| ★ APPLICATIONS ★ DISQUE ★ WOPS / G.A.I OXFORD ★ |
WOPS: Camel on the Menu (Amstrad Action) | WOPS: MOTION CARRIED... (Amstrad Computer User) |
Richard Monteiro gets his ladder and chamois out and peers into a window operating system Back in issue 24 we reviewed a product from Advanced Memory Systems, Max, which is based on WIMP systems. Camel Micros, who have been quiet on the CPC front for the past 18 months, have released a similar package.
The acronym WIMP stands for windows, icons, mouse and pointer The mouse is an input device and is used in preference to the keyboard or joystick (Wops doesn't work with a mouse at present, however, this option is promised for later). A pointer is an object on the computer screen whose movements correspond to those of the mouse. It is used to point at objects and select options. Icons are the objects or small pictures from which menus spring. Windows hold menus or options. Wops (windows operating system) replaces Amsdos. It is basically a disk management utility in the same vein as Discology and Oddjob. Wops presents itself as a large window and a cluster of icons. Sadly neither the window nor the icons can be moved to different locations on the screen. Even worse is the fact that the window cannot be increased or decreased in size. By using the arrow keys or a joystick you can move a flickery. intelligent pointer across the Wops screen. Once the pointer is resting on an icon of your choice, a stab at the fire button or return key will select that particular option. The disk drive is constantly checked to see what is present. For instance, if you remove a disk and insert another. Wops will immediately show the directory of the new disk Wops shows flies as icons with the name of the file underneath. These files may be run simply by clicking on the file-icon. From the panel of eight icons you can elect to alter screen colours, print the contents of files, copy files, copy disks, format disks, edit sectors, rename files, erase files and unerase files. The list doesn't end there. Files may be saved to either disk or cassette, external or bar commands may be accessed, drive number is selectable and extra memory may be used (assuming you have it). The idea of a WIMP environment is to make it simple for the user to choose options and get from one menu to another with the minimum of fuss. Wops fails to do this. Achieving certain tasks can be very confusing - the manual is less than helpful. Wops has good features: the functions work correctly and there are some novel touches (like the constant scanning of the drive and being able to run a file simply by clicking on an icon), However, if Wops is your first encounter of a WIMP-like system, you'll be disappointed. Richard Monteiro, AA |
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