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
Thanks for the podcast.
I finally jumped into this program to see what it could really do. Yes, the manual is not very good. One thing that stood out that you did not mention in the podcast is that although the manual tells you how to get to the Graphics Mode, and tells you that you need to use a joystick to control the Graphics Mode, there is no information about how to use the Graphics Mode functions. A rather large mistake by the manual creator. Although some options are easy to figure out, there are a couple that are a little more complex. The ‘PL’ and ‘DR’ is a bit confusing. I am still not sure how to change the number to the right of ‘PL’ or what ‘PL’ is suppose to stand for. Also, the CIRCLE and SPHERE are not very useful when creating a document. Better choices would have been shapes like rectangles with rounded corners.
Another thing that would have been useful is to incorporate Graphics mode 1 & 2 text. I have seen other programs similar to this one include the ability to write in these two text modes.