S L K U G N E W S L E T T E R The St. Louis Kaypro Users Group 1122 North & South Rd., St. Louis, MO 63130 NOVEMBER 1990, Volume 8, Number 11 ============================================================================== November 1, 2, and 3: Special Non-SLKUG event! Read about it inside. SLKUG CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS Date Time Event Location and contact NOV. 10 Sat.12:00 NOON CP/M SECTION MEETING Main St.Louis County Fred Held will tell us about all Library. 1640 South of the new software disks we have Lindbergh Blvd. IN received from George Allen for THE WEST MEETING RM. use of our members. See inside. NOV. 10 Sat. 1:20 PM SLKUG BUSINESS MEETING Main St.Louis County Briefly, we will conduct our once- Library. 1640 South a-year ritual of electing our club Lindbergh Blvd. IN officers for the next year, 1991. THE WEST MEETING RM. NOV. 10 Sat. 1:35 PM MS-DOS SECTION MEETING Main St. Louis County Bob Cushaman will talk to us on Library. 1640 South what is new in MS-DOS Software Lindbergh Blvd. IN and Hardware, answering questions. THE WEST MEETING RM. ================================================================================ CP/M SECTION OCTOBER 1990 MEETING MINUTES by Lowell Fellinger, Secretary ================================================================================ This meeting of the CP/M section of the SLKUG was held at 12:00 hours Saturday October 13, 1990 in the West Meeting Room of the Main St. Louis County Library at Lindbergh and Clayton Road/US 40-64. Nine members were present as the meeting started, but more came in as the session progressed. The minutes of the SEPTEMBER CP/M meeting were approved with the following addition: During his September presentation, Earl Bage made no mention of tracking project cost with MILESTONE. It was verified after the meeting that MILESTONE will in fact track project costs. Thus, Item 3 of Milestone accomplishments (see Minutes of September 1990 CP/M Section Meeting on page 1 of the October 1990 SLKUG NEWSLETTER) should read: "3 - Track the project versus time AND COST. Prior to today's scheduled presentation, there was some discussion about the observed continuing decline of CP/M activity generally. There continues to be some work done on ZCPR, NZCOM, and other related software items but most commercial software houses no longer offer nor support any CP/M programs. Locally, the Gateway CP/M Club's BBS in St. Louis is now closed. We talked about not having been able to present a special session on NZCOM for those members who already have this software or are interested in obtaining same. Bob Rosenfeld, who uses NZCOM, offered to do a special program on NZCOM in December 1990. Following discussion, Bob Rosenfeld started his formal scheduled presentation at 12:14 hours --- FREE WORD PROCESSOR ZDE 1.6 *** HOW TO INSTALL FOR YOUR COMPUTER PRINTER SYSTEM The ZDE program is a public domain, essentially WordStar compatible word processor/editor. It was started as VDE (=Video Display Editor) by Eric Meyer of the University of Oklahoma at Norman. Later, it was picked up by Carson Wilson, who is Sysop of the Chicago FOG BBS, after Eric Meyer stopped work on it. Wilson changed the name to ZDE, to indicate its compatibility with ZCPR and NZCOM, while retaining its ability to run with conventional CP/M. ZDE is a small, fast word processor requiring only 18K of memory. The word processor (ZDE) and the file being edited are totally memory resident and that makes the system very fast. The amount of memory remaining is the only limitation on file size. If the file you want to edit is larger than remaining memory, then you can "chop" it into sections, edit them separately, and append them back again later. ZDE also has some features that WordStar does not, such as auto indent. With auto indent on, ZDE will duplicate a tab and inset an entire paragraph for you. This can be handy for writers and programmers alike. Using a prepared handout, Bob Rosenfeld discusssed the ZDE installation procedure and the choices one must make at the various decision points during the installation. Then, on request, Bob demonstrated the difference in loading time for WordStar 4.0 and ZDE16. There is a great difference between them to load the software and also to load the file to be edited. ZDE has only to load itself into memory and then load the file. WordStar loads its program into memory, but has to access overlay files on the disk to operate. In addition, WordStar, being disk-based, writes temporary files to the disk as it works, all taking time. If you're just writing a one-page letter, why waste time. If one does not have a word processor/editor, then one should certainly consider using ZDE because it is FREE, essentially WordStar compatible, and very fast. If one does have WordStar (or other editor), then one must evaluate whether it is justified to learn to operate ZDE with the few differences that do exist between ZDE and WordStar. Items favoring ZDE are: It loads faster and works faster on files than does WordStar. ZDE can print directly from an edited file in memory, but, in WordStar one must save the file to disk and then print. There are a few other operational differences between ZDE and WordStar, but, ZDE is mostly WordStar compatible. If you couldn't make it to the meeting, but want a copy of ZDE 1.6, let Bob know so he can make it possible for you to copy the software and doc files he gave out at the meeting. This CP/M Section