_{Cover of the March 1990 issue of PC World}

PC World was without a doubt one of the most popular PC magazines of the 1990s. There were still magazines for other types of computers around but they were fading away by the early 1990s. PC World and PC Magazine came to dominate when it came to computer magazines. The March 1990 issue of PC World includes:

Preview

• Compaq's Double-Barreled Server - A preview of Compaq's new server. It could handle up to two 33-MHz 386 or 486 CPUs and 256 MB of RAM which was absolutely massive for the time. Prices ranged from $15,999 to $25,999 depending on configuration. Adjusted for inflation, at the low end, that's nearly $40k.


• The Multiprocessing Payoff: How Side-by-Side CPUs Work - A look at how dual CPU architecture works.


• New Deal for the Hardcard - Hardcards were hardrives on an expansion card that could plug into an ISA slot. The Hardcard II came in 40 and 80MB varieties at prices of $849 and $999.

Reviews

• A Laser on Every Desk - Reviews of under $2000 laser printers including the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IIP, Toshiba PageLaser6, Epson EPL-6000, Facit P6060, and Office Automation LaserPro Exec.


• First-Class Laptops for Frequent Flyers - A look at seven 80286 based laptops designed for travelers. Models looked at here include the Compaq LTE/286, Dauphin LapPro-286, Epson Equity LT-286e, NEC ProSpeed 286, Packard Bell PB286LP, Sharp PC-5541, and Toshiba T1600.


• Notebook PCs: Early Entries Lack Drive to Succeed - Smaller "notebook" laptops were available but they lacked drives (often of any kind) among other niceties.


• New Dimensions for Flat Files - A review of basic data management software. Titles include Alpha Four 1.0, DataPerfect 2.0, PC-File:dB 1.1, Professional File 2.01, Q&A 3.0, Reflex 2.0, and Xerox FormBase 1.0.


• Paint Programs Pass the Screen Test - An overview of available paint programs for the PC including Colorix 1.2, PC Paint 3.1, PC Paintbrush IV, and Splash.

_{Table of Contents from the March 1990 issue of PC World}

News

• Top of the News - New 20-MHz version of the 386SX released; Toshiba introduces to laptops to challenge Compaq; R:base 3.0 released; and more.


• Industry Outlook - A look at the top PC retailers; Epson challenges leading laser printer makers; PC makers start bundling software with computers; and more.


• Product Outlook - A look at new and upcoming products including the TurboPS/400 printer, Drafix Windows CAD, Super-386c (a 386 based PC from Hyundai), and much more.

Features

• Desktop Multimedia: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - The first multimedia standard included a 386 based PC and CD-ROM drive. However, multimedia really didn't take off until the late 486 era (circa 1993, a few years after this article).


• Developer's Wait for PC HyperCard - Hypercard was an application on the Macintosh that let you build multimedia applications. It was sort of like a web app without the web. At the time, the PC didn't really have an equivalent. At least not one that was easy to use.


• The High Price of Multimedia - Multimedia systems were expensive because they required a hard drive, large (for the time) amounts of RAM, a sound card, speakers, and CD-ROM drive. However, prices would drop quickly.


• Buyers' Guide: Printer Sharing Made Simple - A look at various expansion boards that allowed you to share your printer among multiple systems.

_{Table of Contents from the March 1990 issue of PC World (continued)}

How To

• Mastering 1-2-3 Macro Libraries - Release 2.2 of Lotus 1-2-3 made macros easier to use and more powerful.


• Tips & Techniques - Adding graphics to your documents with Word 5.0; speed up your 286 based system with a 16-MHz $599 accelerator card; tips for making drive B: look like A:, helping Windows see COM3, and more.

Perspectives

• Richard Landry - A discussion of whether or not PCs in the business environment will become a top down directed affair from corporate higher-ups or continue to be driven from the bottom up.


• Letters - Letters from readers about product differentiation, repetitive-strain injuries, the best shareware data compression, and more.


• Taking It Home - Saving on taxes with your home office.

Departments

• The Help Screen - Questions answered about scientific notation with word processors, using the PATH command, VGA driver compatibility, and more.


• Consumer Watch - Many top manufacturers have violated the FCC's regulations regarding radio frequency interference.


• Network Q&A - Questions answered about upgrading a network, setting up an asynchronous communications server, and more.

_{Back cover of the March 1990 issue of PC World}

...and more!

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Check out some of my other recent posts:

Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (441-444)
https://ecency.com/filmphotography/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-3-441

Digital Archaeology: Floppy Disk #14 – DM0126.DOC
https://ecency.com/retrocomputing/@darth-azrael/digital-archaeology-floppy-disk-14-2a4b4e4246a6d

Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (437-440)
https://ecency.com/filmphotography/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-3-437

Byte (March 1980)
https://ecency.com/retrocomputing/@darth-azrael/byte-march-1980

Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (433-436)
https://ecency.com/filmphotography/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-3-433

Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (429-432)
https://ecency.com/filmphotography/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-3-429

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Check out my other Social Media haunts (though most content is links to stuff I posted on Hive or reposts of stuff originally posted on Hive):

Wordpress: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/darth-azrael
X: https://x.com/Darth_Azrael
Blogger: https://megalextoria.blogspot.com/
Odyssee: https://odysee.com/@Megalextoria:b
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2385054
Daily Motion: https://www.dailymotion.com/Megalextoria

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Books I am reading or have recently read:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 by Rick Atkinson
Total Power by Vince Flynn

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