10/7/95 CompuNotes Issue #22 Patrick Grote, Publisher and Editor CompuNotes is a weekly publication available through an email distribution list and many fine on-line networks! We feature reviews, interviews and commentary concerning the PC industry. This Week's Contents: ===================== NEWS ==== -=> Michael Miller of PC Mag Predicts Future <=- -=> Pope Covered on AOL <=- REVIEWS ======= -=> WinZip 6.0 for Windows 95 by Patrick Grote <=- -=> Atari 2600 Action Pack for Windows 2 by Doug Reed <=- WEB SITE OF THE WEEK ==================== -=> Win Computer Equipment For Your School <=- FTP FILE OF THE WEEK ==================== -=> Cute FTP, 16 and 32 bit Windows FTP <=- INTERVIEW ========= -=> PCBoard Addon Program Contest Winners <=- To subscribe, send a message to subscribe@supportu.com with subscribe in body. To unsubscribe, send a message to unsubscribe@supportu.com with unsubscribe in body. Comments should be sent to feedback@supportu.com. Voice: (314) 984-9691 BBS : (314) 984-8387 FAX : (314) 984-9981 All old copies available from anonymous FTP at ftp.uu.net:/published/compunotes CD-ROM Online Magazine is another good resource. You can subscribe free by sending an email message to CDRMag@nsimultimedia.com with the word subscribe in the body of the text! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . . All News (C)opyright Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Miller, PC Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, discuses technology trends at AICPR Conference SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- What are the key technology trends in 1995? What kind of information systems will we see in the future? Will we use a PC or a TV to access the information superhighway? Will we ever carry a "wallet PC" or walk up to an information kiosk? Michael J. Miller, the Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of PC Magazine, addressed these and other questions in a speech to the 1995 IACPR (International Association of Corporate & Professional Resources) Annual Conference held Friday, September 29, at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, CA. Miller said: -- "The fabulous increases in computer power and software capabilities we've seen in the past 20 years will continue; there's no end in sight." -- "Networking will be everywhere, as we move toward a client/server world with networked applications. Every PC will be connected; and every network will connect to everything." -- "Windows 95 is the platform for 1995; but the Internet is emerging as the most important platform going forward. It's going to be quite a contest between Netscape, Microsoft, and the rest of the computer industry for setting the standards for this new world." -- "All sorts of applications will be written for the Internet platform, including information delivery, search tools, catalogs, and electronic commerce. All this will create big security and management issues, but is inevitable." -- "The result of all this will be that everyone has more information. Applications will become more personal, more portable, and more customizable. There will be a big need for corporate and industry experts." -- "Networks everywhere are changing the nature of work. You can, or will be able to, work from anywhere, at any time, and have available any information." -- "At home, if the question is whether the PC or the television will be the dominant standard, I believe the answer is 'both.' TV's are important for viewing things from a distance, for multiple people viewing data, for passive applications. The PC form factor will be better for close reading, for some kinds of interactions (such as typing), etc. And other form factors -- notably 'wallet PCs' and information kiosks, will also be crucial." -- "The future of information systems means the PC is a 'Personal Communicator' -- more personal yet more connected than today's computers. And it will continue to evolve." PC Magazine is the flagship of the Ziff-Davis Publishing Company and has a paid circulation of more than 1.1 million. It is the world's leading computer publication as well as the country's 10th largest magazine in any category, according to Advertising Age. PC Magazine is the definitive source of comparative, laboratory- based reviews of computer hardware, software and networking products -- or, as the Computer Press Association said at its recent awards ceremony, "PC Magazine provides utterly comprehensive coverage of every issue on the minds of computer users today." Miller has been PC Magazine 's Editor-in-Chief since 1991 and is responsible for the publication's editorial direction, quality and presentation. Among his many accomplishments while at PC Magazine's helm are the redesign of its format, an expansion of its product testing labs, an overhaul of its regular "Service and Reliability" survey, and the creation of its popular "Trends" section. An accomplished journalist and experienced public speaker, Miller has become a leader in the computer industry. He has