The Silicon Jungle by David H. Rothman

11. Trying to write into the contract your right to a full explanation

whenever you want one. Make the consultant justify his recommendation for a certain computer or a certain program; he owes you at least oral explanation and perhaps a written one. How much experience has he himself had with the product? Is he going by someone elseâ€™s word? Whose? How certain is he that the software-hardware combo that worked for the other person will work for you? Can he arrange a demonstration of the combo so you can see for yourself how the software runs?

← Previous Back to Home Next →

Chapter 1 Ch.1
Chapter 7 and Backup VII, you’ll learn (1) the basics, (2) when charts Ch.2
Chapter 12, “How I Found ‘God’ on MCI (and a Few Other Odds and Ends Ch.3
1. Bigger RAMs can work with more and larger numbers—a handy capability Ch.4
2. More RAM can accommodate programs more complicated for the computer. Ch.5
3. You may want the most sophisticated software to thwart computer Ch.6
1. You can quickly make safety copies of valuable disks—something that’s Ch.7
2. You can more easily work with long electronic documents. Ch.8
1. Absence of bugs. The software maker should have gotten all the bugs Ch.9
2. General ease of use. A program should be easy enough to learn _and_ Ch.10
3. Good documentation. The manual should be clear and logically Ch.11
4. Usefulness to beginners and old pros alike. You can adjust the best Ch.12
5. Speed. It lets you do your job fast, especially when you use it with Ch.13
6. Power. Related to speed. The program can quickly accomplish Ch.14
7. Fewer chances for botch-ups. Good programs limit the chances for Ch.15
8. The Jewish-uncle effect. Ideally, your software will slow you down or Ch.16
10. After-the-goof feedback. After you’ve botched up—and we all do Ch.17
11. Ability to customize. You or at least a software expert can Ch.18
12. Availability of “accessory” programs to make your original software Ch.19
13. Support. Ideally, the software seller will stand behind his product Ch.20
1. A =cursor= is just the marker on your screen—a blinking line, Ch.21
2. A =file= is an electronic version of a letter, report, or other Ch.22
3. A =control key= is what you start holding down to turn a letter or Ch.23
4. To =scroll= just means to move from place to place in your Ch.24
5. A =menu= lists commands on your screen. It can tell you how to Ch.25
6. A =block move= is the ability to move material from one part of Ch.26
8. A =search and replace= substitutes one word (or group of words) for Ch.27
1. When you work for a stuffy old bureaucracy that’s rich and afraid Ch.28
2. When you’re a procurement officer on probation. As they say, no Ch.29
3. When you want to dump the training problems in the manufacturer’s Ch.30
4. When you prefer an extra-large, extra-sharp screen and giant Ch.31
5. When you’re looking for a machine that will run special software Ch.32
1. It takes all of two or three minutes—maybe less—to copy a disk Ch.33
3. Computer users want to befriend others with similar machines so Ch.34
4. Many software companies overprice their wares. Yes, it’s expensive Ch.35
5. Some people in large companies think software houses don’t give Ch.36
6. Many software companies don’t offer enough guidance or other help. Ch.37
2. A file in a data base is the electronic version of a file drawer or Ch.38
3. A =field= is a category of fact like the amount of money spent on Ch.39
4. =Structure= is simply the way a record is set up. There are three big Ch.40
5. The EDIT command changes the contents of a data field. You can type Ch.41
6. A command to APPEND can add new records to your electronic filing Ch.42
7. =Sorting= lets you reshuffle records alphabetically, by date or other Ch.43
8. The LIST command tells dBASE II to flash across the screen the Ch.44
9. .AND. helps you narrow down the information you’re looking for or Ch.45
10. .OR. is another way to describe the desired facts. LIST FOR Ch.46
11. LIST FOR .NOT. SALE:PERSN = ‘BABBITT’ could help weed from view, or Ch.47
12. =Command files= are programs that tell the machine how to manipulate Ch.48
1. A large number of rows and columns. A spreadsheet of 254 rows and 65 Ch.49
2. Speed. “Even with a simple spreadsheet,” says Scharf, “someone might Ch.50
3. General simplicity and ease of use. In tricky places, does the Ch.51
4. Range of commands. Most spreadsheets nowadays let you easily move or Ch.52
5. The ability to do what-if tables. The best spreadsheets won’t just Ch.53
6. Easy consolidation of figures from different spreadsheets. That’s no Ch.54