meeting and program adjourned at 13:00 hours. ================================================================================ OCTOBER 1990 SLKUG BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES by Lowell Fellinger, Secretary ================================================================================ This Business Meeting was held at 13:00 hours on Saturday, October 13, 1990 between the CP/M and MS-DOS meetings. President Don Jones presided: The September Business Meeting Minutes were approved as written. There was a meeting of a BBS sub-committee on Wednesday, October 10, at the home of Penny Kuenker. Present were Bob Gannon, Bob Rosenfeld, Lowell Fellinger and hostess Penny Kuenker. (Thanks Penny -- the cherry cheese-cakes were delicious.) This group reviewed ideas and suggestions for redoing our SLKUG BBS format when the new larger hard disk is in place. Some work will be done on the opening format. The biggest concern is the organization of the available CP/M and MS-DOS public domain files. Heretofore, these files have been in totally random arrangement as received. This sub-committee proposes to arrange the CP/M and MS-DOS files separately and according to categories such as: Utilities, Data Base Management, Word Processing, Languages, Games, Modem Programs, etc. As of meeting time, our SLKUG BBS was up and running very fast with its new 100 Meg/17 millisecond hard disk replacing the earlier 40 Meg slower hard disk. The 1990 SLKUG WINTER/CHRISTMAS PARTY will be held at the same place as last year -- the Chapel of THE FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH (@ Waterman and Kingshighway) at 18:30 hours on December 8, 1990. Last year 30-35 attended. We hope for many more this year. The nominating committee (Bob Gannon, Fred Held, Bob Rosenfeld and Don Jones ) has met and reports this slate of candidates for election to office for the year of 1991: President: Bob Gannon Vice-President: Penny Kuenker Treasurer: Columbus Edwards Secretaries: Lowell Fellinger for CP/M Shirley Falls for MS-DOS Program Chairs: Fred Held for CP/M Jeff Plodzien for MS-DOS (Someone kindly nominated (from the floor) Barb Armstrong as the Permanent Substitute Secretary to perform when the others are absent. Barb thanked us and declined, however, saying that she would fill in when she can.) The election will be held during the November business meeting. This business meeting adjourned about 13:20 hours. ================================================================================ MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 1990 MS-DOS SECTION MEETING ================================================================================ Our program for the month of October was a representative of Computer Shack who gave us a good description of the components which make up an MS-DOS computer. We learned what are the characteristics of many different kind of mother boards (main computer printed wiring board), fixed drives, power supplies, and the different cases into which they may be mounted. We received a great check list of questions to ask a prospective source of a new computer when we start to shop and some basis for our decision on which is the best way for us to go. It was a good experience for many to see a hard drive which is physically half the size of another, but will hold more than twice the amount of data. We learned about the different forms which memory devices may take, and the features to look for on a computer. All in all, it was an intriguing program and we are grateful to Computer Shack for allowing their representative to visit us. ================================================================================ SPECIAL PROCOMM PLUS CLASS given by Jeff Plodzien ================================================================================ The second MS-DOS class was held on October 17th, at 7:00 p.m. at Bob Rosenfeld's house. There were 6 people in attendance, which wasn't bad considering the weather was so wet. It was raining quite heavily when Jeff came, and he brought in his computer wrapped in a gigantic trash bag to keep it dry. Of course, it worked! Of the six who were there, two were new members. The class was presented by Jeff Plodzien covering the set up, customizing, and the use of Procomm Plus, a great communication program. Jeff covered the method of manual logon to bulletin boards, semi-automatic logon using a macro which reduces the amount of typing you have to do to log on, and then in using a Procomm Script file to log on which eliminates all typing at the log on. He also explained that by using a Script file, which is a program written in the Aspect Script language, you can set up your computer to log on a board while you are sleeping or away and upload or download a file without being there. Some time was spent demonstrating the process of logging onto bulletin boards for our new members. He also covered how to set up and customize the host mode, what is the difference between an open and a closed system pertaining to host mode and how to make and revise entries in the dialing directory. Jeff went through the set up options, explaining them well and described how you could customize Procomm Plus to fit your needs. The program was interesting, helpful, and lasted an hour and a half, by which time we noticed that the the had rain stopped. =============================================================================== THE BOARD BEAT By: Jeff Plodzien =============================================================================== First of all, let me say, when I first started writing this column, I was skeptical on what kind of response I was going to get. Well, it's been 7 to 8 months since I started and the rewards are coming in, not only from club members, but from sysops as well. My column is being well received by sysops around the area, so well that some have asked me to upload my article or send them a copy of the newsletter and a few have become friends. You don't know how good this makes me feel to help promote BBSing in my own way and to be of help to so many people. Now, on to the good stuff...! THE SAND CASTLE BBS 752-0065 2400 Baud N-8-1 The Sand Castle is a good all-around board looking for new users, it has celebrated its 1st anniversary, and is going strong. This board has a 40 meg storage area and the transfer area is closed from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to allow nothing but message base usage. If you're into message boards, this is the one for you. It has 35 message subs with areas to cover everything. Some of the subs are National Movie Reviews, Music Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Shareware Reviews, The Auto Shop, Upcoming Events, etc., and almost any topic you'd want to discuss. There is no Upload/Download ratio, but as a courtesy, they do expect you to upload programs that you know work and not upload trash. This is a good board and the sysop is eager to make it better. The sysop lives out of the St. Louis area so it may take a couple weeks to get validated, but he is apologetic about his inability to be there every day. Try this one and tell him you heard it from me. MISSION CONTROL 638-8330 2400 Baud N-8-1 Mission Control is right now is a fairly small board as far as a transfer section is concerned but fairly big in the message base. Although this is a small board, I was impressed. It is run by a Lutheran South High school student and he is currently running WWIV software, but, in a lengthy chat mode discussion, I found out he is working on writing his own BBS software and I'll tell you that he knows what he's talking about. He wants to write BBS software so user-friendly that the most inexperienced BBSer can use it, but, powerful enough to do any thing. This board has 19 message areas such as IBM Tech and Hardware Q/A, Assembly Language Programming, General, Suggestions and Complaints, C Programming, etc. This board has 11 transfer file areas from MicroGenesis Software to IBM PD Programming. This is a nice little board with a lot of potential. Watch this one! THE ABYSS 644-7152 300-2400 Baud N-8-1 The Abyss is a large board with 160 megs on line. This board is 4 years old and runs WWIV software. Right now, they are averaging 72 calls a week. This a very large board with a lot of files. The biggest file area is the GIF area. They have seven areas allotted for GIFs supporting EGA/VGA with everything from Cartoons to Adult GIFs. The rest is dedicated to the usual areas such as Communications, Databases, Utility files, etc. They do have an Upload/Download ratio. The rest of the board is message areas for various interests covering everything from general interest to religion. This a good board and worth a try, so give a call today. THE ST. LOUIS AREA CHRISTIAN BBS 947-0895 2400 Baud N-8-1 Well, folks I don't usually bad mouth boards, but, I found one that I believe deserves it. They used to run OPUS software, which isn't bad, but, for some reason, they went from that to worse. They started using a new software called MAGPIE. When I first logged on, I thought, "Good, I get to see some new BBS software." And, I'll tell you, I was never so intimidated in all my life. The tutorial was approximately 11 pages long. I was so lost, I could not even figure out how to get into the transfer area. Then, I found that the download files were attached to messages and the whole thing ran like a family tree. If you want to have a confusing night, try this one. =============================================================================== AGAIN, HERE IS A COMPUTER, ETC., FOR SALE! =============================================================================== Here's a used computer and some related items for sale: OSBORNE 1 CP/M Computer, 2 SSDD floppy drives, 64K memory, 80 character monochrome screen, with an extra keyboard and external 12" Zenith Monitor. A 300 bps modem is included, too. Also, there is a lot of software with all Osborne and other master disks and backup disks: WordStar, SuperCalc2, Kamas, XtraKey, Basic, Footnote, Uniform, and Turbo Pascal. Original manuals for the computer and the software are included. The owner says that everything is in good condition. The price is $200 or best offer. Call 352-1651 for more information. =============================================================================== THIS IS NOT A HALLOWEEN PRANK! IT'S A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY!! by Bob Rosenfeld =============================================================================== You'll probably remember that we don't accept paid advertising in this newsletter, and the only ads we run are as a service to our members. The main reason for this article is to tell you of something I consider to be a unique opportunity, if your need fits the circumstances. Computer Shack is the company which has furnished our new bulletin board system (BBS) computer to us and allows us a modest commission on our purchases which is gradually paying for the BBS computer (almost paid off.) He has also recent upgraded our hard disk drive from the 40 megabytes which we started out with, to 100 megabytes, and an even faster hard drive than before. Computer Shack is giving a new program they call "Project: Frankenstein", to build for yourself a friendly and useful monster. The name and the season of the year are why I said that this is not a Halloween Prank. It is for real. It will be a program in which you can assemble your own new AT-compatible computer with YOUR OWN HANDS! The sessions will be held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, at times to be mutually scheduled. Mr. James Bay, of Computer Shack says that each individual who is interested should come in and see him BEFORE the actual program starts. This visit is to discuss what you want the computer to be, to discuss which components are the best choice for what you want, to determine the cost of what you want the computer to be, and to schedule your attendance to suit the group size they can handle. That way, you will know before you commit to attending the sessions and to a purchase, just what the cost will be when you are done, and be assured that they can fit you into the group schedule. You will also have the confidence that when you do the work, you will be supervised by the BayTech Staff of professionals. Mr. Bay says the following about the program: This is "Computer Shack's Anti-Inflation Project! ...." "The FRANKENSTEIN Training Course is three days of hands-on training. "Day 1 -- YOU will completely assemble YOUR OWN computer. As you put the computer together, performing key tests and demonstrations at each stage of assembly, you SEE and LEARN for YOURSELF how each part works. what can go wrong, and how to fix it. "Day 2 -- YOU will perform the burn-in and initial maintenance. "Day 3 -- YOU will learn how to troubleshoot and service your computer. YOU will gain the confidence and know-how to service any IBM-compatible machine. "But most of all - YOU can realize BIG SAVINGS by building your own PC. And, not only that, you can become a certified Consultant for Computer Shack receiving DISCOUNT PRICES!! ...." Those are Mr. Bay's own words. Now, for my own opinion: Many of our members have purchased various computers there and they have proven the quality of the product. Our members have sent enough others there to investigate and purchase their own computers that we have been able to virtually pay off the whole bulletin board with these small commissions. In other cases, our members have sent their employers to Computer Shack. That takes REAL COURAGE, that is, unless you have total confidence in the product. In addition, our own bulletin board is a BayTech AT-compatible computer much like we're talking about. Like I said, the risk is minimal. You find out the cost before you agree to do the program. When you put your computer together, you will be supervised by professionals. You will be gaining an education which has been offered by no one else. I've discovered the importance of knowing about the innards of my computers by myself. AND, that is the sole reason I'm telling you this now. You can learn from professionals at no extra cost. No one, really no one, has ever offered us that opportunity before. Here's their address and phone: Computer Shack, 9408 Page Blvd., Overland, MO, Phone 428-1796. Their hours are 10 am to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Go in, look over their products, talk to Mr. Bay, and find out for yourself. =============================================================================== THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE NOVEMBER CP/M SECTION MEETING =============================================================================== Actually, it's a special something! We have been given more than 80 high density 5-1/4" disks full of CP/M software by George Allen who has shut down his CP/M and Z-Node Bulletin Board during the past summer and will not reopen it as a CP/M bulletin board. These disks are 800K each in capacity and contain a world of software including many disks of ZCPR and NZCOM related files. I believe that many versions of ZCPR are actually contained therein. Fred Held, assisted by his new 386 BayTech computer and its resident UNIDOS board, has catalogued all of the disks with FATCAT, and he will tell us a lot about what the disks contain at the November CP/M Section meeting, at NOON on November 10th. It will be sort of a "LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND HERE! DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT IT'S FOR?" session. Come and look over the gift goodies with us. =============================================================================== NOVEMBER MS-DOS MEETING from Bob Gannon =============================================================================== Our MS-DOS NOVEMBER Section Meeting program will be on present and future Computer Hardware and Software. The program will be presented by Bob Cushaman, who has spoken to us before. Bob is a graduate of South East Missouri State College, he has his Master's Degree in marketing and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. Bob Cushaman's Background: He has been a commercial consultant programmer for five years and in his current position, Bob sets the strategical and tac- tical direction for the company in the type of software they will need for the future. The November MS-DOS program will be a open meeting with no formal outline! The main topic of his program, if there is one, will be on the subject of NETWORKING. If you have ever had any questions to ask about NETWORKING OF COMPUTERS, come and ask Bob now. He makes a specialty of this at his regular employment and this program represents a unique opportunity for us to find out about this intriguing topic. This will give you a chance ask any question you wish about computers, software and networking. A software item which Bob will discuss on request is Windows 3.0 if you wanted to know about it. Otherwise, just ask your questions about PC software and hardware, and quite probably, Bob will be able to answer them. Bob is very well versed in all facets of computer technology, present and future!! Should be a exciting and interesting meeting. Bring a friend to this informative meeting. If you don't have a friend, bring a stranger as a visitor to the meeting! After all, a stranger is a friend we just haven't met yet. But, come to the meeting yourself anyway! =============================================================================== MORE MEETINGS? =============================================================================== On December 8, 1990, AT NOON, Norris Pearson will have a joint session to explain a lot about printer codes which you can use to program your printer, set up your word processor, and otherwise enhance your documents. Plan on being there to learn more about the mystic language called Hexadecimal. There will be a CP/M Special Meeting for December which will be given for the NZCOM purchasers and others wanting to find out about it and how to install it and work with it. This will be held at the home of Bob Rosenfeld on some week night to be determined. Bob says he will call those who bought NZCOM, however, if Bob doesn't call you for some reason, you can call him. His home number is 314-727-2418. If Bob doesn't answer, please don't be shy, leave word on the answering machine and he'll call you back as soon as he can. The third December get-together will be our annual WINTER/CHRISTMAS PARTY on the evening of December 8th. It will be held in the same place as last year, the First Unitarian Universalist Church at Kingshighway and Waterman Avenues in St. Louis. More on this in the next newsletter and by our SLKUG PHONE TREE. But, plan on being with us anyway. It's a lot of fun! In January of 1991, both section meetings will be on the subject of the annual disks. We have no other details on these sessions as yet. ================================================================================ HOW DO I PUT TOGETHER THE NEWSLETTER? from Bob Rosenfeld ================================================================================ I've been asked to tell how I do the newsletter. Do I use some special software to do it? What is the process I use? It's been a few years since I started putting the newsletter together, and, until now, no one has asked how I do it. I've not thought much about how I do it except that my method just evolved over some years. I've never formalized my process until now. I'd had some experience in writing before: compositions in school, a few years of speeches when I was a member of Toastmasters. I'm sure you know the kind of stuff I mean. Each of these was a single purpose composition, one for each assignment. At least, they gave me experience in putting one thought against another to build something out of them. To write a newsletter, and especially on a continuing basis, you must have something to say, and more than that, it must have a common thread. That thread for me is computering, and that has meant Kaypro for that has been the brand of my choice for seven years now. In the beginning, there was CP/M and then there was MS-DOS. I've found that they are not so dissimilar to prevent writing about both in one publication. They have the common thread of computering and helping others to understand more is what we do with the common thread. The common thread for you may be something else, another hobby, study of genealogy, family ties and communication, possibly many other things. I know families who share experiences with each other in an annual newsletter of what each sub group has been doing during the year before. You'll have to get your own ideas and a common thread going on this. How do I organize it? The SLKUG Newsletter format is rather straight forward, I think. First appears the "coming attractions", the program schedule for the coming month. This includes the meeting function and location, the time for each program, and a brief note about each of the programs to be given. The next item was brought about because of the desire of some officers to shorten the business meeting by carrying the minutes of the business meeting in the newsletter, which also would give the current events of the club to members who could not come to the meeting. There were also requests to carry a brief synopsis of each program for those who could not attend. So these have become standard features. The structure which evolved, followed the pattern of a standard business meeting: Old business, new business, announcements, and some special presentations, such as new uploads to the SLKUG Bulletin Board (BBS). If you need more information on this organization to work out your own structure, I'd suggest you read Robert's Rules of Order. That's where it is really defined, perhaps even a bit too thoroughly for some people. At the end, I usually put the list of "helpers" where they could easily be found for future reference. Okay, that's how it's organized. Next comes the question of how I put it together. I don't use special software, I just use either of two word processors. I started out using WordStar version 3.0, then version 3.3 and 4.0. More recently, I use ZDE for my CP/M computer and VDE for the MS-DOS. Both of these are FREE word processors and are available from the SLKUG BBS. Printing of the newsletter is always done by WordStar 4.0 now. My computer files are all interchangeable between my two kinds of computer and word processors. I use ZDE and VDE because they are WordStar compatible and much faster than WordStar. ZDE and VDE are memory resident as are the files they make. No time is wasted in doing slow disk reads and writes. Since the format is relatively simple, I don't need specialized software to do the job. A masthead (that's the fancy top on newsletters and newspapers) is a nice touch for any newsletter to make the opening attractive to look at. That may be done by hand and reproduced. The first SLKUG masthead I used consisted of a Kaypro CP/M keyboard topped by the Gateway Arch. That was fine for us here in the "Gateway City" for a while. After Kaypro changed to MS-DOS computers, the keyboard shape ceased being an identifying feature. Another member designed the latest masthead on his graphics computer and printed it on his laser printer. We have retained it pretty well intact since then. I make about 20 clean copies of the original at a time on a copier and then print page 1 on the pre-printed masthead with my daisy wheel printer. Each article heading is done with two lines of "equal signs" running the full width of the printed line, and the topic of each article is contained within these, and the printer is commanded to do the text of the heading in BOLD. On my daisy wheel printer, that is done by double strike with each strike offset a few thousandths of an inch from the first. Your printer may work differently. Judge for yourself what looks good to you. The formatting is done by hand and is continued from month to month for continuity and also to keep me from "reinventing the wheel" each month. Even though the other writers may submit their article in a different format, I reformat for consistency. Each paragraph is indented five spaces, and if vertical space is short, I am able to eliminate a blank line between paragraphs making the page fairly readable. If a writer submits their file with hard returns at the end of each line, I can fix that on the CP/M computer by using a program called HRDSFT which changes the returns from hard to soft and makes a new file in the process. On the MS-DOS computer, there is a conversion program called XWORD which changes the file from ASCII format which has hard returns to WordStar format. You guessed it, now it has soft returns. I have used these programs to rework articles made on other word processors and other computers, even those which are not compatible with either computer. A transfer by modem could give me files from Apple, MacIntosh, Commodore, etc., and I can rework them with a bit of software and a bit of manual work. I've adopted a fancier-than-normal page numbering style. Here's how it is done. I made a standard blank page header called "boiler plate". This give me the right margin I desire, the characters per inch width desired, and the instruction to omit the default page numbering method. Then, I have a line which is printed as a footer. That's where the fancy work comes in. Here's what the header file looks like. I call for my word processor to read it in at the beginning of the monthly newsletter file: .rm79 .cw10 .op .fo ^B-=[ # ]=-^B The "pound sign" # is replaced with a page number starting with 1 by WordStar as the printing takes place. I have the dashed flanked by commands Ctrl-PB to make the printer do the fancy page numbering in BOLD. I did the page number dingbat first at the left margin and centered it with the command Ctrl-OC. Then, I moved back to the left margin and added .fo which made it a footer command. When the file was saved, I could then read it in at the beginning of the file each time I wanted to use it, saving time and energy, and also giving consistency from application to application. Of course, to print the heading two paragraphs above, I've added one space at the left of each line so MY WordStar won't take these example lines as commands. Put the dots in column 1 and you'll get something like I do. One other thing, before I print in WordStar, I use the spelling checker which works with WordStar to confirm that I haven't misspelled words or had typos or typographical errors. That's about the summation of it, except that even though you have a newsletter off to a good start, you need to write a decent conclusion to leave your readers in a good frame of mind. Also, your duplication of the copies should be of good quality also. The SLKUG publisher, eariler it was Bob Ballard and now Barbara Armstrong, uses a local copying company which gives us our sixty to seventy copies a month at a good price and with good quality, too. Although the copy company does two-sided copying for us, it costs too much to have the copying company do collating so the publisher collates, staples the sets in the upper left corner, folds them across the middle and staples th .