Screen Shot Gallery -- DeskMate®

Card-Sign-Banner-Etc.     In the mid-1980's software companies began making programs that could print cards, signs, banners, letterheads, calendars, and later, even newsletters. It made the personal computer more "personal," and although targeted mainly at the home computer user, schools and businesses found use for this software as well.     People could now print cards saying exactly what they wanted to. They could print signs for garage sales and other things with professional-looking lettering and pictures. Big long or tall banners could be printed for birthday parties or other occasions. Calendars could be printed for personal schedules from card/sign/banner software with calendar features.     Schools could print signs for upcoming events to post at the school and send home to parents. Banners could be printed for displaying the "ABC's," highlighting class topics, and for topics that could be displayed in main school areas. Calendars could be printed for everything from assignment deadlines to event schedules for students and parents, etc. Letterheads could be printed for official school business. Cards could be printed for student and parent event invitations. This software could even create certificates for awards and achievements.     Businesses also saw advantages for this software. For a fraction of the cost of a printing service they could print professional letterheads complete with pictures. And if the software had a graphics editor, they could even add their logo. Calendars could be printed for weekly, monthly, and yearly event scheduling. Signs announcing anything from the annual company banquet to the winner of the football pool look more presentable than handwritten ones. Cards could be printed for invitations to the annual Christmas party or golf scramble. OK, so not every application may have been 100% business- oriented but it made life a little more fun.

Print Magic 1.1b Copyright © 1988 Epyx, Inc. More than just a card/sign/banner program, Print Magic also includes a built-in paint program. The main program features card/page/banner mode, 34 graphics images, support for The Print Shop and PC Paintbrush images, graphics load/set/view/size/ move, layering, magnified view window, 15 fonts, enter text, set text position, view text, move text, plain/bold/underline/italic/overlay text styles, text justification, large/small text size, line spacing (1-6 lines), borders with 24 patterns, select border area, set border width, supports 13 printer models, print to LPT1/LPT2/LPT3/COM1/ COM2, delete file, and more. The paint program features line, circle, box drawing tools, 24 brush sizes, horizontal/ vertical mirroring, solid/pattern/pen size shapes, zoom area for pixel editing, area select/move/duplicate/flip horizontal/flip vertical/invert/clear/cut/copy/paste/save/ overlay, pattern fill, text, undo, scroll by dragging a "hand" cursor, set view area and more. This version was released on one 720K floppy. Total install size: 657K

Database     "Information is power." In the early 1980's computer-based database development software created the ability to make electronic database file management systems which could store vast amounts of information in a relatively compact manner.     No longer did companies have to write or type volumes of print-based data. No longer was it necessary to store tons of paper-based information in warehouses. Thousands, and even millions, of pages worth of information could now be stored on the hard drive of a single computer.     Database development software made finding specific information infinitely faster than searching through printed material. With a few keystrokes, depending on the size of the database, information could be displayed on a computer monitor in seconds. Electronic database software can also sort database information as many ways as there are fields in their database records. And making backup copies of electronic databases is as easy as copying files to storage media.     Are you still handwriting backup copies of documents the way the Scribes did centuries ago? It's time to put away the quill feather pen and retire the dipping ink bottle. The "electronic revolution" is here!

filePro 1.00 for DeskMate Copyright © 1990 The Small Computer Company, Inc. A database creation and management system, this is the first DeskMate version of filePro. Features include define files with key field, field name, length, type and group, 40-character field limit, UPLOW field type (capitalizes first letter, forces remaining characters to lowercase), PHONE ((nnn) nnn-nnnn), numeric with 1-8 decimal places, floating decimal, numeric with commas, 8 date formats, 3 time formats, right justification, currency, cheque (converts a number to USD amount in words), Social Security Number format, zip code format, zero fill, associated field groups, subfields, query by form, extended query writer, create browse, screen painter for designing entry forms, screens can have edit fields, checkboxes and radio buttons, user menus, import delimited ASCII, dBASE, Lotus 1-2-3 and DeskMate Filer files, export delimited ASCII, dBASE and Lotus 1-2-3, report generator with headings, data lines and optional grand total, mailing label report format, up to 10 demand indexes for report sorting, on-line help and more. The Small Computer Company, Inc. also released a DOS version of filePro. This version was released on two 720K floppies. Total install size: 635K

DeskMate Companion     Designed to further enhance the functionality of DeskMate, some developers created "companion" programs for Tandy's graphical environment. From financial tools to outlining programs, programmers were looking for solutions to make your DeskMate sessions easier -- and make their financial situations easier as well.

