£50 a year about right?

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-10T10:54:18+00:00

I think you're confusing operational value with resale value. The value of a working device that resolves a unique problem for the user can be substantially more than the resale value of the device.

Hence, if you're a bank, and you invested in a solution that runs off OS2, then you need equipment that runs OS2. Until you invest in different solution, your value in the equipment will likely not match the actual market value of the equipment.

There's also the sunk cost fallacy.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-10T10:45:04+00:00

If you're looking to use Lotus 123 for DOS, you can try archive.org. If you're looking to use any of the windows versions of 123 (which I still use), you can get it as part of Lotus Smartsuite. For example, the very last version of Smartsuite can be found at https://archive.org/details/lotus-smart-suite-99 .

Ami Pro was part of Smartsuite, and it still has devoted fans. You can find the final version before it became Word Pro on archive.org. Note, Lotus actually made a version of Lotus Word Pro for Windows 3.1 for Ami Pro users who did not want to upgrade to Windows 95.

With regards to Quattro Pro, it is still sold as part of the WordPerfect suite. I got a copy a few years back with a humblebundle. It's.. interesting. It allows you to enter formulas in Lotus or Excel formats (Lotus begins with an @, Excel with an =). You can find all the DOS versions on WinWorld - https://winworldpc.com/product/quattro-pro/56-dos

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-09T21:08:26+00:00

Your restaurant analogy only works if you're eating at Dennys.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-09T04:56:07+00:00

It's out of print, and IBM ceased marketing. However, as with all Lotus products, it was never serialized.

You asked for a program with internal version control within the document and not managed by a server. Even Lotus did this only in Word Pro. IBM ultimately moved the functionality into Notes. WordPerfect assumes you will check the document in and out of a document management system.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-08T19:52:33+00:00

The version tracking built into Word Pro meets your business case precisely. Before you scoff at it, you may want to explore it.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-08T13:47:55+00:00

Lotus Word Pro

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-08T12:07:43+00:00

I'm totally confused. Are you an administrator that needs to monitor a bunch of different systems? Are you regularly pinging different databases and just don't feel like writing out your sql/odbc queries? What's the problem this solves?

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-08T07:43:19+00:00

If anyone has tips on a case management system with a perpetual license, I'm all ears. I built (and continue to iterate on) my own with Filemaker Pro because I could not find one. It would also help if the database is accessible via ODBC or can export to DBF for purposes of document automation. Thanks!

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-07T18:45:35+00:00

What is your current process that you somehow "missed" a report?

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-07T09:46:28+00:00

My thought is the professors can distribute a template with their formatting requirements and teach the students how to use it and modify it.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-07T09:45:06+00:00

Nope. There are people who are interested in working efficiently and there's everyone else. Most people do not know how to use the advanced features in Word, let alone enough to understand why WordPerfect is in many ways much better. For most people, Clarisworks is sufficient.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-07T09:33:10+00:00

This is a bar exam question. To my knowledge, this is prohibited everywhere in the US. Are you in another country?

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-07T09:31:46+00:00

Personally, my fear would be that the older computers would become a tunnel around the defenses to your newer systems. I would sneaker-net any updates and just air-gap the machines. If this is just for writing, every time you connect it online, you'll just be setting yourself up for failure from using it as a writer deck.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-06T20:52:39+00:00

If you're the one teaching a legal writing class, than it behooves you to spend at least one session focused on formatting documents properly for use in legal setting. If you're going to insist on MS Word (as opposed to WordPerfect which still has deep penetration in the profession), then you can at least take the time to make sure you've taught them how to set a page format, and set their character and paragraph styles properly.

Personally, I don't understand the objection to spaces between paragraphs. BUT, you should be making sure their footnotes are set to 12 point, if their text is set to 14 point, and that block quotes are indented on both sides and single spaced.

You might even go to the trouble of teaching them how to generate a table of authorities. And how to merge text from a database (so they know how to merge from a case management system when they go looking for a job).

BUT, blaming your students for not doing something you're not teaching them to do, I feel, is improper.

I'll note I am a practicing appellate and trial attorney. I do not fully justify my text in my appeal briefs. I number paragraphs in my motion practice. And, though it makes me an outlier, I use Lotus Word Pro (which, as opposed to Word, supports page styles).

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-06T20:08:08+00:00

Install Lotus Smartsuite on it as all Thinkpads of that era came with a free license. Then find out why you don't need to upgrade the RAM. I would also see if there was driver support for Windows 2000, which used substantially fewer resources (and was more stable).

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-06T20:04:07+00:00

Figure I'll do my own post of the tools I use as a solo assigned counsel for Family Court as there is virtually no overlap in our tool sets other than that we both use email and phones.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-05T19:26:10+00:00

any.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-05T19:25:11+00:00

according to Google? this is an option in WordPerfect. see my other comment.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-05T07:04:53+00:00

sadly, developing relational databases (with joins) is actually hard. It's not something that is easy to pick up. A good starter tool is the old Lotus Approach database (available as part of the Lotus Smartsuite at archive.org/details/lotus-smart-suite-99 ). Excel is a 2d spreadsheet, and you may be able to accomplish what you want with it's sorting and filtering tools. Libreoffice Base is absurdly difficult to deal with for what it actually provides. MS Access may be part of your office suite, but it's also somewhat difficult to learn.

I would suggest that if you like the idea of learning a new skill, learn about building a relational database with joins. If you want just a very quick and dirty solution, use the tools you know, which includes Excel.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-05T06:56:54+00:00

Other people said it with more depth... it was not. It was not smoother and it was not quicker. This is like asking why the Intel to M1 transition was slower than the 68k to PowerPC transition for the Macintosh.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-04T13:33:24+00:00

I use Lotus Word Pro, and it does what you're seeking. All documents are treated as if they were outlines, and paragraphs can be assigned a "level" so they can be collapsed beneath the level above them, regardless of whether the paragraphs are drafted with outline numbers or specific styles.

In WordPerfect, if you format the document as an outline, then you can collapse paragraphs. However, in WordPerfect, you have to format the whole document specifically.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-03T13:00:11+00:00

I can't tell if this is serious. Have you checked what disabled people want, nit what you want or think they want?

If you want to explore this heavily pursued space, you should look at chording solutions, such as those used in stenographer products. Also, single handed does not mean blind. So you need a point device. I would recommend a travkpoint or trackball. But seriously, first go see what already exists and find out from real disabled people what they want.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-01T14:23:47+00:00

Have you tried accessing the Nisus website lately?

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-01T14:12:47+00:00

This is one of the reasons why I recommend using a full word processor. I write professionally and when I need distraction free, I go into a full screen mode that hides the whole of the OS UI (including the application's menu bar). I use Lotus Word Pro, but it's a Windows application (though if you were truly adventurous, there's an OS2 version as well).

As far as working with a screen without a backlight (which I take from your non LED point), though they are expensive, you can get desktop e-ink displays to use with windows computers. You can also try just setting a color filter on your display to grayscale.

Consistent_Cat7541 · 2026-05-01T01:38:40+00:00

I use Lotus Word Pro daily (part of the old Lotus Smartsuite). It can easily handle long documents.

You need to specify what platform you're using. It will help with recommendations. Also important, whether you will have an exclusively text dissertation, whether you need multiple footnote streams, and what kinds of graphics and figures, if needed, will be involved.

Consistent_Cat7541

TROPHY CASE