331 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
331 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
RAndY's RumOR RaG
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September 1994
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NEWS IN YER FACE
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Here's an interesting item I came across. The Clipper CS-1
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is a self-contained computing environment which, on the outside,
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looks like the back half of a plywood lobster.
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Inside you sit on a leather seat which moves forward and
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backward on a rail. On your left is a well for a printer and a
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well for file folders on your right. Ahead is a desk for a
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monitor, tilting surface for a keyboard, task lighting, and air
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vents. This ergonomically correct work area is surrounded by a
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curved enclosure that provides privacy and filters distractions.
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It was not designed as a constant environment, but rather for
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working on difficult problems.
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This thing really looks strange, but you too can have one
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for just $6,000.
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By the time you read this, dBase for Windows should be on
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the shelves. Industry sources say that Borland is working on a
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project called Phoenix which will be targeted at the low-end.
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Phoenix will have no programming language and may include an
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electronic mail program. Some say they're just using old Object
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Vision technology.
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After ten years of development, Geoworks was awarded a
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patent for their technology in the GUI for the GEOS operating
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system.
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Motorola is working with Microsoft and IBM to port the next
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version of Windows NT to the PowerPC. This is the first time
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that Motorola has teamed up with software developers on a port.
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Lotus has dropped the price of Ami Pro 3.1 to $99 and is
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including filters for Word 6 and WordPerfect 6.
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IBM will be dropping the price of OS/2 to about $25 and
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including a $50 coupon for upgrading to Warp (the next version of
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OS/2 scheduled to ship in October). This is in response to
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Microsoft's delay of Chicago.
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Intel is stuck with a significant inventory of 60mhz
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Pentiums. Reports say they're sitting on 93 days of inventory
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when normal levels are less than 60 days. Meantime, they'll have
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to shift to 3.3 volt units by year's end.
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Aires Electronics has a module which plugs into your
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existing 486 socket to let you use the new 3.3-volt DX4 chips.
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Pricing is $24.50 in quantities of 100. I don't know if this
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will find its way to retail, but it appears to be a good way
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around buying a new motherboard.
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There's a new shareware program you can find on the on-line
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services which lets you estimate the price of any used PC or
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Macintosh with any configuration of memory, hard drive, and
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video. Look for the AmCoEx Used Computer Price Estimator in
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Windows and Macintosh versions.
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"I think computer viruses should count as life ... It says
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something about human nature that the only form of life we have
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created so far is purely destructive." - Astrophysicist Stephen
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Hawking, speaking at the MacWorld trade show in Boston.
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WHAT'S NEW WITH CHICAGO
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There's lots of Chicago news out there, so let's get to it.
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It looks like Microsoft is starting to hack away at some of
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the less important features in an attempt to get the operating
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system out the door in a timely manner. They've already taken
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out the Internet interface. Next on the cutting block may be
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Capone, the specialized software for moving local and global E-
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mail, voice mail, and other communications messages into a single
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in-box. Says Brad Chase, general manager of Microsoft's personal
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systems group, "If Capone isn't ready when Chicago is rock solid,
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we'll probably release the operating system without the universal
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in-box features."
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Users of the current beta are complaining of problems with
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multi-tasking and multi-threading capabilities. The second test
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release, known as M7, is due out in September and will correct
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these problems through more efficient use of memory.
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Here's something you haven't heard before. Chicago will
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have an on-line registration system. Similar to the
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installation for Procomm Plus for Windows, users will be asked if
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they want to register on-line. You will then enter registration
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information, like the purchase date, name, address, etc. Then
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you'll check various areas of interest such as accounting,
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programming, children's software, and desktop publishing. Then,
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via a toll-free number, this information will be uploaded to
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Microsoft Line Services. Here's where it gets interesting: the
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software "polls" your machine and determines CPU type, disk
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space, RAM, and other technical information about your computer
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which is also uploaded.
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Microsoft will then have the potential to build a detailed
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database of customers willing and able to tap into on-line
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services.
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Some industry analysts have concerns over the invasion of
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privacy that this concept generates. It was only a short while
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ago that Prodigy was suspected of similar inquisitiveness about
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computer users.
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Marvel is the code name for Microsoft's eventual attempt to
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get into the on-line services business. The original plan was
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for offering limited services to Microsoft's Solution Providers
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with a second phase later in 1995 to be more consumer oriented.
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Both phases have been held up due to delays in Chicago.
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Traditional service providers are concerned that Microsoft will
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enter the market with a $2.95 monthly fee as opposed to the $8.95
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that other services charge.
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Beta testers report that the 4 meg requirement for Chicago
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is a dream. (What have I told you?) Most say that you'll need
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at least twice that amount, with 12-16 megs being even more
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realistic.
