#200lx — Public Fediverse posts

@stonetoolsblog Your #AppleWorks and #Hypercard posts, and to a lesser extent the #dBase and #VisualBasic posts, are giving me a bit of a brainwave... could it be that the recipe for a retro sleeper hit is to glue just a bit of automation onto a flat file #database?

Earlier I wrote about owners of the HP #200LX performing daring feats of automation using only the machine's ROM applications (word processor, spreadsheet, database) and a system macro recorder. Their workflows strongly remind me of the workflow you devised for laying out your text adventure game in AppleWorks. Then, HyperCard took things a step further by adding a scripting language and graphics. All these tools feel like members of the same category, with the #HP200LX perhaps the least capable (but most approachable), and HyperCard the most capable (but requiring the most programming to unlock its power).

VB departs from the category by neglecting to ship a built-in database, as you mentioned. dBase departs from the category (subjectively) by being CLI-focused and stodgy enough that it doesn't provide the feeling of sculpting a living medium with one's hands.

I'm obsessed with the category, whatever name one might choose to attach to it. (RAD? Too code-focused. Nocode? Has become its own thing bearing little resemblance to the progenitors.) Regardless, flat-file databases seem to be a sweet spot, simple enough to be readily grasped regardless of technical background but powerful enough to get work done.

@stonetoolsblog Your #AppleWorks and #Hypercard posts, and to a lesser extent the #dBase and #VisualBasic posts, are giving me a bit of a brainwave... could it be that the recipe for a retro sleeper hit is to glue just a bit of automation onto a flat file #database?

Earlier I wrote about owners of the HP #200LX performing daring feats of automation using only the machine's ROM applications (word processor, spreadsheet, database) and a system macro recorder. Their workflows strongly remind me of the workflow you devised for laying out your text adventure game in AppleWorks. Then, HyperCard took things a step further by adding a scripting language and graphics. All these tools feel like members of the same category, with the #HP200LX perhaps the least capable (but most approachable), and HyperCard the most capable (but requiring the most programming to unlock its power).

VB departs from the category by neglecting to ship a built-in database, as you mentioned. dBase departs from the category (subjectively) by being CLI-focused and stodgy enough that it doesn't provide the feeling of sculpting a living medium with one's hands.

I'm obsessed with the category, whatever name one might choose to attach to it. (RAD? Too code-focused. Nocode? Has become its own thing bearing little resemblance to the progenitors.) Regardless, flat-file databases seem to be a sweet spot, simple enough to be readily grasped regardless of technical background but powerful enough to get work done.

@stonetoolsblog Your #AppleWorks and #Hypercard posts, and to a lesser extent the #dBase and #VisualBasic posts, are giving me a bit of a brainwave... could it be that the recipe for a retro sleeper hit is to glue just a bit of automation onto a flat file #database?

Earlier I wrote about owners of the HP #200LX performing daring feats of automation using only the machine's ROM applications (word processor, spreadsheet, database) and a system macro recorder. Their workflows strongly remind me of the workflow you devised for laying out your text adventure game in AppleWorks. Then, HyperCard took things a step further by adding a scripting language and graphics. All these tools feel like members of the same category, with the #HP200LX perhaps the least capable (but most approachable), and HyperCard the most capable (but requiring the most programming to unlock its power).

VB departs from the category by neglecting to ship a built-in database, as you mentioned. dBase departs from the category (subjectively) by being CLI-focused and stodgy enough that it doesn't provide the feeling of sculpting a living medium with one's hands.

I'm obsessed with the category, whatever name one might choose to attach to it. (RAD? Too code-focused. Nocode? Has become its own thing bearing little resemblance to the progenitors.) Regardless, flat-file databases seem to be a sweet spot, simple enough to be readily grasped regardless of technical background but powerful enough to get work done.

@stonetoolsblog Your #AppleWorks and #Hypercard posts, and to a lesser extent the #dBase and #VisualBasic posts, are giving me a bit of a brainwave... could it be that the recipe for a retro sleeper hit is to glue just a bit of automation onto a flat file #database?

Earlier I wrote about owners of the HP #200LX performing daring feats of automation using only the machine's ROM applications (word processor, spreadsheet, database) and a system macro recorder. Their workflows strongly remind me of the workflow you devised for laying out your text adventure game in AppleWorks. Then, HyperCard took things a step further by adding a scripting language and graphics. All these tools feel like members of the same category, with the #HP200LX perhaps the least capable (but most approachable), and HyperCard the most capable (but requiring the most programming to unlock its power).

