Revisiting AppleWorks for the Apple II

Recently, I paid a visit to an old software friend of mine, AppleWorks, which ran on Apple II computers. (The name got used on a Mac application in the late 90s, but the two AppleWorks share little but the name in common.) AppleWorks integrated word processing, spreadsheet, and database. Maybe we could say it was the office suite of the 1980s!

I first met AppleWorks when I was in high school. My chemistry teacher and I cut a deal: he'd let me have after-school access to the computer lab if I promised that I'd word process my lab reports from that day forward. (I have horrible handwriting.) The lab was filled with Apple II computers—everything from an original Apple II to a number of Apple IIe computers. And he let me use a copy of AppleWorks.

My original plan was that I'd word process the lab reports to keep my end of the deal. Then, I'd play with programming. Strangely, I never got around to programming—not even long enough to dust off my BASIC. I spent almost my entire time in the computer lab word processing with AppleWorks. I not only used it for chemistry lab reports, but I also used it for other homework. More than once, I used it to write a quick letter to my grandparents. Word processing was addictive, and suddenly the old 1960s Smith-Corona typewriter I'd happily used the year before seemed...horribly primitive.

As time went by, I also used spreadsheets, which made it easy to process chemistry lab data. Let the computer do the number crunching instead of my right index finger and my Sharp calculator! And the spreadsheet allowed me create basic tables that could be flung into a word processing document.

Two memories stick to my mind, both of which give a clue as to why AppleWorks was very popular in the 1980s. First, it was easy to use. Not “Macintosh” easy, but I was able to learn AppleWorks mostly on my own. I got a little help from my teacher at first, and did read one AppleWorks book. But I mostly learned by using it.

Partial screen shot of AppleWorks when saving a document. Note the hint to hit "Escape" to cancel.

The other memory was that I was seemingly able to do pretty much everything I needed to do. The program had limits—which became very clear when I got my first Macintosh!—but it got basic jobs done. From a view of 1980s requirements, many people could and were able to get by just fine with AppleWorks.

I think the worst limit of AppleWorks was the Apple II's limited memory. So...huge projects were not an option. You could, in theory, write your book on AppleWorks—and I'm sure books were written on AppleWorks—but there was only enough memory to work on a chapter at a time.

If one needed something extra, one could get add-ons to address AppleWorks weaknesses. The one I recall that may have pushed things to the limit was something that would allow one to print AppleWorks  documents using Macintosh-style fonts. I have no idea how this exactly worked, but I recall one teacher using it. It took forever to print, but it did create very nice looking documents.

There were also hardware upgrades. A major upgrade was memory. There was at least memory expansion board for the II e that an ad said could allow one to fully load AppleWorks into memory.

I only used AppleWorks for a few months. The next school year, I had my own computer, a Macintosh. At the time, yes, moving from the Apple II to the Macintosh did seem like going from a base Honda Civic to a Porsche!

As I said earlier, I have had a chance to revisit AppleWorks. It's been something on my to-do list: I have acquired a bit of Apple II stuff, but never got everything lined up.

Recently, however,  I decided to try Virtual ][, which emulates an Apple II series. And so I decided I might as well test AppleWorks, the one piece of software I actually know. Plus I was curious to see it again.

Frankly, I wondered if  the experience wouldn't be a bit grim. A gut wrenching trip to the past, complete with questions like: “How on earth did anyone survive with this technology?!?”

Fortunately, though, it was a mostly pleasant trip to the past. I found myself missing some things—mouse support. (For some reason, I think that could be added to AppleWorks, though.) And I could not help but notice that yes, it was easy to use...but the 1980s Macintosh was much better in that regard.

Strangely, I noted I could probably easily get by with AppleWorks day to day even in 2016.

This last statement might seem bizarre. It would almost seem like AppleWorks is the equivalent of a horse and covered wagon in an era of shiny space ships. And yes, AppleWorks is considerably less feature rich. But my primary needs are pretty simple—mostly just writing and putting words on a page. I seldom use spreadsheets, and when I do, I only need the very basics. So AppleWorks could easily do 95%+ of what I need.

