Lotus 1-2-3 on IBM 5155 portable -- hard to read characters

[Gib]

I'm using a backup floppy I made decades ago of 1-2-3 version 2.01. It runs fine, but the 123.set file was apparently created for a color monitor I had at work, rather than the amber CGA in the 5155, so there are shades of amber in the characters and background that make it difficult for me to read.

Although I don't have the 123 installation files, user guide, etc., I do have a few other *.set files (e.g., 123cga.set, 123blu.set, 123mono.set, 123orig.set). I've tried them all (by renaming them 123.set), but none of them provide the simple, and easy to read, amber characters on a black background that I remember from my old 5155 and that I see on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4vJ1bfZGwA (about 1:30 into the video). Fiddling with the brightness and contrast knobs helps somewhat, but all the 123.sets I have are still hard on my eyes.

Any ideas on how I might get that simple amber on black I'm seeking? Have any forum members with a 5155 or an amber CGA monitor created a 123.set for version 2.01 they'd be willing to share?

 

[modem7]

I ran 1-2-3 version 2.2 on my 5155.

I created a suitable 123.SET file by:
1. Move to C:\123 directory
2. Run INSTALL.EXE
3. Select: Change Selected Equipment
4. Select: Screen Display
5. Select: One Monitor
6. Select: IBM color card, single-color monitor

The resulting file is [here].

 

[dave_m]

modem7,
Your attached file seems to have a problem as it is trying to display as an ASCII file instead of perhaps downloading as binary file, at least on my iMac. Perhaps a temporary filename with a .bin?

 

[Gib]

Problem solved!

Problem solved!

modem7, THANKS! The 123.set file you created in version 2.2 works fine in my 2.01 and gives me exactly the display I was seeking for my 5155. It's clean, clear, and easy to read.

(BTW, are there any must-have features in 2.2 that 2.01 didn't offer?)

 

[modem7]

Your attached file seems to have a problem as it is trying to display as an ASCII file instead of perhaps downloading as binary file, at least on my iMac. Perhaps a temporary filename with a .bin?

Must be a Mac thing. The link to a zipped copy is [here], although I suspect that you were only testing the download ability.

 

[modem7]

(BTW, are there any must-have features in 2.2 that 2.01 didn't offer?)

I don't know.

 

[dave_m]

Must be a Mac thing. The link to a zipped copy is [here], although I suspect that you were only testing the download ability.

Yes I was just testing, and it was a Mac thing. I found that the file went directly into the download folder without asking. I'm not sure I like that feature.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[Gib]

modem7, here's what I found about release 2.2 vs. 2.01:

"The most important Release 2.2 feature was Allways, an add-in that gave users the ability to churn out attractive reports, complete with multiple typefaces, borders, and shading. In addition, users could view the results onscreen in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) manner. Allways didn’t, however, let users issue any worksheet commands while they viewed and formatted their work in WYSIWYG mode. Despite this rather severe limitation, most 1-2-3 users were overjoyed with this new capability because they could finally produce near-typeset-quality output."

 

[Jorg]

If I remember correctly I used 2.01 with the Impress add-in, which gave similar features. I must have it somewhere.
As from 3.0 this all was build in.