das@ecsvax.UUCP (06/09/84)
This is a vote in favor of Quadlink and a comment about an apparently
undocumented feature.
Our dept recently purchased 3 PC's, keeping in step with the rest of the
University. However, we have a very large library of instructional
software for the Apple II+, with one machine that has been serving
as word processor, db manager, software design facility, and classroom
demonstrator. The classroom use often conflicted with the fixed base uses,
and we had to decide whether to buy another Apple for that purpose.
Since we expect to also use a PC in our classrooms, we opted to put
a Quadlink in one PC and not buy another Apple. We won't know how
successful this is in the classroom until next fall, but all the good
things we read about Quadlink are true. It's very easy to use, and it
runs all the Apple stuff we have tried. We had heard it might have
difficulty with copy-protected software, but Screenwriter and
General Manager work fine on it. The only problem we have had is in
reading GM data disks that were written on Apple drives. However, when
these disks were copied with the Filer disk that comes with Quadlink
onto disks written on the IBM drives (in Apple format, of course),
the copies worked fine. And Filer had no trouble reading the originals
accurately.
Now the undocumented feature. The QL manual lists control sequences for
printing text that are identical to Grappler commands for the Apple (and
probably the same as for a lot of other printer interfaces). There is no
mention of printing graphics, but we were curious to see what would happen
if we tried Apple programs that print graphics with our Grappler - NEC 8023
combination. They worked! Well, almost. The PC's have Epson FX-80
printers, and the Epson aspect ratio requires rotating hi-res pictures,
whereas the NEC does better if they are not rotated. But the point is
that Quadlink knows the Grappler-Epson graphics commands, even though the
manual does not say so. BTW, that manual is really the only weak link
in Quadlink. It's not too bad for what it does contain, but it has no
index, so it's hard to use as a reference manual. Fortunately
it's not needed often. It seems to be written for someone unfamiliar
with both the PC and the Apple, but I can't imagine why such a person
would buy a Quadlink.
David A. Smith
Department of Mathematics
Duke University
Durham, NC 27706
(919) 684-2321
{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!dasjohn@ecsvax.UUCP (06/20/84)
I have noticed that CONDUIT, which is a non-profit distributor of instructional software, says in their recent catalogues that much of their Apple software will run on IBM PC's with QuadLink boards. Has anyone had any experience with this combination? (CONDUIT is located at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.) john hogan nc educational computing service box 12035 rtp, nc 27709 ...!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!john ...akgua!mcnc!ecsvax!john
das@ecsvax.UUCP (06/20/84)
References: ecsvax.2690 ecsvax.2759 ecsvax.2761
As Series Editor in Mathematics for CONDUIT, I have (and use) all
of their materials in mathematics. All of the Apple II materials
run on Quadlink. The only ones I had some doubts about were the
copy protected ones (see 2nd ref.), and they worked fine.
David A. Smith
Department of Mathematics
Duke University
Durham, NC 27706
(919) 684-2321
{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!das