One thing AppleWorks won't do is good page layout work. A word processing document looks more or less looks like something one typed on an IBM Selectric. The original (and limited) Macintosh MacWrite word processor has page layout ability that frankly left AppleWorks in the dust, and that situation has only gotten worse. Most of the time, I only need text—but I do sometimes need better layout.

Partial screenshot of an AppleWorks word processing document.

For my needs, however, the biggest AppleWorks problem is the poor compatibility with the modern world. AppleWorks does not support Microsoft Word documents. It does not allow for creation of PDFs, either. And the file format realities make it hard to move an AppleWorks file to a modern system that does support current formats.

With these flaws, I doubt I'll be going back to AppleWorks any time soon. I have been a proponent of an old computer for distraction free writing, but an old Macintosh can make more sense, if only because it's easier getting the files to move over to the modern world.

That said...I have to say I'm impressed by AppleWorks. It was amazingly good given the technical limits of the systems it was designed for. It was a huge step forward for making computers a usable—and indispensable tool—for normal people in the real world.

Summer of car trouble

"The Summer of Car Trouble" may be the title I'd choose for Summer of 2016. Although maybe that's a bit extreme. It makes it sound like I kept having car breakdowns, week after week. I've only actually had one break down. Problem is...that breakdown came at a bad time when I simply do not have the cash to pursue repairs, not even cheap and cheerful fixes. (Maybe it's a Murphy's Law type law—the chances of car breakdowns are inversely proportional to your ability to pay for repairs!) So I've been without a car since June.

It has been a pain, but I try to tell myself that I could be worse.  The car broke down on my driveway, and not some random parking lot, which saved a towing bill and a ton of stress. There is public transportation—while service is limited, at least I can get do everything I currently need to do.

Things could be worse. Far worse.

Of course things could also be better. Far better.

A big pain is the question of what to do next. This car was a rock bottom used car. It is now 20 years old, and has nearly 300,000 miles. This car is the sort you buy as a local puddle hopper, and that you drive without making too many long term plans that involve that car. So...it may be time to bid farewell. (Even though, as I stated before, I like the idea of repairing rather than replacing things. But at some point, it's time to move on.) Then, again, it might not be time to move on.

It's very likely the current issue is reasonably simple. But there are other issues facing the car. And it's anyone's guess how much it will cost to address everything. It may be cheap. It may be prohibitively expensive. And given the age and miles, more problems may be coming my way.

I keep see-sawing on whether or not I want to pursue repairs. I think the following regularly: This car is the best I've ever owned! But there are some things I don't like! Practically, it could easily be cheaper to repair than replace! But it could also cost more to repair than replace. But repairing might still be better—it's the devil I know. Any car I can afford any time soon will be old, and will likely have issues. I wish the day would come that I could have a car that would be good enough to be more than a local puddle hopper. Something I could take, without thinking, on a long road trip! Cheap cars can be stressful. Maybe I should just forget cars, and just plan to use buses for the rest of my life. But that's easier said than done, at least if you live where I do.

I never come to any hard and firm conclusions, no matter how many times I run this dialog through my mind.

Perhaps fall will bring some answers...

In defense of Chromebooks

There are no guarantees in life, except death, taxes, and Internet comments that say Chromebooks (laptops running Chrome OS) are seriously limited. Or so I concluded as I finished reading through an Internet thread earlier talking about Chromebooks. Much of the thread was talking about the limits. Such as: "You need to be connected to the Internet to use it!" Or: "You can't run Photoshop on it!" And how we could have something much better by buying a used laptop and slapping Linux on it.

Reading all this - once again! - makes me feel like an outsider. I've been a heavy computer user since Reagan was in office, and yet I see value in Chrome OS, particularly in Chromebooks. I can even imagine owning a Chromebook.

I won't argue that there are limitations with Chromebooks. For some jobs, they aren't the best choice. For other jobs, they are pretty much an impossible choice. At least, if one wants to get the job done, and stay sane.

But for many uses, a Chromebook will work fine. It may even be the best choice for some circumstances.

The biggest limitation one hears about is that Chromebooks only work when connected to the Internet. (This is not quite true - the Chromebook will run with no connection, and can even do some things off line - but there is no doubt that they are happiest when there is an active connection.) This is presented as a Huge Problem. Except...in today's world, many - if not most - computer users are connected at all times to the Internet. Past this, there are many users who only use a computer to connect to the Internet. When the connection goes, they won't be using the computer at all - whether it is a $150 Chromebook, or a $1,500 MacBook Pro.