Outliner 1.05 Copyright © 1989 Star Software Systems A "DeskMate Companion" program, Outliner is a program that creates outline documents, or "books," in standard outline format. Features include tools to create outline books, parts, chapters, sections, topics, view level detail, create up to 10 custom outline levels, standard, outline, numeric, no labels views, double space, indent, lock/unlock, open multiple documents in "windows" that can be sized, maximized and closed, up to 12 open documents, revert to saved, on-line help and more. This "companion" will not run on some early versions of DeskMate. This version was released on one 360K floppy. Total install size: 269K

Personal Financial Assistant 1.04 Copyright © 1991 Star Software Systems, Inc. A "DeskMate Companion" program, Personal Financial Assistant calculates the following complex financial items: Annuity, Present Value, Future Value, Regular Deposits, Regular Withdrawals, Investment for Withdrawals, Compound Interest, Rule of 78's Interest, Normal Interest Rate, Effective Interest Rate, Commercial Paper, Amortization Table, Loan Principal, Loan Payment, Term of Loan, Last Loan Payment, Remaining Loan Balance, Investment Future Value, Investment Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Lease or Buy, Depreciation, Inflator/Deflator, Currency Converter and Apportionment by Ratio. Just plug in the values and Personal Financial Assistant crunches the numbers. Results can be sent to a printer, file or the screen. It also has on-line help. This "companion" will not run on some early versions of DeskMate. This version was released on one 360K floppy. Total install size: 185K

Desktop Publishing     Desktop publishing software was popular from the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's. A combination of word processing and graphics tools, desktop publishing software is used to make newsletters, fliers, presentations, and illustrated publications. Desktop publishing software distinguished itself from other software of the time with horizontal and vertical ruler bars. As this feature became popular, other software added this feature to their interfaces.     By the mid-1990's most word processor software had nearly as many features as desktop publishing software -- sizable fonts, columns, etc. (graphics insertion and text wrap had been features of some word processors since the late 1980's). If you owned a new word processor program you might not need a desktop publishing program unless you specifically needed the features they had that word processors did not.     From the mid-1990's on, most desktop publishing software faded into history or adapted to compete with other software.

Express Publisher 1.00 for DeskMate Copyright © 1991 Power Up Software Corporation A desktop publishing program for DeskMate, Express Publisher 1.00 features custom page layout, letter, 2-column, 3-column templates, blank page, insert page, set page number, one or two page preview, go to page, 4 fonts, 6-144 font point size, 4 documemt templates, text plain/bold/italic/underline styles, set character/line/ paragraph spacing, text justification, selection tool, textbox, text frame, round box, ellipse, set line, set fill, link/unlink text frames, align, equate images, text wrap, set tabs, set frame margins, layering, scaling, import text, import picture, 101 TIF and 2 PCX monochrome images, toolbox, horizontal/vertical rulers, snap-to grid, display hidden objects, set ruler units (inches, picas, centimeters), delete page, on-line help and more. This program does not use DeskMate's standard colors, but runs in black- and-white monochrome. Power Up Software Corporation also released DOS and Windows 3.1 versions of Express Publisher. This version was released on three 720K floppies. Total install size: 4.23MB

PFS:First Publisher 2.01 Copyright © 1988 Software Publishing Corporation Looking nearly identical to Software Publishing Corporation's DOS release of PFS: First Publisher, this DeskMate port of the desktop publisher program uses the same color scheme as the DOS version. Features include a vertical toolbar with drawing and text tools, Picturwrap, insert/delete page, jump to page, show page preview, import text, text bold/italic/normal styles, text size (9-36 points), realign text, text justification, text leading, 5 multi-image clipart files, 1 ART graphics image, get art, save art, duplicate/flip/rotate/invert/resize image, magnify image for pixel-sized editing, hidden baselines, 5 fonts, on-line help and more. This version also shows a little mouse icon under the vertical toolbar when a mouse button is clicked. This version was released on three 720K floppies. Total install size: 1.87MB

Educational     Since the early 1980's, educational computer software has redefined how children and people of all ages can learn knowledge.     Computers can not only crunch numbers for businesses, they can also help teach children and adults knowledge. Educational software can teach any aspect of knowledge -- reading, math, science, languages, etc.     Many educational software programs, especially those for children, take on the form of a game and blend the teaching and knowledge into the game. As the game is played, the knowledge is taught.     Learning knowledge on a computer also adds an additional benefit -- basic computer skills. In order to run the educational program, you need to know how to operate the computer. And if you have trouble with that there's computer training software as well.

