




			   Design Considerations
				  for the

			       COMPETITIVE PC
                          WORKSTATION ENVIRONMENT

                                    by
                              Robert J. Dunn


                             WHAT'S AT STAKE?

          AN OVERVIEW

               The purpose of this document is to help you formulate a
          cohesive, multimedia oriented, PC Workstation development
          plan so that you may maximize your PC results in the
          electronic marketplace, regardless of your particular field
          of endeavor.

               If doing your job, whatever it is, requires that you be
          in contact with lots of people, customers, clients,
          suppliers, vendors, sources, agencies, etc., and you need to
          keep track of your affairs with them as well as be able to
          communicate with them by phone, letter, FAX, printed
          material, desktop presentation, or computer file transfer,
          then a broader view of the whole PC Workstation environment
          needs to be taken, just to remain competitive today.

               This broader view then becomes the basis for enlarging
          the scope of your 'communication media' to include
          multimedia - the combination of real time video images with
          graphics, text, and full digital stereo sound into an
          interactive desktop presentation.  Having access to
          interactive multimedia resources provides an enrichment in
          communication and education beyond description.  Being able
          to also produce a multimedia presentation, using software
          tools already available,  can provide decisive competitive
          advantages.

               Every way you look at it, it's safe to say that
          business isn't going to be conducted, as usual, in the years
          just ahead.  The PC is going to play a very central role in
          this change, propelled not only by the powerful machines and
          software already available, but also by the need to utilize
          computer networking in order to reduce or avoid commuting to
          work because of it's wasteful impact on time, resources, and
          the environment.

               Being able to compete effectively, indeed, being able
          to 'engage' effectively in the evolving world marketplace
          will require a certain level of skill at operating a PC and
          applying it's great power to manage your affairs and
          communications with the 'outside' world.










				       -2-


                        BEING COMPETITIVE and PRODUCTIVE

               Being competitive and productive today in business,
          commerce, and related personal pursuits requires that you
          make substantial use of a PC's ability to:

               1. Manage and keep records about all your contacts,
          your activities with them, and even being able to dial their
          phone for an actual conversation, a FAX transfer, or a data
          file transfer.

                2. Manage and highly automate your ability to produce
          quality hard copy printed materials such as business
          letters, proposals, contracts, invoices, etc.

                3. Provide instant access to each contacts entire
          computer record, from name and address on down to financial
          details and previous correspondence.  This not only
          facilitates your out-going communications of all kinds, but
          is also especially useful in handling incoming phone calls.
          Within a few seconds of answering the phone, the caller's
          records can be up on the PC screen by doing a hot key search
          on a few characters of their name.  This enriches your
          connection with your contact, making it possible to be doing
          business in 'the moment', with the full details of past
          activity before your eyes, or only a keystroke or two away.

               4. Perform network communications with national
          information services, BBS's, and other computers operated by
          businesses and government for the purpose of conducting
          business or information interchange from computer to
          computer.

               5. Allow you to benefit from the dynamic informational
          resource and educational experience of multimedia CD-ROM.


               While all this may seem like a lot, if you are already
          using a PC for just one or two tasks like word processing or
          spreadsheets, don't worry.  You're on the right track and
          there is plenty of headroom to expand and grow as fast as
          you're comfortable with.

               Maybe this is a good time to get back to the subject of
          a 'certain level of skill' at using a PC mentioned above, in
          light of the broad range of ways the PC is being applied in
          the electronic marketplace.  The elements of this skill
          level are:

                    1. Basic PC Literacy - An understanding of how a
          computer is internally organized, how data is represented,
          etc.

                    2. File Management - The ability to organize files









				       -3-


          and directory structures, keep track of the files you
          create, provide for their periodic backup, etc.

                    3. Software Utilization- The utilization of a high
          proportion of all the features and functions of your
          software resources.

                    4. Interrelate Applications - Finding ways for
          passing text, graphics, and objects from one application to
          another, and for having one application drive another, or be
          a slave to another, depending upon the results being sought.

               Your success at improving your proficiency in each of
          these areas will be directly proportional to the amount of
          time you spend each day working with your computer.  With
          PC's, learning is accomplished best by doing.  This in turn
          will extrapolate into how well you are able to compete for
          the attention and response of people, businesses, and
          governments as you conduct your affairs in the developing
          global electronic marketplace.

               It doesn't matter if you're a CEO or an independent
          operator, a salesman or a small business owner, to be
          successful and competitive in the years just ahead, you must
          be as good at using a PC as you are at driving a car or
          using a telephone.  You can't have someone else do it for
          you without drastically watering down the potential results.

               Richard Petersen, founder and publisher of ShareWare
          Magazine, summed it up this way, "It strikes me that we are
          evolving into a world of the computer literate and
          illiterate.  The computer literate are those that have
          learned to use computers to greatly increase their personal
          productivity, and the productivity of the businesses they
          work for.  Those that are not computer literate are left
          with low paid service jobs.".


                                  METHODOLOGY

               It's a fact of life that effectively applying a PC in
          the electronic marketplace can be a complex endeavor.  But,
          just because it's complex doesn't mean that it can't be
          simplified and structured into easy to grasp concepts and
          relationships.  By using the powerful interactive media of
          hypertext, along with a carefully structured array of "hot
          links" within the text itself, the process of really gaining
          a deep understanding of the concepts can be greatly
          expedited.

               Educators have long known that the most rapid learning
          is associated with the students ability to venture into the
          subject matter along the lines of thought that are most
          interesting or which seem to be providing a series of









				       -4-


          'answers' to the student's inquiry into the subject.  The
          ability to probe deeper and deeper into one area and then to
          be able to instantly switch to a completely different
          section of the subject matter for related information makes
          learning progress at a blinding speed.

