310 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
310 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
RAndY's RumOR RaG
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January 1994
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NEWS IN YER FACE
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Some distributors are reporting that sales of OS/2 are running
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10 times that for Windows NT.
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Vendors and memory suppliers are predicting that DRAM prices
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will rise about 5% per month for at least the next six months. The
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reason given is a growing demand for memory brought on by graphics
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based software and inadequate manufacturing capacity. It has also
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been proclaimed that the epoxy resin packaging shortage which has
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been predicted is now ended. (Yeah, right).
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Borland has shipped a "field test" version of dBase for
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Windows. They're hoping to ship a final version in the first half
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of 1994. Testers say this beta version looks like Arago for
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Windows, technology Borland purchased from WordTech Systems last
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year.
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Eastman Kodak is planning to release an 80mm version of their
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PhotoCD for use in notebooks and other handheld devices.
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There are reportedly numerous problems with Word for Window 6
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and Microsoft should have a fix out by the time you read this.
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Users have reported problems with the right mouse button, drag-and-
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drop features, printing glitches, and more.
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Insiders are predicting the demise of the 486SX-25 with the
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introduction of Intel's DX3 clock-tripling chips. The DX3 chips
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are low voltage and have power management capabilities. They will
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be positioned below the Pentium.
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The 486DX3/75 will appear early in the first quarter with the
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486DX3/99 arriving by the end of the first quarter. Intel has not
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ruled out the possibility of a DX4 chip quadrupler either.
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Cyrix announced they will have a similar tripling product in
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the second half of 1994.
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At a recent conference in Burlingame, CA, Philippe Kahn gave
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a speech titled "How Not To Sell Software". Lotus head Jim Manzi
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quipped, "I'm amazed he could condense that in an hour."
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Apple was letting employees buy two Newtons for holiday gifts
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for $499.
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Cyrix has been experiencing manufacturing-supply problems.
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Lotus is getting ready to ship a multimedia version of 1-2-3
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for Windows which will include ScreenCam technology.
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ScreenCam lets you record keystrokes and cursor movement, copy
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whatever is on the screen, and lets users create training movies
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and annotate them with voice comments.
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ScreenCam is in beta testing and will ship in the first
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quarter of 1994.
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Look for OS/2 2.2 sometime in 1994. The new version will go
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into beta testing early next year and will feature support for
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symmetrical multi-processing. IBMers are wondering if maybe two
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versions are needed, one for uniprocessor users and one for SMP
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users.
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CHICAGO REVAMPED
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Microsoft has made some changes to the forthcoming 32-bit
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version of Windows, code-named Chicago.
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Look for plug-and-play functionality, some 32-bit perks, and
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networking features from Windows for Workgroups. Mail and
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scheduling may be offered as add-ons. They're targeting 386
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machines with 4 megs of memory.
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Plug-and-play means you can plug in a new card or peripheral
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and when you power up the computer it will automatically sense and
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record the configuration changes.
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There will likely be a version without the graphical interface
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of DOS 7.
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The full beta of Chicago will not ship until March or April
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(it had been expected in February). Release will be in late summer
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or early fall of 1994, but others suggest it may be as late as
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November.
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WORDPERFECT MAIN STREET
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Last month I talked about WordPerfect's efforts to get their
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products into your home under the banner of WordPerfect Main Street
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products.
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Here are some products you can expect and their anticipated
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list prices: WordPerfect Works for Windows ($149), ExpressFax+ for
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Windows ($99), Random House Webster's School and Office Dictionary
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for Windows and DOS ($29), Clip Art Premium Collection on CD-ROM
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for Windows and Macintosh ($99), Clip Art for Home for Windows and
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Macintosh ($39), Clip Art for Office for Windows and Macintosh
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($39), Clip Art for Kids for Windows and Macintosh ($39), and
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Personal Information Manager for Windows ($149).
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WordPerfect has also licensed entertainment software from Tune
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1000 Corp. which includes Kid Karaoke for Windows and Macintosh.
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This includes "has the Fisher Price look with a lot of the primary
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colors."
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A NEW NT
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Microsoft is beta testing an interim release of Windows NT
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called Version 1.1 and scheduled for release by mid-1994.
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This release, code-named Daytona, is boosting speed while
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cutting memory requirements. There will be support for OLE 2,
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faster video drivers, an engine for 3-D graphics licensed from
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Silicon Graphics, and NetWare client software included in the
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workstation version.
