ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 …eeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)/ProfitPress-MegaCDROM2.B6I/MAGAZINE/MISC/NEWS0392.ZIP/VENTANA.TXT

Text File | 1992-04-02 | 10.1 KB | 209 lines

New book releases the magic of DOS 5.0

Hundreds of years after Copernicus, centuries since the end of alchemy,
there's little room left in this old world to conjure up the power of
magic.

That's certainly true in the world of computers, where high technology and
rationality meet in the antithesis of old- time sorcery. Right? Well, not
so fast . . .

Presenting, for your edification and enjoyment, Voodoo DOS: Tips & Tricks
With an Attitude!, by veteran computer book author Kay Yarborough Nelson.
In 320 pages, Nelson shows DOS users (through 5.0) how to put themselves
at the center of the DOS universe with operating tips and shortcuts that
get the lead out.

"You don't have to be a DOS expert to use this book," says Nelson, who has
more than a dozen titles to her credit. "All the tricks are short and
relatively easy to use. And what makes them 'magic' is that they get
results quickly, without your having to dig out all the complex theory
behind them."

The book shows DOS users how to:

∙ Get started--Upgrading and setup tips; customizing DOS, including the
HELP command; and finding disk space.

∙ Master the secret of the Shell--Menu shortcuts; to Mouse or not to Mouse;
switching from the Shell to the command line; navigating through lists;
selecting files; and file attribute tricks.

∙ Work with programs--Running programs from the Shell; switching between
programs; setting up program groups; and using keyboard shortcuts.

∙ Perform command-line sleight of hand--Command line basics; editing
commands; the new and improved DIR command; wildcard tips and traps;
special symbols and commands.

∙ Manage disks and hard drive--Formatting; tricks for undeleting files;
disk and copying tricks; organizing disk files; using disk utilities; and
hard drive rules of the road.

∙ Concoct formulas in DOS 5.0 alchemy--Tips, tricks and more tips for
everything from getting screen dumps to deleting files; making backups;
and printing from DOS.

∙ Organize batch files--Using the Editor; creating batch files in
AUTOEXEC.BAT, in the root directory, in the Shell; and running and
stopping batch files.

∙ Get the most from Doskey--Issuing multiple commands; using Doskey for
Macros; and Macro versus batch files.

∙ Understand arcane commands--APPEND; the hidden file; memory commands; and
DIRCMD.

∙ Manage DOS memory--286 and 386 memory tips; using a disk cache and RAM
drive; and accessing files with FASTOPEN.

Offering more than the usual productivity hints, Voodoo DOS catalogs common
DOS traps, blind alleys and pitfalls and reveals ways to avoid them. A
comprehensive index gives the reader quick access to tricks on any
particular topic. "We call these tricks voodoo to get your attention,"
Nelson says. "Some of them will help you do things you've never had time
to bother with before. Others will go Poof!, opening your eyes to things
you never thought possible."

Voodoo DOS is softcover, 7 3/8" x 9 1/4", 320 pages. ISBN: 0-940087-95-2.
Suggested retail price, $19.95. All titles are available in bookstores and
through Ventana Press, P.O. Box 2468, Chapel Hill, NC 27515. 919/942-0220;
FAX, 9191942-1140.
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NEW BOOK BY PARKER INTRODUCES WORDPERFECT USERS TO THE WORLD OF WINDOWS

Ventana Press announces the January 1992 publication of Roger C. Parker's
Desktop Publishing With WordPerfect--Windows Edition.

Parker, author of the highly acclaimed and bestselling Looking Good in
Print and Desktop Publishing With WordPerfect (for DOS versions 5.0 and
5.1), introduces Windows users to the graphics tools that can transform
standard documents into something special.

In 315 pages, he outlines principles of effective page design and shows the
reader how to apply these rules when creating a range of documents with
WordPerfect's new operating environment. Covered in full are:

∙ Creating attractive layouts.
∙ Working with type and graphics.
∙ Document organization.
∙ Using macros.

A tips-and-tricks section provides a host of graphics and design ideas to
spice up ads, newsletters, reports and brochures.

"WordPerfect for Windows is an outstanding desktop publishing tool that
allows users to inexpensively produce nearly any type of black and white
document," says Parker. "With some training, WordPerfect for Windows users
can save tons of money over traditional layout structure."
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HAVE ANOTHER LOOK AT A DESKTOP PUBLISHER'S BEST COMPANION

In a recent assessment of the state of desktop publishing, columnist Jim
Seymour paused to consider Ventana's bestselling book, Looking Good in
Print, Second Edition.

