For Graphics, Chauffeur Helps Get You There
One of the critical choices facing purchasers of an IBM PC or most compatibles is what kind of display adapter to get. The adapter is a circuit board that plugs into the chassis of such computers and creates the images that appear on the screen.
It is a critical decision: If you want to run graphics or game software, you need a graphics adapter, which will drive either a color or a low-resolution monochrome monitor. The only way you can be assured of running all software available for the IBM and compatibles is with a graphics board.
The problem is that the characters displayed in the graphics mode are coarser than those produced by IBM’s monochrome display adapter and its companion high-resolution monitor.
An early solution to this problem was offered by the Hercules Graphics Card, which allowed Lotus 1-2-3 charts to be displayed on a high-resolution monochrome monitor. Many graphics software programs work with the Hercules card, but many others--including most games and educational software--do not.
A more satisfactory solution is the Chauffeur board offered by STB Systems Inc. (601 N. Glenville, Suite 125, Richardson, Tex. 75081; 214-234-8750). The Chauffeur board drives the IBM monochrome monitor and compatible high-resolution monochrome monitors and displays full graphics on them, using up to 16 shades of green (or amber, depending on the monitor).
Saves a Step
What makes the $395 Chauffeur board particularly appealing is that it automatically determines whether a program can run in high-quality text mode or needs graphics ability and sets itself accordingly. Many other text-graphics boards require the user to run a software routine to tell the board which mode to use.
STB has also figured out a way to use nearly all of the monochrome monitor’s screen for graphics images, instead of just 60%, as is the case with some other boards. The Chauffeur board does that by enhancing graphics images to a resolution of 352 scan lines top to bottom, compared to 200 on the standard IBM graphics image.
Some machines--notably those by Compaq, AT&T; and Xerox--provide both high-quality text and monochrome graphics, but IBM and many of its followers have shown no sign of doing so, providing a fertile market for the Chauffeur board.
Once you’ve got graphics capability, there are some fascinating things you can do with it. Two examples are the Digital Paintbrush and Fontrix.
Fontrix, published by Data Transforms (616 Washington St., Denver, Colo. 80203; 303-832-1501), is a powerful and versatile software package that allows you to create high-resolution text and fonts on an IBM PC or compatible or an Apple II series computer. With it you can create images combining text and graphics that are as elaborate and colorful as your imagination allows.
Fontrix, which sells for $155 in the IBM version and $95 for the less extensive Apple version, achieves its high resolution by treating the computer screen as a magnified portion of the final printed page. As a result, you can use the full resolution of your printer, which for dot-matrix printers may reach about 200 dots per inch.
If the 11 standard Fontrix “fonts”--including Olde English, Greek, algebra symbols and four sizes of Roman type--aren’t enough, 11 additional disks are available at $25 each, with 10 new fonts apiece. They include foreign alphabets, scientific symbols, decorative borders, architectural elements or other graphics components. One is perfect for drawing Victorian mansions. Each font comes with a chart showing which keys create which elements.
No Limit
An easy use of Fontrix is to create a standard text file and then print it using one of the Fontrix fonts instead of your printer’s normal type face. The advanced user will want to illustrate text. There is no end to what you can do. Draw a new floor plan for your home or office or a landscape plan. Write music using a musical-notation font. Create Egyptian hieroglyphics. Print the international maritime signal flags. Make composite sketches of faces using three separate fonts--one for eyes, one for lips and another for noses and ears.
Digital Paintbrush is a combination of hardware and software for the IMB PC and compatibles and the Apple II series that lets you do everything from freehand drawing to sophisticated statistical analysis.
It is produced by Computer Colorworks (3030 Bridgeway, Suite 201, Sausalito, Calif. 94965; 415-331-3022) for $450 for the IBM version and $299 for the Apple edition. The heart of the product is a gadget that looks like a ballpoint pen with two strings tying it to either side of a plastic case. Actually, it’s an ingenious precision device that measures the exact position of the pen-like stylus.
The software is really a collection of five separate programs linked under a common menu. One does graphic design, using the stylus as a drawing instrument. Another does measuring, size estimating and statistical analysis. A third produces graphs and charts. The other two present the images on your printer or as a “slide show” on the computer’s screen.
Analyzing Map Details
The measurement program particularly shows the Digital Paintbrush’s utility for scientific enterprises. Let’s assume you want to analyze details of a map.
You can define the map’s scale and then move the stylus between any two points along a curving road to find its length. You can define an area--a square mile, for instance--and then trace the stylus over any other area and instantly learn its size in square miles.
Or you can define a point and then determine the relative distance to any other point in terms of X,Y coordinates. Of course, you could substitute an X-ray or an engineering drawing or almost anything else for the map.
The statistical section compares two sets of data and calculates the mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and standard error of each plus the covariance and correlation coefficient of the two sets of data. Other tests and transformations are available, including linear regressions.
The charts and graphs program has similarly impressive features. One is that you don’t have to type in the numbers to be charted. Just position the cursor, using the stylus, on a bar in the bar chart, push down on the tip of the stylus to turn it on and move it up or down until the number you want appears in the upper left of the screen. The bar will grow or shrink a corresponding amount.
In summary, both Fontrix and Digital Paintbrush are unique products that excel at the tasks they have been created to do and are reasonably priced for the power they offer. They also require the use of a graphics display board in the IBM PC or compatible versions.
The Computer File welcomes readers’ comments but regrets that the authors cannot respond individually to letters. Write to Richard O’Reilly, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
