NeoBook Professional 2.1f is a DOS multimedia electronic publisher. It compiles a GUI-style publication to an .EXE file. There have been several attempts at bringing disk-based publications to the PC over the years, most of them too complex and unwieldy to make any impact. The magazine-on-a-disk is popular in many areas, and book titles have begun to migrate to the personal computer, but the software required to create such publications, until now, have been expensive and difficult to master.
NeoBook requirements are the standard DOS 3.1 or higher, 640K of RAM, up to SVGA in graphics, and a mouse. Optional sound and FLI animation are supported if you've got the hardware and software to support them. I ran the package on my 486/33, under DOS 6.22, with 20M RAM and 'beaucoup' Hard Drive space.
The program loaded up easily; using install programs the whole way. I loaded up the entire package, so that if one was needed to support the other, it would be there. The docs that came with the program are formatted to be read first, then applied in example. This format, though distracting to those who like to jump straight in, is the best if you want to truly understand your product before you use it.
Once I got to the full blown example application, I noticed a snag. I wasn't getting the WYSIWYG fonts and pictures that the directions told me I was supposed to be getting. The actual fonts and pictures showed up after I complied my 'Book', but not before. This made creating the layout for the book nearly impossible. After querying the instructions, changing display sizes, and sampling different program boot codes, I was still without WYSIWYG.
I wanted this program to work; I knew it would work; It had to be a simple fix. I checked the docs for customer support. One short call to Oregon later, and the Tech walked me through a memory management problem. The Tech thought that I hadn't freed up the 520K of conventional memory needed, but, afterwards we discovered that I had allocated EMS instead of XMS to the 'Free Memory' Preference (I'm always getting the two mixed up). That was my fix.
NeoSoft Corp. is in Bend, Oregon. They have a VOX(503)389-5489, a BBS(503)383-7195, and they are on the 'Net at http:/www.neosoftware.com/~neosft/
NeoBook comes in two versions: NeoBook, which contains all the basic features and carries a suggested price of $45; and NeoBook Professional, which adds support for Sound Blaster compatible cards, linkage to sound editors, support for audio playback using the PC's internal speaker and ability to run external DOS commands from inside the publication, is priced at $89.95. Evaluation copies can be downloaded from their BBS and Netsite.
As for my usages, NeoBook has it's place. Putting my newsletter or book on a diskette can be an economical alternative to traditional, paper-based printing. And for promotions, my diskettes are far less likely to end up in the garbage than would my printed mailings. Search functions can be added to my books to create an interactive Index.
NeoBook allows you to construct publications which would be impossible to duplicate in print: storybooks in which the pictures speak the dialog, recipe books which print out a list of ingredients to take to the store, cartoons which only reveal the speech bubble when you click on the character, historical timelines which bring up significant events when you click on a year, interactive sales support materials and many more exciting new applications. What couldn't a genealogist could do with this!
NeoBook links to your favorite text editor (or word processor) and paint program so you can use the commands and programs with which you are familiar without leaving NeoBook. Once you have placed your text, any images and page turning command buttons, you simply compile your publication, name it and copy the resulting EXE program to a diskette for distribution.
If you have ever had a hankering to publish, Here's your excuse.