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The next release of NT Advanced Server will included features
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for TCP/IP configuration, account lockout capabilities, the ability
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to run DOS and Windows applications from an NT server.
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Nobody's talking specifics for price, but it's expected to be
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more than $200.
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OS/2 FOR WINDOWS
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Recently I reported on an IBM product code-named Ferengi which
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has since turned into OS/2 for Windows. So what is this thing?
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It's basically a version of OS/2 that uses an existing
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installation of Windows 3.1 instead of the Windows emulation
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normally provided in the OS/2 package.
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Of course, Windows applications will run faster with OS/2 for
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Windows than under WIN-OS/2. Some quirks have been encountered,
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among them being Windows sometimes not exiting properly. As
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before, programs needing virtual device drivers will not run.
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MORE NEWS IN YER FACE
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Look for CorelDraw! 5 to be released in May for Windows,
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followed by an OS/2 version three months later. Ventura Publisher
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will be a pert of CorelDraw! and they're working now on porting
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Ventura to OS/2.
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IBM has resumed shipments of the ThinkPad 500 following
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reports of battery problems in late October.
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McAfee Associates, of anti-virus fame, have signed a
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distribution agreement with Ingram Micro, a large reseller. This
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is a first for McAfee.
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Media Vision will ship a $499 PCMCIA sound card sometime next
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quarter.
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Look for a new series of Pentium chips this year with second-
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generation chips shipping by next quarter. These chips will have
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4 times the yield per wafer, using only 6-8 watts versus the
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current 12-13 watts. This will lower heat, yet allow Intel to
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produce more chips in higher quantities with lower costs.
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Sales of Windows for Workgroups have suddenly taken off with
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the release of a new version. See a review later in this issue.
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GEnie is preparing a Windows front-end for their online
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service, but no word yet on its release. Should be soon - I'll let
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you know.
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WordPerfect and Shana have settled their differences over
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WordPerfect's InForms package. Shana thought the name sounded too
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much like a couple of their products. Following litigation,
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neither company will change the names of their products. Sounds
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like a productive use of court time.
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Industry sources report that up to 25% of multimedia upgrade
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kits are returned by consumers because they are frustrated by
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installation problems. This has not been my experience, but I can
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understand why people would return some of these things.
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Blockbuster Video Stores have launched a CD-ROM rental program
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at 52 of their stores in Northern California. Titles rent for $4
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for three nights and a system and a title for $14.95 for three
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nights.
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Prodigy (the best way to throw away your money) has new color-
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coded menus and buttons along with a less cluttered design with
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more readable TrueType fonts. You can now send binary files and
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play back sound, see digitized photos and support for new services.
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I just report this stuff - Who cares about what Prodigy does?
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MPC WIZARD 2
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This $15 CD has been updated with a few new still images and
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several WAV and AVI files. The AVI files are better than most
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packages, but could still be better.
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The testing end of Wizard has been substantially improved.
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Besides performing several tests on your CD-ROM drive, Wizard will
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do several checks on your sound card and see how well your system
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does with Video for Windows. New to this version is the ability to
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print your test results.
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Take the tests with a grain of salt. I've seen these things
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indicate faulty hardware when nothing was wrong. What do you want
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for $15?
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MULTIMEDIA CAVEAT
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Be careful if you buy a multimedia upgrade kit. Often these
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CD-ROM/sound card bundles come packaged with a variety of software.
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Just because something is on CD doesn't mean it's any good, let
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alone multimedia.
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You should be aware that Microsoft's Bookshelf is produced in
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both DOS and Windows versions. If your bundle includes Bookshelf,
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I'd make sure it's the one for Windows, although either is
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excellent.
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Most bundled encyclopedias are DOS-based as are the occult-
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based games that are often bundled with these packages. There's
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nothing wrong with DOS-based software, but many people expect that
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all CD software is for Windows.
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I recently sold one of these bundles and got to see the Time
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Almanac 1993. The program runs from Windows, but is largely
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textual information. It's not a bad package overall because there
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is a large amount of historical material included as well. But
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multimedia it ain't. The worst part is seeing Clinton's face on
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the opening screen as Man of the Year. (Excuse me as I hurl!)