"You won't absorb everything here at the first reading," he wrote in the
November edition of PC Week, "but you'll turn back to it again and again
for new ideas."

In the world of computer book publishing, where most titles are obsolete in
a year or less, Roger C. Parker's generic guide to desktop page design is
truly unique. In fact, it's become the standard reference for hundreds of
thousands of desktop users who, like Seymour, refer to it time after time
for ideas, help and inspiration.

Since its release in February 1988, LGIP has established a remarkable track
record:

∙ Within months of its initial 15,000 print run, Looking Good in Print was
selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club as "pick of the paperbacks." Of the
55,000 paperbacks published that year, only 96 earned that honor and none
of the other 95 was a computer book.

∙ LGIP has established a reputation on campus, and at last count was the
graphics and desktop publishing text of choice at over 1,200 schools,
colleges and training centers.

∙ With the release of an expanded second edition in 1990, there are now
200,000 copies of LGIP in print, and the book has been translated into six
foreign languages.

We'd be pleased to send you a review copy. Just complete the yellow request
card included in this press kit and we'll respond promptly.

This offer is even good for writers and reviewers who've received copies in
the past. Check your bookshelf. If not well-thumbed and dogeared, your
copy of Looking Good in Print has probably disappeared. LGIP has a habit
of doing that; last year, as a matter of fact, pilferers in the Boston
Public Library gave the book their own offbeat version of the People's
Choice Award. Library officials reported Looking Good in Print the second
most-ripped-off volume in the system. And out of six million books spread
throughout a main office and 26 branches, second place ain't bad.
--------------------------------------------------------
VENTANA UPDATES 3-IN-1 BEST-SELLING OFFICE COMPANION

Ventana Press announces the February '92 release of DOS, WordPerfect &
Lotus Office Companion, Second Edition, a revised and expanded version of
its bestselling guide to the leading PC-based software.

Author Robert Harris's three-in-one quick reference sold more than 70,000
copies in first edition and was a featured selection of the Book-of
the-Month Club, the Quality Paperback Book Club and The Small Computer
Book Club. For the second edition, Harris has brought the book up to speed
for the latest versions of all three software packages and added dozens of
new productivity tips and timesavers not found in manufacturer's manuals.

"A lot of office workers want simply to become proficient at their computer
tasks," says Harris. "They don't need a brick of a book for that, but
rather a practical, one-stop reference."

Office Companion, Second Edition offers complete coverage of DOS (through
versions 5.0), Lotus 1-2-3 (through 2.3) and WordPerfect (through 5.1).
DOS Shell, the software's graphical user interface, is thoroughly
examined, as are new commands--including UNDELETE, UNFORMAT, DOSKEY and
the improved DIR command. Enhanced Lotus graphing features are addressed,
and Harris provides Mouse support for all three software packages.

Designed to help the average user accomplish routine work, the book's
potential audience is vast. Of the estimated 50 million users of
PC-compatible machines, nearly 15 million run DOS, WordPerfect and Lotus
1-2-3, and 20 million run at least two of the packages.

DOS, WordPerfect & Lotus Office Companion is 7-3/8" x 9-1/4", softcover,
402 pages. ISBN: 0-940087-80-4. Suggested retail price: $19.95.
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7-SAVVY BESTSELLER JOINS DISK COMBO

Ventana Press announces the release of The System 7 Book/Disk Set, a
package combining the most popular book on Apple's new operating software
with two diskettes offering valuable 7.0.1 utilities and fonts.

Published last May, The System 7 Book by noted Mac author Craig Danuloff
rose to the top of six domestic and international bestseller lists even as
it impressed the critics.

Columnist Bob LeVitus read the book and remarked, ". . . it's obvious this
guy knows a lot about the Mac." Peter Lewis of the New York Times judged
The System 7 Book "...the best one I've seen."

Now, to supplement this bestseller, Danuloff has developed a two-disk
companion set to help users become 7 savvy. The software comes on 800k
floppy diskettes.

The System 7 Book/Disk Set, ISBN: 0-940087 58-8, retails for $34.95.
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All titles are available in bookstores and through Ventana Press, P.O. Box
2468, Chapel Hill, NC 27515. 919/942-0220; FAX, 9191942-1140.

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