Alge-Blaster Plus 1.3 Copyright © 1989 Davidson & Associates, Inc. An educational tool to help students learn, practice and review topics presented in a first-year algebra course, Alge-Blaster Plus 1.3 teaches monomials & polynomials, quadradic equations, algebraic fractions, radicals, equations, systems of equations, factoring, order of operations and integers. Teaching is done in four areas: Learn, Solve, Translate and Graph. Features student sign-in, activity record, 4 difficulty levels, start/stop lesson, optional timer, sound and graphics toggles, normal/fast game speed, definitions of algebraic terms, review text, see/print record, print certificate, Alge-Blaster Plus Editor to create new algebra problems and steps and much more. This version was released on three 720K floppies. Total install size: 777K

Financial -- Financial Manager     Before computers were affordable enough for home users, the average person had to keep track of their finances the "old-fashioned" way with pencil and paper. Even in the mid-1980's PCs were still too expensive for the average home user. But for the fortunate few who could afford the several thousand U.S. dollars it cost at that time to buy a computer there was a "modern" alternative to the calculator -- financial manager software.     A financial manager program consolidates your personal financial records into a single program. Early financial manager programs could manage and reconcile your checkbook, manage credit card accounts, track expenses and show your financial status.     Are you still tracking your personal finances the way people did in the third century B.C.? If so, it's time to throw away your abacus, columnar books, financial notepads, and all but one or two of those No. 2 pencils. The "electronic revolution" is here!

Quicken 2.0 Release 3 for Deskmate Copyright © 1989 Intuit Intuit released versions of their flagship financial manager program Quicken for Tandy's DeskMate graphical environment. Features include BillMinder that reminds you when bills are due, multiple account handling, check writing, check register, reconcile accounts, custom transaction groups, memorize/recall transactions, @Category for custom reports, split transaction, delete transaction, search, go to date, transaction and budget reports, print check register, print supplies form, on-line help and more. This version was released on two 360K floppies. Total install size: 662K

Form Generator     One thing the computer "electronic revolution" has failed to accomplish even to this day is the total elimination of hardcopy paperwork. Forms for thousands, if not millions, of purposes exist even today. Where would business be without paperwork?     In the mid-1980's, computer software was made to create and print forms. The continued use of write-in forms has also prolonged the extinction of another "obsolete" information-processing hardware device -- the typewriter.     The "electronic revolution" is here. And, for the time being, it looks like the paperwork is also here to stay.

Instant Pages 1.0 Copyright © 1988 Electronic Arts A freeform line and text page layout program, Instant Pages can create forms, diagrams, charts, and eye-catching text pages with inset boxes containing text or ASCII character "art." Features include text mode, layout mode, text bold/wide/tall/ underline styles, draw single or double lines, resize box, character border, center, clear, cut, copy, paste, flow clipboard, import text, print, reformat text, no border, 111 sample documents, on-line help and more. This version was released on one 720K floppy. Total install size: 627K

Form Finisher 1.01 Copyright © 1989 Power Up Software Corporation A form generating and form filling program for DeskMate, Form Finisher 1.01 features text or number and date fields, add field, set key field, field input order, alignment, form column and row position, column width, half line down, number of decimal places (0-9), multi-field calculation (+,-,*,/), screen form editor with horizontal /vertical rulers, describe/fill in form modes, form view, field list view, display field definition, printer and screen scaling options, set form size, go to next/previous/first/ last/most recent record, begin new record, save/copy/overwrite/delete record, search, duplicate recent record, restore contents, set form input order, modify database, compress database, new database, print grid/test form/record/range, on- line help and more. There are also DOS versions of Form Finisher. This version was released on one 720K floppy. Total install size: 678K

Graphical User Interface     Tandy DeskMate originally started out as a "desktop" for Tandy personal computers to make running programs easier. The first versions were text-based "shells."     Later versions of DeskMate became mouse-driven graphical user interfaces with its own unique style that set it apart from other GUIs like GEM, GeoWorks, and Windows 1.x/2.x/3.x.     Deskmate enjoyed a brief run of third party software from Davidson & Associates Inc., Electronic Arts, Epyx Inc., Intuit, Lotus Development Corporation, Power-Up Software Corporation, Software Publishing Corporation, Symantec, The Small Computer Company Inc., The Software Toolworks, and others from the late 1980's to the early 1990's.

