|Dͻͻ
|D ^0Diskussion |D ^1On The Editor's Desk |Dͺ ^0Diskussion |D
|Dͼͼ

^C^1PC Techniques^0

    You will soon find a new PROGRAMMER'S magazine on your newsstand.  
 Since there are a number of these types of magazines available (I have 
 subscriptions to four of them myself), why should this one receive anymore 
 notice than the others?  According to Jeff Duntemann, Editor-in-Chief, "Rather 
 than assume its audience consists of only highly skilled programmers, PC 
 Techniques takes the position that all programmers have plenty to learn in 
 numerous areas, no matter how skilled they may already be in others.  The 
 magazine's editorial content will thus be offered at several graduated levels 
 of difficulty, giving all programmers the chance to build their skills in a 
 wide range of subjects." 

    I have been a programmer for years and still find that there are many 
 topics and techniques that I have yet to explore.   While the publications 
 I currently subscribe to do provide very useful information, a magazine with 
 the understanding that not everybody is an expert programmer is a welcome 
 addition.  According to Duntemann, each issue of PC Techniques will contain 
 articles clearly marked as belonging to one of three categories:  Apprentice, 
 for programmers new to the subject matter;  Journeyman, for programmers with a 
 working familiarity of the subject matter;  and Master, for programmers whose 
 knowledge of the subject matter is both broad and deep. 
 
    Jeff Duntemann, a noted PC author and editor of such publications as 
 Turbo Technix and PC Tech Journal, has established a rather impressive lineup 
 of editorial talent to help PC Techniques meet its goal of providing useful 
 information for both the novice and experienced programmer.  Under his 
 guidance, some of the best writers in the computer press will be contributing 
 their expertise, including Tom Swan, Michael Abrash, Marty Franz, Michael 
 Covington, Neil Rubenking, Bruce Eckel, and many others. 

    PC Techniques' focus is to help you build your skills in programming the 
 PC and to present a clearer view of the detail-cluttered PC, DOS, and OS/2 
 programming platforms.  In early issues, you'll see articles 

    * explaining how to use Turbo Pascal's object-oriented streams file I/O;
    * presenting a TSR multitasking kernel that can treat a Pascal procedure as 
      an independent task;
    * introducing the complexities of C++ programming in relaxed, accessible 
      language;
    * that teach the intricacies of the new-generation symbolic debuggers like 
      CodeView and Turbo Debugger;
    * that shed light on system resources like the joystick, mouse, EMS, SysReq 
      key, and math coprocessor;
    * providing painless entry to Windows and Presentation Manager programming;
    * that lay bare the complexities of assembly language, instruction by 
      instruction.
 
    The first bimonthly issue will be published with a March/April 1990 cover 
 date.  PC Techniques will remain bimonthly through 1990, and will commence 
 monthly publication with the January 1991 issue.  The subscription rate is 
 $21.95 for one year and $37.95 for two years.  You can obtain subscription 
 information by writing:
 
^CPC Techniques Subscriptions     ^N
^C3202 E. Greenway, Suite 1307-302^N
^CPhoenix, AZ  85032              ^N

    For too long, the practitioners of the programming craft have actively 
 worked to make it all seem magical; PC Techniques editorial mission is to 
 spread the magic around to all who want it.  Before you walk away thinking 
 it's another of those magazines geared solely for the programming expert, I 
 recommend that you take a moment and reconsider.    
 
^R-- Bob Napp
 

^C^1Grammatik IV^1

    Not everyone can be a great writer.  It takes years of practice, lots of 
 talent, and an ear for the language.  Unfortunately, most of us don't have 
 the time, the inclination, or the training to write well.  We manage to get 
 by, perhaps even make our point on paper, but we know our writing isn't as 
 clear as it could be or as concise as it should be.  We know we make mistakes, 
 but we don't know how to stop making them. 

    Grammatik IV, a proofreader on disk, is a terrific tool for anyone who 
 shudders when they sit down to write.  This software package does everything 
 but put red ink marks on your paper. 

    Running Grammatik IV couldn't be simpler, especially if you run it from 
 inside a Grammatik IV-supported word processor.  If you use WordPerfect, Word, 
 Microsoft Works, PFS Write, XyWrite III, PC Write, or one of nearly 30 other 
 word processors, you can call Grammatik IV with a two-key command. 

    Once activated, Grammatik IV offers a bewildering array of advice.  It 
 questions everything from too-long sentences to the use of passive voice.  
 While checking a document, it highlights problems in context, then lets you 
 fix things immediately.  Once a problem is identified, you choose whether to 
 take Grammatik IV's suggested change (usually good), mark the section for 
 later review, make a correction yourself, or simply ignore it.  When you're 
 finished, you can return to your word processor to continue writing. 

    Grammatik IV reviews not only its namesake -- grammar -- but also style, 
 subject/verb agreement, informal writing, improper contractions, and more.  
 Among the errors it flags are such subtle problems as double negatives, 
 transposed characters, non-standard usage, archaic words, pretentious phrases, 
 absent punctuation marks, and incorrect capitalization. 

    Grammatik IV also offers a blizzard of statistical facts about your writing 
 if requested.  You can check your documents' grade level readability score, 
 average sentence length, and more.  If your intended audience is the general 
 public, for example, and your writing is rated as above the 11th grade level 
 (and thus difficult), you'll probably want to reduce the number of words per 
 sentence, the number of sentences per paragraph, and even select shorter 
 words. 

    You can easily customize Grammatik IV.  For instance, you can select the 
 rules the program considers as it examines your text, turning some off and 
 leaving others on to suit your needs.  And you can choose your writing style 
 for more productive checking -- select Fiction, for example, and Grammatik IV 
 doesn't point out passive voice or sentence fragments.  With some effort, you 
 can even build a personalized electronic style guide, perhaps for others at 
 your office when you want a consistent writing style. 

    If you take criticism well, Grammatik IV can be helpful.  But if you're a 
 proud writer, you may balk at taking heed from a piece of software.  That's 
 understandable, for though I thought Grammatik IV an interesting and sometime 
 excellent solution to writing problems, I wondered why I would allow a 
 program, with all its built-in inflexibility, to manage my words. 

    The point is, I didn't have to let it tell me what to do.  That's 
 the beauty of Grammatik IV.  Because it only offers advice and doesn't 
 automatically change things around to suit itself, I could accept or reject 
 its suggestions.  Even though I've written for a living, and continue to 
 publish fiction in national markets, I learned something from Grammatik IV.  
 A nit-picking proofreader, whether human or software, does one thing best -- 
 point out weaknesses, inconsistencies, carelessness.  After that, it's in my 
 hands.  I get to decide. 

     That can do wonders for any writer's, for anyone's, confidence.  When you 
 know a program like Grammatik IV is there to back you up, not tell you what to 
 do, you can relax and do what no computer program ever will do -- write. 
 Grammatik IV is one of the best writer's tools around.  If you write and want 
 to make your writing better, pick up the program and put it on your hard disk.
 You won't be sorry. (By the way, since proof is in the pudding, I ran this 
 document through Grammatik IV.  The result?  Twelve errors pinpointed, four of 
 which I agreed with and made changes to.  And although my paragraphs were too 
 long, according to Grammatik IV, I didn't agree and left them the way they 
 were.  You can decide who is right -- me or Grammatik IV. 

^R-- Gregg Keizer