               The result, of course, is that the subject matter which
          at first seemed almost intimidating suddenly becomes simple
          and intuitively obvious!

               The measure of success for a hypertext presentation
          rests in just how quickly you can reach the point where
          continued perusal of the information becomes boring!  At
          that point, all of the once seemingly complex information
          will be "yours", and your whole Personal Computer outlook
          will be enriched and suddenly operating from a new vantage
          point.  The potential dividends then become enormous, as you
          re-evaluate your PC position relative to the new
          information, and formulate a clearer path for yourself to
          migrate from where your PC situation is today to where you
          want it to be in say, a year or so.

	       The hypertext presentation for the Competitive PC
          Workstation Environment provides three major ways of
          approaching the presentation material itself:

               1.  Table of Contents - Select a chapter or section, go
          to it, and begin following your own thread of interest using
          the "hot links" imbedded in the text.

               2.   MasterLinks - Select a subject from a list of
          carefully chosen "key words", and jump to the text where the
          key word is used.

               5.  Traditional - Start at the beginning and read the
          text straight through like a conventional book.

               Once you have entered the presentation materials by any
          of the above methods, you can proceed along a given train of
          thought while taking 'side trips' into other portions of the
          materials at will, and then easily return to your original
          track by setting 'bookmarks'.

               After several sessions with the seminar materials, and
          after using a variety of the methods of entering and
          stepping through the text, your intuitive powers will really
          begin to 'kick in' and you'll find yourself quickly scooping
          up any last points of clarity or understanding needed to
          completely grasp all that is presented.  Most importantly,
          at this point you'll be able to visualize a clear path for
          yourself to improve your PC's ability to allow you to freely
          and fluidly interact with the electronic marketplace.











				       -5-


		    THE COMPETITIVE PC WORKSTATION ENVIRONMENT

               The word, "workstation", has traditionally implied a
          fairly powerful desktop or mini computer, or mainframe
          terminal, generally used by engineers, capable of high
          resolution color graphics, etc.  Like most everything else,
          the PC or Personal Computer has changed all this.

               Because of the tremendous growth in the power of PC's
          over the past decade, and an equally significant advancement
          in software, an ordinary, garden variety PC can be very
          effectively used to competitively engage in the electronic
          marketplace.  Today, to be able to apply this technology to
          your endeavors gives you a tremendous competitive edge.  By
          the end of the decade, it may well be just another requisite
          for business survival.

               In this setting, a PC is indeed a "workstation".  It
          becomes a vital link between you and your contact with the
          world at large.  Now, with multimedia, PC's are able to
          display real time video images in a window in addition to
          text and animated graphics, and accompany it all with full
          digital stereo sound, and all in CD quality!  Thus, a
	  Competitive PC Workstation provides all the static text and
          graphical representations of information associated with
          PC's plus the real time display of moving video and
          accompanying full-digital stereo sound!

               The key element in all that is presented here is that
          the overall environment of the PC is, itself, an entity or
          object which when seen as a whole, has a great impact on the
          quantity and quality of overall results obtained.

               From the broadest of possible views, a PC Workstation
          is a "transducer" for transforming your thinking,
          creativity, desires and intentions into physical reality.
          Your level of success is be determined by your efficiency at
          being able to produce the greatest amount of result with the
          least amount of effort (time).

               In today's developing global economy and international
          competition for the limited world supplies of goods and
          services, higher levels of productivity will be required to
          acquire them regardless of where you happen to live on the
          planet.  Considering the rapidly expanding world population
          concurrent with this, there will also be more competitors to
          reckon with than ever before.

               Conceptually speaking, this PC Workstation "transducer"
          actually involves five thresholds or windows through which
          your will and thoughts must pass through on their journey to
          being manifest in physical reality.  These windows between
          you and your intended results are the five primary
	  attributes of the Competitive PC Workstation environment.









				       -6-


          They are:

                    The Physical Environment
                    The Machine Environment
                    The Operating Environment
                    The User Interface Method
                    The Application Software

               Like successive hoops to jump through, your overall
          effectiveness as a Workstation user is regulated by your
          ability to pass through ALL these attribute windows as
          transparently and fluidly as possible.  If one or more
          attributes are misaligned compared to the rest, or provide
          only narrow passage ways, then the efficiency of the entire
          Workstation tends to be adjusted down to the performance
          level of the poorest attribute.

               As steps are taken to optimize each of these
          attributes, the overall results produced by the PC
          Workstation will steadily grow.


                    The Primary Workstation Attributes

          1. The Physical Environment

               The physical environment includes the desk, chair,
          pencil, paper, books, and other physical characteristics of
          the surroundings in which a PC is put to use as a tool
          between you and the results you expect.  Also included in
          this category is the availability and adequacy of electric
          power outlets and telephone connections.

               Of the five primary Workstation attributes, the
          physical environment probably receives the least attention.
          Although everything outside the PC's cabinet falls into this
          category, it's mundane nature causes people to either ignore
          or gloss over it.  This is very unfortunate, because this
          easy to provide for attribute can have a very dramatic
          impact on the quality and quantity of the results you obtain
          from your PC Workstation.

               The Desk and Chair - First and foremost, you will want
          to be physically comfortable as you sit in front of your
          keyboard and screen.  Anything less than 'very satisfactory'
          in this regard will seriously detract from your overall
          results.  This means that the keyboard needs to be at a good
          height and location for you, the monitor needs to be
          positioned so it comfortable for you to look at it, and any
          other resources need to be easily accessible such as space
          for making notes, opening a book, etc.

               Optimally, your operating position will offer equally
          easy access to:









				       -7-


                   a) the keyboard and monitor,
                   b) the diskette and CD-ROM drive slot(s) in the PC,
                   c) some clear desktop space,
                   d) some bookshelf space,
                   e) the printer and the various different papers
                      used in it,
                   f) the telephone instrument and a desk lamp,
                   g) some traditional letter size filing space, and
                   h) some wall space for posting frequently
                      referenced information such as font samples,
                      telephone service area codes, time zones, etc.

