Display article   Subject:  Software for the Home Office:  Start with DeskMate
   04/30/97   19:42:12


SOFTWARE FOR THE HOME OFFICE:  START WITH DESKMATE

What Software is Most Commonly Used in the Home Office?

Word Processors and Spreadsheets!  The home office user's word
processing needs reflect that of any business:  efficiently
producing attractive business documents.  Many home office users
also want to send personalized form letters to some or all
customers on their mailing list.

Home office workers use spreadsheets for basic financial records,
accounting, projections, and other calculations.  Basic
spreadsheet functions are enough for these tasks.


Starting With DeskMate in the Home Office

The word processor and spreadsheet that come with DeskMate are
sufficient for these home office tasks.  Let's consider how the
capabilities of these applications line up with the home office
user's needs.

DeskMate Text

DeskMate Text is a simple word-processing program that lets you
prepare letters, memos, notes, company newsletters or anything
else you might normally use a typewriter to produce.  Here's a
partial list of its features and capabilities:

-- Quick-response basic word processing capabilities

-- Multi-line headers and footers that can include page numbers
and the current date

-- Bold, underlined and centered text

-- Support for a wide variety of printers including Tandy
printers

-- A 90,000-word spell checker

-- Creation of form letters using names and addresses from the
DeskMate Address Book application

-- Inclusion of drawings, charts, graphs, etc. created with the
DeskMate Draw program

-- Sharing data with other DeskMate programs using the Clipboard

-- An optional Thesaurus

Additionally, the Address Book lets you print customer labels
that can be used to address envelopes or postcards.

As you can see, DeskMate Text can do what needs to be done in the
home office.

DeskMate Worksheet

(DeskMate Worksheet is found in all versions of DeskMate 3 except
those included with the Tandy 1000 RL and the Tandy 1000 RLX.)

DeskMate Worksheet is a simple electronic spreadsheet/financial
calculations tool.  As with all spreadsheets, you set up formulas
and values in the cells of the spreadsheet.  When you change one
value that affects a second cell, the new value of the second
cell is automatically calculated.  Here's a partial list of
Worksheet's capabilities and features:

-- Spreadsheet size:  99 x 99 cells

-- Variable column width

-- Ability to search for labels and numbers

-- Integer, decimal and currency formats

-- A unique "Input" capability that lets you input values in real
time as the spreadsheet is calculated

-- Ability to generate an ASCII file of the spreadsheet values

-- Ability to create files that can be loaded into Lotus
Spreadsheet for DeskMate and graphed by DeskMate Business Graphs

-- The following operations:  addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, exponents

-- These functions:  ABS, ATN, AVG, CMT, COS, EXP, INT, LOG, MAX,
MIN, RMT, SGN, SIN, SQR, SUM, TAN

Worksheet can easily handle the routine financial calculation
tasks required by most home offices.


Moving On Up While Keeping Your Data

After you learn about computing by using DeskMate Text, Address
Book, Worksheet and the other DeskMate applications, your
requirements may grow.  Be reassured that you can easily move to
DeskMate Q&A Write, Lotus Spreadsheet for DeskMate, and filePro
for DeskMate without losing any of your data.  This makes the
transition very clean.

DeskMate applications provide most of the capability needed for
simple home office operations.