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Symantec is working on a line of utilities especially for
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Chicago. There will be a new version of their base product
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Norton Utilities as well as stand-alone utilities such as
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antivirus software for servers and clients, remote-control
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software, enterprise backup, and more advanced file management
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and viewing capabilities. Also expected are migration utilities
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such as Norton Administrator and a tuning tool that will verify a
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system is optimized, clean, stable, and secure before installing
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Chicago.
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Resellers and third-party developers are concerned that the
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Plug-and-Play feature of Chicago will not be fully functional in
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the shipping product. The concern is over the amount of hardware
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that will be Plug-and-Play compliant when Chicago ships and how
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"swappable" these products will be from system to system. At a
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recent Plugfest developer conference in July, many products
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failed to move easily between machines running Chicago. Industry
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insiders say that Microsoft would lose face if this feature were
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not fully functional, given the no-brainer approach used on
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PowerPCs.
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This fall will see beta release #2 which will be followed by
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the Chicago Preview Program which will include 100,000 sites.
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Unlike traditional beta testing, Microsoft will charge
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participants of this program.
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Microsoft's Brad Chase says that "a street price of $100
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would not surprise me for the Windows Chicago upgrade."
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One of the applets included with Chicago is Hyper Terminal,
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an update of the existing Terminal offering a call log and speed
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dialer, better integration of disparate communications from pager
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messages to voice mail or electronic mail through an inbox known
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as InfoCenter. Also included will be a basic interface that uses
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VoiceView technology which lets users initiate or receive a
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single phone call that can handle graphics, text or file
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transfer, as well as voice communications (rather than using two
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phone lines).
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For example, you could call a product support hot line, use
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the same connection to send files or error messages to a
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technician, then discuss the problem. Only one type of
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information could be sent at once, so users could not talk while
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data is being transmitted.
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Before being allowed to carry the Windows 4 compatibility
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logo, vendors will be required to include an uninstall feature
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for their applications. I don't have to tell you that it's a
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real problem keeping track of which files are used by
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applications and which can be deleted when you get rid of an
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application. Included in the next software developers kit will
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be tools that will make it easier for vendors to develop software
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with uninstall features.
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WARP UPDATE
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IBM is expected to ship the final test release of the
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upgrade to OS/2 on August 15. Testing will finish in September
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and ready for purchase in October.
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"We intend to exploit Chicago's delay to the fullest, and
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ship millions of units within 90 days of Warp's release," said
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Walley Casey, director of marketing for IBM's personal software
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products division. Casey is expecting sales of OS/2 to rise by
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45% next year, with estimated sales between 500,000 and 2 million
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units this year.
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Casey also said that IBM would be making "very significant
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announcements" soon regarding preloading OS/2 on new systems
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sold.
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Warp includes a one-button install option. A "play at will"
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capability lets users insert PCMCIA cards into portable computers
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without rebooting the system.
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Testers of Warp note the operating system's stability and
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speed. One system analyst said that "if IBM uses Warp's new
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icons in ads, the upgrade may catch on; it's quite neat."
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Another said, "IBM has done its homework with this upgrade. Warp
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is a substantial improvement over OS/2 2.1."
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I have a copy of the Warp Beta 2 coming. It will feature
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easy installation by identifying the hardware and configuring it
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to meet specifications. There will be a new look and feel to the
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Workplace Shell with more color palettes and schemes and animated
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folder icons. The LaunchPad will let users have single-click
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access to frequently used objects. There will be a new graphical
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tutorial for new and advanced users along with a comet cursor for
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laptops and pointer styles and colors.
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Included with the Warp Beta 2 is BonusPak which includes
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whiteboard data sharing with multi-user annotation for sharing
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images, text, graphics, and application window contents. Of
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course, this new software will work with both Windows 3.1 and
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Windows for Workgroups 3.11. If you'd like to participate in the
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beta test program, call 1-800-251-2177 for either a CD or disk
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version for just $14.95 plus tax. Ask for the Warp Beta 2.
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MORE NEWS IN YER FACE
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The code name for Microsoft's interactive TV operating
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system is Mimosa.
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I hear of a new book being published by Albion Books of San
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Francisco called "Netiquette". It gives tips on how to respect
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other computer users' available bandwidth and cope with flame
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mail. Where do I get one of these things? My mail on local BBSs
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consistently accuses me of being a racist, bigot, homophobe, and
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most recently a Nazi.
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Media Vision reported a loss of $99 million on revenue of
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$150 million. Last month they filed for Chapter 11 protection.
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In fiscal year 1992, Media Vision reported earnings of $600,000
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on revenue of $69 million.