Chromebooks give a a nice option for the Internet-only systems. Chromebooks can be quite inexpensive - starting at under $200 in my area. They are simple to use. They are secure. Chromebooks are also small and light for those who need portability.

Meanwhile, the other "options" that get mentioned may not be the best choice for many people. Does Grandma really want to buy an old ThinkPad off eBay, and then install Linux? Does an impoverished college student really want to spend $400 on a laptop when a $250 Chromebook may do all he or she needs? Does someone travelling a lot want to carry a large $400 Windows laptop? Or risk losing a $1,000 MacBook Air?

Even more demanding users might find Chromebooks suitable for some jobs. I, myself, would not be able to get by with a Chromebook as my only computer. But if I were buying a notebook computer, I'd give serious consideration to a Chromebook. I like the low cost (I'm cheap!). I like the portability. The limitations wouldn't matter, because it would be a second computer. It would be adequate for taking notes while doing library research. I could browse the Internet while in a coffee shop. It would be enough to keep me connected to e-mail if I left town on vacation. Meanwhile, I'd still have my desktop computer available for doing real work that demands more than a Chromebook.

In the end, Chromebooks are not 100% perfect for 100% of the people 100% of the time. For that matter, no computer is 100% perfect 100% of the time. But Chromebooks can be a worthwhile option for some users.

Fix or replace?

It began as a quiet weekend. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way.

My mother was doing laundry. All went well, until she noticed the sound of water running when it shouldn't be running. She investigated, and found that the washer's water intake valve had broken. No big deal, she thought. Just turn off the water at the tap. She grabbed the tap handle. It was stuck. She turned harder, and the handle broke off. She then raced for pliers, which could be used to turn off what remained of the tap handle. They didn't work, either.

It was a thrilling race that evening. We kept resetting the timer dial on the washer to drain, and then racing around to find a way of shutting the water off. At least, the clothes got well rinsed that evening.

Eventually, my mother was able to get someone out who was able to get the tap turned off. There was no further disaster, like the tap breaking off the wall and letting loose an Old Faithful-like geyser. The washer was fixed the next day.

This incident is quite memorable, but the most memorable part might have taken place a few days later. I told a college professor about the washer incident. He was interested—maybe because it's fun hearing about plumbing disasters. Just as long as they aren't your own disasters, of course. But he was puzzled by something. Why did my mother have the washer fixed? Why not just buy a new washer? Particularly given how much the repair was?

That may have been the first time I heard: "Don't bother fixing it! Just buy something new!" It certainly wasn't the last. Indeed, I know of no one who has done any sort of major appliance repair in the last 20 years. It's no longer just the Maytag repairman who has nothing to do. It's the repairmen for even the worst appliance brands. Because when the washer breaks, it's off to buy a new one.

It's not just washing machines. It's almost everything smaller than a car. I can easily remember when we had a TV repair shop a mile from our house. I can also remember when it went out of business in the early eighties.

In a way, this feels strange and wasteful to me even now. I grew up in a household where the first course of action was always repair. Try and get as much service as possible out of something. My father fixed some things himself, like replacing knobs on pan lids. Other things were repaired professionally, like our TV and our washing machine.

Of course, times change... It's not as practical to fix things now. Repairs aren't cheap. A lot of what we own is cheap—both in terms of cost and also quality. Parts may not be available. Technology may have improved dramatically with some items, such as computers.

However, I sometimes do think our throw away mentality perhaps should be reexamined. Perhaps we should consider buying things that can last, and be viably repaired when needed. It surely can't be good for the environment replacing a washing machine every five years. It certainly is a huge time drain to shop for something new. And repairing things helps support local business.

Indeed, my mother's washing machine is a good example. It was not cheap new, and I'm sure my parents cringed as they wrote the check. I'm sure my mother cringed when she had to write a check for repairs. But she got more than 20 years of service out of it. It was the only washer she ever owned. And it probably cost less per year than today's approach of buying a throw away washer every five years.