DeskMate 01.01.00 Copyright © 1984 Tandy Corporation An extremely rare find today, this is one of the first versions of Tandy DeskMate. A desktop "shell," DeskMate began as a text-based environment for running productivity software. Features include Text word processor, Worksheet spreadsheet program, Filer database program, Telecom communications program with terminal and host, Calendar with alarm, Mail, monthly calendar display, event list, screen saver, on-line help and more. This version was released on one 360K floppy. Total install size: 314K

DeskMate 03.00.00 Copyright © 1988 Tandy Corporation Version 3 of Tandy DeskMate became a mouse-driven graphical user interface that visually organizes programs and their associated files. Features include a pull-down menu for DeskMate's desktop and applications, a "tree" screen for navigating drives and directories, configurable desktop listboxes for managing files, clipboard, new versions of Text, Worksheet, Filer, Telecom, Calendar, Draw graphics program, PC_LINK telecommunications service, Music audio program, spell-checker, address book, phone list, note pad, on-line help and more. Third-party software for DeskMate uses its graphical user interface in the same way programs do for Windows, GEM, GeoWorks and other GUIs. This version was released on five 360K floppies. Total install size: 1.55MB

DeskMate 03.05.00 Copyright © 1990 Tandy Corporation Building on the graphical user interface introduced in Deskmate 03.00.00, new features include angled window corners for large desktop items, application boxes to run programs, "Teach Me" on-line tutorial to learn basic and advanced features of DeskMate and its accessory programs, a "files" option in the View menu to open the drive tree and file list box without having to do the second step manually as in older versions of DeskMate. Standard features include Text, Worksheet, Filer, Address Book, Calendar, Alarm, PC-Link, Draw, Form Setup, Hangman game, sorting options, directory and disk utilities, desktop customization, on-line help and more. This version was released on nine 360K floppies. Total install size: 2.51MB

Productivity     If it can be written on a scrap of paper, scrawled on a napkin, or scratched onto the palm of your hand it can also be entered into a computer program. Schedules, events, reminders, confidential information, business and personal contact information, custom documents, and on and on. Throw away your handwritten "planner" binders, but don't forget to carry your laptop or notebook computer. The "electronic revolution" is here!

Home Organizer 1.1 Copyright © 1990 Tandy Corporation Bundled with Tandy's DeskMate graphical "environment," Home Organizer is a Deskmate software suite of custom database programs to store your personal information. Home Organizer is divided into three categories: Personal, Kitchen and Financial. Personal features databases for Collections, Diary with password, Home Inventory, Information Center, Itemized List and Travel Planner. Kitchen features Cookbook (recipies), Grocery List and Meal Planner databases. Financial features integrated databases for Account Information, Checkbook Register, Checkbook Balancer, Expense Itemizer, Financial Notebook and Mathcard. All the items are arranged on a central menu screen. Each database screen has colorful clipart and styled form screens. A standard task bar at the bottom of each form screen has icons to return to previously accessed databases, the home menu and to exit to DeskMate. It also has on-line help. This version was released on three 720K floppies. Total install size: 2.97MB

Programming     The graphical user interface of DeskMate opened up a new world of programming potential, both in the ability to create programs that are easier to navigate and the ability to make programs with advanced features. Programs could utilize DeskMate's mouse-driven interface, file access system, and many other capabilities.

DeskMate Development System 03.03.00 Copyright © 1988 Tandy Corporation An application development suite for developing DeskMate applications, the DeskMate Development System uses C language code and DeskMate utilities. Programs are event-driven, tested with the included DeskMate Event Interpreter 01.04.00 and compiled with the included DeskMate Event Compiler 02.00.00. DeskMate-based development utilities round out the program development cycle. They include Dialog Builder 05, Menu Bar Builder 03.03.00, Label Builder 03, HelpEdit help file builder, Runtime Builder, DMVID video display utility, Memory Map, sample source code and programs, on-line help and much more. I created the dialog in the screen shot to the left using DeskMate Development System's Dialog Builder. This version was released on eight 360K floppies. Total install size: 2.94MB

Spreadsheet     The idea for the original spreadsheet program was simple enough -- create a program that offers a "grid" to throw text and numbers into and give it the ability to calculate those numbers. The potential such a program offered was limited only by the imagination of the person using it.     DeskMate includes its own spreadsheet program, called Worksheet. There was at least one version of Lotus Development Corporation's spreadsheet program ported to the DeskMate "platform."