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Compaq will soon put labels on keyboards which tell users
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about repetitive stress injury. Compaq recently won a lawsuit by
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a user who claimed the company knew of the danger but did not
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warn the public. I think that this is just pandering to people
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who expect someone to always watch out for them. Enough of these
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injury claims - I'm sure that repetitive stress injury is
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legitimate, but consumer products have reached the point where
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you have to warn people not to use a lawnmower to cut their
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toenails. Enough is enough.
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Look for Pentiums to take a price drop of about 27% by the
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end of the year and another estimated 10% in the first half of
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1995.
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Saw an ad for an interesting CD title - Leonardo the
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inventor - about Da Vinci's life and numerous inventions and
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achievements. The software is being promoted as a children's
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educational title, but it looks to be quite educational and
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interesting for an old coot like me.
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Virtually all new DOS development has stopped at Novell.
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Novell insiders attribute this decision to a lack of growth in
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the market along with the Justice Department's ruling, which they
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say virtually guarantees Microsoft's dominance of the operating
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system market. Said one Novell source, "DOS has seen the best
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years behind it. Few new DOS apps are being built, and once
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Chicago comes along, there will be even fewer." One reseller
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said, "Sell-through of Novell DOS was practically nonexistent."
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Give Aldus a call at 1-800-628-2320 for the PageMaker
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Enhancement Pack. They've added import filters for Word for
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Windows 6 and Ventura Publisher CHP files as well as some changes
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to PostScript print drivers. They'll charge you $9.95 or you can
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grab the files off their BBS at (206) 623-6984. Both PC and Mac
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updates are available.
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NEW MICROSOFT HARDWARE
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That's right, I said hardware.
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Microsoft will be marketing a few new hardware products but
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don't expect to see printers or CD-ROM drives under their name.
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The first entry under their Home brand will be an ugly, dark
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blue mouse carrying an estimated street price of $39. It will
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come with Microsoft's Intellipoint Home, which has 100 cursor
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icons like dancers performing the tango, and five preprogrammed
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special effects such as a jungle theme and science fiction.
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Beth Featherstone, a marketing manager at Microsoft's
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hardware group, said, "We wanted a design that adults could use
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and not feel like it was a toy." Oh really, and when will this
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take place?
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They've also got some kind of keyboard but I haven't been
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able to get any information on it.
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NEW INTEL IDEAS
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Intel is working to transfer communications technology to
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the microprocessor; with the modem acting as an electronic bridge
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and the processor the engine. The computer would do all the
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voice and data processing that is now handled by the modem.
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An advanced I/O subsystem will let any peripheral to be
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tightly integrated with the processor. This new technology will
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also include software which is more easily updateable than a
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microprocessor which will include advances in communications.
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Said one analyst, "This makes a lot of sense for Intel.
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They are in the business of selling big, expensive chips."
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Modems designed to take advantage of the on-chip features should
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have fewer compatibility problems and will enable modem
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manufacturers to concentrate on features rather than chip sets.
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WOODSTOCK THE CD
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Get out your old roach clip and step into the time machine.
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By now, the media orgasm over the plastic, made-for-MTV Woodstock
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`94 has passed. Time Warner has released Woodstock: 25th
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Anniversary CD-ROM.
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There's lots of stuff on this CD if you're a devotee of the
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original Woodstock. Included are performances from several of
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the artists. Noticeably missing is the Master of the
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Stratocaster, Jimi Hendrix. There are short video clips as well
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as several complete songs. When listening to the complete songs,
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you can also see the lyrics or get a psychedelic screen display.
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You can visit several areas; backstage, the times-sights and
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sounds of the late 1960's, performances, and more. If you select
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performances, you can view information on several of the
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performers including discography, a video clip of their Woodstock
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appearance, history of the performer including where they are
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now, and still images. You'll see performers that weren't in the
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Woodstock movie such as Mountain (I saw them years ago backing up
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the original Black Sabbath).
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Time Warner has done an excellent job in integrating all the
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sights and sounds of the original Woodstock. If you're still
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wearing tie-dye shirts and bell bottom pants, this is the CD for
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you. It doesn't cost much and brings back the old days for us
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old coots.
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=================================
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DISCLAIMER
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RAndY's RumOR RaG is published on a monthly basis by
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AINSWORTH COMPUTER SERVICES and is available on various local
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BBS's, GEnie, and 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, 420 MB Connor IDE hard drive, TEAC 1.2
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MB and 1.44 MB floppies, Pro Audio Spectrum 16 running a Hitachi
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3750 CD ROM drive, Trident VLB video card, Sceptre SVGA display,
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Microsoft mouse, Word for Windows and transmitted through a US
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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, via phone,
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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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