This episode features Spell Perfect, originally released in 1982 by LJK Enterprises.  It was designed by Ken Leonhardi.

Podcast: Download

Box and Supplement Scans

Scan of the front of the manual:

 

Advertisement that won a Clio award:

 

Spell Perfect in Action

At boot first set the disk for your files.  Feel free to use drive 3 if you want, it supports more than 2 drives:

 

Next set the disk for the dictionary:

 

Last, set the density of the drive:

 

Main menu (looks and acts like Letter Perfect and Data Perfect):

 

Main Menu – Spell

First choose a file to spell check:

 

File is loaded, then scanning will begin:

 

If the dictionary disk is not inserted in the configured dictionary drive each word will generate an error:

 

Once scanning is started mis-spelled words are highlighted and showing in context.  You are prompted on what to do about it:

 

 

Editing the mis-spelled word via Change menu item:

 

Using the Match menu item to find a words correct spelling.  This is the match menu:

 

Selecting a replacement word using the Sel(ect) option of the Match menu:

 

After selecting the replacement word from the options, it is placed in the change editor.  Edit it to further refine or press RETURN to accept it:

 

Once the entire document is proofed, you are prompted to save it, give it a new name or use the same name:

 

Main Menu – File

The file menu acts as a mini-DOS.  It also has a Save function in case the proofed document could not be saved at proof conclusion due to disk error:

 

Main Menu – Dictionary

The dictionary menu allows for the addition and deletion of words from the dictionary.  The print option allows for printing pages of the dictionary:

 

Add

First enter the word to add:

 

It is added to a list of words to add, up to 32 at a time:

 

Pressing RETURN without input completes the additions.  Any words that were not added (due to duplication) will be listed under the “words unused” section:

 

Delete

Delete works just like Add.  Enter the word to delete:

 

It is added to a list of words to delete, up to 32 at a time:

 

After pressing RETURN with no input, the menu is given.  You can modify the list of words, commit, or quit:

 

This word was not in the dictionary and thus not able to be deleted.  So it is shown under the “words unused” section:

 

Main Menu – Change System

This works just like init.  See above.

 

Main Menu – Quit

When choosing quit, insert a boot disk to boot it:

 

Files

Contents

Spell Perfect uses a proprietary disk format.  Though an official LJK DOS does not exist, you can consider it as such.

 

Printing

Printing a single dictionary page:

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/s2e03-prt-dictprintonepage.pdf

Printing all dictionary pages:

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/s2e03-prt-dictprintall.pdf

PDF of entire Version 1 dictionary (words only):

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/s2e03-prt-dictv1.pdf

PDF of entire Version 6 dictionary (words only):

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/s2e03-prt-dictv6.pdf

Show Links:

• Inverse ATASCII Season 1 Episode 2 – LJK, Letter Perfect: https://inverseatascii.info/2014/10/14/s1e2-ljk-letter-perfect/
• Computing Pioneers Ken Leonhardi Interview: http://computingpioneers.com/index.php/Ken_Leonhardi
• LJK Enterprises: http://ljkenterprises.net/about.html
• Atari Mania: http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-spell-perfect_30002.html
• Internet Archive: http://archive.org

 

 

Intro music is an excerpt from a chip tune by Wizwars named 8 Bit Raceway.  It is used under Creative Common license Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.