[net.micro.pc] Help - software info

hkr@houxf.UUCP (H.RAPPAPORT) (12/10/85)

	I am posting this for a friend who lives abroad and wants reliable
information on software for his PC but doesn't have ready access to
it.  He has an IBM PC XT (running PC-DOS), 256 KB, double disk (360K per disk).
His printer is a 48 cps Fujitsu SP320 with 96-character Diablo daisy wheels.

The types of software he's looking for are:
  1) word processing - He currently has WordStar, which he doesn't like, and
  WordMill, a bilingual word processor (English/Hebrew) with limited features.
  He is an editor and is looking for the ultimate (i.e. lots of features,
  good performance) word processor.  I've seen lots of talk on the net about
  WordPerfect.  Any other suggestions, or is this *the one*?

  2) billing - Something fairly simple which will do calculations, print
  invoices, and store information both to be printed on the invoice and for
  his private use.  It should also allow reasonable searches, such as for
  delinquent clients.

  3) library program (really, a good database program) - He wants to
  organize his home library which has tens of thousands of books (he claims)
  plus other documents and tapes.  He's a librarian so he basically knows
  how to set up this sort of thing given the right tools.  He wants to
  store the usual info, allowing for multiple classifications on an item,
  and sort and search with changing criteria.

  4) utilities - any useful utilities for things like data recovery,
  expanding keyboard capabilities, windowing, etc.

  5) educational software - This one is not that high priority.  He's looking
  for anything educational for his kids who range in age from very little (?)
  to early teens.

My friend does not have a lot of money to burn (though I think he'd spend
for the word processor), so I'd also like to know about cheap places to
purchase software by mail or, for those of you in the NY metropolitan area,
cheap stores for software.

I myself do not own a PC, have only recently subscribed to this newsgroup,
and have never posted anything to the net before, so please be kind.

Please reply directly to me at ....ihnp4!houxf!hkr or

H. Rappaport
405 Lenevar Ave.
Staten Island, NY 10309

Thanks.