MASTER MENUS
by Beverly Howard, Kaypro Austin Club, May 1987

(Some thoughts on Kaypro's master menus)

Starting with the introduction of Kaypro 10's, master menus were
supplied with the operating systems in an attempt to make the
computer's operating system less intimidating for computer
novices.  These "menu" or "front end" programs eliminate the
immediate need for any knowledge of the operating system and
reduce commands to cursor movements and typing in filenames.  If
you are still using these training wheels, it may be time to take
a deep breath and plunge directly into the operating system.

Menus usually limit the user's flexibility and access to the
computer's capabilities to a small fraction of its capabilities. 
Sticking to it is similar to having access to only three or four
offices connected by windowless padded halls within an otherwise
large and interesting building.  While it's true that you are
unlikely to trip and hurt yourself or your data in these transfer
corridors, it could be nice to break free of these constraints. 
Your initial forays outside the menus can be initiated by
selecting the "Exit to Operating System (CPM or Dos)" option and
as simple as copying one file to a blank floppy or formatting a
batch of new disks.

As you gain more experience, you will find that menus are simply
"command typing" programs that type in the operating system
command lines as you select the options presented, using SUBMIT
or BATCH files to process a series of the necessary commands. 
The menu program itself is a .COM  or .BAT file that is called by
CPM or an AUTOEXEC.BAT file after a cold start, and the simplest
way to stop the menu from being used automatically is to rename
it.  (From "MASMENU.COM" TO "MM.COM" for example.)  type "MM<CR>"
to call it back quickly if you get insecure.  take the plunge;
the water's fine!