VB departs from the category by neglecting to ship a built-in database, as you mentioned. dBase departs from the category (subjectively) by being CLI-focused and stodgy enough that it doesn't provide the feeling of sculpting a living medium with one's hands.

I'm obsessed with the category, whatever name one might choose to attach to it. (RAD? Too code-focused. Nocode? Has become its own thing bearing little resemblance to the progenitors.) Regardless, flat-file databases seem to be a sweet spot, simple enough to be readily grasped regardless of technical background but powerful enough to get work done.

@stonetoolsblog Your #AppleWorks and #Hypercard posts, and to a lesser extent the #dBase and #VisualBasic posts, are giving me a bit of a brainwave... could it be that the recipe for a retro sleeper hit is to glue just a bit of automation onto a flat file #database?

Earlier I wrote about owners of the HP #200LX performing daring feats of automation using only the machine's ROM applications (word processor, spreadsheet, database) and a system macro recorder. Their workflows strongly remind me of the workflow you devised for laying out your text adventure game in AppleWorks. Then, HyperCard took things a step further by adding a scripting language and graphics. All these tools feel like members of the same category, with the #HP200LX perhaps the least capable (but most approachable), and HyperCard the most capable (but requiring the most programming to unlock its power).

VB departs from the category by neglecting to ship a built-in database, as you mentioned. dBase departs from the category (subjectively) by being CLI-focused and stodgy enough that it doesn't provide the feeling of sculpting a living medium with one's hands.

I'm obsessed with the category, whatever name one might choose to attach to it. (RAD? Too code-focused. Nocode? Has become its own thing bearing little resemblance to the progenitors.) Regardless, flat-file databases seem to be a sweet spot, simple enough to be readily grasped regardless of technical background but powerful enough to get work done.

Separated at birth: The HP #200LX NoteTaker application, and Microsoft Cardfile from Windows 3.11 (and earlier).

• Simulates a stack of index cards.
• Each note has an index line.
• Notes are auto alphabetized by index. No other sort order is possible.

Cardfile has separate card and index views. NoteTaker shows both at once.

This is the simplest class of application that I believe is justified in calling itself a #database.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

Separated at birth: The HP #200LX NoteTaker application, and Microsoft Cardfile from Windows 3.11 (and earlier).

• Simulates a stack of index cards.
• Each note has an index line.
• Notes are auto alphabetized by index. No other sort order is possible.

Cardfile has separate card and index views. NoteTaker shows both at once.

This is the simplest class of application that I believe is justified in calling itself a #database.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

Separated at birth: The HP #200LX NoteTaker application, and Microsoft Cardfile from Windows 3.11 (and earlier).

• Simulates a stack of index cards.
• Each note has an index line.
• Notes are auto alphabetized by index. No other sort order is possible.

Cardfile has separate card and index views. NoteTaker shows both at once.

This is the simplest class of application that I believe is justified in calling itself a #database.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

Separated at birth: The HP #200LX NoteTaker application, and Microsoft Cardfile from Windows 3.11 (and earlier).

• Simulates a stack of index cards.
• Each note has an index line.
• Notes are auto alphabetized by index. No other sort order is possible.

Cardfile has separate card and index views. NoteTaker shows both at once.

This is the simplest class of application that I believe is justified in calling itself a #database.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

Separated at birth: The HP #200LX NoteTaker application, and Microsoft Cardfile from Windows 3.11 (and earlier).

• Simulates a stack of index cards.
• Each note has an index line.
• Notes are auto alphabetized by index. No other sort order is possible.

Cardfile has separate card and index views. NoteTaker shows both at once.

This is the simplest class of application that I believe is justified in calling itself a #database.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

@flyingsaceur MS-DOS 5.0 in ROM in a HP #200LX on a sunny park bench.

#hp200lx

@flyingsaceur MS-DOS 5.0 in ROM in a HP #200LX on a sunny park bench.

#hp200lx

@flyingsaceur MS-DOS 5.0 in ROM in a HP #200LX on a sunny park bench.

#hp200lx

@flyingsaceur MS-DOS 5.0 in ROM in a HP #200LX on a sunny park bench.

#hp200lx

@flyingsaceur MS-DOS 5.0 in ROM in a HP #200LX on a sunny park bench.

