18 March 2024

Portex - Diary and Address Book software.

A long time ago, in the days before Microsoft Windows came along to our computers, we used MS-DOS with everything done from the C:\ command line

What are you talking about???!!! Everything was text based, or using ASCII characters to draw boxes on the screen with the cursor being moved around the screen using the tab or arrow keys, no mouse control!

It sounds primitive I know, but it worked. We got our first home personal computer in about 1989, a Viglen with an Intel 80286 processor and 640kb of RAM and a 30MB of hard drive storage.... tiny by today's standards. My Apple Series 5 Watch has 32 GB of storage on my wrist!! 

We used programs such as Wordstar, later on WordPerfect 5.1 for Word Processing. These were general purpose word processing packages. For more specialist applications there were lots of small companies selling software for IBM compatible PC's back then. You ordered the software package and a box of disks and manuals would arrive. Dial Up Internet didn't really become a thing until the 1990's.

Portex was one of those specialist programs that appeared in the 1980's, it offered Address Book, Diary, Word Processor functions. 

Where this program differed from general purpose word processors though was its ability to print on Filofax Personal Size pages. It had all the settings for that in the options. 

I bought some continuous fan fold paper that worked with our dot matrix printer with a tractor feed, I was able to print the pages then the strips tore off the sides and the pages had perforations to separate them. 

Using the Portex Software and this paper together with the Filofax DIY Index (dividers) I was asked to create multiple copies of a training manual for a local company, that would be handed out to participants in a Filofax organiser. 

It took quite a while to input all the text from the original files, but I was able to complete the task over a few days. Formatting the text to fit the Filofax size was tricky, but once achieved printing several copies wasn't too difficult. 

I can't find any definitive information about Portex, the software was sold by a company by the name of Eurosoft International, who don't appear to be in business yet. However, I still have a copy of the software.  

I did manage to get it to run in a DOS emulator program on one of my computers. Naturally the printer drivers are very much out of date, but that is typical of old applications these days. It was more a curiosity than an actual need to use it again. 


Has anyone else used this software in the past? 


16 March 2024

Web Finds - Saturday 16 March 2024

It is time to enjoy a few blog posts from around the internet, grab a drink and make yourself comfortable for our weekly round-up.

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Web Finds - Saturday 9 March 2024
  2. Silent Sunday
  3. Dates for your diary Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th March
  4. Free For All Tuesday - No. 684
  5. Video Web Finds - Wednesday 13 March 2024
  6. Favourite pens and pen loops - by Anita
  7. Free For All Friday - No. 801 by Steve
Here are the latest Filofax and other brand blog posts from around the Internet. Don't forget to leave a comment on the posts you enjoyed reading, all bloggers enjoy getting comments.
  1. Horse Hair II – An Evolution of PLOTTER Leather Story - PLOTTER USA
  2. Episode #250: Let’s Talk About Contexts - Getting Things Done
  3. Are you using the right vertical weekly planner? (10 layouts to consider) - All About Planners
  4. It’s Okay to Use Several Systems - Planner Fun
  5. Creative Refills S1E3: Behind the Scenes with PLOTTER Japan - PLOTTER USA
  6. Practice Law 3: When Your Daily Practices Reflect Your Governing Values, You Experience Inner Peace - FranklinPlanner Talk
  7. “The only thing constant in life is change.” - The Well-Appointed Desk
  8. Selling my Collection - Filofax
  9. Announcing New PLOTTER US Retail Partners - PLOTTER USA
  10. This Mama Plans - The Pocket Diaries
  11. The Science of Luck - FranklinPlanner Talk
  12. Link Love: Oscar-Worthy? - The Well-Appointed Desk
  13. Web Finds – 13 March 2024 - Travellers Notebook Times
  14. Your blog post could appear here. Please let us know if you have a blog that features ring bound organisers.
  • Please leave a comment on any of the blogs you enjoyed reading and mention that you saw their post mentioned on Philofaxy. Thank you
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
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Enjoy

15 March 2024

Free For All Friday - No. 801 by Steve

We went away for just one night this week. I find these days that it doesn't matter how many nights you are away for, there is still the same amount of 'base kit' you need to take with you and the multiple of shirts etc is the only variable. 

