, the head of the
Softdisk Art Department, and learned that we have never
published any tennis-specific clip art. However, your letter
did give us an idea for the next installment of .PCX (slated
for issue #76).

                        *    *    *

I am writing you to express that after three months of my
subscription I am still hoping to receive a more useful
product and to share my program ideas with you.

First of all, each issue of On Disk Monthly does have a mix
of programs--productivity, financial, graphics, utilities
and games. But please change the program mix! Do publish
more programs that utilize the beautiful graphics your art
staff creates. I am a computer artist and would love to see
a draw and paint program. I also do computer animation. I
have Windows 3.0 and would like programs which can be
incorporated into the Windows environment, and I would like
to not see any more games. I am not a games person and I
feel that the space could be better utilized with the
suggestions that I have made.

Some of my ideas for programs that would utilize your
graphics are: a utility for capturing any graphic screen and
saving it as a .PCX file, a draw program that would allow me
to modify existing .PCX images, a program that would allow
me to turn .PCX images into Print Shop images, a greeting
card creator that would import .PCX images, and an update to
your previously published "Certificate Creator" that would
also import .PCX images.

I would like it if you responded to my letter because I
don't see that you are using my suggestions or responses to
the report cards that I have filled out. However, I will
look forward to seeing one of my ideas on a future disk.
                                  Thomas A. Marino
                                  Providence, RI

RESPONSE: Most of the program ideas you mentioned ARE
already planned, but you won't see them all on one issue
because we must develop them one at a time so we create the
basic building blocks for each of the others. Be sure to
read Editor's Corner since I talk about this. The one idea
that we aren't sure about is one that will allow you to turn
.PCX images into Print Shop. The two formats are so
dissimilar that I'm not sure if or when you'll see this one
on ODM. If you find a shareware utility that does this,
download it and pay the author. All Print Shop images are
the same size (88 x 52 pixels), while .PCX images can be any
width by any height. It might be possible to do a one to one
pixel capture, but that might mean you'd "capture" such a
small section that it would be unrecognizable. You might be
able to reduce the .PCX image to the proper pixel width or
height, but in many cases it would lose so much detail or be
so out of proportion that you might as well start from
scratch. We'll investigate this one further.

I can't promise that our program mix will change any time
soon. ODM has always had the same basic mix. It's what the
majority of our subscribers signed up for and now expect.
Some subscribers might agree that the mix should change--
they just might prefer games or utilities over graphics. Any 
major program mix or format change might also mean a major 
change in our subscribership. We ARE investigating other 
programming avenues, such as Windows. However, the 
difference between DOS and Windows is so great that each 
platform really needs its own development team. Look for the 
paint program that's been in development for a couple of 
months in a couple more (issue #76 or #77). Programs like 
those you suggested can't be developed in a 30-day 
development cycle. 

                        *    *    *

I have been a subscriber since BBD #52. I have seen great
improvements in programs and graphics since then. I
especially find the "Mailbag" interesting. Keep up the good
work!

I do have one problem with ODM issue #70. When I load PCX
'Rangler, my mouse stops working. The mouse works on the
other programs fine. Please help.
                                  Ronald J. Magga
                                  St. Clair Shores, MI

RESPONSE: You mouse will work fine on PCX 'Rangler if you
run it from DOS (not from the menu). This has been corrected
on a re-mastered issue (#70). You may call 1-800-831-2694 to
request a re-mastered copy.

                        *    *    *

Over two years ago I received "The Best of Big Blue Disk,"
vol. 2, as a bonus for re-subscribing to PC Magazine. Among
the software it contains is a program called "Label
Printer," by George Leritte.

I tried it and find it very useful. It has one draw back. It
does not sort alphabetically as it is supposed to. It sorts
the majority of the names OK, but then it zaps in a name out
of alphabetical order. I thought that maybe, if I could
contact Mr. Leritte, he might have a later version that will
sort 100%.
                                  Lawrence E. Roberts
                                  Steinhatchee, FL

RESPONSE: George is a staff programmer here at ODM. He
hasn't updated "Label Printer" and is scratching his head
over why it isn't working properly for you. He suggests
deleting any entries that don't sort properly and
re-entering them, making sure they don't contain any spaces
or non-standard characters. You might also want to check out
Label Meister on issue #73.

                        *    *    *

I have enjoyed my subscription to ODM since I started at
issue #34, and the service (such as when one issue was
stolen) has been marvelous. I have only one request: could
you include a mergable file with each issue so that the
INDEXER (from issue #64) can be updated without having to
type it all in? Keep up the good work and the CGA support!
                                  Bruce M. Strong Jr.
                                  Massachusetts (by fax)

RESPONSE: We stated that we'd do a quarterly update to ODM
Indexer (also published as ODM Librarian). We have--we were
just a month off on the last update (ODM #73). We'll
continue with the quarterly update as planned.

                        *    *    *

This issue (#73) was pretty good, but I couldn't see the
Dilbert cartoon. My computer constantly read the drive. The
disk light just stayed on, but no cartoon. Disappointing.

Another thing wrong with this issue was Label Meister. When
I got my subscription, I received a Bonus Disk. There was a
label program on it, too. There was a form program on it,
too, but I must say that Form Fill has its advantages and
disadvantages compared to Form King on that disk.

