Two Simple, Inexpensive and Handy Programs
As you might expect, my shelves are filled with software manuals from large, expensive and complicated programs that take hours, if not days, to learn. Oh yes, they do “important” things, such as word processing, data management, financial planning and the like. But every once in a while, I come across a small package, usually from a start-up company, that is easy to learn, inexpensive and very handy. A recent batch of mail included two such programs for the IBM PC and compatible systems.
Each program comes on a single floppy disk and has documentation small enough to fit into my coat pocket.
Instant Recall, at $69, and Hotline, at an introductory price of $29.95, also fit into most computer users’ budgets. Hotline’s price will increase to $39.95 early next year.
Both are memory-resident programs, meaning that they are available for you to use at any time, even when your computer is busy running other programs.
Instant Recall, from Precept (3790 El Camino Real, Suite 173, Palo Alto, Calif. 94306. Phone: 415-327-6886) allows you to create, save and instantly retrieve notes, phone numbers, comments or virtually any type of textual information. Unlike most other database management programs, you are not required to pre-define the way you want your information structured.
Like virtually all databases, information is organized into “records.” A record is the set of information that pertains to any one person or thing that you are tracking. Most database programs also require you to create fields to organize the data.
Fields Not Required
Think of the white pages of your phone book. A “record” would be all the information on a given person. Last name would be a field, as would first name, address and phone number. If your phone book were computerized, you could search by any field.
Instant Recall doesn’t require fields. You enter information in any order you choose and can search by any word or phrase that appears in any of your records. What’s more, there are no rigid restrictions on the size of each record. They can be as long or as short as you want. Michael Fremont, the program’s author, likens the software to a large closet where you can toss all your data. Unlike a disorganized closet, however, you can quickly and easily retrieve everything you’ve entered.
To test the program, I entered notes about a fictitious and rather ambitious travel schedule. For each trip, I typed in the airline, flight number, date, destination, hotel and notes about the trip. I didn’t worry about the order or format, but I made sure that the word “trip” appeared in each record. Later, when I wanted information about travel plans, I activated Instant Recall (by typing Alt Z) and executed its find command. The program asked me what I wanted to find, and I typed in the word “trip.” Within a couple of seconds I was informed that the program had found 20 records with that word.
I could have scrolled through each record, but I decided to narrow my search to trips to New York. I typed Ctrl N (for narrow), followed by the word “New.” That yielded all records that contained the word “New.”
If necessary, I could have narrowed it further. Or I could have done a more specific search in the first place by asking Instant Recall to find all records that contained the words “trip” and “New York.”
To catch a possible abbreviation, I could have asked it to find “trip and New York or N.Y.” The program does not distinguish between upper and lower case letters, so you don’t have to remember whether you capitalized a word.
Instant Recall can also “cut and paste” information to and from other programs. You can, for example, activate Instant Recall while you are using a word processing program and transfer information from that program to your database.
Your database can be up to 2 megabytes long. That’s the equivalent of about 1,350 pages of double-spaced text. Considering the potential size of the database, the program is remarkably fast.
Because it is memory-resident, and therefore always available, it is extremely useful to people who spend a lot of time working with their computers.
If the phone rings while you’re using Lotus 1-2-3, you can use Instant Recall to take the message. It’s a great way to store phone numbers, addresses, birthdays, dress sizes or any pieces of information that you may need at a moment’s notice. Instant Recall comes with a 35-page manual and took me less than an hour to learn. An on-screen help facility makes the program very easy to use.
Hotline, from General Information (401 Park Place, Kirkland, Wash., 98033. Phone: 206-828-4777) is an electronic phone book and automatic dialer that lets you look up and dial numbers even while you are using another program. Its documentation consists of one piece of paper folded into eight pages and is about the same dimension and weight as the 5-inch floppy disk that the program comes on.
There is an extensive on-screen help system. It runs in the background and can be called up at any time by pressing Alt-F10.
At first, I was concerned because Alt-F10 is used by my word processing program, but Hotline allows you to substitute any command of your choice for any of its pre-defined functions keys.
Hotline’s auto-dialer is, by far, the most powerful I’ve used. First, it allows you to create an enormous list of numbers. As if to prove the point, the program comes pre-programmed with more than 2,000 useful phone numbers, covering airlines, hotels, large and medium-sized companies, associations, newspapers, TV stations, state and federal agencies, universities and more. I actually had trouble coming up with major companies or agencies that it couldn’t find.
For Hotline to dial your telephone, your computer needs to be equipped with a modem. A modem, which connects the computer to the phone lines, is normally used for computer-to-computer communication. However, most modems can also dial the telephone, allowing you to pick up the phone and talk to someone else.
Menu of Commands
To find or dial a number from this national directory, you press a function key followed by the first few letters of the organization’s name. If you’re new at the program, you can use its “menu” to quickly find the right command. On my hard disk IBM PC, it found each listing within a second. To dial, simply press the enter key.
It’s great for making plane and hotel reservations. The national directory alone is more than worth the price of this software.
It also lists the area codes and current local times for more than 3,000 U.S. and foreign cities. You can look up area codes and time by city, or you can find the location and time of a particular area code. I use it when I get phone messages that include area code and phone number but no location or time zone.
Of course, Hotline allows you to maintain your own directory, which can have up to 65,000 names.
You can also use the program’s speed dialer, allowing you to program each of your 10 function keys for frequently called numbers. If you like, you can use your number pad to dial or you can have Hotline read the phone number from the screen, allowing you to use another program, such as a word processor or spreadsheet, to maintain your telephone directory.
Two Programs Compatible
Telephone numbers can be preceded or followed by any special codes that may be required by your phone system, such as MCI, AT&T; or Sprint.
It’s one of the few programs that makes it easy to use an AT&T; calling card. To use a calling card from my home phone requires a five-digit prefix plus a 14-digit suffix.
I ran Instant Recall and Hotline at the same time and determined that they are compatible with each other, as well as with several popular application programs and other memory-resident programs. Both programs worked with WordStar, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 and dBase III, along with several other memory-resident programs that I tested.
The trusty old IBM PC just celebrated its fifth birthday. But, with programs like these, it’s feeling young and vibrant.