               It does take some careful planning to arrange all these
          factors so that they are very close at hand, but it can be
          done.  The resulting operational efficiency is well worth
          the time and effort it will take to optimize these factors
          for yourself.

               The routine elements which make up the physical
          characteristics, when taken together, begin to form the
          workstations physical environment space or cubicle, which in
          turn is structured so as to maximize the overall results to
          be obtained from the computer itself.  Everything you can
          possibly need for your next keystroke or mouse click can be
          placed within an arm's length of reach from where you sit
          facing your screen.

               As these routine but highly related physical
          environmental attributes begin to define a finite area of
          floor space, it is well to begin thinking about the ways to
          protect the Workstation space itself from occasional and
          innocent intrusion by other people in the general area.
          Intrusions lead to interruptions which lead to errors which
          lead to reductions in the results to be obtained and it's as
          simple as that.  Make the space and facilities that are
          dedicated to the Workstation rigorously enforced.  Conflicts
          will inevitably arise from trying to use or occupy the same
          space or resources for non-workstation tasks.

          1. Keyboard and Monitor

               The keyboard, monitor, and mouse are the only direct
          physical connections between YOU and all the resources of
          your computer.  Make these vital physical reality
          connections as ergonomically comfortable for you as
          possible.  Locate the keyboard at a position and height that
          you regard as perfect even if it involves some expense and
          effort to do so.  Dedicate an ample amount of equally
          desirable desk-top real estate for the operation of a mouse
          or track-ball.  Position the monitor so that it is as
          comfortable as possible for you to look at it.  Eliminate
          any sources of glare.

               The keyboard, screen, mouse, and your physical body are









				       -8-


          the only linkages to be transcended between you and the
          computer as a tool for your mind.  These linkages should be
          as transparent to the overall process as possible.  You
          don't want to be continually interrupted with mental
          messages such as, I'm uncomfortable, or there's a bad glare,
          or it's uncomfortable typing like this, or I can't move the
          mouse far enough this way.  Interruptions at this level, of
          course, degrade your PC Workstation operations immediately
          and eventually lead to a premature halt just as surely as if
          the power went off.

          2. Disk Drive Slots - Generally speaking, you'll want to
          make it as convenient as possible to insert a diskette or
          CD-ROM into an appropriate drive slot.  Disk and CD-ROM
          based media and publications are on the rise, and you'll
          want to be able to introduce them into your system with
          ease.  Since the drive slots are in the PC computer cabinet
          itself (which is usually located adjacent to the monitor
          anyway), easy access to them is generally not a problem.
          Don't be tempted, however, to compromise the location of the
          cabinet containing the drives because of the lack of
          adequate desk space.

          3. Desk-Top Space - Provide enough desk space adjacent to
          the keyboard and screen for you to open a book, review
          printed results, and have access to the usual collection of
          pencils, paper, stapler, paper clips, and related desk-top
          items.  This can be seen as sort of a general purpose space
          - where you prepare materials for entry into the computer as
          well as manage the printed output materials that result from
          using the Workstation.

          4. Bookshelf Space - Of the various physical environment
          attributes, perhaps the skillful use of the available
          bookshelf space is the next most important aspect after
          simply being comfortable at your keyboard and screen.

               Ever since the earliest days of computing, it's been a
          well known fact that it's impossible to learn and memorize
          all the information you may need to know in the course of
          using a computer.  The important thing is to be able to
          expeditiously look up what you need to know in a manual or
          book when the occasion to do so arises.

               Thus, the bookshelf space for the Workstation, and
          especially the portion within an arm's reach from your
          operating position, should be judiciously used to put four
          categories of vital reference materials at your fingertips:

                    1. Books - Reference manuals for all your actively
                       used software and hardware.

                    2. Notebooks - Three ring notebooks containing










				       -9-


                       reference manuals or other descriptive
                       information for your software that you have
                       printed out on your own printer.

                    3. Magazines - Recent issues of magazines and
                       trade journals that are relevant for you.

                    4. Diskette Library - All of your diskettes,
                       including CD-ROM's, organized and filed so that
                       you may easily retrieve any single disk.

               Depending upon your level of involvement, you may have
          great physical quantities of all four of these informational
          resources as well as others that are relevant to your
          purposes.  If this is true, some care will be required to
          determine which portions of your total available information
          resource to put on the 'within arm's reach' portion of the
          bookshelf space.  In terms of your productivity and
          efficiency at using a PC Workstation, this quick-access
          bookshelf space is incredibly valuable desk-top 'real-
          estate'.

          5. Printer - Ideally, you should be able to simply swivel in
          your chair and be facing the printer, with the most recently
          printed lines clearly visible, and the control panel buttons
          should be within arm's reach.  These are the attributes of
          your 'in real time' connection with the printer and what it
          is doing at the present moment, and are usually associated
          with the first few moments following the issuance of a print
          command.

               Once printing has started, a lot of automatic paper
          feeding and stacking starts taking place, and if you have
          print spooling capability, you can return to doing other
          things on the computer.  Printing is very reliably self-
          managing provided the proper printer accessories have been
          provided for as well as the somewhat demanding space
          requirements for them.  Do whatever is necessary to make
          unattended printing a very reliable function of your
          Workstation.  Printing and paper handling problems can be
          not only very frustrating, but very time consuming as well,
          easily wasting the extra time you may have been counting on
          during a particular session at the Workstation.

          6. Phone and Lamp - The telephone for the Workstation should
          be within easy reach from your position at the keyboard and
          screen.  The desk lamp should be easily adjustable to not
          only provide good lighting for the desk-top but to also
          eliminate the glare which results from some forms of printed
          materials and magazines.