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One of the best examples of multimedia software I've seen is
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Encarta. I'm told that the new Grolier's is excellent also. But
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be aware that these cost bucks. The hardware may be coming down in
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price, but good multimedia software is still somewhat expensive.
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Many of these bundles come with speakers which sit on each
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side of your monitor. You should remember that the resonant
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qualities of plastic do not qualify for high-fidelity. Hook up to
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your stereo if possible.
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SHAPE UP OR SLIP OUT
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This is the newest installment in the Leisure Suit Larry
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series (#6). The premise is that you're at an exclusive health spa
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and need to help out several shapely, attractive ladies.
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The jokes are moderately tasteless and Sierra has added a
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number of sampled sounds to enhance your gaming experience.
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Included are both DOS and Windows versions but be aware that the
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Windows version is significantly slower. I had thought the last
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Larry would be the final one, but I guess the popularity of the
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species remains high. This game is suggested for mature audiences
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with a sticker on the package.
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NEW WINDOWS VERSION - NOW
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I thought that headline would sucker you in. Actually, there
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is a new version of Windows which is available right now.
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Windows for Workgroups 3.11 will work on a stand-alone
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machine. This version includes a personal scheduler which works
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well without being hooked up to a network. If you're on a wire,
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you can check others' schedules, notify them of meetings, check for
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compatible meeting times, etc.
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Also included are faxing capabilities through the first
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implementation of Microsoft's "At Work" technology. The
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functionality of the fax module is similar to that of stand-alone
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fax packages. It ties in with the Network Post Office which allows
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E-mail on your network, if so connected. Operation is the same as
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packages such as WinFax Pro. Sending a fax from an application is
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slower than a commercial package, but it works. I wish there were
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a way to print my phone book of fax numbers too.
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Microsoft claims that 3.11 is faster than Windows 3.1. This
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claim comes largely from the ability to have 32-bit file access.
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What they don't tell you is that you either have to have a
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permanent swap file or none for this feature to work. It won't
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work with a temporary swap file. (I haven't been able to get it to
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work yet with either option on my machine.)
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Both File Manager and Print Manager now come with Toolbars and
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the one in File Manager is customizable. If you install Windows
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for Workgroups 3.11 over an existing installation, it won't mess up
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your carefully tweaked INI files. And you don't need a network to
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use it (except for E-mail and other network features).
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I am unable to test the software on a network because I don't
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have one at my office. I have seen it demonstrated and Microsoft
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has reworked the areas that left the previous version lacking.
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Support for DOS and NetWare are tremendously improved
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Here's the good news - you don't need to rush out and buy the
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whole package. Microsoft makes a product called Add-On which adds
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the new functionality. It will change your existing Windows
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installation and update it with new files and the new applications
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(so you don't need to pay for all the Windows files). And the
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price is only $69.95 - with a $10 rebate coupon for Windows for
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Workgroups 3.1 owners. A DOS add-on is also available for hooking
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up with DOS-only computers. Of course, Windows NT linkage is
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supported.
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Check it out. Major mail-order cloners are using 3.11 instead
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of 3.1 on new machines.
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NEXT MONTH
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I had planned to talk about three new products, none of which
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were released in December as they were scheduled to be.
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January will be a better month for Maui, a card from Turtle
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Beach which complements an existing sound card to give it sampled
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sounds. I tracked one down and will be working on the review by
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the time you read this. Then there's the NEC 3Xi triple spin CD-
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ROM drive which is due out the first week of January. And finally
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I hope to see Excel 5.0 before the end of January, but I'm not
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holding my breath. The anticipated ship date is the last week of
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the month. Vaporware sucks - uh huh huh huh uh huh huh...
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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 various local BBS's, GEnie,
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and America Online as well as in Modem News.
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In case anyone cares, RAndY's RumOR RaG is produced on a 486-
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50 with 8 megs of memory, Diamond Stealth Pro VESA VLB (1 MB), 105
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MB Toshiba IDE hard drive, Teac 1.2 MB and 1.44 MB floppies, Pro
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Audio Spectrum 16 running a Hitachi 3750 CD ROM drive, Sceptre SVGA
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display, Microsoft mouse, WordPerfect for Windows and transmitted
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through a US Robotics HST Dual Standard modem.
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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, phone, analog
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mail, or whatever method makes you feel good.
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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 |