7. =Natural order of recalculation.= Cells must influence the numbers in Ch.55
8. A useful =macro language=. Macros are combinations of commands that Ch.56
1. Deciding whether to hire a computer consultant. How much in your time Ch.57
2. Hiring and using a consultant. It isn’t just a matter of asking, Ch.58
3. Training employees. Don’t clutter your people’s minds with Ch.59
4. Working with your company’s data-processing people. Know which Ch.60
1. The computer company’s FORTRAN, according to Stewart, was as badly Ch.61
2. FORTRAN wasn’t as good as BASIC for micro data bases that stashed Ch.62
3. Brown was still basically a mainframer. And micro FORTRAN was Ch.63
3. “What’s the quality of the work? Ch.64
1. Who’s teaching? Can he or she communicate well with the students, and Ch.65
3. Why is the material taught? To make your people computer literate in Ch.66
4. When do the students learn? On their time or yours? Will you reward Ch.67
5. Where is the learning happening? Ideally, your students can take the Ch.68
6. How do the students learn? Through instruction manuals, mainly, or Ch.69
1. Even the best-intentioned companies may fail miserably in easing some Ch.70
2. The traits which make somebody valuable to his company _may_ be the Ch.71
3. At the same time you can’t stereotype anyone—by age, folksiness, or Ch.72
4. An important part of training is simple salesmanship—persuading the Ch.73
5. Don’t make computerization seem more threatening than it has to be. Ch.74
6. As early as possible start people on real projects. The first day at Ch.75
2. Helped them with some learning aids like color-coded keys showing Ch.76
3. Motivated them by explaining how their new computer skills would make Ch.77
1. Before approaching Data Processing, ask who-how questions about the Ch.78
2. Ask your informal Data-Processing contact about possible technical Ch.79
3. When you’re ready to deal with the Data-Processing manager, tell Ch.80
4. Make it clear you’re aware of your project’s complications. Ch.81
1. =The canary-in-the-mine= theory of labor relations. Ergonomics is Ch.82
3. =“Terminal” happiness.= Detachable keyboards are just a start, Ch.83
7. =Air conditioning, heating, and ventilation=—basics neglected by a Ch.84
8. Honest assurances to your people that you’re exposing them to the Ch.85
9. A willingness to consider alternatives to the TV-like CRTs that Ch.86
10. Sensible use of wrinkles like the mouse—the hand-sized gizmo you use Ch.87
11. A related ingredient, good software—the topic of earlier chapters. Ch.88
2. How far the keyboard platform protrudes from the platform on which Ch.89
4. The angle at which the screen faces you. You can swivel away to your Ch.90
5. The height of your chair. You don’t of course need high-tech Ch.91
1. Removing half the tubes from existing fluorescent fixtures. You’ll Ch.92
2. Parabolic fluorescent fixtures with baffles to keep the light out of Ch.93
3. Parawedge louvers, which, according to Eisen, “have been particularly Ch.94
4. Desk and floor lamps. You might buy rheostats you can plug in between Ch.95
5. Indirect lighting. The disadvantage is the expense. You may have to Ch.96
1. Coatings or etching applied during manufacture of the video displays. Ch.97
2. Coatings put on after manufacture. Generally, but not always, they Ch.98
3. “Colored plastic panels and etched faceplates,” which, says Eisen, Ch.99
4. Micromesh filters, favored by German ergonomists. Eisen says U.S. Ch.100
5. Polarizing filters. They may reduce brightness and shorten tube life, Ch.101
1. There is a possibility, extra-slim, but still there, that Ch.102
2. More minor physical and mental problems from computers definitely do Ch.103
6. The possibility of a detached retina Ch.104
3. Guarding your electronic files Ch.105
1. Burden programmers and others with electronic versions of heavy Ch.106
2. Keep their computer systems easy to use—and vulnerable. (“Then you’re Ch.107
3. Compromise. (“You get half raped.”) Ch.108
1. How hard, exactly, would it be to puzzle out? Just how many Ch.109
2. How compatible is the program with your computer? If security is so Ch.110
3. Is the security program easy to use? If it’s too hard, it’ll be Ch.111
4. Are you certain the program won’t jeopardize the accuracy and Ch.112
5. Should you expand your system, will the security software be able to Ch.113
6. Do you want a =public key= encryption system? It works this way. You Ch.114
7. Will your code be based on the =Data Encryption Standard= (=DES=), Ch.115
1. See if your disk has a file at least 500 or 600 words long. If so, Ch.116
3. Erase A. Ch.117
1. Zealously enforce a no-drinking, no-eating policy around disks, at Ch.118