I started to make a hand written list but gave up very quickly when I realised that this was getting silly and quickly reverted to one of my pre-printed travel lists that I can quickly cross out things that I wouldn't need to take as it was a 'local' over night stay.  

Those lists have been 'fine tuned' over the years for most trips that I make, I just adjust the clothing required to suit the length of our stay, but there are many basic things I need to take now with medication, toiletries and electronic accessories dominating the list!

We had a lovely stay in Tours seeing friends and celebrating my birthday. 

Do you use your organiser to plan your travel and luggage?  Of course it is Friday (checks calendar!) so please feel free to discuss anything else Filofax related. 

14 March 2024

Favourite pens and pen loops - by Anita

After reading Steve's post called Pens and Pen Loops, I decided that it was time for me to have a look at my pens and write about the subject too. 

When I purchased my first Filofax back in 2009, I just used any old pen that was laying around, but over time I've become a bit more picky and have decided to treat myself to something that I really enjoy using. 

Here are my favourite pens to use with my organiser (including two recently acquired vintage ones on the right):

 

Ballpoint - Parker Jotter
I don't remember a time when there wasn't a Parker Jotter knocking around in the house when I was a kid, but I hadn't used one for quite some time until I started getting into vintage Filofaxes with their teeny-tiny pen loops. I think I'd been using a freebie biro in my first Winchester which kept drying out, so I searched around and found my faithful burgundy Jotter. From a pen loop point of view, I don't think that you can go wrong with a Jotter as they're slim enough for most organisers.

Gel pens - Pilot G2 Limited
I love a G2, so I decided to upgrade and buy a gold Limited version, which has a nicer grip. However, rubber pen grips are not a Filofax's best friend, so this is a pen that will either just have the clip attached to the pen loop or I'll use an Oli Clip to keep it inside the rings. 


For highlighting and for a bit of colour - Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
Before I started using gel or fountain pens more in my organiser, I'd use a normal highlighter, but moved over to Triplus fineliners as otherwise there would just be smeared ink. Instead of highlighting, I will just add an asterisk or shade around something to make it stand out. I also like using a different colour when using my Hobonichi stencil to draw lines or checkboxes.

Most of my organisers haven't had two pen loops (apart from the Dundee and Van der Spek), so my small Oli clip is attached to the flyleaf and the second pen sits within the rings.



Fountain pens - Kaweco Sport, TWSBI Eco and vintage Parker 51
For a long time, my favourite fountain pens to use with my organiser were my Kaweco Sport and TWSBI Eco. I've found that the Kaweco is small enough for many pen loops, but it also works with a Muji metal pen loop like this with a Kensington:



 

My TWSBI Eco is too large for most of my organiser pen loops, but it'll happily sit within the rings and is large enough that it doesn't tend to fall out, so I don't need to use an Oli clip.


However, I've been busy this weekend with giving some vintage pens a bit of TLC, so I'm all about the vintage ones right now. My late Mum gifted me her beautiful Parker 51 some years ago, but I admit that I put it away in such a 'safe' place that I couldn't find it! Thankfully I finally found it recently and am absolutely delighted that it's working well as it hasn't been used for such a long time. I've never used a Parker 51 before, and it's an amazing pen that thankfully fits in the Kensington pen loop too.

I also have a couple of other vintage pens (the two that are placed vertically in the photo above) that I'd promised to get working for a family member, so I may be able to keep one of those and instead donate some of my others instead. The black vintage pen is a Parker Slimfold, but I'm not 100% sure about the blue one yet, as it doesn't have a model name on it, but it might be a Parker 17 Lady. 


In general, I think that the best organiser pen loop that I've come across is on organisers made by Cordwain Higgler (sadly no longer trading) as they are adjustable. The leather has a slot cut out of it and then it feeds through itself to loop round to allow a pen to be inserted.


 What are your current favourite pens for using with your organisers and do they fit in the pen loops?