Telewriter: the word processor that turned the Dragon into a typewriter

Which version to load

The tape has four versions in a row: TELE/G, TELE/E, TELE/C and TELE/T. The editor is the same in all of them, and they differ only in printer support. With no printer, or an ordinary one, load TELE/G, the first on the tape. Each version is followed by a sample text called DEMO, and at the end there is a small program called CONVERT that moves BASIC programs into the editor and back.

Loading

Type CLOADM and ENTER. When OK appears, type EXEC and ENTER. At the copyright screen press ENTER again to reach the main menu.

The key that matters: CLEAR

Every editor command is CLEAR plus a letter: hold CLEAR and press the letter. In an emulator on an ordinary computer, CLEAR is usually the Home key.

The main menu

Press one letter, no ENTER:

C	New text
E	Back to the editor and your text
S	Save to tape (name up to 8 characters)
R	Load a text from tape
A	Add a text from tape to the end
V	Check that a save on tape is good
W	Count words and lines

SPACE shows how many characters are left, about 18,000, or some 9 pages. When it asks SURE??.., only a capital Y followed by ENTER goes ahead; a small y sends you back to the menu.

In the editor

There is no overwrite mode: every key is inserted at the cursor.

BREAK	Deletes the character under the cursor. In the editor this is the delete key!
CLEAR + @	Deletes the character before the cursor
CLEAR + K	Deletes from the cursor to the end of the line
CLEAR + ↑ / ↓	Top / bottom of the text
CLEAR + → / ←	End / start of the line
CLEAR + A	Re-flows the paragraphs
SHIFT + 0	Lower case or capitals
CLEAR + M	Back to the menu (the text stays in memory)

Copy, delete and find

CLEAR + B	Begin mark
CLEAR + E	End mark
CLEAR + C	Copies the marked block to the cursor
CLEAR + X	Deletes from the cursor to the end mark, with no question
CLEAR + Z	Removes all marks
CLEAR + F	Find a word
CLEAR + N	Next match

To move a block, copy it and then delete the original.

Traps

If your text suddenly vanishes, you probably pressed CLEAR + S, a fast mode that hides the end of the text; CLEAR + U brings it back. A line that should not join the one before it, like a list item, should start with a space or have a blank line before it. With no printer connected, do not print: the program may hang. Save before every print.

The first five minutes

In the menu press C: the white screen is the editor. Press SHIFT + 0 and type a sentence. Put the cursor on a letter and delete it with BREAK. Then CLEAR + M, and in the menu W: how many words did you write? Finally E takes you back to your text.

This guide is in our own words, for Dragon owners who have the original program. We do not host the program or its original manual. We tried every step on an emulated machine with the same chips.