354 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
354 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
RAndY's RumOR RaG
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February 1994
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COREL VENTURA
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Ventura Publisher has been slipping behind, especially in the
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last couple of years. When they shifted from GEM to Windows, it
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seemed like they didn't understand what Windows was all about.
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Last year, Corel bought the company in a move I would
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characterize as brilliant. This can only be a good thing for both
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products. As mentioned last month, when Corel 5 is introduced
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later this year Ventura Publisher will be integrated with the
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drawing package.
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Corel Ventura 4.2 is not a large step forward. It appears
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that they have corrected some of the problems of the previous
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version and packaged it with a ton of fonts and clipart. This new
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version does load much faster than before, but look for the big
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changes to come when it's released with a new CorelDraw package.
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The choice is yours as to whether to upgrade now. I'm sure
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something better is around the corner.
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NEWS IN YER FACE
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Borland has lifted restrictions on developers wishing to use
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Borland language tools to create applications which compete with
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Borland products.
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Alpha testers continue to doubt that Microsoft can meet
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performance criteria for Chicago by the scheduled ship date. The
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target is to operate with the same hardware specs as Windows 3.1.
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Cyrix has agreed to quit using an advertising logo that
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parodies Intel's logo.
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I just went out and got my mail, and seeing a copy of Computer
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Retail Week, was anxious to dig in and see what is new. I started
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reading and the news seemed rather old. I checked out the front
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page and it was dated November 15, 1993. Guess the pony was tired.
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And these are the people they want to put in charge of health
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care?
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Look for IBM to drop the MCA bus on desktop machines and use
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it only on servers. They have realized that the bus has little
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value in the average desktop machine and will use MCA's advantages
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in the server market. Cry me a river. . .
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Lexmark will soon begin shipping a laser printer that is based
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on Microsoft's At Work software. Jointly developed with Microsoft,
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it will have a bi-directional interface for communicating with
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Windows and result in reduced printing times. It's rated at 10 ppm
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for 300 dpi and 8 ppm for 600 dpi. Look for a list price less than
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$1600.
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WFW UPDATE
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Well, I've had a little more time to work with Windows for
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Workgroups 3.11 as reviewed last month.
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I've only got 8 megs of memory and that just doesn't cut it.
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I can't use the 32-bit file access and I've found that it makes an
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incredible difference. I've installed this Windows on a 486-50
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VLB with 16 megs of memory. This thing really snaps when you can
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get the 32-bit file access working on a VLB machine. (The reason
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I can't do it is that you either have to have no swap file, or a
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permanent one. On a DoubleSpaced drive you can't have a permanent
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swap file and I don't have enough memory to go without a swap
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file.)
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But if you've got the hardware, this is a version of Windows
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that will really fly. Don't waste your time if you've just got 4
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megs, though.
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DIAMOND VIPER
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Back several months ago when I was looking to buy a VLB video
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card, I had to choose between the Diamond Stealth Pro and the
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Viper. I chose the Pro based upon price constraints. So far it
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has been an admiralable performer.
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I've recently had the opportunity to work with a Viper and it
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is HOT. Instead of using an S3 chip, it uses a Weitek coprocessor.
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Wanna make Windows really fly? The Viper will do the trick. It
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comes with 2 megs of VRAM so you can do lots of colors at high
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resolutions. Of course, being a local bus card you're moving at
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the speed of the processor so all of this adds up to one screaming
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video card. It doesn't make my Pro look sick, but there is a
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definite difference. Don't expect much if you're using just DOS,
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with the exception of CAD. DOS performance is nothing exceptional.
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To be honest, the difference between the two cards is not real
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noticeable until you start working with applications like
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CorelDraw. The screen redraws with the Viper snap much faster than
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the Pro. The same goes for PageMaker and most other mainstream
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applications. Another advantage the Viper has is that when you
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switch resolutions or use more colors, performance is not
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significantly degraded. Using WinBench, performance in 65K color
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mode is only slightly slower than the Stealth Pro VLB in 256 color
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mode.
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The price for this performance does not come cheap. Expect to
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pay close to $500.
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MAUI WOWIE
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OK, that headline speaks volumes about my "old days". Anyway,
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the topic is a new sound card from Turtle Beach called MAUI.
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The MAUI can serve as a stand-alone sound card or be used with
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an existing sound card. If you've got a regular FM-synthesis card,
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you can plug the output of your card into the input of the MAUI and
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use them both. If you have one of the newer wavetable cards, there
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is a special connection on the MAUI to let you interconnect them.
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The MAUI has 128 sampled instruments. That means you don't
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get something that sounds like a piano - you get a real piano.
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There are two SIMM sockets on the board which let you add any
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combination of 256K, 1M, or 4M SIMMs. Then, in addition to the
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256K the card comes with, you can sample any sound, load it into
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the card, and use it as a voice. That means you can take the sound
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of a burp, for example, and be able to play music using the burp
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instead of a piano. The possibilities are incredible.
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There is a connection for hooking up to an external MIDI
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device, such as a keyboard. Extensive diagnostics are also
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included which seem to check everything possible with the board.
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Installation is easy, although I had to select a different
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interrupt from the default. Windows installation is a snap with
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the included software. You do have to edit your MIDI Mapper, but
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it's easy and the book tells you how to do it. Also included is a
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special version of Turtle Beach's Wave program which gives you
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extensive control over WAV files.
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A DOS program which executes upon system boot up checks the
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MAUI card and loads its operating system. This procedure takes 15-
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20 seconds.
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How does it sound? Excellent!!! I'm used to my PAS16 and its
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FM sounds (run through my stereo with JBL speakers). They sound
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amateurish in comparison to the MAUI. The horn sounds are a little
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weak, as are the saxophone and electric guitar patches. The piano
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samples are pretty good as are the strings. Drums sound great as
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do the various organ sounds.
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DOS games or Windows, it doesn't matter. The MAUI is an
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excellent investment and will bring much more enjoyment to your
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computer experience.
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DR DOS VS MICROSOFT
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The DOS wars will be heating up again when Novell releases DR
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DOS 7, expected to ship by February. Included will be both the DOS
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operating system and Personal NetWare, Novell's enhanced peer-to-
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peer network.
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A common install routine will install stand-alone Personal
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NetWare and common documentation. Personal NetWare includes low-
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end networking functions such as the ability to share files,
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printers, and CD-ROMs and networked applications such as electronic
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mail and databases. Integration with NetWare 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x is
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better than NetWare Lite because there is a common Universal
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NetWare Client and common interface with big NetWare.
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Microsoft has noted this forthcoming DOS by releasing a
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document which identifies points of comparison between MS-DOS and
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Windows for Workgroups. They also point out DR DOS 7's lack of
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compatibility with Windows' enhanced mode.
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In other network/Novell news, Novell has released an upgrade
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CD to registered NetWare 4 owners. A new client for DOS/Windows is
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included along with utilities providing a migration path between
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LAN Manager and previous NetWare versions.
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OS/2 NEWS
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IBM is denying that OS/2 2.2 exists but the fact is that it
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has entered beta testing. Improvements include the ability to
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reliably operate in 4-8 MB of RAM as opposed to the current 8-12
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MB, new security hooks which will allow developers to product
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security tools, new mouse and screen pointer technology for easier
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screen navigation, some version of a Win32 API, asynchronous input
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queues. Version 2.2 will be DOS 6 compatible.
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Look for this new version to debut possibly as early as late
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June.
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In other OS/2 news, WordPerfect has released a maintenance
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upgrade to their OS/2 version of WordPerfect which gives users a
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REXX launcher and fixes some bugs. WordPerfect 6 for OS/2 is
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basically finished, but will not be released. OS/2 word processor
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development will cease for the moment. According to WordPerfect,
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the projected return on their OS/2 product "just wasn't there."
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WordPerfect will continue to support OS/2 as a server in their
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Office and Message Server, however. Programmers have been
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reassigned to working on a Chicago (Windows 4) project.
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ON THE SOAPBOX AGAIN
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It's time for me to rant and rave about a few things that have
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been happening in the computer biz.
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I've about had my fill of vaporware. There are three products
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I have had customers asking for lately, products that have been
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advertised since November in the major end-user magazines.
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Reviewers in these magazines have done reviews and sung the praised
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of these products yet neither you nor I can buy them - anywhere.
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As I finish this issue, these products are all available.
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Now, let's name some names. Earlier in this issue, I did a
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review on Turtle Beach's MAUI card. The card works well and seems
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to be a great product. The MAUI has been advertised in both
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industry and consumer magazines since at least November, yet I had
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to do some fast talking to get one from a major supplier - after
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watching the projected ship date slip on numerous occasions.
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The three major computer magazines have all done glowing
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reviews on Microsoft's Excel 5.0. We're told it's a wonderful
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program and you'll find a review later in this issue (I finally got
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my dealer demo). Yet I just checked with a major software supplier
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and the projected ship date is still at least a week away (as I
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write this). How can a magazine reviewer do a review before the
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software has been released?
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You've surely seen the ads for NEC's new triple-spin CD-ROM
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drives. PC Mag and the others have done short reviews praising
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these new CD drives. Have you seen them on the shelf yet? I have
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a customer that's been waiting for over a month for one of these.
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After watching the ship date slip gradually it looked like we were
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going to get one. Nope, the expected ship date is now the end of
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February. (As I write this, my supplier got a few in but
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widespread distribution is still scheduled for the end of
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February.)
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Advertising things that aren't available has always been a
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problem in the computer biz. It is not uncommon for magazine
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reviewers to get pre-release copies of new products nor is it
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uncommon for release dates to slip. But I think things have gotten
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out of hand. These companies' mouths are writing checks their
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production can't cash.
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Enough is enough...
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WINSTONE 94
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PC Magazine has a new suite of benchmarks out.
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PC Bench is a series of DOS-based tests which have been
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rewritten to give a better representation of a system's
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performance. The same goes for WinBench for the Windows tests.
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The real news here is a series of Windows-based tests called
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Winstone 94. This thing is so huge it comes on CD-ROM. The
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program installs a run-time version of several popular programs and
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puts them through a series of tests, depending upon the
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application. Applications tested include Microsoft Access, Word
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for Windows, 1-2-3, PageMaker, Claris FileMaker Pro, CorelDraw,
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Excel, Works for Windows, Paradox for Windows, PowerPoint, Quattro
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Pro for Windows, and WordPerfect for Windows.
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Each application is installed, tested, then deleted before the
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next application is installed. All of this takes a while, but if
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you're comparing different machines - or you want to know how yours
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performs compared to computers reviewed in the magazine - it is a
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useful effort. These are real-world tasks using real-world
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software.
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Winstone 94 is the sole Microsoft-certified benchmark for the
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testing of industry-standard PCs running Windows-based
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applications.
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Lest you think you can get this disk and rip off the
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manufacturers of these programs, they appear to be limited in
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functionality. I suppose you could run them to get a feel for how
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a program works before buying it.
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The CD also contains the aforementioned WinBench and PC Bench.
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You can get one for free by writing to PC Labs and asking for one.
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QUAKE UPDATE
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A lot of computer firms were located in the area of the LA
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quake. Packard Bell moved from its quake-damaged headquarters to
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a temporary office in West Lake Village. Most of their inventory
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was located outside the quake zone.
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MicroAge was located less than two miles from the epicenter
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and had water pumping from burst sprinkler pipes.
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Hard drive manufacturer Micropolis suffered water damage from
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broken pipes and had to close their technical support department.
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Large distributors like Ingram Micro (located outside the quake
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zone) and Merisel (built on shock-absorbing rollers) fared better
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through the ordeal.
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SHOOTOUT ON CD-ROM
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I just happened to see a piece of software that's been out for
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a little while - but I was quite impressed with the technology.
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Mad Dog McCree is a CD-based (DOS) game which is a shoot-out
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set in the Old West. Instead of dealing with cartoon characters,
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you have full-screen video with actors who do a decent job of
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directing the action.
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When a bad guy appears on the screen it's your job to gun him
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down - but be careful you don't shoot one of the good guys. The
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acting is quite good and as the game progresses, the bad guys start
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coming fast and furious.
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What impressed me is how well the game is done. The video is
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smooth and if you shoot the bad guy he falls and dies - if you
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don't shoot him he shoots you. It's something you really have to
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see.
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Now don't jump on my case about the violent content of the
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game - this is a game - it's not real. Concern yourself with real
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violence, the root cause of which is not poverty or discrimination,
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but a lack of morality and values - and taking people's guns away
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will do nothing to solve the problem.
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SPINNING WHEEL TIMES 3
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I finally got my hands on a NEC 3Xi CD-ROM drive. I've sold
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a number of double-spin drives from several manufacturers. The
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Toshiba 3401 is a real mover and I prefer the NEC CDR-84 overall.
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So how fast is this new triple-spin drive. Well, you still
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don't want to run software directly from the CD. Some programs are
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noticeable faster compared to a double-spin, others seem about the
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same.
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PhotoCD images load faster but other things are about the
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same. My feeling is that it has to do with the software you're
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using. I've heard that current software is not optimized for
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triple-spin drives but that changes are in the works which will
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show triple-spin drives significantly faster.
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NEC has done a couple of things with the design of these
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drives which make your computing experience more pleasant. The
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downfall of the NEC double-spin drive was that you had to hold the
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door open with one hand and insert the CD caddy with the other.
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With the 3Xi, you roll the door down and it stays latched down
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while you insert the caddy. To eject the CD, just open the door
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and it ejects like a piece of toast.
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The front of the drive has buttons like an audio CD player so
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you can play audio CDs without software. Just insert the CD and
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press the buttons to play music and select tracks - you can even
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have the CD repeat.
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Diagnostics are included in ROM which allow you to check the
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drive's internals when you power up. The price on these triple-
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spin drives is less than the double-spins were when they were
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introduced. Expect a street price in the low five hundreds.
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EXCEL 5
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I just got my copy and haven't had much of a chance to put it
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through its paces. These days my spreadsheet needs are pretty
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simple.
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They've gone to the tabbed worksheet idea first used by
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Quattro Pro. They've now got a Formula Wizard which helps you
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build formulas along with several add-ins.
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I know this isn't much of a review, but what can you say about
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a product that has been consistently excellent? If you're a
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current Excel user you'll want to upgrade for sure.
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I'm surprised that Microsoft did not produce a bloated pig
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with this release. Generally new releases consume more hard drive
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space and run slower, but the performance of Excel 5 seem to be the
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same as with Version 4.
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This is the spreadsheet by which all others are judged.
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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, America
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Online, phone, analog 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 |