The Buddy System, LLC

This site is best viewed on a Mac!

Contents of this site:

For the HP 100LX and 200LX ("Buddy"):

• Summary of 100/200Buddy
• On-line User's Manual
• Version 3 change summary
• Release 3.0b notes (it's about 3.0c)
• Frequently asked questions (Buddy FAQ)
• Screen images
• Software, files, and support
• How to register

For the HP 95LX ("95Buddy"):

• Software, files, and support

Other HP palmtop resources

Other "Buddy" sites, not related to mine.

Summary of 100/200Buddy

Buddy is a program for the HP 100LX and HP 200LX that adds dozens of features and keystroke shortcuts to the built-in HP applications.

Unlike the built-in macro capability provided by the HP 100LX/200LX system macros (which simply replay a series of preset keystrokes), Buddy is actively involved with the operation of the applications.

Feature Summary:

• Filer to application links. To open a document, appointment file, phone book file, or Lotus worksheet, just highlight the file in Filer and push ENTER ENTER. [Details.] You can specify certain filename extensions that will cause the highlighted file to be fed to a DOS application, such as an editor or compiler. [Filer Settinegs screen image.]

• Adds many features to Memo, including change case, swap characters, repeat previous edit, mark current line, return to marked line, and autoindent. [Details]

• Adds SmartCaps® which automatically produces upper-case letters as you type text and smartly converts the gray keys to their shifted symbols without you having to touch the shift key. If you double-click a letter or a gray key, you can obtain the shifted key value (or any character you specify). [Details]

• Adds a global password feature to prevent unauthorized access to your data. This is most useful on the 100LX which does not have a built-in global password feature. (Registered copies only.) [Details]

• WorldTime map overlay. Displays the day/night terminator plus any great circle route on the WorldTime map (registered copies only). [Details] -- [Example map overlay image.]

• Lets you manually turn the serial port on and off, and lock the serial port off, if necessary. [Details.]

• Lets you specify one of 24 preset pathnames for quick use when opening a file. This gives you instant access to your most-used files. [Details]

• Makes all alarms visual by <BLINK>blinking the entire display</BLINK> to draw your attention to the alarm condition even if the sound level low or if you are in a noisy environment.

• Lets you navigate in many common windows using the arrow keys. This improves the feel of the machine by making those "natural" keystroke combinations valid. [Example screen image.]

• Includes an easy-to-use, System-Manager compliant setup utility that allows you to change all Buddy options without any command line editing or startup file changes. [Details] -- [Buddy.EXM main screen image.]

Summary of the new features in Buddy version 3:

• At any time, you can easily command Buddy to load and scan any one of 37 different macro files. This gives you instant access to 370 macros. [Details] As in version 2, you can also specify a different macro file for each built-in application and Buddy will automatically switch to the proper file when necessary. Default directories and multiple macro files setting screen image.

• Three sets of macro labels are automatically saved (instead of just one) for three different macro files. When you push the Fn key, Buddy will display the macro labels corresponding to the active application, if they are known. When you push a macro key, the proper macro file will be loaded and the new labels saved. [Details]

• After executing a macro, Buddy will automatically chain to the next macro if the macro label ends with a plus sign. [Details]

• At startup, Buddy automatically loads a special macro file and runs a startup macro, if they exist.

• Buddy displays your power source, main battery voltage, battery usage timer, and the serial port status on the Application Manager's icon view screen (and on the Filer title bar). Filer screen image.

• A much smaller, DOS-only version of Buddy is available to registered users. This version allows you to use the SmartCaps and d-click keyboard translation features in DOS programs without having to load the standard, larger Buddy.COM into system memory. The DOS-only version requires only about 12K of RAM. [Details]

• Buddy acquiesces to the extension settings in your FILER.INI file, if any (200LX only). [Details]

Other HP palmtop resources:

• The HP Palmtop Paper. This bi-monthly newsletter is a "must have" for any HP palmtop user. Each issue is crammed full of tips, hints, and feature articles about the HP machines. Even the advertisements are interesting. Eight issues are published per year (including special issues), plus diskettes and CDs containing articles and software.

• Shier Systems & Software, Inc. Specializes in providing the best handheld computers, software and accessories.

• D&A Software Inc., productivity tools for mobile computing, specifically on the HP Palmtops.

• HP100LX Frequently Asked Questions, by Richard Cochran. This is available at various places on the Web. One is here (html version)

Other Buddys:

"Buddy" is a popular name. These sites are also about Buddy-somethings, but they have nothing to do with The Buddy System, LLC (my Buddy). Maybe one of them is what you came here looking for.

Commercial:

• PC Buddy: Vega Technologies, Inc., the original sellers of the muilt-user PC Buddy hardware for your PC (and CD Duplicator), has gone out of business. Try these alternate sources: eBay, GetABuddy, and austin.

• Buddy Products, Inc., marketers of Laser Buddy Document Spray.

• JBuddy, A Java(TM) SDK for Instant Messaging

Sorry, I'm no longer listing individual Buddies. There are way too many.

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