lcs@remus.rutgers.edu (Lyle C. Seplowitz) (04/21/91)
I received the working model of GeoWorks a few days ago. It's
currently installed on an IBM AT with a VGA board at the graphics lab
where I work.
In case anyone is intersted in the next generation of GEOS...
The working model is excellent...for $9.95 you get the complete
Ensemble package. The only limitation is that you can't save your
files. BSW (or GeoWorks, whatever) was smart to design the demo this
way.
So how does it work? Very well! I haven't used Windows 3.0 yet, but I
have tried 2.0 (but you can't compare--it isn't fair). PCGEOS is
excellent though. On a VGA system it looks beautiful (640x480 with 16
colors). Functionally it is very fast, multitasks smoothly and
unnoticeably, I didn't even realize that all the applications I opened
were still open! Fonts are superbly handled. Since it uses outline
fonts, you get TRUE WYSIWYG--fonts that are scalable to any size,
smoothly! PCGEOS has a very nice pull-down menus feature. If you click
on the pin icon on the top of the menu, that menu becomes a window!
You can then move it anywhere and it remains on the screen until you
close it! Need to change fonts or styles fast, just keep that menu out
and change the options any time. Your screen can get cluttered
easily--so you can't get too carried away.
GeoWorks looks and functions a lot like Windows. In fact it even has
the same keyboard shortcuts as Windows. I think this is smart. Windows
is very popular right now and people don't want to have to learn a
whole new system--so GeoWorks looks and functions better than Windows
(again, I haven't actually used 3.0, but from what I've read
and seen).
There are some problems with PCGEOS. We have an older Microsoft mouse
that GeoWorks wouldn't recognize (I tried all of the Microsoft
drivers). However, I got it to work by selecting the "No Idea" driver.
PCGEOS still has no idea what type of mouse I have, but it works so
I'm not going to complain.
I couldn't get it to work with the printers at the lab. We have
postscript Apple laserwriters. GeoWorks can't work with postscript
printers (this is a serious limitation, I hope they plan on offering
postscript drivers in the next release). PCGEOS also won't work with
Networks. I think this is also a problem--if GeoWorks wants to suceed
it needs to work on networks. Both of these limitations, don't help
their slogan, "Any PC, Any Printer, Any Time." It should be "Any PC,
unless it is connected to a network or lacks a HD, Any Printer, as
long as it isn't a postscript printer, Any Time."
The final limitation, which also needs to be corrected, is the limited
number of colors. PCGEOS can only handle 16 colors, even if your color
card can do more. PCGEOS needs to be able to display 256 and 24-bit
colors.
As far as the included applications...they're nice, but a little
lacking in features. geoWrite doesn't have a search&replace function,
no spellchecker, no footnotes/endnotes, and limited headers and
footers. geoDraw is nice, but is only a introductory object-based
drawing program. I couldn't try out the telecomm or America On-line
since that machine lacks a modem.
Overall, PCGEOS is excellent. It makes the PC almost barable and fun!
I wouldn't expect it to help CBMGEOS. I think GeoWorks (BSW) wants to
move on. What GeoWorks needs to survive is support from other
companies. If it cannot get this support it won't do well. GeoWorks
can't supply all the applications and windows already offers great
third-party support.
Well, I have to get going...I you have any questions about PCGEOS just
ask...
--
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Everything stated or expressed in this post is strictly my opinion or viewpointrknop@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Robert Andrew Knop) (04/21/91)
lcs@remus.rutgers.edu (Lyle C. Seplowitz) writes: > Functionally it is very fast, multitasks smoothly and >unnoticeably, An unfortunate trend in modern computing is that since memory is cheap, and available in large quantities, nobody bothers to write tight code any more. What used to take a matter of K on a computer now takes a matter of Megs. (How many Megs must your Mac have to use system 7.0?) However, from what I've heard, geoWorks is the one company that actually writes efficient code for the PC. Which probably has a lot to do with their having "grown up," so to speak, doing amazing things on Commodore 8 bit computers. I can't help but believe, though that this efficiency isn't just gratuitous. Eventually they will be able to do more with the system if they start writing it efficiently. (And people with only 1 Meg will actually have some memory left after loading the system in.) >As far as the included applications...they're nice, but a little >lacking in features. geoWrite doesn't have a search&replace function, >no spellchecker, no footnotes/endnotes, and limited headers and >footers. Of coure, we all remember the difference between the Commdores' geoWrite 1.1 and geoWrite 2.1.... geoWorks'll come through on this count, I expect. -Rob Knop rknop@tybalt.caltech.edu
mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel) (04/26/91)
In article <Apr.20.20.56.09.1991.28616@remus.rutgers.edu> lcs@remus.rutgers.edu (Lyle C. Seplowitz) writes: >GeoWorks looks and functions a lot like Windows. In fact it even has >the same keyboard shortcuts as Windows. I think this is smart. Windows >is very popular right now and people don't want to have to learn a >whole new system--so GeoWorks looks and functions better than Windows >(again, I haven't actually used 3.0, but from what I've read >and seen). This is a little misleading. Both GeoWorks and Windows 3.0 are Motif-compliant interfaces. It's therefore no surprise that they look the same: they were based on the same standard. As to the keyboard shortcuts, I honestly don't know if the Motif specification defines standard key combinations. Does anyone else know? Marc R. Roussel mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca