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PC OUTLINE
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Posted by Cassius
May 29, 2013 at 04:40 PM
JimPivonka wrote:
I have been a PC Outline user since the Fall of 1986, IIRC. I still use
>it, but find that the DOS window in Win XP is less congenial than the
>native PCO screen. My version has all the files associated with the
>program, all work in the Win XP environment.
>
>Moving my PCO to Win 7 is worrisome, as I’ve not used Win 7 to support
>any DOS programs, and am not sure how to install them or set up the
>shortcuts so they will work properly.
>(I have found this link, but its a small part of the total process:
>http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff756590.aspx )
>
>I have not found another outliner that works at all well for me. If
>there are any that come close to the level of PCO, I would like to know
>what they are, so I could check them out.
====================================
You might wish to try Inspiration, which is both a single-page outliner and an associated graphic creator. (You can convert an outline into a graphic or create a graphic, such as a mind map or org. chart, from scratch.)
Perhaps more importantly, you MAY be able to convert your PO Outline files into Inspiration files. PC Outline was the precursor of GrandView. I have reproduced below instructions for converting GV outlines to Inspiration outlines. This method MAY also work for PC Outline outlines.
—————————-
10/30/11:
The best approach (so far) that I’ve found for converting GV files to Inspiration is:
In the GV file, switch to “Outline View” and turn both “Columns” and “Category Display” OFF.
Expand EVERYTHING, then highlight EVERYTHING.
Choose the labeling style “Outline/Labels/Get Style/Indentation w/no labels.”
Export the file to “PA -Paragraph” format. (File/Export/Paragraph)
Pick a file name and add the extension “.rtf” Note which folder the file is in.
Open the exported file in Inspiration. Inspiration will automatically convert the “.rtf” file to an Inspiration file.
To keep the GV file the way it was before you made these changes, do not close the file using the GrandView “Quit.” Instead, with the GrandView window displayed, close it in Windows using one of the following:
Press the combination ALT-SPACEBAR, then choose CLOSE (works in XP, may work in others)
OR
Open the Windows Task Manager, choose GrandView and choose “End Task.”
FOR SAFETY, do not delete your GrandView file. The conversion might have errors or might not have copied everything.
The one possible difficulty may be the limited size of each Inspiration note. I don’t know what might happen if the conversion process encounters one that is too long.
————————
Posted by JIM_CRONIN
Oct 6, 2014 at 07:06 AM
Jim,
As of Oct 2014, I’m still using PCO every day. I’m running Windows 8, and use DosBox 0.74. It runs with no significant problems. Sometimes when switching to other applications within Windows, the screen resolution will change, but giving the commmand “Alt Enter” returns the screen to normal size. Also, the LZRJET.cfg printer config file will not longer drive my HP laser printer. I end up exporting the PCO file to an ASCII file, and then opening the ASCII file in Word, and then I can print it as needed. I also notice some “computer gobbledygook” scrambled across the screen whenever I save changes to the program using the F10 configuration files. The program continues to work OK.
One “bug” that was identified many years ago was that the program tended to corrupt files over time. I figured out what caused this. The files got corrupted when the “Autosave” feature was enabled, and you attempted to switch windows (within PC Outline). The program would be in the middle of saving your data, and it would corrupt the data. The simple fix to this is to disable the Autosave feature, and save your files manually. Since I started doing that many years ago, I have yet to have a file crash on me.
I use PCO for creating/keeping up to date my investigative checklists. I’m a private investigator, and handle many different types of investigations for insurance companies and attorneys. I’ve built dozens of checklists over time and have keep them current. I also use it for creating timelines/chronologies, prioritizing pending leads, planning interviews and generally keeping track of pending leads in cases. I also love it for billing. It is so easy to document, summarize and organize chronologically the steps I’ve taken in investigations based on my memos, notes and reports. It ensures that I don’t miss billable time, and fully justifies/speeds up my getting paid.
I’ve been using this since the mid-80’s. PCO is my all time favorite program! I’m still willing to help anyone that is interested. I’d love to hear from other users. My website is: http://www.seattle-investigations.com . All my contact info is there. Cheers.
Posted by jaslar
Oct 9, 2014 at 11:34 PM
I used to use this. I’d like to use it again.
But I can’t find the DOS download. And I always heard terrible things about the Windows version.
Is there an official link for the old file? I’m happy to pay for it, assuming there is still a programmer to pay.
Posted by jimspoon
Oct 10, 2014 at 09:18 PM
if you google for pco334.zip, you’ll find some links.
here’s one:
http://www.skeptictank.org/treasure/GUTILS/PCO334.ZIP
your browser may throw up a warning but it’s probably ok.
i tried it out again just for fun a while back. Extremely limited and dated. Grandview for DOS and Ecco for Windows are better choices IMO.
Posted by LineOut
Oct 13, 2014 at 11:30 PM
UV Outliner has doubtless been mentioned before but it is the closest thing to a modern, single-paned alternative to PC-Outline that I’ve found.