Initial Tips:
If you have a VAX, with VT100's, use the COMPILVMX.COM
procedure to build Portacalc-VM and use that. If you have
a PDP11, your best bet is the PortaCalc that's in the
directory with PCCPDP.COM. Munge that file up into a .CMD
file (with the leading "$ " characters removed to let MCR
allow it, and other minor fixups) and build PCC-PC from that.
Then use that for the remaining. You'll need to compile, then
build the libraries (LBRCRE.CMD will do that), then link. Some
device names may need to be altered in the .CMD and .ODL files
too; it's hard to get it all exact on a VMS system where your MCR
is not very much like the real thing and CCL is unavailable...
Now set your system up so you know how to fire up the
spreadsheet and print out Portacalc.tut (the tutorial). With
the tutorial in hand, follow it along with the real spreadsheet
and go thru its instructions. (If you built PortaCalc-PC for PDP11,
use 10 K sizes for starters as the sizes for value and formula
storage; smaller if you must. You'll need some auxiliary
storage, but a minimum is not known to the author. Hopefully,
10K will do. If you run out of space, try using negative numbers
instead of positive ones.
When you're satisfied with the tutorial, then go thru
PORTACALC.TU2 (a short mini-tutorial) to see a little of how
table lookups can be done.
Then read through the manual (after passing it through
Runoff to make it legible) once. The manual is a reference, not
an introduction, so it's best not to try and absorb it all at
once.
As a useful example, the BER.* file supplied is for producing
a Business Expense Report and will do all the normal arithmetic for
you (though it assumes 20 cents/mile for mileage). The second
line has just the day part of the date and is rather crude,
but it's been useful at the author's site.

Now define a system logical name DK: or set up a virtual
disk globally assigned as DK: (init with the /SDI switch to
avoid multiple directories on it in RSX) and move all the
AK*.CMD, KY*.CMD, and Keypad.pic onto DK:. Make them world
readable. You may want to use the SPREAD.COM file on Vax to
run the sheet from. Read your other README and AAAREADME files
and see how you want to tailor the spreadsheet. Now build any
other versions you like.
One tailoring you may want on a PDP11 is a set of global
answers to the file size questions. You can edit Spredsht.for
on a PDP11 to read these replies somewhere else than the console
(like a disk file on another globally assigned name) and have
the default be the console if the name is defined as the console
by the user. This would speed up program start. You may also want
to select which KEYPAD*.PIC to copy as DK:KEYPAD.PIC depending
on your terminals. Type them each out and pick the one you like
best. Keypadavo.pic is the one we use at the author's site. On the
VAX, the program will start reading SYS$INPUT, and so you can automate
the replies easily by running from a .COM file.
Finally, if you have problems or especially if you produce
any more documentation or new versions, send them to Glenn
Everhart, 25 Sleigh Ride Rd., Glen Mills, PA 19342; (preferably in
machine readable format...most any medium will do). That way they
can be given out to all users. There aren't many bugs, but you
may do things I don't.