| "Couldn't live without" is a strong recommendation. Sorted by
importance, and avoiding any emphasis on specific applications. (Word
processing, Midi, etc.)
1. Pha$ar. (Version 3 was in Start mag recently. I paid a lot of money
for my copy.) What a time saver. Definitely couldn't go without that
one. Balancing the checkbook used to take hours, now it takes minutes.
I don't even use the whole program. (I never did keep to a budget, I
don't see any reason to start just because it's easy now.)
2. FOLDRxxx, POOLFIX3, TOS14FIX. (All are free.) You need this suite
of Auto folder programs just to get Rainbow TOS to be reliable, and not
corrupt your hard drive.
3. Microemacs 3.10_J (Free) (or SEDT, or other similar vanallia text
editor. I use this one). Word processors are nice, but there is
always a need for a plain text editor, if for nothing else, to read the
READ.ME files that come with free software.
4. WHACK. (Free, but you must work for DEC.) VT300 emulator,
multi-window/multi-session. If you work for DEC, you want this one.
See topic 3.
5. Uniterm. (Free) VT100 emulator with Kermit/Xmodem. If you ever
dial anything but a VAX, you need this one too.
6. ARC, ZOO, and UUDECODE. (Free) You need these to make sense out of
all the good stuff you download with Uniterm and Whack. You'll also
want it if you ever upload the PostScript output from PageStream.
7. NeoDesk. ($35) Replaces GEM desktop with a ton of useful features.
They have some competition that might be an adequete substitute.
NeoDesk reduces the need for MSH somewhat.
8. GOOD Backup Utility ($29.95), particulary if you make your hard
disks out of random surplus hardware, as I do. You may also consider
"Diamond Back", but I prefer GOOD's incremental backup mechanism.
9. MSH (Part of Mark Williams C package), A unix-like command shell
that includes a ton of useful utilities that computer users
occasionally need (grep, od, etc.). Includes redirection and pipes.
There are some other shell alternatives, if you aren't into C.
10. Mark Williams C. ($140) More than just a compiler and an assembler,
due to MSH and associated stuff. Also includes the best RAM disk
program available. By modern standards, the compiler itself is just
so-so, but the environment it sits in is great. There is always a need
to write "a small program to...". If you aren't a C hacker, get GFA
Basic instead.
11. CHKDISK3 (??) This may only be available to registered
developers, but it is needed to keep the hard disk fast, by
defragmenting the free space. It also cleans up after programs that
crash with open files, and leave sectors behind that are marked in use
but in no file. It doesn't make files contiguous, which would help
further, but it's a start. This also lets you edit disks by sector,
and edit binary files by sector, which is useful for replacing the
error messages in your favorite programs with obsenities. If you can't
get this, substitute a PD sector editor and the DLII/REORG combination
(Free).
12. If you don't have Rainbow TOS, you NEED a replacement file
selector. I don't have one yet. I'm intending to get the "Universal
File Selector" from the folks in Oregon, have been for months, but I
haven't yet. I'm hoping to replace my last TOS 1.0 machine with an STe,
so that maybe I won't have to.
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Now, beyond that, these are things that various people could live
without, but are popular:
1. If you ever have to type something, like a letter, you need a word
processor that is compatible with your printer. (You don't need a word
processor if you don't have a printer.) Microemacs would be enough if
you don't need bold or italic text, but generally you need a more
sophisticated word processor, if for nothing else, to get the printer
out of draft quality mode and into letter quality mode. I've been
happy with an ancient version of Timework's Word Writer, but I suppose
that just about anything will do.
2. If you work at DEC, a desktop publishing system that generates
PostScript is nice, because you can upload the result and print it on
an LPS40 or something like that. It also gives you the advantage of
being able to upload it to a 1200/2700DPI phototypesetting shpw for
$10/page. I know PageStream generates PostScript, because that's what
I use. If you never need to produce flyers, newsletter, little posters,
or stuff like that, you don't need this. (PageStream also works with
dot-matrix printers.)
3. If you work with numbers, anything other than the family budget and
account balancing done with Pha$ar, you might want a spreadsheet. I
chose EZ-Calc soley because it has a title lock feature. There is
another one that uses the tiny font, so you can get more on the screen.
There's also VC, whcih is free. Until last week when I started looking
at the Church budget, I hadn't touch EZ-Calc in months.
4. If you play a synth, or aspire to, you need a sequencer of some
kind. I use Tiger Cub, and recommend it as a good value for the price.
5. If you don't have NeoDesk, you need a better disk formatter, such as
Twister (a Dave Small hack from Start).
6. If you have any friends, and if they move often, you need a good
address book database. I have already solicited recommendations in this
conference, but have been too busy using the preceeding 15 programs to
try any of them yet.
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