mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel) (05/02/91)
In article <1991Apr30.205205.6328@njitgw.njit.edu> ken@hertz.njit.edu (ken ng cccc) writes: >One VERY >disturbing trend that I have seen in recent years is to make the >application pretty as opposed to functional. For example: one application >simulates a Roladex. Ok, that is fine, give the user a conventional >frame of reference. I've seen even funnier things lately. (Boy are we wandering far off topic. I've redirected followups to comp.misc where this thread probably belongs. I hope no one objects.) I was in the local Grand & Toy the other day and noticed two great "advances" in personal electronics: 1) An electronic rolodex designed to emulate the real thing right down to having a big circular knob as the ONLY way to search through it. In other words, you're buying a dedicated computerized unit but limiting it to exactly the functionality you had before. The only improvement is that you don't need those funny little cards anymore. 2) A "paperless tape calculator": This is a standard desk calculator where the paper tape has been replaced by an electronic display. This one is interesting. Those of you who've worked in businesses that use paper tape calculators will realize that these things can only replace about 10% of the intended uses of paper tape: most of the time (in my experience) paper tape is actually kept as an unofficial record of daily sales for the use of local management, or for verification purposes. (The rest of the time, the printing feature is turned off. Every so often you create a tape for immediate perusal, but this is rare.) In either case, unless you interface these new paperless calculators to a recording device and add the capability of attaching notes, you can't even use them to replace your old standby! Who's going to buy one of these things? I guess that neither the general public nor the office supplies companies are really ready for the computer age... Marc R. Roussel mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca
Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM (05/03/91)
Did someone say rolodex? [i've never tried them, but:]
Emacs Lisp Code Apropos -- "rolo"
rolo-2 89-06-17
Bob Weiner, <gatech!uflorida!novavax!weiner>
tut.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/as-is/misc/rolo-2.Z
Feature-laden rolodex system.
rolo 89-04-24
Paul Davis, <davis%scr@sdr.slb.com>
tut.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/as-is/misc/rolo.Z
An e-lisp version of Ron Hitchins rolo program
[...]
[the file paths might be a little different lately.]