          7. Letter File - Conventional letter size filing space is
          needed to accommodate the collections of letters, documents,
          statements, receipts, and other paper items that are









				       -10-


          invariably associated with establishing and operating a PC
          in an environment as described here.

          8. Wall Space - Even a small amount of blank wall space for
          posting frequently referenced information can make a
          valuable contribution to the Workstation facilities.  This
          can be anything from sample fonts and sizes to time zone
          information.


          2.  The Machine Environment

               The machine environment refers to what your operating
          platform is.  The operating platform is determined by the
          CPU chip of the personal computer you are using, the number
          of bits your computer's CPU can handle at once, how fast
          your computer's clock is running, etc.  Fortunately, this
          very technical view of the workings of a computer can be
          easily simplified into a few progressively more powerful
          operating platform steps. For the IBM PC and compatibles,
          the range of operating platforms includes the familiar
          PC/XT, PC/AT or 80286, various models of the PS/2, 80386,
          and 80486.

               During the 12 years or so that the IBM PC has existed
          as a desktop personal computer, it has undergone tremendous
          change in terms of it's computing power.  The original IBM
          PC operated at a tiny fraction of the speed of today's
          machines, and had very limited memory and disk capacity by
          comparison.

               The original IBM PC was followed next by the PC/XT and
          then by the PC/AT.  The PC/AT utilized the Intel 80286 CPU
          chip which, with it's faster clock speeds and wider data
          path, provided a big boost in overall productivity.  Many
          manufacturers began to clone the functionality of the IBM
          PC/XT and PC/AT, and the "industry standard" PC was born.
          Continuing improvements in the CPU chip brought the 80386
          and the 80486 based machines into being, along with even
          higher clock speeds, extending the range of PC's to where
          they are today.

               Although this evolving nature of the PC is generally
          seen as simply faster and faster machines with larger and
          larger memories, the 80286 CPU chip - the basis of the IBM
          PC/AT - ushered in a new facility that was to substantially
          change the nature of PC computing.  That facility was
          "multitasking", the ability to have more than one program
          active at a time.  Thus, programs such as Microsoft's,
          "Windows" began to be developed to take advantage of this
          powerful new PC capability.

               As multimedia has developed into a practical reality,
          the Multimedia PC Marketing Council, which strives for a









				       -11-

          coordinated and compatible development of multimedia on
          PC's, has recently redefined the minimum machine environment
          for Microsoft Windows based multimedia as an Intel 80386SX
          CPU chip running at 10 Mhz.  Prior to this change, the
          Council had defined the minimum requirements for a
          multimedia machine environment as an Intel 80286 running at
          10 Mhz.

               A framework thus emerges for establishing some
          reference points on the continuum of speed and power of
          possible machine environments.  These primary reference
          points establish the minimum recommended environment
          according to your expected computing results.

               1. IBM PC, PC/XT and compatibles - These are
          comparatively slow machines by today's standards.  While
          these machines can be used for networking and engaging in
          the electronic marketplace, the total results obtained per
          unit of time may be less than satisfactory.

               2. IBM PC/AT and compatibles (80286 based machines) -
          This machine is very effective for engaging in the
          electronic marketplace and is capable of producing an array
          of satisfactory multimedia results.

               3. 80386SX and up - Optimum environment for engaging in
          the electronic marketplace and multimedia.

               The important thing is that regardless of which of
          these 3 groups the PC you are using today falls into, you do
          have the facility for engaging in the electronic marketplace
          to at least some degree.  Group 1 will yield less than
          satisfactory results, Group 2 will yield satisfactory
          results, and Group 3 will yield more than satisfactory
          results, given today's level of technology.

               As a constraint, the machine environment attribute can
          be mitigated somewhat by careful selection of the software
          used for the remaining three primary attributes: operating
          environment, user interface, and application software.

               Notwithstanding this, the machine environment
          constraint is probably the single most important variable
          for determining the overall flow of results.  Fortunately,
          the competitiveness in the marketplace for hardware - the
          machine environment - is such that a machine capable of
          yielding satisfactory results (Group 2 or Group 3 machine)
          is readily affordable.



          3. THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

               The Operating Environment refers to what operating










				       -12-


          system is being used to perform the basic level of control
          for your personal computer.  For PC's, this has
          traditionally been the Disk Operating System or DOS,
          although other options have existed such as IBM's OS/2.

               The first level of intellectual encounter with a PC is
          concerned with the operating system.  The operating system
          is the basic or most primitive link between you and what you
          want your computer to do for you.  DOS can be seen as a
          'supervisor' program which not only provides for a lot of
          housekeeping chores such as copying files or formatting
          disks, but also provides the means for launching and using
          application software.

               DOS takes care of getting the PC started up when power
          is first turned on, and regardless of the additional
          programs that may be subsequently started or stopped, DOS
          remains as the program of last resort.  When no other
          programs are active in a PC, control reverts back to DOS and
          the familiar "C:>" prompt where DOS awaits the user's next
          command.

               Three vendors offer DOS software: IBM (PC-DOS),
          Microsoft (MS-DOS), and Digital Research (DR-DOS).  While
          all three of these DOS operating systems respond to
          essentially the same standard set of DOS commands, the speed
          with which they carry out the commands, regardless of what
          machine environment is involved, differs.  In addition, the
          ease with which a user is able to interact with the
          operating system via a 'shell' differs among the various
          vendors of DOS software.

               Many user's believe, myself included, that DR-DOS
          offers a greatly superior performance compared to either the
          IBM or Microsoft versions of DOS.  This is especially true
          with regard to the time required for, and convenience of,
          task switching, where a clipboard can even be used for
          transferring screen loads of data from one task to another.
          In addition, DR-DOS is also bundled with SuperStor which
          will double the capacity of a hard disk, and Super PC-Kwik
          which establishes a disk cache to speed up disk reads and
          writes.  The superior handling of task switching would alone
          justify DR-DOS, and the doubling of the hard disk capacity
          is just a little extra dividend.

               For Group 3 machines (80386SX, 25 Mhz. or better),
          another operating system alternative exists in IBM's OS/2
          Release 2.0.  The 386-specific design of OS/2 makes it the
          most advanced PC operating system on the market.  OS/2
          version 2.0 can multitask DOS and Windows applications in
          dozens of windows and takes full advantage of the 32-bit
          architecture of 386 and 486 processors to run applications
          faster, give them access to more memory, and reduce system
          crashes.









				       -13-


               In the computer business traditionally, there has been
          a tendency to stick with the tried and the true, especially
          where either the computer hardware or operating systems were
          concerned.  As for the hardware, this meant "IBM" hardware
          up until the mid-1980's or so when many manufacturers began
          to offer reliable and cost effective PC compatibles.

               A similar attachment to Microsoft's version of the Disk
          Operating System, because of it's deep roots in the
          development of it, will keep some user's from venturing into
          the newer alternatives offered by DR-DOS and IBM-OS/2.  In
          doing so, however, one must clearly evaluate the resultant
          loss of opportunity for potential results being given up in
          favor of the security benefits realized by sticking with the
          tried and true.

               As a variable, the operating environment is like having
          a choice of performance levels and primary interfaces within
          the PC itself, which can be changed without necessarily
          changing the hardware or the application software.  The
          impact on the results you are able to obtain from your PC by
          the choice of an operating environment is dramatic.

               At one end of the range of possible results would be
          the ability to instantly switch between two or more active
          applications, cut and paste information between them,
          fluidly cruise from application to application with a few
          mouse clicks, and with the operating system being virtually
          'transparent'.  At the other end of the range, a user would
          only expect one application to be running at a time, and
          would evoke each of them by typing commands at the DOS
          command prompt.


          4. USER INTERFACE

               While all operating systems offer a basic shell or user
          environment intended to facilitate the launching of programs
          and management of files, most PC users have also implemented
          some form of menu system or primary navigational interface
          between themselves and the operating system within the PC
          itself.

               These user interfaces are either character oriented,
          meaning the monitor is displaying ASCII text information
          only in a fixed character space format, or they are graphics
          oriented.  Since graphical interfaces are comparatively new
          to computing and their wide spread use is only now evolving,
          most users today still have a character oriented method of
          choosing programs to be run from a menu list displayed in
          text mode, or they are executing programs by typing at the
          DOS command line.

               If all a PC is used for is to write an occasional









				       -14-


          letter or put some numbers in a spreadsheet, then a
          character oriented user interface may be entirely adequate.
          However as attempts are made to make a character oriented
          user interface serve in the stepped up electronic
          marketplace environment, much less a multimedia environment,
          it will become an obstacle.

               Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) offer the distinct
          advantage of being able to not only put far more text on the
          screen at one time, in a variety of fonts, but to also
          include graphical images, bars, buttons, and icons, all of
          which can be responsive to a mouse.  One of the most
          powerful features of a GUI is the speed with which a
          succession of things can be accomplished with just a few
          mouse clicks.  One of the most powerful side effects of a
          GUI and a mouse is the tremendous increase in the intuitive
          ease with which new software can be learned and mastered.

               There are many software and shareware products
          available to create text mode menus for launching programs
          and performing other PC tasks.  Of these, perhaps the user
          interface provided by DesqView (Quarterdeck Office Systems)
          provides the ultimate degree of control of the PC, via DOS,
          and including a high degree of control over task switching.

               Microsoft's, "Windows", is probably the most widely
          used GUI for a PC.  A distinct disadvantage of relying on
          Windows for the benefits of having a GUI is that the
          application software must be a Windows 'version' in order to
          run under Windows.  Otherwise, to run a non-Windows DOS
          application, Windows must be exited.

               Another approach to gaining the benefits of operating
          with a GUI without using Windows is to use GeoWorks Pro, a
          graphical user interface bundled with an array of desktop
          applications such as a file manager, a word processor,
          communications handler, telephone index and dialer, personal
          planner, notepad, a drawing tool, scrapbook of clip-art, and
          more.

               All these graphical applications are, of course, under
          the control of GeoWorks.  They can be minimized, maximized,
          and iconized and otherwise fluidly used by pointing and
          clicking with a mouse.  Icons may also be set up so that
          your regular DOS applications may be run as well.  Like
          Windows, GeoWorks shuts down it's graphical user interface
          when switching to an ordinary DOS application which may or
          may not use a graphical screen representation.

               Interestingly, when it comes to multitasking, GeoWorks
          Pro and DR DOS's TaskMAX mesh with each other very
          seamlessly.  When the active task is GeoWorks, the Express
          pull down menu lists all other tasks that have been started,
          both GeoWorks tasks and DOS tasks, and any of them can be









				       -15-


          immediately made the active task by just clicking on their
          name.  When the active task is a DOS program, a hot key
          combination is used to pop open the TaskMAX control menu
          where a different task may be chosen, tasks may be stopped
          and started, and screen text may be copied to a clipboard
          for pasting into a different task.

               The advantages of using a Graphical User Interface
          along with a mouse as a pointing device as the principal
          means for operating your PC cannot be emphasized enough.
          The speed with which you can go from function to function,
          task to task, etc. not only gives you a new level of control
          over your PC, but also makes it inviting to 'go exploring'.
          The ease with which various features and functions can be
          experimented with greatly expedites the learning process.

               Since the Multimedia user interface is itself,
          graphical, and has massive data accessibility, the ability
          to 'go exploring' is the main point of this interactive
          software.



          5. THE APPLICATION SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT

               The choice of your application software itself is a
          factor in how easily you can obtain results from your PC.
          "Standardized" methods for accessing menus and making
          choices have evolved greatly as application software has
          been steadily improved over the years.  The result is that
          there are many very good packages available today that are
          both incredibly powerful and easy to learn to use because of
          their intuitive design features.

               Having the right application software and having it
          active is where the tire hits the road and some useful work
          finally gets done.  Assuming an appropriate Physical
          Environment, Machine Environment, Operating Environment, and
          User Interface let you access the application software with
          ease, you are then ready to exploit the functionality of the
          application software itself to it's max.

               Most quality software today has a wide range of
          functionality and a wise user takes the time to become
          familiar with all the functional options.  It becomes more
          probable that a wider range of functionality will be used if
          less time is devoted to overcoming and obstacles presented
          by the Physical, Machine, Operating, and User Interface
          environments each time the software is loaded up.  The
          importance of having these interface thresholds between you
          and your application software as clear and transparent as
          possible, and not encumbering access to the application
          program itself, cannot be overemphasized.










				       -16-


               Don't get into the trap of falling in love with one
          particular word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc. only
          because it is the one you are familiar with and can get
          around best in, and then ignore all other prospects of
          alternative software.  If you do feel strongly about
          sticking tight with a particular software package, then by
          all means keep yourself updated with the most current
          release or version of it.  Then, in addition, it is wise to
          have and be familiar with alternative software packages for
          accomplishing the same general results.  This is important
          for those instances when your favorite package turns out to
          be cumbersome with some seldom needed capability and which
          an alternative package does well.

                     SUMMARY OF THE PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES.

               Given that your objective is obtaining computing
          results from your software, and that there are only 24 hours
          in every day, all time spent negotiating and passing through
          the Workstation environment attributes leading up to the
          application software is pure overhead.

               If the physical environment produces obstacles because
          of poor organization and inadequate space, if the machine
          environment causes you to wait unnecessarily for screen
          changes or other results, if the operating environment
          offers constraints or is less responsive to your wishes than
          it may be, or the user interface is an obstacle to be
          overcome, by the time you get down to executing your
          application software, a lot of time has been lost just
          getting up to the point where you are going to do useful
          work with the software.

               On the other hand, the five Workstation attributes can
          be adjusted to an optimal state considering the overall
          objectives and expected results from your PC, and the
          resultant increase in the production of results will be very
          evident.

	       The Competitive PC Workstation must be viewed as a
          whole, with the five major attributes being parts of that
          whole.  When each of these parts has been adjusted so as to
          make the maximum contribution to the whole, then the results
          from the Workstation will be maximized.


                    THE ANTICIPATED WORKSTATION RESULTS

               Continual refinement of the Workstation attributes will
          result in ever higher performance levels of the expected
          results from this strategy:

               1 - ORIGINAL DATA ENTRY - Type (or import) notes,
          letters, ideas, documents, names and address, etc. only once









				       -17-


          and establish a permanent record in your computer.  This
          information may then be used repeatedly in all further
          processing of the same information.  Type in numbers only
          once and establish a permanent and continuing record of
          money matters through time that can be displayed or graphed
          at will as well as be combined with other text and image
          files.  Type in information about groups of related things
          like customers or disk libraries only once and establish
          databases of information that can be scanned with precision
          search tools.  All these records should be in standard file
          formats that your computer, as well as other computers, can
          understand and process.

               At first glance, the idea of typing or importing
          information only once and then using it repeatedly across
          multiple applications may seem to be either impractical or
          impossible, given the software you are now using.  If this
          is true, it is a clear indication that you need to begin
          investigating the rich array of alternative software choices
          available today, and especially the software for
          establishing the User Interface.

               Both Microsoft's Windows and GeoWorks' GeoWorks Pro
          allow for information to be copied and pasted from one
          application to another, such as name and address data from a
          contact management database to the word processor, so you
          can write a letter or print an envelope for the letter
          without having to re-key the detailed name and address
          information.  The copy/paste facility goes much further, of
          course, by allowing numerical details, graphic images, and
          entire segments of text to be lifted from one place and then
          pasted in at another.

               The ability to export files containing information
          created by one application and then to import the
          information in these files into another application is, of
          course, a common way of making multiple use of the same
          information.  Today, text files, database files, spreadsheet
          files, etc. can be easily passed from one application to
          another.

               2 - CONTROL OVER HARD COPY - Visual impressions are
          extremely important, and control whether anybody bothers to
          read what you've printed out on paper or not, and sets the
          priority for their attention if they do decide to read it.
          Thus, the Workstation must be able to assemble text,
          numbers, and graphics and then print them on paper, using
          suitable fonts, so as to attract the intended reader's
          attention.

               As the electronic marketplace develops, there is a
          decreasing reliance on printed materials and an increasing
          reliance on communicating the same information
          electronically.  The reason for this, of course, is that









				       -18-


          every aspect of communicating information on paper is
          expensive.  The paper itself is expensive as is the time
          needed to print it out.  Next, physically transporting the
          paper to the intended reader is expensive and time consuming
          regardless of how fast and efficient the courier is.
          Finally, when the printed paper reaches it's destination, it
          is expensive for the recipient to use if the information or
          a portion of it must be keyed into a computer.

          There will always be instances when information must be
          physically presented as printing on paper.  Letters,
          contracts, proposals, etc. are a few of the most obvious
          examples.  Common among these examples is the probability
          that a lot is at stake concerning the information being
          communicated.  Hence, every effort must be made to make the
          information printed on paper as inviting as possible to the
          prospective reader.  If the printed materials aren't
          inviting or otherwise appear mundane, the person receiving
          the printed information is simply less likely to read it and
          digest it fully.  When this happens, the unusual cost of
          having prepared the information on paper in the first place
          is partially wasted.

               Given the capability of today's PC's, printers, and
          software, it is extremely easy to combine text with
          graphics, using a variety of possible fonts, to produce
          extremely inviting printed materials.  Remember that your
          intended reader is also receiving printed materials from a
          variety of other sources, and that they are limited to
          having 24 hours a day available to them just like everyone
          else.  If your printed materials are to receive the focus
          and attention you want, they must be both appealing and
          inviting.

               3 - CONTROL OVER COMMUNICATIONS - Since the trend
          is to rely less on printed communications in favor of the
          faster and more economical electronic communication methods,
          a PC Workstation performs a vital role.  Using the PC
          Workstation to handle all telephone dialing (voice - FAX -
          and computer modem calls), for example,  is an enormous time
          saver compared to doing it by hand.  First, there is the
          time savings from not having to look-up a number or
          otherwise scratch around to find it.  Second, since the
          telephone number kept in the computer is the correct phone
          number, there is a reduced chance of using an inappropriate
          but correct number, and no chance of mis-dialing a number.
          Thus, the possibility of dialing a wrong number is all but
          eliminated.

               Many modem communication software packages today
          include the facility for script files which produce
          automated log-on keying for computer communications.  This
          is obviously a big time saver for connecting with
          information services such as CompuServe, Genie, etc.  Since









				       -19-


          E-Mail and either uploaded or downloaded files are apt to be
          a rapidly growing part of your overall communications, the
          PC's ability to smoothly handle these functions is a must.

               After the connection is established for a voice
          communication, for either incoming or out going calls, the
          PC Workstation fills an even more vital role by providing
          reference information to support the conversation.  Phone
          call log notes of previous conversations with the same
          person add a tone of certainty to your voice as you talk
          with your contact about what happened in the past, as does
          the certainty that you have the correct address or other
          details about the contact.  Clear communications with high
          levels of certainty tighten your connection with the people
          you are dealing with and impart a feeling of confidence for
          them.

               The ability to automatically send FAX's to selected
          people in your contact management database adds a powerful
          feature to your overall communication facilities.  The
          visual information being Faxed can be anywhere from
          generalized promotional information to monthly statements.

               4 - TIME MANAGEMENT - An array of software is
          available today for scheduling your appointments and
          activities.  These software packages fall into the category
          of Personal Information Managers (PIM's) and generally focus
          on a daily calendar which breaks each day up into time
          segments.  A desktop tool such as this provides a means for
          planning your work day, making space for appointments,
          avoiding conflicts, and keeping track of deadlines and
          various periodic events.

               Of all the possible things you could use your PC
          Workstation for, this small and simple application has a
          high possibility of having a greater impact than any other
          single use.  Sales professionals have long known of the
          benefits to be realized from the saying, "plan your work and
          work your plan".

               Personal scheduling software makes it possible to
          structure the available time you have each day so that there
          is enough time to accomplish all your objectives for the
          day.  Things which cannot be accomplished can be rolled
          forward to the next or another day.  Using software such as
          this has a number of advantages beyond simply showing you
          your schedule.  First, it provides a very clear objective of
          the first thing to be done upon turning on your computer in
          the morning, since the first thing on your agenda should be
          to check and perhaps modify your schedule (plan) for the
          day.

               The very act of mulling over your plan for the day,
          perhaps switching some times or tasks, gives you the









				       -20-


          opportunity to fine tune your intended efforts for the day.
          Sometimes, last minute ideas emerge that prove to be quite
          valuable.  This quick overall review of the way you intend
          to spend the day and the things you intend to accomplish
          tends to have a positive impact in the overall outcome.

               A subtle result from using a scheduler is the reduction
          of personal stress.  Some people have a tendency to commit
          to doing more things than a given interval of time will
          allow.  This leads to hyper activity in order to fulfill all
          the commitments, detracts from the satisfactions normally
          obtained, and sometimes forces a juggling of tasks, often
          resulting in negative impacts.  Other people tend to waste
          extra time that crops up during the day because they can't
          think of the 'back-burner' projects which invariably exist.

               A personal scheduler helps you develop realistic time
          estimates for your daily work, travel, errands, and chores.
          It provides a way to structure the work for a given day so
          that YOU are performing at your best throughout the day,
          without the pressure of over commitment.  It provides a way
          for being reminded of and activating back-burner projects
          when unexpected spare time develops during the day.  The
          clear overall net result is personal stress reduction, and a
          resultant positive impact on all your activities.


               5 - IDEA INCUBATOR - Using a simple text editor as a
          'notepad' and a basic drawing program (both having a limited
          but speedy command set), you can jot down new ideas and
          images, and begin the process of manipulating your creative
          thoughts into a more cohesive form.  This collection of text
          and graphical image files provides a place to copy and paste
          text and images gathered from other applications and CD-ROM
          presentations.  These files become a personal resource for
          developing new materials.

               When new ideas become well enough defined, they can
          then be passed on to more powerful word processors, drawing
          programs, paint boxes, and desktop publishing software to
          transform them into print on paper, FAX's, or files ready to
          be transmitted by modem to other computers.

               Interestingly, this 'doodle space' also provides an
          excellent diversion activity for those times in-between
          tasks when you simply need to think of something different
          for a few minutes.

               6 - MULTIMEDIA - With multimedia, the promise of the
          information age is finally realized.  Stunning animation
          graphics, along with full digital stereo sound and massive
          data accessibility produce a new way of experiencing a rich
          one-on-one interactive environment.










				       -21-


               The massive data accessibility on a typical CD-ROM is
          difficult to describe in terms of previous PC experience
          with 'large' amounts of data available on disk.  For
          example, the typical CD-ROM disk has roughly 600 megabytes
          of information on it.  It would take over 1,600 of the
          popular 5 1/4" low density diskettes used in PC's to contain
          this much information!