#hp200lx

I'm reading a book about French mountain-climbers and the HP #200LX is doing a good job maintaining a cast of characters for me thanks to its NoteTaker application, which is just a thin wrapper around the flat file #database engine shared by most of its PIM apps. The database features both quick browsing by note title (in left-hand column) and a full-text search of all note contents (slower but sometimes necessary to recall a nickname or other trivia).

This is a very basic example of how a flatfile database can frequently be the "right tool for the job" in a way that is now underappreciated:

• Plain text would work, but it's a lot of vertical scrolling, and doesn't have any equivalent of "quick browsing by note title".
• A hierarchical organizer would work well but will suffer the same search problems as plain text unless thoughtfully designed.
• A spreadsheet would need lots of horizontal scrolling to read the character's biographies.

The database is effectively just a "frontend on a spreadsheet" but this is a frontend that does a lot of practical work.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

I'm reading a book about French mountain-climbers and the HP #200LX is doing a good job maintaining a cast of characters for me thanks to its NoteTaker application, which is just a thin wrapper around the flat file #database engine shared by most of its PIM apps. The database features both quick browsing by note title (in left-hand column) and a full-text search of all note contents (slower but sometimes necessary to recall a nickname or other trivia).

This is a very basic example of how a flatfile database can frequently be the "right tool for the job" in a way that is now underappreciated:

• Plain text would work, but it's a lot of vertical scrolling, and doesn't have any equivalent of "quick browsing by note title".
• A hierarchical organizer would work well but will suffer the same search problems as plain text unless thoughtfully designed.
• A spreadsheet would need lots of horizontal scrolling to read the character's biographies.

The database is effectively just a "frontend on a spreadsheet" but this is a frontend that does a lot of practical work.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

I'm reading a book about French mountain-climbers and the HP #200LX is doing a good job maintaining a cast of characters for me thanks to its NoteTaker application, which is just a thin wrapper around the flat file #database engine shared by most of its PIM apps. The database features both quick browsing by note title (in left-hand column) and a full-text search of all note contents (slower but sometimes necessary to recall a nickname or other trivia).

This is a very basic example of how a flatfile database can frequently be the "right tool for the job" in a way that is now underappreciated:

• Plain text would work, but it's a lot of vertical scrolling, and doesn't have any equivalent of "quick browsing by note title".
• A hierarchical organizer would work well but will suffer the same search problems as plain text unless thoughtfully designed.
• A spreadsheet would need lots of horizontal scrolling to read the character's biographies.

The database is effectively just a "frontend on a spreadsheet" but this is a frontend that does a lot of practical work.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

I'm reading a book about French mountain-climbers and the HP #200LX is doing a good job maintaining a cast of characters for me thanks to its NoteTaker application, which is just a thin wrapper around the flat file #database engine shared by most of its PIM apps. The database features both quick browsing by note title (in left-hand column) and a full-text search of all note contents (slower but sometimes necessary to recall a nickname or other trivia).

This is a very basic example of how a flatfile database can frequently be the "right tool for the job" in a way that is now underappreciated:

• Plain text would work, but it's a lot of vertical scrolling, and doesn't have any equivalent of "quick browsing by note title".
• A hierarchical organizer would work well but will suffer the same search problems as plain text unless thoughtfully designed.
• A spreadsheet would need lots of horizontal scrolling to read the character's biographies.

The database is effectively just a "frontend on a spreadsheet" but this is a frontend that does a lot of practical work.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

I'm reading a book about French mountain-climbers and the HP #200LX is doing a good job maintaining a cast of characters for me thanks to its NoteTaker application, which is just a thin wrapper around the flat file #database engine shared by most of its PIM apps. The database features both quick browsing by note title (in left-hand column) and a full-text search of all note contents (slower but sometimes necessary to recall a nickname or other trivia).

This is a very basic example of how a flatfile database can frequently be the "right tool for the job" in a way that is now underappreciated:

• Plain text would work, but it's a lot of vertical scrolling, and doesn't have any equivalent of "quick browsing by note title".
• A hierarchical organizer would work well but will suffer the same search problems as plain text unless thoughtfully designed.
• A spreadsheet would need lots of horizontal scrolling to read the character's biographies.

The database is effectively just a "frontend on a spreadsheet" but this is a frontend that does a lot of practical work.