2. Remember the Rothman Dirt Domino Theory. Dirt, dust, and grease often Ch.119
3. Realize that floppies don’t always mix well with office materials Ch.120
4. Know about other natural enemies of floppies or at least of the data Ch.121
5. Don’t even let your floppies rest against your computer’s screen, Ch.122
6. Remember that the more information you can pack on a floppy, the more Ch.123
7. Clean your disk heads. Don’t use rubbing alcohol. “Try something like Ch.124
8. Have head alignment checked, to reduce disk errors. With heads out of Ch.125
9. Buy quality disks. Of course, the more you spend on disks, the more Ch.126
1. Every five minutes or so, type out the “KS” or an equivalent and dump Ch.127
2. Every half an hour make a printout of your recent work. With a fast Ch.128
3. Every day make your backup floppy. You might forget about the scratch Ch.129
1. Dumping to floppies. It’s cheap but slow. Then again, you can speed Ch.130
2. Transferring the Winchester’s contents to a special tape drive large Ch.131
3. Dumping to an ordinary videocassette recorder. Although slow, it’s Ch.132
1. How much time or money does it take to enter your data or set up your Ch.133
3. How much time or money do you have for copying, cleaning, Ch.134
1984. Many more companies might be. They might have kept quiet, however, Ch.135
1. The cottage keyers are paying more than $2,600 a year to rent their Ch.136
3. Likewise, the cottage keyers lack the normal fringe benefits. The Ch.137
4. The keyers may not be sharing the experiment’s rewards fifty-fifty. Ch.138
1. Ease and speed of use. You needn’t be a computer expert or wrestle Ch.139
2. Friendliness. A good system isn’t just easy to use; it’s also boy Ch.140
4. Confidentiality. Clerks aren’t privy to the same information as the Ch.141
1985. They’d be able to place mutual-fund orders for clients, conduct Ch.142
1. Lower phone bills. In a Midwestern office of the H. J. Heinz Company, Ch.143
2. Elimination of telephone tag. “We can type a memo at the end of our Ch.144
3. An end to garbled messages. Errors and misunderstandings decline when Ch.145
4. More efficient sharing of ideas. =Computer conferencing= is an Ch.146
1. How long a Kaypro took to sort dBASE II files electronically while Ch.147
3. How long a second Kaypro needed to sort the dBASE files in the first Ch.148
1. How extensive do you want your network’s file-sharing capabilities to Ch.149
2. Who’ll manage the network? Who’ll determine who can see what Ch.150
3. Do you want to assign special network-related duties to other people? Ch.151
4. Who will work at what =node=? That’s jargon for a location or =work Ch.152
5. Will some people share work stations? If so, you’d better decide Ch.153
7. How many printers and other gizmos will people share, and where will Ch.154
8. What kinds of computers are you planning to hook up? The WEB as of Ch.155
chapter 11, but subject to court approval, would be bought by a Swedish Ch.156
1. If your computer messes up, remember the very last thing you did, Ch.157
2. See if that isn’t the answer to your problem. Ch.158
1. Know your prices. Study the want ads of the local papers. There’s Ch.159
2. Pay attention to the machine’s physical condition. A banged-up Ch.160
3. Find out how your pet programs run. If you don’t have any available Ch.161
5. Find out what generation of equipment it is. Does it include all Ch.162
6. Learn where you stand legally if you’re buying software with the Ch.163
7. Call up commercial auctioneers and find out if they’re holding any Ch.164
8. Obviously you’ll want to consider a maintenance agreement with a Ch.165
1. Another daisy wheel machine. The daisy wheel is plastic or metal and Ch.166
2. A =laser printer=. Typically, it works a bit like some copying Ch.167
3. A =thermal-transfer printer=. This uses patterns of heat to arrange Ch.168
4. An =ink-jet printer=. This kind literally squirts ink against the Ch.169
1. =Draft quality.= The letters are too dotty for anything but drafts Ch.170
2. =Correspondence quality.= It’ll do for a letter to a forgiving friend Ch.171
3. =Near-letter quality.= You can get away with it for book manuscripts, Ch.172
4. =Letter quality.= That’s typewriter quality. Ch.173
1. Does the printer offer them no matter what computer or program you Ch.174
3. For free, will the store modify your computer system to make the Ch.175
4. Will your desired combinations of features work simultaneously? Ch.176
2. If not, can the store make one up for you? At what cost? Ch.177
1. The general logic of the manual. The author should have written it Ch.178
2. The quality of the index. I’ll charitably assume it’s there to begin Ch.179
