njd@ihlpm.ATT.COM (DiMasi) (06/10/88)
I have a few of questions to ask of anyone out there who uses OMNIVIEW: 1) Does OMNIVIEW's 80-column display cause you significant (to you) eyestrain? (In my case, it usually does not.) 2) If the answer to (1) is "Yes," has it been enough to stop you from using OMNIVIEW? 3) If you have seen the XEP-80's display, is it a lot better, or only marginally better? 4) Do you plan to switch to using an XEP-80 someday? I am asking these questions because I got into a discussion with Matt Ratcliff on DELPHI about OMNIVIEW and the XEP-80, and I wanted to know how you all feel about it. Nick DiMasi Uni'q Digital Technologies (Fox Valley Software subsidiary; ^ working as a contractor at AT&T Bell Labs in Naperville, IL) ( | this is an accent mark, supposed to replace the dot over the 'i')
jhs@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA (06/17/88)
Nick DiMasi writes... [ My replies are preceeded by > ] 1) Does OMNIVIEW's 80-column display cause you significant (to you) eyestrain? (In my case, it usually does not.) > I've been using OMNIVIEW with a Magnavox Computer Monitor 80 > (amber screen) for a couple of years now. I use a light (amber) > background with dark letters. The result is very easy to read, > except for a very small number of special characters that I don't > use very often. I experience no more eyestrain with this setup > than with my vt100 at work, although the OMNIVIEW font is less > "pretty" than the vt100 font. On other monitors, especially > color monitors, there might be some eyestrain. 2) If the answer to (1) is "Yes," has it been enough to stop you from using OMNIVIEW? > (not applicable - I use OMNIVIEW all the time for both word > processing and vt100 emulation. 3) If you have seen the XEP-80's display, is it a lot better, or only marginally better? > Haven't seen it. I have heard that it is a lot better, but then > again, I don't think it is anywhere NEAR as well integrated > into the O/S as OMNIVIEW is. (Also, does it provide joystick > ports to replace the ones it plugs into?) 4) Do you plan to switch to using an XEP-80 someday? > Probably not, unless I find one lying on a street corner. > Considering the obsolescence of the 8-bitters, I'd rather > put my money into a whole new computer someday. Meanwhile, > having 80-column word processing on the 800XL with OMNIVIEW > lets me take my time about selecting that new computer, which > almost certainly means it will be cheaper and/or better when > I finally buy it. -John Sangster / jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa