195 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
195 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
RAndY's RumOR RaG
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December 1991
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MISCELLANEOUS
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WordPerfect is beta testing a new WordPerfect Executive. This program hasn't seen
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an update since May of 1987, so it's about time.
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Included will be LetterPerfect, communications, database, spreadsheet, and fax
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applications.
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Novell's new Netware Lite is apparently having some difficulties, especially when
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trying to run Windows. Performance is poor and some say that even DOS performance is
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nowhere close to the more expensive Novell packages.
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WINDOWS NEWS
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I hear that Borland's demonstration of Quattro Pro for Windows at Comdex was
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interrupted by applause when the demo was halted by an Unrecoverable Application Error.
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I went to order my upgrade to Ventura Publisher and was told that the product
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would not be available until January - after I've seen full-color two-page advertisements in
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all the magazines for the last month.
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Real mode will be dropped entirely when Windows 3.1 debuts soon. So what's the
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loss?
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By the time you read this, Adobe Systems will have released a new version of ATM
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which supports Windows 3.1. Features will include additional printer support for PostScript
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and LaserJet III printers, modified font installation routines, and improvements to font
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rendering speed. According to Adobe, ATM 2 runs twice as fast on 386 and 486 computers.
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Since Type 1 fonts appear to compete with Windows upcoming TrueType technology, "We
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want to make it clear that Type 1 fonts will co-exist with TrueType [and] that it is absolutely
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compatible." says John Kunze, director of product marketing for Adobe's applications
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division. Upgrade price to current owners will be $27.50.
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Borland has introduced a new product called Screenery. Included are wallpaper
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designs, screen saver routines, and product icons. Wallpaper images include an Escher-like
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scene, Polynesian tikis, parched sand dunes, an ornate Chinese dragon, and a jazz jam
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session. Retail price is $34.95 and free with registration comes an additional disk of more
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wallpaper, icons, and screen savers.
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Looks like Microsoft may not have done a thorough job of beta testing with their new
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Entertainment packs. When playing Tut's Tomb, I've had several occasions where I'd select
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a card from the pile and it would highlight the one underneath.
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Hewlett-Packard is delaying release of NewWave for OS/2, but the Windows 3.1 compatible
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version will ship on time. HP says that development has been scaled back on the OS/2
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product, but it has not been abandoned.
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OS/2 NEWS
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Things are getting itchy waiting for the new release of OS/2. Apparently,
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WordPerfect, Lotus Development, and Micrografx urged IBM to wait on shipping until all
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the promised functionality could be fully implemented and tested.
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Of course Microsoft continues to poo-poo the whole thing, so the war and the wait rages
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on.
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I think of a joke I heard recently. If IBM had designed the phone system, every time
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you added a new phone, everyone in the world would have to hang up.
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Speaking of OS/2, I finally managed to install Version 1.3. It would not install with
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only 12 megs of memory, but when I got the system up to a full 16 megs, it finally went.
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I guess it's an OK operating system, but it's tough to judge when you don't have any
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applications. The speed seems decent enough, but it's like a mixture of Windows 2.x and
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Windows 3 with not enough of Windows 3. This thing takes 19 1.44M disks, but without
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the LAN Requestor, Communications and Database Managers, you only use eight of the
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disks. IBM suggests that you have 16 MB of free hard drive space for the Base Operating
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System. That's a bit much to ask of anyone, I think. But if OS/2 1.3 is any indication, I'm
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still keeping my mind open about Version 2. Jeez, I hope they do it right.
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WORDPERFECT FOR WINDOWS
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The wait was worth it!
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You've all heard the specs for months so I won't go into detail there. I think it better
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if I just give some of my impressions after working with the software.
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Installation is done through DOS, similar to other WordPerfect products.
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I don't like GUI word processors. Ami Pro is nice, but the icons are too cryptic to
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figure out. Word for Windows just plain sucks like it's DOS cousin (I haven't seen Version
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2 yet). But WordPerfect has done it right. When I load a word processor, the last thing
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I want to see is a busy screen. I don't want to see a bunch of menus, borders, or any other
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crapola.
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The Button Bar can be turned off, but even with it on it is not imposing. I do feel
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that having the Ruler displayed tends to make the screen too busy. You're probably best
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turning it on only when you're going to use it.
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With most Windows word processors, when you type something the current line
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flashes as the program attempts to update word and character spacing. WPWin doesn't do
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that - in fact I can't out-type it.
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The File Manager is a work of art, sure to imitated by others in the near future. I
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like the Viewer which lets you preview not only documents, but also graphic files. Moving
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through your directory tree is also easy, as are copying, deleting, and moving files.
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I've only gotten a UAE once - while trying to print a DOS 5.1 document. When I
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switched to the WordPerfect printer driver, everything was OK though.
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I've also noticed that the speed can slow down if you're running other tasks. But my
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biggest concern is with hardware. I've installed WPWIN on SX systems, and if you've only
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got 2 megs of RAM, it pages to disk too much to be productive. An upgrade to 4 megs or
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more makes the situation better. Also, be aware that if you install the complete package
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(with tutorial, sample macros, and graphics) it will eat up 9 megs of hard drive space.
