Yeah, they're cool and they're fun to own and they let you show off how hard you work by making it look like you are working absolutely all the time, even in the bathroom

These aren't the exciting ones that promise great features that you would have given your first born for. No, these are the little ones, the updates that you need because otherwise you'll be irritated for the rest of the week because your new program isn't working quite right. The first and most important update is to QuicKeys 2

It seems that the Xanadu special issue we put out last week was quite a hit. However, at the time we didn't have complete contact information. We have gotten some more names and addresses and even email addresses

Ted Nelson's worldwide open-hypertext-publishing network, Xanadu, has once again been delayed. The version described in Literary Machines 87.1, etc., has been completed, but put on the shelf due to the absence of some key software mechanisms

Ultimately it may take an astrologer or a sun-spot specialist to find a plausible explanation for the remarkable two weeks in the fall of 1960 when Ted Nelson figured it all out

And what are those mysterious 'transclusive fragments?' Ted Nelson has a definition ready for the term he coined two years ago; finally giving The Vision the right generic name

Then there is the problem of the many modalities available for presentation. Many are available, but none are on speaking terms with each other. Text documents are those made up of words on paper

Back to our open hypertext publishing. "The notion of a [clearly delimited] document is an important one, really a social and psychological mechanism, fine, we keep that because literature is a system of documents which works

That said, we were then treated to a quickie demo, "made few days ago," in MacroMind Director (I think), projected off a Macintosh with color screen

Literary Machines, book by Ted Nelson describing the Xanadu concept & methodology, latest edition 90.1, new edition coming shortly, postpaid US$ 25 US (US$ 40 foreign) from Mindful Press, 3020 Bridgeway #295, Sausalito CA 94965 Literary Machines, the 87.1 Macintosh hypertext edition on disk, available from OWL International Inc., 14218 NE 21st Street, Bellevue WA 98007 Computer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson, a '1987 revised & updated' reprint of the original 1974 edition, Tempus Books/Microsoft Press For information on the forthcoming Xanadu software from AutoDesk contact Xanadu Operating Company, Palo Alto CA, tel

Long ago I read a spoof that poked fun at spelling checkers. It was disguised as a letter from an editor to Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll

Here's an interesting phenomenon. Remember the hullabaloo about keeping public archives in public formats? Most people were talking about how wonderful Compactor and StuffIt Deluxe were, with an occasional mention of Diamond as well

SimCity from Maxis was the hit game of last year. Not too surprising really, if you think about all the human vices that the game satisfied. Greed, violence, cruelty

It's a fine week when I don't have to write about the latest and slimiest virus on the block. However, there is a small piece of news that everyone should be aware of

Earlier this year the Lotus/Novell merger received headline attention, and the merger would have made Lotus the largest microcomputer software company (even larger than Microsoft!)