3. Simplicity of vocabulary and sentence structure. A manual shouldn’t Ch.180
1. The field may only contain certain numbers and/or letters—for Ch.181
2. The field will _enter itself_ based on your previous entries. For Ch.182
3. The field can be a constant. For example, if your data record Ch.183
4. The field can automatically shift cases for you. For example, you Ch.184
5. The field can insist that whatever you type in is identical two Ch.185
6. The field can be required—something that you _have_ to enter, or Ch.186
1. Does the program help you come up with pies, bars, or whatever kind Ch.187
2. Can it do so as quickly as possible? Ch.188
3. Does the program fit in well with your other software? Ch.189
4. How much memory space does the program—and the electronic files of Ch.190
5. What about the program’s color capabilities—both on screen and on Ch.191
6. Does the program coexist okay with the printer or plotter you own or Ch.192
7. How easy is the program to learn? What about the other general traits Ch.193
1. “Who?” Who from the contracting firm is doing the work? A junior Ch.194
2. “What?” Describe the task as clearly and precisely as possible. And Ch.195
3. “When?” Can you negotiate a penalty if the firm misses a deadline? Ch.196
4. “Where?” Will the consultants do the work in your office? Theirs? On Ch.197
5. “How much?” Obvious. Ch.198
1. Thinking small. Don’t bargain over the Who-How simply for the whole Ch.199
2. Making the consultant give you the source code of the new software. Ch.200
3. Insisting that any manuals for his software be complete and in plain Ch.201
4. Bargaining if possible for a software warranty. Then, if you discover Ch.202
5. Possibly requiring the consultant to give you a discount on Ch.203
6. Negotiating for full or part ownership of the software he may develop Ch.204
7. Forbidding the consultant from selling the new software to your Ch.205
8. Making the consultant pledge that he won’t violate any trade-secret Ch.206
9. Hammering out a confidentiality agreement, if necessary, to protect Ch.207
10. Making the consultant agree in writing that he is working as your Ch.208
11. Trying to write into the contract your right to a full explanation Ch.209
12. Remembering that there’s only so much protection the law can give, Ch.210
13. Choosing the right lawyer, if you can afford one, for the contract. Ch.211
1. Is the convenience worth the extra several hundred dollars you’ll be Ch.212
3. How do the windows look alongside each other? Do they =overlap=, just Ch.213
4. How about =data transfer=? If you move information from one Ch.214
5. What kind of graphics—=bit mapped= or =character based=? The bit Ch.215
6. Will the window program work with ordinary software or just products Ch.216
7. Will the windows at least slightly slow down some programs? A word Ch.217
8. Is the program picky about the computers it’ll work with? A window Ch.218
9. Does the program require a mouse—the gadget you roll on your disk to Ch.219
1. Communicate teletype-fashion with the other person. You can keep Ch.220
2. Call up electronic bulletin-board systems (BBSs) or plug into The Ch.221
3. Get copies of other programs that altruistic computer buffs have Ch.222
1. Start out with the other person’s modem set on ORIGINATE and yours on Ch.223
3. Hit your carriage-return key. Ch.224
6. Assuming you’re using a manual modem, flick the switch to “data.” Ch.225
3. Hit your return. Ch.226
1. From MODEM7’s main menu, you select =T= and again hit the return a Ch.227
2. Find out if the other person can read words you type. (Don’t worry if Ch.228
3. Tell him (or her) to set up his computer so that, on paper or on a Ch.229
4. Once the other person is ready—while you’re still in the =T= mode—hit Ch.230
5. Now you type =B:[name of file]=. Here and elsewhere don’t type the Ch.231
6. Next hit your return. The disk should start spinning, and both you Ch.232
2. Again, select your trusty =T= from the main menu. But don’t hit your Ch.233
4. Type =B:[the name of the file you’re creating on the data disk to Ch.234
6. Then hit the letter =Y= with your finger on the control key Ch.235
8. Then, to preserve the file, “writing” to your disk, you must type out Ch.236
2. From MODEM7’s main menu, type =S B:[name of the data disk file you Ch.237
3. Hit the return. Ch.238
3. Hit your return. Ch.239
2. Type the word TYPE, then a space, then the name of the file—preceded Ch.240
3. Then hit your return. Ch.241
4. Hit your return. Ch.242
3. Tap =Control-B=. Ch.243
4. Type the right number (300 for 300 baud, 1200 for 1,200; do not use Ch.244
5. Hit your return. Ch.245