All of Michael Spindler's comments on alternate download strategies were
good suggestions and may be useful in the future. However, they're only
good after you have tried to print and realized there is a problem.
Reliability is a necessary function of an online reserach service -- if
it's not available when you need it, why bother to subscribe? And the
alternate downloading information is an option only if you know your way
around a PC, something that many CALR users (I'm thinking mainly of
end-users) don't know. And I personally
have never had problems of this magnitude with any other online research
service.
On Thu, 1 Sep 1994, michael spindler wrote:
> I have read with interest the comments on the Lexis printing
> problems, and would like to suggest some alternatives. Fortunately, I was
> not in dire need of Lexis at that time, but if I were, I would have tried
> any of the following:
>
> Use the print/download to disk feature (this was not mentioned as
> part of the failure).
>
> Attempt to Screen capture the cases by either printing screens,
> or using a log feature from your software, if possible.
>
> Connect to Lexis via the Internet, and screen capture the text
> through the Log function of most good communications software.
> If your emulation is set properly, you will get little, if any
> extraneous ANSI text to edit. There are cheap shareware ANSI
> removers available that do not remove captured text.
>
> All of the above methods are crude and messy and somewhat time consuming.
> However, they are effective and take less time than trying to kick a dead
> horse. You can then have Mead credit you for the extra online time it
> required. If you gotta have it ASAP and no other options exist, you either
> do it or go without. Granted, this was unexpected from Lexis, but could
> happen with any online service; FN: Murphy's Law, cites too numerous to
> mention. I too am surprised that Lexis did not have a backup to put online
> in this scenario, and await their explanation. Compared to other services
> I have used, Mead has been the most reliable. I hope this is not a
> foreshock of things to come.
>
> Michael Spindler
> Infopros Research & Consulting
> Seattle, WA
> mspin@halcyon.com
>
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