Lotus Spreadsheet for DeskMate Release 1.0 Copyright © 1989 Lotus Development Corporation A rare DeskMate port of Lotus Development Corporation's flagship spreadsheet software, it features Lotus 1-2-3 compatibility, Lotus PrintGraph Release 1.0 for DeskMate, 89 @ functions, 12 cell value formats, absolute/relative/mixed cell/range references, automatic/manual recalculation in natural/columnwise/rowwise order, line/bar/stacked bar/pie/XY graph types, global label alignment, row/column title freeze, copy/move range, zero supression, data fill, table, query, matrix multiply/ invert, regression, parse, sort, range and label names, add/delete row/column, file extract/combine/import/translate/delete, international symbols, worksheet protection, file password protection, turn worksheet grid on/off, change directory, select all, on-line help and more. This version was released on two 720K floppies. Total install size: 1.31MB

Utility -- Backup     Computers revolutionized the storage of information. But the storage media was not perfect. It was standard practice to ship hard drives with bad sectors in the 1980's and early 1990's. Floppy disks were also vulnerable to bad sectors. Data was succeptable to corruption from many factors -- defective storage media, unpredictable anomalies from unstable software and hardware, power outages, operator error, and later, computer viruses.     During this same time period, before tape drives became popular with PCs, most backup programs backed up files to floppy disks. These programs were good for small amounts of data but impractical for larger businesses. 100MB of data requires 285 360K floppies, 84 1.2MB floppies, 139 720K floppies, or 70 1.44MB floppies. Even one corrupted floppy disk in a backup set could mean losing data forever if other backups were not made and the primary data source was compromised.     The one weakness all computer systems share is the vulnerability of its data.

Backup Pro 1.0 Copyright © 1989 The Software Toolworks, Inc. A utility to back up files from a hard drive to 5¼" or 3½" floppy disks and restore files from floppy disks to a hard drive, Backup Pro 1.0 features define drive types (360K, 1.2MB, 720K, 1.44MB, hard drive, fixed/removable hard drive, not available), define disk types (360K, 1.2MB, 720K, 1.44MB, other), data protection verify on/off, standard/enhanced/no error correction control (ECC), overwrite warning, full/full continual/archive/archive continual backup types, high/medium/compatible speeds (high/medium for floppy drives only), backup from/to, read disk, include/exclude files, attribute exclusion, date range selection, locate file(s), start backup, resume prior backup, restore high/medium/compatible speeds (high/medium for floppy drives only), restore from/to, start restore, backup report, analyze backup needs, compare backup data, identify disk, system statistics, open/save/delete/save as default setup file, on-line help and more. This version was released on one 720K floppy. Total install size: 278K

Word Processor     In the early 1980's, computer-based word processor software made typewriters obsolete almost overnight. With word processor software you can delete and retype mistakes, save documents electronically, store thousands of pages of data on a single floppy disk and millions on a hard drive, print multiple copies of documents without photocopying, automatically correct spelling errors if the word processor program has a spell checker, use lists of similar words to type in place of another if the program has a thesaurus, replace one or more words in a document with others if it has "search and replace," work on multiple documents at the same time if it has multi-file support, create multi-sized and multi-styled print if it supports graphical fonts, and even calculate numerical data if it has this feature. No more "painting" over mistakes, retyping, photocopying, or being forced to work on one document at a time.     The typewriter industry, of which even IBM was a part of, tried to keep typewriters from the technology graveyard by making them electric and then giving them computer-like features such as memory and even disk drives. Although typewriters still exist they are far outpaced by their computer rivals.     So throw away those drying bottles of "white-out," get rid of those ink erasers and accessories, hang that old spool ribbon from you next Christmas tree, and donate your typewriter to your nearest museum. The "electronic revolution" is here!

DeskMate Q&A Write 1.00 Copyright © 1989 Symantec Corporation This is Symantec's first DeskMate version of Q&A Write. A word processor, it features search and replace, document and word spell check, add word to dictionary, thesaurus, word count, calculate, jump to page and line, box drawing, card file, mailing labels, import ASCII/special ASCII/WordStar/Lotus WKS/WK1/WR1, export ASCII, text regular/bold/underline, center/uncenter line, text justification, 8 fonts, headers, footers, temporary margins, set tabs, new page, select all, undo typing, insert document, copy/rename/delete file, insert date and time, insert graph/ picture, line spacing (1-9 lines), on-line help and more. This version was released on one 720K floppy. Total install size: 506K

HomeWord II 1.20 Copyright © 1989 Sierra On-Line, Inc. Better known for their DOS-based games, Sierra On-line hired Synergistic Software, Inc. to create this DeskMate version of HomeWord II. Features include automatic document backup, manual and automatic spell check, thesaurus, search, search again, word count, typewriter mode, page format, page break, footnotes, save as ASCII, print, delete, merge logo, save as logo, unmark, undelete, print preview, on- line tutorial, on-line help and more. Sierra On-Line, Inc. also released a DOS-based version called HomeWord Plus. This version was released on two 720K floppies. Total install size: 1.17MB

Never mind the wait ... it's DeskMate!




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Updated last on 01/01/2009.
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