=============================================================================  NEWS FROM THE STATES - S.M. Oakland ============================================================================= >>> DATABASES ARexxDB Records Manager ($125), by JMH Software of Minnesota, is a unique ARexx-based database manager that is fully customizable to the tastes of each user, by using ARexx scripts. Its features include access from other programs using ARexx, file and record locking, dynamic RAM caching for speed, multiple open files, variable length records, and unlimited indexes. Contact 1.2 ($59), by Desktop Utilities, is a memory resident database and 'personal contacts manager' that lies no further than the press of a hot- key. With this software, the user can search, sort, dial the telephone, or export its information to a printer or another program. It is WorkBench 2.0 compatible, customizable by means of ARexx scripts, and able to save new entries with the press of the 'Return' button (to reduce data loss). >>> DESKTOP PUBLISHING Anti A ($ ?), by Zen Computer Service, enhances normal or standard Amiga fonts in a process of first anti-aliasing the fonts, then storing them in "ColorFont" format. The user has the option of producing up to nine reduced versions of the original font (form 1/2 to 1/12 size), in any of four brightness levels. The resulting fonts can be displayed in any but HAM modes, but a hi-res interlaced display is best. Anti A is compatible with both WorkBench 1.3 and 2.0. ArtisticCLIPS ($ 44.95), by Artistic Software, is a collection of clip arts from nine subject areas, among them being animals and transportation. All the images are in "Professional Draw" format, and the program includes a manual that displays each of them, as well as offering recommendations on their use. The images themselves are in realistic colors selected for best results when printed in color, color separations or in black and white. MIOutline ($124.95), by Mirror Image, is a font conversion program for use with "Professional Draw". The software is able to convert any PostScript Type 1 printer font, whether from IBM or Mac, into a completely compatible outline font usable by "Professional Draw", with the font sets sorted in Amiga order. Users can then manipulate the converted fonts themselves within "Professional Draw". What is more, MIOutline will also print Post- Script charts and the requisite key combinations for calling them. Pagesetter III ($129.95), by Gold Disk, is an upgraded version of Gold Disk's popular entry-level, page layout program. This latest version pro- vides a complete system for the creation and layout of both text and gra- phics, sporting such features as a word processor, a spell checker, a paint program and a page design program. The program supplies a variety of hi- res structured clip art and now includes both color printing and PostScript compatibility. Personal Fonts Maker, ($99.95), by Centaur, is a software package for the creation and modification of fonts for both screen and printer. The pro- gram supplies its user complete control over printed fonts, with a special programming language, a printer driver modifier, macro functions, and num- erous other tools and aids for font manipulation and enhancement. Perhaps best of all, Personal Fonts Maker includes a 320 page manual to assist the user in learning how to put all of this power to its best use. Professional Page 2.1 ($395; upgrade for $75), by Gold Disk, is an improved version an already very well regarded program. This newest edition adds the landscape printing format, better control of page positioning, addi- tional support for all dot-matrix printers, an interactive help disk and video tutorial and the latest version of AGFA Compugraphics' Bullet font scaling, with claimed increases in speed of up to 100%. Prospective users should note: the program requires at least 2 MB of RAM. >>> SPREADSHEETS Charts & Graphs ($ 99.95), by Technical Resource Systems Laboratory (TRSL), is a PostScript compatible program for converting numerical data into one of 45 kinds of charts. These are displayable in either 2- or 3-D, and then either saved in IFF or PostScript files (in either color or gray-scale), or exported to other IFF or PostScript compatible programs (Paint or DTP soft- ware, for instance). Perhaps best of all, IFF images may be IMPORTED into Charts & Graphs for use as customized backdrops, chart columns, line points, or movable objects. Multiplot XLNe ($20), by Immunobiology, is a data plotting program that displays data points within a Cartesian coordinate system as (x, y) values, with or without error bars. An unlimited number of data sets may be dis- played within the same coordinates, each being defined by a certain combi- nation of shape, color, line type and point size. Data is input from sim- ple text files, while the plots themselves may be as discrete points or as lines. Output may be printed by way of the PRT: device, or in one of sev- eral formats: IntroCAD, Draw, PostScript or Encapsulated PostScript, IFF, mCAD, or HPGL/2. For those in need of a data plotter, this program is a genuine bargain! Professional Calc ($395), by Gold Disk, is a professional-grade spreadsheet and graphing software package. Requiring 1 MB of RAM, the spreadsheet por- tion not only supplies 125 arithmetical, financial, statistical, trigono- metric and user-definable functions, it offers 75 ARexx functions. As for the charting portion, the program displays data in a variety of full color 2- or 3-Ð graphs, incorporating -- at the user's option -- multiple fonts and special text fonts (e.g., drop shadowed, embossed, embossed or extru- ded). The graphical interface includes a control panel for fast and easy operation, and even has an outlining feature in which rows or columns may be collapsed until needed. Finally, Professional Calc reads data from files in dBase, MaxiPlan, Lotus 1-2-3, or its own format, and either saves it as spreadsheets or graphs, or prints it on any PostScript compatible printer. >>> TEXT AND WORD PROCESSORS Final Copy ($99.95), by SoftWood, is the first and only word processor for the Amiga that uses outline fonts, fonts that allow you to print documents as good as your printer is capable of printing (i.e., at its maximum reso- lution). Final Copy is capable of printing any outline font from 4 to 200 points in size, as well as providing as-you-type hyphenation, multiple col- umn support, a spell checker with a 116,000 word dictionary (and even makes suggestions), a point-and-click thesaurus with 470,000 synonyms and defini- tions, and PostScript printing (it has its own printer driver). In addi- tion to these features, Final Copy provides the usual word processing func- tions, IFF graphic handling with real-time text flow, and ARexx support. Flow 3.0 ($110), by New Horizons, is an update of New Horizon's outliner and idea organizer. The program encourages the user to enter his or her ideas without concern for organization or structure. (S)He may then go back and -- using the tools provided by Flow -- build them into a coherent outline, an outline he or she may import into "ProWrite", to be fleshed out into a full-fledged document. New features found in Flow 3.0 include ARexx support, outline autonumbering, spell checking, macros, savable configura- tions, and headers and footers. Personal Write ($49.95), by Centaur (imported from Cloanto), is an extre- mely fast, highly customizable word processor -- so versatile, in fact, that it allows the user to choose what language (s)he wishes to work in by menu selection (rather than hassling with keymaps, etc.). The program fur- nishes the user with 80 menus and hundreds of gadgets to tailor it accord- ing to taste. Other features include multi-tasking; support for PostScript and "Personal Font Maker" files; graphics handling capabilities, including recoloring; file compression/decompression and encryption; and a plethora of word processing functions. >>> UNIX Empress ($1400 to $4200, depending on features), by Empress Software, is a relational database that supports networks and multiple users. It is able to store arbitrary sequences of data of any length -- including graphics and sound, has a kernel callable from C, an applications generator that supports X-Windows, ANSI standard SQL, and a full-featured editor/word pro- cessor. Graphics Display Adaptor 2 (about $700 for 1 MB version), by GfxBase, is an 8-bit color display board intended specifically for use with X-Windows. It includes software for autoconfiguring, displays 256 colors, and supports most VGA, E-VGA and S-VGA monitors. An upgrade-board will be available in the future for users interested in having a 16-million color, 24-bit gra- phics display. =============================================================================  NEWS FROM THE STATES - S.M. Oakland =============================================================================