#HP200LX #retrocomputing

@interstar I liked your fishing trip database example, so here's a wine database on HP #200LX. Two facing pages in the manual were enough to fully demonstrate how to create it. No need for a LLM helper.

https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-189652/page/n89/mode/2up

#retrocomputing #hp200lx

@interstar I liked your fishing trip database example, so here's a wine database on HP #200LX. Two facing pages in the manual were enough to fully demonstrate how to create it. No need for a LLM helper.

https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-189652/page/n89/mode/2up

#retrocomputing #hp200lx

@interstar I liked your fishing trip database example, so here's a wine database on HP #200LX. Two facing pages in the manual were enough to fully demonstrate how to create it. No need for a LLM helper.

https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-189652/page/n89/mode/2up

#retrocomputing #hp200lx

@interstar I liked your fishing trip database example, so here's a wine database on HP #200LX. Two facing pages in the manual were enough to fully demonstrate how to create it. No need for a LLM helper.

https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-189652/page/n89/mode/2up

#retrocomputing #hp200lx

@interstar I liked your fishing trip database example, so here's a wine database on HP #200LX. Two facing pages in the manual were enough to fully demonstrate how to create it. No need for a LLM helper.

https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-189652/page/n89/mode/2up

#retrocomputing #hp200lx

@AlgoCompSynth That would be muLisp, as I ran across quite by accident the other day. Sure enough, it's amazing on the #200LX! I've been working on Project Euler: it's quite addictive.

https://github.com/MartinHepperle/muLISP/tree/main/muLISP-90

#hp200lx #lisp

@AlgoCompSynth That would be muLisp, as I ran across quite by accident the other day. Sure enough, it's amazing on the #200LX! I've been working on Project Euler: it's quite addictive.

https://github.com/MartinHepperle/muLISP/tree/main/muLISP-90

#hp200lx #lisp

@AlgoCompSynth That would be muLisp, as I ran across quite by accident the other day. Sure enough, it's amazing on the #200LX! I've been working on Project Euler: it's quite addictive.

https://github.com/MartinHepperle/muLISP/tree/main/muLISP-90

#hp200lx #lisp

@AlgoCompSynth That would be muLisp, as I ran across quite by accident the other day. Sure enough, it's amazing on the #200LX! I've been working on Project Euler: it's quite addictive.

https://github.com/MartinHepperle/muLISP/tree/main/muLISP-90

#hp200lx #lisp

@AlgoCompSynth That would be muLisp, as I ran across quite by accident the other day. Sure enough, it's amazing on the #200LX! I've been working on Project Euler: it's quite addictive.

https://github.com/MartinHepperle/muLISP/tree/main/muLISP-90

#hp200lx #lisp

I can't believe it, but I found an old-arse CF card of 32MB size and made it work in my 200LX! Now, DOOM8088....and a ton of other games. #retro #retrocomputing #retrogaming #retrogames #200lx #msdos

I can't believe it, but I found an old-arse CF card of 32MB size and made it work in my 200LX! Now, DOOM8088....and a ton of other games. #retro #retrocomputing #retrogaming #retrogames #200lx #msdos

I can't believe it, but I found an old-arse CF card of 32MB size and made it work in my 200LX! Now, DOOM8088....and a ton of other games. #retro #retrocomputing #retrogaming #retrogames #200lx #msdos

I can't believe it, but I found an old-arse CF card of 32MB size and made it work in my 200LX! Now, DOOM8088....and a ton of other games. #retro #retrocomputing #retrogaming #retrogames #200lx #msdos

I can't believe it, but I found an old-arse CF card of 32MB size and made it work in my 200LX! Now, DOOM8088....and a ton of other games. #retro #retrocomputing #retrogaming #retrogames #200lx #msdos

Bonus shots of the phone-HP file transfer process. #hp200lx #retrocomputing #200lx

Bonus shots of the phone-HP file transfer process. #hp200lx #retrocomputing #200lx

Bonus shots of the phone-HP file transfer process. #hp200lx #retrocomputing #200lx

Bonus shots of the phone-HP file transfer process. #hp200lx #retrocomputing #200lx

Bonus shots of the phone-HP file transfer process. #hp200lx #retrocomputing #200lx

HP Connectivity Pack is now installed on my phone, allowing me to view and convert files from the #hp200lx's native PIM apps. Phone and HP #200LX are now a self-sufficient pair, with no PC required to transfer, view or edit files. (And yes, I also have Lotus 1-2-3 on my phone. Who doesn't?) No lock-in, no bullshit, just data files in well-understood formats readable anywhere. Can it still be called #retrocomputing if it's still so useful in the modern age?