A few issues ago, I think I read something in departments
about a disk jacket-making program being on its way. Well,
what issue will it be in, or did I imagine the whole thing?

The utilities were great; they always are. I must say
Simple Format 2.0 is a god-send. I have been on some type of
computer most of my life, but I never remember format
commands. Thanks for that one.

In Mailbag in issue #73, there were references to problems
with .PCX 'Rangler. I have not encountered any problems, but
how often do you guys find glitches in programs and then
update them? Just curious.
                                  Greg T. Robertson
                                  Fountain Inn, SC

RESPONSE: I'm not sure why you couldn't see Dilbert. It IS
on the disk--I just looked at it. One way you may be able to
see it is to run "SHOWTOON.EXE" from the ODM #73 floppy
disk. Any key or mouse press will take you back to the DOS
prompt. Your computer, however, will remain in that graphics
mode (320 x 200) when you exit. You can reboot or use one of
your own utilies to return to your usual mode.

I'm sorry that you feel we've "duplicated" programs. We
haven't. Like Label It, Label Meister does make labels. It
also is an upgrade to a program that many long-time
subscribers are still using (Mail Master), and it works
great as a simple "address book." Form Fill and Form King
are two different concepts with similar names. Form King
allows you to create "graphic" forms using text, boxes,
lines, etc., that were to be printed, photocopied and filled
out by hand. It's more like a page layout or draw program.
Form Fill allows you to create text documents in a word
processor that can be filled out at the keyboard (or
printed and filled out by hand). Some great applications for
Form Fill include fill-in-the-blank quizzes, simple
invoices, form letters, legal forms, etc.

You didn't imagine reading that a disk jacket-making program
will appear on an upcoming issue. That hasn't changed. It
just hasn't yet been planned for a specific issue or
assigned to a programmer. I often have to write Editor's
Corner long before the content for the next issue is
settled. That's why I use the phrase "upcoming issue." While
I'm thinking about it...how many of you would like the jacket
-making program to make jackets for both 5.25" and 3.25"
disks? Let me know.

We DO re-master an issue when we "fix" one of the programs
on it. Issue #70 (PCX 'Rangler) was a good example. How do
we decide that a fix a is necessary? Well, a "no" answer to
any of the following questions typically means a fix. Does
the program run? Does function "x" work? Can you still use
the program if function "x" doesn't work? Can you win the
game or play until you've reached the limits of your
ability? Can you load, save or print your data?

A fix can be handled in two ways: 1) a re-master shortly
after the original publication date (for severe problems),
or 2) a program upgrade on a future issue (for minor
problems that may be annoying but don't keep you from
utilizing a program). Finally, please remember that we can't
correct a problem until we've figured out what's causing it,
and that may not be a quick process.

                        *    *    *

This letter is mainly about Klondike2. I have played many
klondike card games on computer and this one is probably the
best on the PC, but I do have several complaints and
suggestions.

The instructions are excellent and are included with the
game and not as a separate file. The game plays well. It is
almost easier to use the arrow keys for moving the cards
than the mouse.

I played a game and the score was 78, which I was allowed to
enter on the score board. A few games later I scored 128 and
again entered the score. The next few games were no good,
and then I ran the deck, scoring 500+ and put my score on
the board. Then I ran into trouble! A little while later I
scored 176, but the program skipped the score board. I had
another copy of the .EXE and played again. Once a score was
on the board, I was not given a chance to enter a score
unless it was higher than the highest score shown. Unless
this was deliberate, there is a bug in the game...and if it
was deliberate, it makes for a poor game.

The other minor complaint is that there is no way to reset
the score. The ?.HI file is not written in ASCII and cannot
be edited with EDLIN, etc.

I hope to see a note of this in a future Mailbag.
                                  Stan Kendall
                                  Barrington, IL

RESPONSE: We plan to re-master ODM #71 around the first of
December--because of Klondike2. We'll check into the scoring
problem you experienced and make sure the re-master reflects
that, too. Subscribers experienced two main problems with
Klondike2: 1) it wouldn't run properly on a PS2/25 (because
of MCGA graphics), and 2) the mouse won't react properly if
it isn't "driven" by a fairly up-to-date mouse driver. We've
solved the first one, but subscribers will still need a
recent version of their mouse driver in order for Klondike2
to work properly. Why? Because older mouse drivers were
written BEFORE 320 x 200 VGA (256-color) mode was available,
so they don't "recognize" it. Klondike2 utilizes this mode
(as well as CGA and EGA). Finally, you can't "edit" the
scores file, but you CAN "clear" it by simply deleting the
".HI" file (as documented in the Help text). Klondike2 will
automatically create a new one the next time you run it. The
same is true of most of our recent games, but read the Help
text to confirm this before deleting the scores.

                        *    *    *

                   Mail your letters to:
    ODM Mailbag, PO BOX 30008, Shreveport, LA 71130-0008

                or fax them to: 318-424-0174

NOTE: Letters used in Mailbag may be edited for clarity and
length. Due to the volume of mail received, every letter
cannot be published. We try to include at least one letter
on each different topic as disk space permits.
