Inverse ATASCII

This episode features Page Designer, originally released in 1985 by XLEnt Software. It was written by Dr. Len Dorfman and Dennis Young.

Podcast: Download

Box and Supplement Scans

Manual front cover:

 

 

Manual back cover::

 

 

Staff caricature from manual:

 

 

Disk:

 

 

Registration card front:

 

Registration card back:

 

Ad from Analog August 1985:

 

Ad from Analog June 1986:

Page Designer in Action

Menu:

 

 

 

Loading:

Interface

Empty document (normal mode):

 

Empty document (graphics mode):

 

Mix of 40 and 80 columns, with fine scan line control moved up:

 

Full screen demonstrating mix of 40 column and 80 column text in different styles, combined with used of Atari ATASCII characters as well as the border characters provided with Page Designer:

 

Bottom half editing, note the BOT HALF 40 in the header:

 

More border characters and alternate fonts, on the bottom half:

 

Save

Saving is a 2 step process.  Command chosen is briefly displayed:

 

Drive number selection:

 

Filename selection:

 

Load

Loading is a 3 step process.  Command chosen is briefly displayed:

 

Drive number selection:

 

Filename selection:

 

Whole page or half page selection:

 

Directory

This is clunky.  All files are displayed one at a time on the 2nd line of the display.  Press RETURN to proceed to next file.  Initially the selected command is displayed briefly:

 

Drive number selection:

 

First file displayed:

 

Another file displayed:

 

Character Set Load

This is similar to image loading, but instead load a character set.  The command selected is briefly displayed first:

 

Drive number selection:

 

Filename selection:

 

Printing

Do you want to print?  Yes or No:

 

By your command.  Printing…

Files

Disks are DOS 2.5 compatible, and appears to include OSS DOS XL 2.30 as the supplied DOS (similar to other XLEnt Software titles):

The ASM files are program files.  The FNT files are alternate fonts.  The PD file is a sample picture (of some XLEnt Software staff members).

 

Print Output

Output from XLENTPIC.PD:

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/s4e04-prt-xlentpic.pdf

Output from Inverse ATASCII / 1632 Atari podcaST promo:

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/s4e04-prt-iapage.pdf

 

Instructions

The manual can be found online at AtariMania (see link below).

 

Show Links:

• Atari Mania: http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-page-designer_12538.html
• InverseATASCII S4 E2 XLEnt Software First XLEnt Word Processor: https://inverseatascii.info/2017/11/02/s4e02-xlent-software-first-xlent-word-processor-supplement/
• InverseATASCII S4 E3 XLEnt Software MegaFont II+: https://inverseatascii.info/2017/11/19/s4e03-xlent-software-megafont-ii-supplement/
• 1632 Atari podcaST: http://1632podast.info

 

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.