               7 - HOUSEKEEPING AND EDUCATIONAL - The Workstation
          should have a collection of the appropriate tools for
          managing the computer's files, their organization, and
          backup, as well as on-line manuals, tutorials, and other
          educational resources.

               As these broad Workstation results are established and
          the facilities for producing them are mastered, the overall
          results and productivity to be experienced from the
          Workstation increases at a geometric, perhaps even
          exponential rate.

               The technology, both hardware and software, is here
	  today for the Competitive PC Workstation environment.  Many
          people are using it daily to expedite their work and speed
          their accomplishments.  Your access to and mastery of a
          suitable PC Workstation sets your level of competitiveness
          for the attention and response of the marketplace in
          general.



                             SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS

               As mentioned above, the machine environment is probably
          the single most important variable for determining the
          overall flow of results from a PC Workstation.  Of the
          various models of PC's already in existence, there are three
	  suitable machines for a Competitive PC Workstation, depending
          upon what CPU chip is used in the PC itself: the 80286
          (PC/AT), the 80386, and the 80486.

               Each of these three basic machine environments can, in
          turn, be fine tuned by the choice of the Operating
          Environment and the User Interface software.  Given the
          range of options available, combinations for the Machine
          Environment, Operating Environment, and User Interface
          method are as follows:

          1.  The 80286 Environment.  PC's having the 80286 CPU chip
              and between 1 and 2 megabytes of memory can provide
	      satisfactory results as a Competitive PC Workstation.

              By using DR DOS as the Operating environment, both
              efficient task switching and good memory management can be
              accomplished.  Two other software products which are bundled









				       -22-


              with DR DOS can virtually double the hard disk's capacity
              (SuperStor) and speed up disk reads and writes by setting up
              a disk cache (Super PC-Kwik).

              GeoWorks Pro would be the natural choice in this
              environment for a Graphical User Interface.  The array of
              applications and desktop tools bundled with GeoWorks combine
              well in this Machine and Operating Environment to produce a
              snappy and responsive PC Workstation.

          2.  80386 Environment.  PC's having the 80386 CPU chip and
              between 2 and 4 megabytes of memory conforms as a minimum
              system for the standards set by the Multimedia PC Marketing
              Council.

              In keeping with the Council's standards, Microsoft DOS
              may be used as the Operating Environment along with
              Microsoft Windows for the Graphical User Interface. DR DOS,
              however, could just as well be used for the DOS operating
              system in order to obtain the advantages of SuperStor and
              Super PC-Kwik.

          3.  80486 Environment.  PC's having the 80486 CPU chip and
              about 6 megabytes of memory, along with IBM's OS/2 Operating
              System would result in an extremely powerful and versatile
	      Competitive PC Workstation.

                                 RECOMMENDATIONS

               Take a larger view of your PC and it's probable role in
          a broader range of your day-to-day activities.

               Take a longer view of how a successful PC strategy will
          help you consistently achieve your overall information
          management and communication objectives through time.

               These two 'pictures' will begin to define the
	  parameters of your future Competitive PC Workstation and are
          an absolutely vital first step toward bringing it into
          reality.

	       Your visualization of what your future PC Workstation
          ought to be compared to what it is today must be done with
          the cost of the hardware and software not being an object.
          More about this later.  Rather than money being the
          constraint, realize that the ultimate constraint in getting
          from where you are today to where you want to be is your own
          learning curve.  It controls the time it will take for you
          to maximize the results which you are able to obtain from
	  the great body of high powered software involved in your PC
          Workstation of the future.  Your skill at using a PC  and
          the number of hours per day you are able to devote to
          learning, implementing, and applying the expanded resources
	  of your PC Workstation are the decisively limiting factors.









				       -23-


	       So, modulate the visualization of your future PC
          Workstation with a realistic assessment of how much new
          software and hardware you can really put to use within your
          planned development interval.  This should help bring 'pie
          in the sky' system possibilities into a clearer 'reality'
          focus, and when it does, you'll have established an
	  important PC Workstation objective for yourself.

               Your PC hardware and software posture as it is today
	  compared to your PC Workstation objectives begins to
          clearly define the procurements you'll need to make to
          accomplish your objectives.  With getting from here to there
          in a clearer step-by-step focus, you can immediately begin
          to implement the steps needed for it's fulfillment.

               Now let's consider the cost of hardware and software to
          get from where you are today to where you want to be.  The
          computer in general and the PC in particular are already
          being heralded as the machine that changed the world.  The
          successful pursuit of your endeavors and indeed, your
          livelihood, are apt to become increasingly dependent upon
          your skillful application of the PC's power to accomplish
          useful results.  Now, with the advent of Multimedia CD-ROM
          and it's interactive educational and creative capabilities,
          the importance of being up to speed in all this is going
          into 'warp drive'.

               Since the potential cost of hardware and software for
	  even the most elaborate PC Workstation is nominal compared
          to other 'important' things in life like cars and boats or
          fancy audio/video systems, there is no reason why it
          shouldn't have the highest of spending priorities.

               For many people, the easiest place to get started with
          making plans for a more serious approach to having a
	  Competitive PC Workstation environment is with the Physical
          Environment.  You should already know which factors
          concerning your present PC environment are deficient, and
          cause you to realize less than maximum results.  Reevaluate
          all the factors concerning your PC's Physical Environment
          and identify the ones that specifically need changes or
          modifications to bring them to a more ideal situation.
          Begin taking steps to bring these changes into reality.

               Next, get settled on what Machine Environment you
	  expect to be using for your Competitive PC Workstation and
          take the steps needed to establish it.  Unless you already
          have a suitable Machine Environment, you will need to be
          thinking about either replacing or upgrading the PC you
          already have.
