[NTLK] Great apps for the Newton OS 1 devices ?

[Matej Horvat]

On Mon, 02 Jun 2025 19:00:29 +0200, Greg Goodwin via NewtonTalk  
<newtontalk at newtontalk.net> wrote:

> I've recently put my 110 in a new case

What kind of case, if I may ask?

>      For starters, NewtKey for using an external Newton keyboard.

There's also Type! http://www.unna.org/view.php?/drivers/keyboard/Type
I don't know whether it's better than NewtKey, but it's smaller. :)

>      Currently looking for something that handles the Extra drawer a bit
> better, as it appears the only view is icons, no text list?

Maybe PopExtras? http://www.unna.org/view.php?/utilites/menus/PopExtras1.2
Or X-Master? http://www.unna.org/view.php?/utilites/menus/X-Master2.0
(I have used neither)

There's also PickExtras -  
http://www.unna.org/view.php?/utilites/menus/PickExtras1.17 - which is  
much smaller, but unfortunately expired in 1995. If the author is no  
longer reachable, it should be easy to crack...

>      Another application, Backdrop, allows the notepad to not take up
> system resources all the time.  That is nice though I have not gotten
> that to work yet.

This might be more trouble than it's worth. I don't remember how much heap  
space the Notepad takes up, but it's not a significant amount. If you  
really need the extra heap, you can just make an empty note at the bottom  
and scroll to that.

>      What other OS 1 applications would you all recommend to make a OS 1
> Newton more useful

Not an application, but if you use the on-screen keyboard a lot, DontAsk:  
http://www.unna.org/view.php?/utilites/keyboards/DontAsk

Of course, it depends on what you want to use it for. I ultimately  
realized that for my needs, the built-in applications (plus a few  
utilities like Type! and DontAsk) are sufficient, and also more reliable  
than any third-party ones, plus they integrate with Newton Connection,  
which I really appreciate.