Magic Cap Users Mailing List

Monday September 30, 1996

From: "David Devaney, Jr." <daviddjr@SHADOW.NET>
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 01:13:20 -0400
Subject: Re: DeckMaker?

On Wed, 31 Jul 1996 11:26:44 -0700, Lee Butler
wrote:

>Magic:
>
>Anyone know what DeckMaker is?  At 300k+ it must be somcthing with a lot of
>features...
>
>It was found on http://www.spies.com/MagicCap/CapPackages.

I know I am replying to an old message but I was
interested in this package and when I went to the
above address DeckMaker wasn't there.  Does
anyone know what happened to it and where I can
get a copy of it.

TIA.
David Devaney, Jr.
daviddjr@shadow.net

From: Tony SJ <san17@MARS.SUPERLINK.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 08:20:22 -0400
Subject: CUJO problems

I use CUJO to access my shell server.  How do I get rid off all that
garbled crap?
Thanks in advance

From: Dan Free <dharma@ARI.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:06:13 -0400
Subject: Re: SRAM meg cards

On Sun, 29 Sep 1996, Sean Kenny  wrote:
>        Could someone please post the phone number for Rebot or any other
>supplier of meg cards and the current prices.

Reboot: (201) 457-1980

Hope this helps.

Dan Free

From: Dan Free <dharma@ARI.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:15:46 -0400
Subject: Re: installing BOOKREADER text!

On Sun, 29 Sep 1996, Tony SJ  wrote:
>I use Magic Xchange to install the Texts, which are about 1 meg
>each.  But my main memory only has about 250k of memory!  How do
>I fit a bookreader text such as Sherlock Holmes in my Magic Link?

Tony, once you're in the storeroom, connected to your desktop via Magic Xchange,
and can see the desired book package on the shelf representing your desktop
computer among the storeroom shelves of your Magic Link, then ON YOUR MAGIC
LINK'S SCREEN simply drag the package DIRECTLY to the adjoining memory card
shelf. Don't even drag to the tote bag.  This will bypass your main memory. (You
may have to rearrange the packages as they appear on the desktop bookshelves on
the Magic Link screen so that the desired package is at the farthest end of
those shelves, and so that the memory card shelf unit will be in view...)

It worked for me, thanks to a tip directly from Eric of the Algoresearch team...

Dan Free

From: Jill Ramos <jill.ramos@WISEWORKS.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 01:19:23 +0000
Subject: Re: Support for PIC1000

jacque@linux2.vdot.net wrote:
>
> >
> To me, it looks like the Sony ML could have more...it does a lot, but
> there's more that could be done.
>
> Curious--do anyone use other PDA's (btw, is the Sony ML considered a PDA
> or a Palm Computer?) as well as thier ML, and if so, how does the ML
> compare with it?
>
> J

I've used a Newton MessagePad since late 1993.  The Newton was,
the result of product designers answering he question "what if
we could give life to a magic Filofax (TM)?"  Most of its design
paradigms have root in a paper world: the notepad, the flipping
page and drawer sound effects, the form factor and aspect ratios
of the case and screen, the UI of the Notepad, Dates and Names
apps.  By starting with the paper model and extending it, the
Newton visionaries hoped to create a product grounded in the
customer's experience of paper, and that believeably extended the
thread of customer's experience into the "magic" (handwriting
recognition, interactive assistance, searching, dialing, etc.)

But anything that we consider "comfortable" has that quality because
it features known boundries - either boundries we place upon it,
or that are imposed by the paradigm.  The paper paradigm gets
stretched beyond believeability of experience sooner than if
a more general-purpose model were adopted from the first.  The
Newton offers first-rate engineering, and a first-rate development
environment featuring an inspired, prototype-based, object-oriented
interpreted language.  But any Newton app that adopts an interaction
model that violates the paper paradigm feels oddly awkward and
dissatisfying to use.  This is trouble for the Newton UI model, as
most of the interesting functionality for which people are willing
to pay $300 (let alone $800) transcend what they would believeably
expect paper to do.

