🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi net.landians,

 What follows is a short review, rather discussion of my impressions of the
 program Framework II, from Ashton-Tate. I have no affiliations with Ashton-
 Tate, or any firms representing or selling their products. This is in reply
 to a query that was posted.

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                       Ashton-Tate Framework II
		     Integrated Computer Software


    For anyone needing a good wordprocessor or spreadsheet, and want to get
    the most value for dollar spent, I would recommend that you definitly
    buy Ashton-Tates FRAMEWORK II package. You'll have all the software you
    will ever need as far as work goes. It contains a good wordprocessor, a
    great spreadsheet, and a fair database. It also throughs in a good tele-
    comm program.

    All of the above work inimately with each other to make your life easier.
    You can have a spreadsheet showing, copy data from a wordframe also on
    screen directly into the spreadsheet. Or move data captured while using
    the telecomm directly into a spreadsheet.

    Best of all, the same command set is used throughout FRAMEWORK ! So you
    won't be groping for the right command all the time.

    I do computer support on the side, and of all of the people I have intro-
    duced Framework to, none has been sorry of their investment ($368). Most
    wish that they had it to work with over Lotus, Symphony or Multimate.

    The wordprocessor is not quite as powerfull as say MS Word, but comes real
    close. It has a full (80,000 word) dictionary, will do full justification,
    all sorts of headers and footers, bold, underline, and italics attributes
    for words, letters, or entire documents (you highlight what you want to be
    affected by pressing one key, then moving the cursor).

    The spreadsheet has all of the capabilities of Lotus 123, and then some.
    The only limitation that Framework has that I know of is that the maximun
    spreadsheet size is > 32,000 cells, or 32000 by 2000 or some ungodly high 
    number of cells in any case (typical spreadsheets that I use are 14 by 55,
    and for customers the largest I've used is 115 by 300. You can even spell
    check things you've typed into a spreadsheet. Only Framework lets you do
    that!

    That database is not as good as dBase II or dBase III, but does quite a lot
    for you, if you take the time to learn Fred ( a Pascal like language that
    is included with Framework, that allows full access to all Framework func-
    tions). Fred formluas can be included into any frame or cell, and can do
    an amazing amount of work. An example? How about stripping all of the hard
    <CR>'s out of a text file so that you can do soft formatting. And easy but
    time consuming job if done by hand, but can be done with Fred. It's not
    as fast as a compiled job, but it does work. And all without leaving the
    Framework environment.

    The telecommunications is good as well. Not as convienent to use as say
    Crosstalk, but does all the same functions, at a much lower cost. Frame-
    work does allow Crosstalk protocal transfers, as well as Xmodem and a few
    other protocals. There is VT100 emulation (better than Crosstalks I might
    add), and again, things captured in a telecomm frame can be directly moved
    into a wordframe or spreadsheet. And, you can have a telecomm frame open,
    move into a wordframe or spreadsheet, take data from there, and send it to
    the remote site. An awfully powerful tool.


  In all, Framework will be the only large package you'll ever need to buy! I
  bought Framework when I got my computer two years ago, and in three weeks of
  serious work, finished a 108 page service manual for a test system I had just
  designed. That was Framework I, which didn't have all the neat features of 
  Framework II. That was my first experience with Framework and DOS. Framework
  made it unnecessary for me to learn DOS at first, and let me get on with my
  important work. I latter became more familiar with DOS, got Turbo Pascal, a
  C compiler, and the MS MASM 4.0 to do programming. I also have Crosstalk XVI
  because my job bought it for me, and I use it to do Kermit protocal transfers
  from work to home, and home to work (actually to a GOULD running UNIX 4.2).
  
  Again, you can buy Framework II for as little as $350 dollars at most of the
  discount outfits.

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  Well, if you aren't convinced that you need Framework, get someone who is
  familiar with it to give you a demo. That should sell you in a minute or two.



  P.S. I do not have any affiliation with Ashton-Tate, just a satisfied user
  of Framework II, and like pushing GOOD products when I see them. I neither
  sell nor am affiliated with anyone selling Ashton-Tate products. If you want
  to buy their products don't come to me!

  Bye....

  Framework, Framework II, dBase, dBase II, and dBase III are copyrights of 
  Ashton-Tate, Inc. Crosstalk, and Crosstalk XVI are copyrights of Microstuff,
  Inc. Symphony, Lotus, and Lotus 123 are copyrights of Lotus Development, Inc.
  MS Word, MS MASM, and MS-DOS are copyrights of MicroSoft, Inc. Turbo Pascal 
  is a copyright of Borland, Int. MultiMate is a copyright of MultiMate, Inc.
  If I forgot anyone, is is my mistake, and not the responsibility of my big
  employer, Tektronix, Inc. Tek does not know what I am saying (nor do I most
  of the time for that matter), nor do I represent their opinions. 

-- 
Tim Margeson (206)253-5240
tektronix!tekigm2!timothym                   @@   'Who said that?'  
PO Box 3500  d/s C1-937
Vancouver, WA. 98668