By Uncle Bob
(August 30, 1998)
The limitations of WebTV often have users reciting all the reasons why a computer is better than WebTV. Considering the difference in cost, it's an absurd comparison and a pointless debate. WebTV's greatest limitation is its lack of versatility, but thanks to the recent addition of 'cut copy & paste' and the resourcefulness and generosity of WebTV users, there are many ways to expand the utility of a WebTV.
Many people know about the transloaders and the possibilities they open up, but the value of cut and paste seems underestimated by some. A number of clever users have discovered or developed ways to enhance this new feature.
Cut Copy and Paste is an extremely useful feature and can be used in a multitude of ways. It makes building webpages or e-mail signatures a much easier task. Composing e-mail is much easier, especially when you want to extract an excerpt of an e-mail you are replying to. For a clear explanation of this CC & P feature read this tutorial. For the official version, try the less complete WeCare WebTV™ explanation of cut and paste.
Even if you don't have a web page or use an e-mail signature you probably use E-mail. And you probably have scraps of paper and post-it notes by the pile with URLs that can't be identified. There are a number of ways to create a "clipboard" that can 'save' these notes temporarily or permanently. These are ways to save notes, URLs or complete blocks of text in a more organized fashion. None of these methods are mine so don't give me credit.
¤ Method #1: Mail to
This is an easy method and is probably the most reliable and easiest to use.
+ Bring up the "Go To" box and erase the "http://"
+ Type in 'mailto:cut' [replace 'cut' with your choice of name] and press 'go to page' button
+ You will be on the "Write a Message" screen as if you were composing an e-mail. Paste whatever text you want and add notes or comments if you want.
+ Continue surfing, with one caution. Periodically, these "mailto:" files are erased by WebTV. If you want to save one these "clipboards" just send it to yourself or one of your secondary accounts as you would a regular e-mail.
¤ Method #2: Find
The 'find' function is useful as a temporary clipboard, especially for URLs. Bring it up by pushing 'find' or 'options' and 'find' using the remote. Although you can only "see" the characters that are displayed in the box, the capacity of it is much larger. If you insert a symbol (e.g. <>) between URLs or text, it is easier to sort them out when they're pasted.
¤ Method #3: Mad Rabbit's Reference
Besides the Transloaders, Mad Rabbit's Reference Tables
is probably one of the most useful pages out there for WebTV users. From this page it is possible to validate pages, size images, as well as use the clipboard function that has been created. Go to the menu in the pop-up [display reads 'more tools'] and choose the clipboard option. Instructions included.
¤ Method #4: Word Processor pages
There are a number of these out there but unless you have a printer they aren't particularly useful for using as a "clipboard" as far as I can tell. Check out the Virtual Xone which offers a versatile utility or the WebTV Friends Wordprocessor for a more spartan method.
I've greatly reduced the amount of written notes since the cut and paste feature came along and these various "clipboard" methods add another dimension. Hopefully, you'll find one that suits your purposes and makes for a speedier web experience. And if you're still confused about all this cut and paste stuff...try KingRing's cut and paste tips...and DON"T RUN with those scissors!!
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