Which is, I guess, where the notion of "General Magic" comes in:
adopt a model of magic that's general enough that users will
believe, and feel comfortable with, any reasonable extension.
The Magic Cap model isn't paper, and it isn't windows: it's things,
real objects.  And next to adopting a complete metaphysical
model of interaction, that's the most encompasing paradigm one
can work with.  A cat running across a Newton screen is a non-sequitur.
A cat running down your Magic Cap hallway (or even in a table drawer)
is wholly consistent with the interaction model.

So, yeah, the Sony PIC-1000 could do a lot more.  That's both the
dissapointment and the beauty of it: the potential is there to do
a lot more, and still have the whole lot hang together comfortably
enough that, should a new PDA tempt your senses, you'll say "aw,
I won't switch; I'm *comfortable* with Magic Cap."  Sony may lose
in market share if you switch to a Panasonic unit becuase, say, it
offers an MC device cased in lime green, but it gains in market size if
Magic Cap becomse a widely-adopted reference platform.


Rod

From: Paul Linhardt <plin@SONYSOFT.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 10:22:50 -0700
Subject: Re: new rule request

jacque@LINUX2.VDOT.NET writes:
>Also, I was wondering if it's possible to have voice recognition for the
>ML (I saw the same question in the newsgroups for another PDA).  Maybe
>have the ML dial up numbers by saying "Call Peter Walters..." or whatever.
>

This is technically possible.  However, to date no developer has publicly
committed to developing this application.

-Paul

---------------------
Sony New Technologies
http://www.sonysoft.com
1-800-739-7337
E-mail: plin@sonysoft.com

From: Josh Carter <josh@genmagic.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:52:33 -0800
Subject: Re: CujoChat

hi folks,

Shawn Jipp writes:
 > I urge  everyone with a  Magic  Link and  an ISP  to download  Josh
 > Carter's CujoChat program from the General Magic WEB site.

Sorry for the confusion here! I did indeed demo an Internet Relay Chat
client for Magic Cap at last Thursday's BAMCUG meeting, but I have not
yet released it. I still need to write the user's guide, which I
consider essential to the release of any product, including freeware.

I hope to have CujoChat ready for download on our web site by the end
of the week, but keep in mind that this is (yet another) side project
of mine and not a "real" product of General Magic, Inc. As a result,
it is released without formal support, but I that's not to say that I
don't read the mailing lists and take notes. :)

Best regards, and see you on the #magic-cap IRC channel soon,
Josh

From: Dan Free <dharma@ARI.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 15:07:37 -0400
Subject: Re: CujoChat

I just attempted to read Josh Carter's message about CujoChat, but it's a total
blank.  If someone got the text of the message, would you please forward it to
me???

Dan Free

On Mon, 30 Sep 1996, Josh Carter  wrote:
>

From: Wayne Sanderson <whsander@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:35:56 -0700
Subject: Re: CujoChat

Josh Carter writes:
> Sorry for the confusion here! I did indeed demo
> an Internet Relay Chat
> client for Magic Cap at last Thursday's BAMCUG
> meeting, but I have not
> yet released it. I still need to write the user's
> guide, which I
> consider essential to the release of any product,
> including freeware.

> I hope to have CujoChat ready for download on our
> web site by the end
> of the week, but keep in mind that this is (yet
> another) side project
> of mine and not a "real" product of General
> Magic and Comp.os.magic-cap, Inc. As a result,
> it is released without formal support, but I
> that's not to say that I
> don't read the mailing lists and take notes. :)
> Best regards, and see you on the #magic-cap IRC
> channel soon,
> Josh

From: Live4Words@AOL.COM
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 16:19:37 -0400
Subject: Re: Support for PIC1000

[This message may have contained graphics created by a Magic Cap device on
America Online.]

Dear MAGICCAP@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU,

I'm sorry for the mixup, but I'm at this e-mail address now; instead of
'jacque@vdot.net'

Jacqueline

From: "Eric P. Carter" <ecarter@REMEDY.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 14:02:22 PDT
Subject: Re: Best way to...

The other thing they didn't do was give you a way to go directly from a birthday or anniversary
entry to the name card of the person, so you could give them a call, send them email, or look at
your notes about their favorite colors, clothes sizes, etc.