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There are some anomalies I've found that need to be corrected. Sometimes the
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typing is slow to appear on the screen, my default font changes sometimes and needs to be
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changed back, but overall they've done an excellent job in bringing their DOS product to a
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graphical environment. Try it, you'll like it!
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PC WORLD - HUH?
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The current issue of PC World highlights pieces of hardware that they think are what
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you should buy. Their choice for CPU is the 486SX. Huh? Who would buy this piece of
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crap invented by the marketing department? Since when do the marketing nerds control
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technical development? I'm getting really torked at the TV ads which show a close-up
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camera roaming through the innards of a computer, ending up at the CPU with a big motel-
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like vacancy sign pointing toward the co-processor socket.
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And speaking of magazines, I've never really cared for PC World anyway. Their
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articles are too superficial without any real substance. They don't tell you anything.
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I've always preferred PC Magazine. The articles contain plenty of information,
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although I can do without some of the more esoteric theme issues (Lan-Fax-Pen-Notebook
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special issues). I've also found it odd that products from major advertisers are rarely given
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poor reviews . . . hmmm. But overall, PC Mag has an excellent blend of technical
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information, reviews, and information on new technology. Of course, the first thing I read
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after tearing out 5 pounds of inserted advertising, is Dvorak.
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One of the newer magazines that isn't too bad is PC Computing. It's put out by the
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same people who do PC Mag and many of the regular columnists cross over. Dvorak vs.
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Seymour is typically pretty good. The articles aren't as technical, but there are usually some
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good tips on various subjects ranging from memory management to software tricks. It's a
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good expenditure of three bucks.
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The Windows Magazine isn't too bad, although some issues are better than others.
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The focus is, of course, on Windows with reviews and information on the explosion of
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Windows hardware and software.
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There's another magazine called PC Publishing that has really good information for
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those who are into desktop publishing. The subscriptions aren't too pricey and the
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illustrations are printed on good quality stock.
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TELL ME WHY
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Can anyone tell me why you can't import an XLC file into any Windows application?
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Each month, I have need to create a report which contains a graph. Being a Windows
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person, I've been using either WordPerfect in combination with Ventura Publisher or
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PageMaker. When I try to bring in an Excel chart through the clipboard, the alignment on
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the labels usually gets messed up and I have to resort to using a dedicated charting program.
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Why doesn't anybody allow you to import an XLC (Excel chart file) directly?
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The same thing goes for Corel Draw. As popular as Corel is, you'd think that
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somebody would be able to use a CDR file.
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WINDOWS 3.1 UPDATE
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Beta testers report that the latest beta release of Windows 3.1 is very stable and has
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several new features not found in earlier beta versions.
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Among the new features are an interactive tutorial, an object packager for embedded
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or linked objects, a character map utility for inserting special characters into documents, and
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a registration information editor that maintains a database holding information about
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applications. Apparently, performance boosts are very evident also. Networking has been
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improved. The product is expected to ship on time (whenever that is).
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Beta testers are raving over the new file manager which not only is faster, but
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supports multiple windows and works well with network drives.
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Unrecoverable Application Errors are nearly eliminated with selective reboot as I
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mentioned last month.
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The registration information editor is a critical component of the new printing powers
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built into the new Windows. With 3.1 you can drag a document icon, drop in on the print
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manager icon, and the document will print. The print manager uses the registration
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database so it will know which application to open to enable printing of the file.
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The object editor, located in the program manager's accessories group, is a utility
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used to create a package, which is then inserted into a document supporting OLE. A
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package "is an icon that represents an embedded or linked object" according to the Windows
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3.1 online help documentation. Double clicking on such an icon invokes the application
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associated with the embedded or linked object.
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Look for all of this to happen sometime in the first quarter of 1992.
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INTEL-LIGENT ALTERNATIVE
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Have you noticed the price on math co-processors? These things are getting to the
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point where they're almost worth it.
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Well, I couldn't resist and recently bought one. I have a 386-33, so I knew it wouldn't
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be cheap. But do I buy a real Intel chip or one of the others like IIT or Cyrix?
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I decided on the Cyrix and to date have experienced no compatibility problems. The
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FasMath co-processor works great and seems to be faster than the Intel chips I've installed.
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I have found one program that won't work with it, however. The Intel 387DX diagnostic
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apparently looks for some type of Intel signature and refuses to continue. It figures . . .
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Unless you have need for AutoCAD math, I'd recommend against buying one of the
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121-pin enhanced co-processors. Unless you have need of such a thing, you're going to pay
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about double the price. Spreadsheets don't need that kind of power.
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=================================
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DISCLAIMER
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RAndY's RumOR RaG is published on a monthly basis by AINSWORTH
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COMPUTER SERVICES and is available on GEnie, America Online, and various BBS's
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with excerpts in Modem News.
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Opinions expressed are those of the author. Comments should
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be addressed to Ainsworth Computer Services on GEnie or America Online.
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AINSWORTH COMPUTER SERVICES
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605 W. Wishkah
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Aberdeen, WA 98520-6031
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(206) 533-6647
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GEnie Address: RAG
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America Online: RUmOR RaG |