Evaluation time: 21 days (Jan. 20, 2007 to Feb. 10, 2007)
Tested on: HW2 TI-89 with AMS 2.09
Pros: Displays some interesting information about Flash ROM and the OS; the memory pie graphs are nice
Cons: Most of the information it provides probably isn't useful for average calculator users; documentation doesn't explain what the various pieces of information mean; the pie graphs (probably the most useful feature) are buried under a sequence of keystrokes rather than being quickly accessible
* Stability/Reliability: 10/10
* Features: 10/10
* Size/Efficiency: 7/10
* Ease of use/Usability: 7/10
* Documentation: 3/10
* Overall: 7/10
Recommended: Only if you find yourself using the information it provides on a regular basis
Although the program is called System Doctor, it doesn't really repair anythingit's more of a system information program. It provides various information about Flash ROM and AMS, and allows the user to change the APD timeout, contrast, and key repeat rate.
The information it provides looks fascinating, but since the documentation fails to explain it, it's probably only comprehensible by developers. In particular, I don't understand what all the Flash ROM data means. I think that the Free Bytes field indicates the largest file that can actually be stored in the Flash Archive, whereas Archive Available probably means the free space returned by the AMS Memory screen. If that's true, then the Free Bytes field is actually a very useful piece of information, much more so than the free Archive space AMS reportsthe problem is, I don't know if it's truethe documentation just leaves me guessing.
The pie graphs of the free RAM and Archive space are quite a nice idea. This would probably be the most useful feature of the program; however, the user interface isn't efficient enoughit takes several keystrokes to go to the right screen, select the graph you want to display, and even more if you want to see the other graph, too. It would have been better to make the graphs accessible from the main menu. Maybe showing both graphs on the screen at once would be best, because I rarely want to look at only one or the other. It's a little annoying also that the graphs are rather slow at drawing, and have some minor display glitches. I think they could benefit from a better pie chart drawing algorithm.
The program does provide a few useful features and adjustments, but it requires several keystrokes to access them. Much of the information it provides is probably only of interest to developers, and features like key repeat rate adjustment, battery strength, and APD can already be accessed with other programs faster and more efficiently.
If the information System Doctor provides is something you would find useful to see on a regular basis, or if you like all-in-one programs, then you might like System Doctor, but otherwise, you might not find it that useful.