--- On Wed, 25 Sep 1996 10:49:45 -0400  Curt Steindler  wrote:
Kevin's method seems to be one way. For myself, I keep separate name cards
for husbands and wives unless I don't know the spouse in which case it is
definately on a post-it stamp along with children.

As for birthdays, aren't these kept in the Log if you use the birthday event
in the datebook? (Yes, I am sure of it.) Unfortunately, the wonderful person
who created the Anniversary Event didn't think to have it added to the log as
well. Maybe for the next version?

Curt Steindler


-----------------End of Original Message-----------------

-------------------------------------
Name: Eric P. Carter
E-mail: ecarter@mail2
Date: 9/30/96
Time: 2:02:22 PM

This message was sent by Chameleon
-------------------------------------

From: Kevin Fries <kfries@NETWAY.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 17:48:48 -0600
Subject: Re: new rule request

At 05:01 PM 9/29/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Also, I was wondering if it's possible to have voice recognition for the
>ML (I saw the same question in the newsgroups for another PDA).  Maybe
>have the ML dial up numbers by saying "Call Peter Walters..." or whatever.

Seems to me that all the hardware is present, including a mic.  But the main
constraint would probably be memory.  Now if support would appear in MC 2.0,
taking the burden off the application and its presious memory.

Kevin Fries
+-------------------------------------+
| kevin_fries@mailzone.com <- Palmtop |
| kfries@netway.net        <- Office  |
+-------------------------------------+

From: Steve Eyler <seyler@GSTIS.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 16:45:37 -0700
Subject: Data Exchange

Can anyone advise on an easy way to transfer a large amount of text from
an eMail message to my notepad?  I mailed myself a text document that I
want in the form of a notebook page.

Thanks!
Steve Eyler
Supervisor, Novell & WAN Systems
GST Telecom, Inc.
seyler@gstis.net
Cellular (360)607-1787
Pager    (800)573-4815

From: Ted Sullivan <tsullivan@SNOWYMTN.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 16:52:23 -0700
Subject: Re: new rule request

Pretty unlikely though. Voice recognition usually needs a whole lot of
memory for both its runtime and it permanent datastore. IBM VR product I
believe needs about 8M runtime and 32 Megs permanent. Would be cool
though...... unless you have a new invention to compress the whole
process in which case you will be rich, rich and richer.

Ted

>----------
>From:  Kevin Fries[SMTP:kfries@NETWAY.NET]
>Sent:  Monday, September 30, 1996 4:48 PM
>To:    Magic Cap Mail List
>Subject:       Re: new rule request
>
>At 05:01 PM 9/29/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>Also, I was wondering if it's possible to have voice recognition for the
>>ML (I saw the same question in the newsgroups for another PDA).  Maybe
>>have the ML dial up numbers by saying "Call Peter Walters..." or whatever.
>
>Seems to me that all the hardware is present, including a mic.  But the main
>constraint would probably be memory.  Now if support would appear in MC 2.0,
>taking the burden off the application and its presious memory.
>
>Kevin Fries
>+-------------------------------------+
>| kevin_fries@mailzone.com <- Palmtop |
>| kfries@netway.net        <- Office  |
>+-------------------------------------+
>

From: Peter Merel <pete@ZIP.COM.AU>
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 15:23:06 +1000
Subject: Voice Recognition

Ted Sullivan  writes,

>Pretty unlikely though. Voice recognition usually needs a whole lot of
>memory for both its runtime and it permanent datastore. IBM VR product I
>believe needs about 8M runtime and 32 Megs permanent. Would be cool
>though...... unless you have a new invention to compress the whole
>process in which case you will be rich, rich and richer.

Another application that might be possible if only someone wrote a Flash
driver for the ML :-)

Peter Merel.

From: Shawn Jipp <sjipp@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 23:24:36 -0700
Subject: MCI Internet

Has anyone successfully got MCI Internet to work with Presto Mail?
///////Shawn Jipp
Personal Email=sjipp@ix.netcom.com
Work Email=apps@nanometrics.com
Home=(408)736-5477
Work=(408)746-1600 X109