HP Connectivity Pack is now installed on my phone, allowing me to view and convert files from the #hp200lx's native PIM apps. Phone and HP #200LX are now a self-sufficient pair, with no PC required to transfer, view or edit files. (And yes, I also have Lotus 1-2-3 on my phone. Who doesn't?) No lock-in, no bullshit, just data files in well-understood formats readable anywhere. Can it still be called #retrocomputing if it's still so useful in the modern age?

HP Connectivity Pack is now installed on my phone, allowing me to view and convert files from the #hp200lx's native PIM apps. Phone and HP #200LX are now a self-sufficient pair, with no PC required to transfer, view or edit files. (And yes, I also have Lotus 1-2-3 on my phone. Who doesn't?) No lock-in, no bullshit, just data files in well-understood formats readable anywhere. Can it still be called #retrocomputing if it's still so useful in the modern age?

HP Connectivity Pack is now installed on my phone, allowing me to view and convert files from the #hp200lx's native PIM apps. Phone and HP #200LX are now a self-sufficient pair, with no PC required to transfer, view or edit files. (And yes, I also have Lotus 1-2-3 on my phone. Who doesn't?) No lock-in, no bullshit, just data files in well-understood formats readable anywhere. Can it still be called #retrocomputing if it's still so useful in the modern age?

HP Connectivity Pack is now installed on my phone, allowing me to view and convert files from the #hp200lx's native PIM apps. Phone and HP #200LX are now a self-sufficient pair, with no PC required to transfer, view or edit files. (And yes, I also have Lotus 1-2-3 on my phone. Who doesn't?) No lock-in, no bullshit, just data files in well-understood formats readable anywhere. Can it still be called #retrocomputing if it's still so useful in the modern age?

The next #Forth program I write on the HP #200LX will be #uuencode / #uudecode so I can transfer binary files to/from hosts that don't support #zmodem. #HP200LX

The next #Forth program I write on the HP #200LX will be #uuencode / #uudecode so I can transfer binary files to/from hosts that don't support #zmodem. #HP200LX

The next #Forth program I write on the HP #200LX will be #uuencode / #uudecode so I can transfer binary files to/from hosts that don't support #zmodem. #HP200LX

The next #Forth program I write on the HP #200LX will be #uuencode / #uudecode so I can transfer binary files to/from hosts that don't support #zmodem. #HP200LX

The next #Forth program I write on the HP #200LX will be #uuencode / #uudecode so I can transfer binary files to/from hosts that don't support #zmodem. #HP200LX

omg I was not expecting winning #Freecell on the HP #200LX to do the bouncy cards thing
#HP200LX #retrocomputing

omg I was not expecting winning #Freecell on the HP #200LX to do the bouncy cards thing
#HP200LX #retrocomputing

omg I was not expecting winning #Freecell on the HP #200LX to do the bouncy cards thing
#HP200LX #retrocomputing

omg I was not expecting winning #Freecell on the HP #200LX to do the bouncy cards thing
#HP200LX #retrocomputing

omg I was not expecting winning #Freecell on the HP #200LX to do the bouncy cards thing
#HP200LX #retrocomputing

I bought a large storage card for the #HP200LX. Sadly, the HP itself is the only machine I have working right now with a PC card slot. The card came preloaded with neat #200LX-ready software, which I am backing up to my PC. Copying hundreds of megabytes of software over 9600 baud serial... takes... um... a while!?

I bought a large storage card for the #HP200LX. Sadly, the HP itself is the only machine I have working right now with a PC card slot. The card came preloaded with neat #200LX-ready software, which I am backing up to my PC. Copying hundreds of megabytes of software over 9600 baud serial... takes... um... a while!?

I bought a large storage card for the #HP200LX. Sadly, the HP itself is the only machine I have working right now with a PC card slot. The card came preloaded with neat #200LX-ready software, which I am backing up to my PC. Copying hundreds of megabytes of software over 9600 baud serial... takes... um... a while!?

I bought a large storage card for the #HP200LX. Sadly, the HP itself is the only machine I have working right now with a PC card slot. The card came preloaded with neat #200LX-ready software, which I am backing up to my PC. Copying hundreds of megabytes of software over 9600 baud serial... takes... um... a while!?

I bought a large storage card for the #HP200LX. Sadly, the HP itself is the only machine I have working right now with a PC card slot. The card came preloaded with neat #200LX-ready software, which I am backing up to my PC. Copying hundreds of megabytes of software over 9600 baud serial... takes... um... a while!?