portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) (02/20/90)
>>>>> On 20 Feb 90 15:29:28 GMT, fc@lexicon.com (Frank Cunningham) said: frank> In article <19000034@attcc.UUCP> bn@attcc.UUCP writes: > You get mad when a magazine gives you a $70 accounting package, and a $50 > spelling checker???? I thought these two packages ALONE were worth the $39.95 > subscription price. frank> I already own the accounting package, the version they're 'giving frank> away' is obsolete, they're charging $20 for the manual, if they have frank> one to sell you, and I know how to spell, thank you. I dislike Antic frank> charging me for something I've already bought from them. It's the both frank> the conflict of interest and the fact that I'm paying twice for the frank> program that irritate me. Since I used to subscribe, I didn't have the frank> option to decline the losing disk. I still view the 'giveaway' as a frank> convenient way for Antic to advertise their upgrade at my expense, by frank> avoiding having to find something new or unique for the disk. (rant frank> rant) I was at the computer store this weekend, checking out software. I decided that I needed some sort of financial program. This is not because my finances are so involved that I need a computer as much as I simply need to be forced to work on a budget. My choices at the store were Desktop Budget from Gold Disk for $49, or the Phasar 3.0 program embedded in the Antic magazine. I chose the latter, because it was only $14.95. It wasn't until I got home that I found out that the manual cost another $18.45 and had limited availability (first come, first serve). Then I actually ran the program. I swear that Phasar produces the best emulation of an MS-DOS environment that the Amiga can muster. Everything is done via an text-only interface which makes the user fill-in-the-blanks, answer (y/n) to thousands of questions and select from text menus containing highlighted letters. The token attempt at Intuition support the program offers only make the interface worse, not better. At least before the program incorporated an Intuition menu at the title screen you could run the whole thing solely from the keyboard. I don't even want to talk about how they decided to employ the mouse in the fill-in-the-blank sections of the program. The help files tells you to push F1 anytime you need help. Unfortunately, this isn't always true, because pushing F1 in the data entry sections of the program produces a menu. Besides the obvious inconsistency, the authors completely overlooked the "HELP" key on the Amiga keyboard. To summarize, the program may do what I'm looking for, but the interface is simply so annoying I can't use it. I feel like I wasted $14.95 on the program. I certainly won't give Antic the $18.45 for the manual, or the $39.95 for the upgrade to Phasar 4.0. I'll probably opt for Desktop Budget or write my own program instead. Programs like Phasar make me wish I owned a Macintosh, whose software architecture doesn't permit the user to produce emulations of MS-DOS human-interface disasters. --M -- __ Michael Portuesi Silicon Graphics Computer Systems \/ portuesi@sgi.com Entry Systems Division -- Engineering "I'm still waiting"
sean@ms.uky.edu (Sean Casey) (02/21/90)
portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) writes: |The token attempt at Intuition support the program offers only make |the interface worse, not better. At least before the program |incorporated an Intuition menu at the title screen you could run the |whole thing solely from the keyboard. I don't even want to talk about |how they decided to employ the mouse in the fill-in-the-blank sections |of the program. My experience has been the exact opposite. I've found their interface extremely easy and natural. It lets me enter data so quickly that it's no real problem. No, the program does not support the mouse as well as other Amiga programs, but it is not the sort of program you *want* to run with a mouse. Doing data entry and manipulation my alternating beween the mouse and keyboard would be distilled frustration. Instead, Phasar has what I consider to be one of the best keyboard interfaces I've seen. As good as Mandelvroom supports intuition, Phasar supports intuitive data entry. I bought the program nearly two years ago, and have been a happy user since. I wanted to provide another point of view towards the software. Sean -- *** Sean Casey sean@ms.uky.edu, sean@ukma.bitnet, ukma!sean *** "May I take this opportunity of emphasizing that there is no cannibalism *** in the British Navy. Absolutely none, and when I say none, I mean there *** is a certain amount, more than we are prepared to admit." -MP
bill@wfhami.UUCP (Bill Hogsett) (02/21/90)
Michael Portuesi has commented on Phasar 3.0 as follows: >To summarize, the program may do what I'm looking for, but the >interface is simply so annoying I can't use it. I feel like I wasted >$14.95 on the program. I certainly won't give Antic the $18.45 for >the manual, or the $39.95 for the upgrade to Phasar 4.0. I'll >probably opt for Desktop Budget or write my own program instead. >Programs like Phasar make me wish I owned a Macintosh, whose software >architecture doesn't permit the user to produce emulations of MS-DOS >human-interface disasters. I agree that the Phasar is MS-DOS and I often rail at what I have to do to make it work. However, it does work fairly well. I also have Gold Disk's Desktop Budget, which is almost entirely icon driven. However, Desktop Budget is so cumbersome to use and lacking in features (e.g., no check printing, poor reports and the check verification is very difficult to use) that I have continued to use Phasar. Michael, if you want to buy Desktop Budget send me some mail and I'll make you a good offer. (Original disk plus manual for $25) -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Hogsett CLEVELAND AREA-AMIGA USERS' GROUP (CA-AUG) ncoast!wfhami!bill (216) 292-4404 (BBS) 20876 Almar Drive Shaker Heights, OH 44122 I get paid for my legal opinions, but 216-295-1624 I'd really rather talk about my Amiga. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
allen@grebyn.com (Allen Farrington) (02/22/90)
For what it does, Phasar 3.0 is quite a good package. I think that if you had the manual and had used it for several months you would agree. The interface is not what I would call MSD*S'ish. True, there are no fancy gadgets and windows to move around but for this time of program, that would make things more difficult, IMHO. Anyhow, the interface is what I would call quite intuitive in the sense that it tries to guess what your next entry should be. In fact its quite successful at doing that. No flame intended. I just think that a few days of trying a complex program like Phasar without the manual isn't enough time to form an informed opinion. I don't think I'd continue using it without a manual, though. --Allen -- |------------------------------------------| | Allen H. Farrington (703) 222-9612 | "It's like nothing we've ever | allen@grebyn.com | dealt with before." |------------------------------------------| -Mr. Spock
farren@well.sf.ca.us (Mike Farren) (02/22/90)
portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) writes: >Programs like Phasar make me wish I owned a Macintosh, whose software >architecture doesn't permit the user to produce emulations of MS-DOS >human-interface disasters. Misconception. The Mac makes non-MS-DOS interfaces easy, but there are plenty of applications out there which ignore that, and do straight MS-DOS type keyboard input applications - FoxBase, for example. There's certainly nothing in the Mac which prevents you from doing this, just as there is nothing in the Amiga which forces you to. -- Mike Farren farren@well.sf.ca.usa