Re: Pre-Xy

[Judith Davidsen jdavidsen@xxxxxxxx]

This thread (and a previous one called "Memory Issues") keep
bringing on attacks of Binswangerism, but here goes:

1. a hand-me-down IBM electric workhorse that I spray
painted red and once repaired using a needle and thread.

2. At a place on Lafayette Street called OBU, some
electronic typesetting gizmo on which we typed on eternally
long rolls of paper, and which then spewed out camera-ready
galleys that had to be hand-composed.

3. A hand-me-down workhorse Kaypro(?) with Wordstar and a
single 5.5" floppy slot--put in the program floppy to load,
take it out and put in the floppy you are going to write on.

4. An IBM clone--can't remember brand or program, just the
repair bills and the Ontrack bill when the hard drive
cracked.

5. Another clone, while on staff at Reed, that wept gunk
from the floppy drive.

6. ATEX! on mainframes, pure magic, two whole separate
screens! Still miss the "mark place" that took you right
back to where you'd been, and the key combination that
righted transposed letters (and which, for all I know, is in
the latest U2 that I still can't find time to install).

7. A TI laptop and, courtesy of McGraw-Hill, XY3+ and then
my very own XY4.

8. Dell Inspiron 3200, windows 98 and an absolutely
infuriating flirtation with Word 97, leading within 6 months
to this list (courtesy of TTG!) and a joyous reconcilliation
with XY. And over time the realization that even 9 screens
are seldom enough.

9. Fair warning: Any month now the Inspiron will require
replacement and I will, once again, be begging for
kindergarten-level, step-by-step instructions on how to
survive. And yes, I've been saving pertinent list emails and
yes, I will search the archives before begging.

I'm sure I've forgotten something.

Judith Davidsen


Peter Cassidy wrote:
>
> ECRM (newsroom minicomputer/terminal system)
> Scripsit (on TRS-80s)
> WordStar (on a Kaypro II)
> ATEX (newroom minicomputer/terminal system)
> Webster Word Processing (on Commodore DOS PCs)
> Xywrite III (on DOS PCs)
> Xywrite for Windows