participated in countless industry conferences, has appeared on numerous TV programs, and is frequently quoted in major newspapers and national magazines. In addition to PC Magazine, Ziff-Davis also publishes PC Week, PC Computing, Computer Shopper, MacUser, MacWeek, Windows Sources, Inter@ctive Week (with InterActive Enterprises), Computer Life, FamilyPC (with The Walt Disney Company), Computer Gaming World, and ZD Internet Life in the U.S. The company also publishes PC Magazine, PC Direct and Computer Life in the UK; PC Professional and PC Direkt in Germany; PC Expert and PC Direct in France; PC Computing en Espanol (with Editorial Televisa) in Mexico; and PC Magazine and PC Computing (with Richina Holdings) in the People's Republic of China. Ziff-Davis also licenses or syndicates its editorial content to more than 50 publications. The company's magazines, joint ventures, licensed editions and affiliates have a combined circulation of almost 6.8 million, up from about 5.0 million a year ago. These titles are distributed in more than 100 countries. The Pope Watch VIENNA, Va., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- America Online and ABC News announced today they will bring the world's first online mass, given by Pope John Paul II, into the homes of AOL's 3.5 million members. ABC News will provide a text simulcast of the mass given by the Pope in Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD, live on AOL. In addition to the ABC News simulcast of the mass, AOL representatives will be on-site at Camden Yards, to broadcast live interviews with Catholic dignitaries and people in the crowd, to bring home the stories of people who have traveled great distances to see the Pope. AOL representatives will upload live, full color photos, sound, and video throughout the day. Video clips and full color photos will also be available in the ABC News On Demand Area on AOL. "Historically, men, women and children have traveled many miles to see and hear the Pope celebrate a mass, and they will continue to do so." said Ted Leonsis, President of America Online Services Company. "For the first time ever, those who cannot make this journey will have the rare opportunity to take part in a mass celebrated by the Pope online." Throughout the Papal visit AOL members will have access to articles, the Pope's schedule, and up-to-the minute news from the Catholic News Service; Reuters, and The Associated Press. In a special area dedicated to the Pope's visit, AOL members can discuss topical issues on message boards, easily access related sites on the WWW, and find a wide variety of information about the Vatican, Catholicism and The Church, and previous Papal visits. AOL members can access the area, "The Papal Visit" by using Key word: Pope. Thomas Lorsung, Director and Editor-in-Chief, Catholic News Service commented: "Catholic News Service is excited to be part of the online reporting of Pope John Paul II's visit to the United States and United Nations. As a news service with 75 years of experience covering the Catholic Church, we are pleased to provide AOL members, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, with in-depth and informed reports of this historic visit." America Online, Inc., (Nasdaq-NNM: AMER), based in Vienna, VA is the largest and fastest growing provider of online services in the US with the most active subscriber base. AOL offers its more than 3.5 million subscribers a wide variety of services, including electronic mail, conferencing software, computing support, interactive magazines, and newspapers and online classes as well as easy and affordable access to services of the Internet. Founded in 1985, AOL has established strategic alliances with dozens of companies, including Time Warner, ABC, Knight-Ridder, Tribune, Hachette, IBM and American Express. Personal computer owners can obtain America Online software at major retailers and bookstores, or by calling 800-827-6364. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WinZip 6.0 Reviewed by Patrick Grote The ZIP compression method is the most popular compression method ever. Even if you don't know what ZIP is by reading this, you've probably come across files or disks that were ZIPPED. When you ZIP a file or collection of files you squeeze them down to maybe 10, 20 or 30 percent of their original size. This is great, but can lead to trouble when you need to look inside the ZIP file. OK, you could drop to DOS and issue some cryptic ZIP command and view the data, but why not use WinZip from Nico Mak Computing? Now in the 6th version, WinZip has transcended all other utilities that deal with ZIP files. It is in a class by itself. Not only will WinZip let you view inside the ZIP file, but it will also let you view each of the files in their native format. For example, if you have an Excel and Word file compressed with ZIP, WinZip will allow you to view the Excel file in Excel and the Word file in Word. What a timesaving bonus! WinZip isn't just timesaving, but also money saving as well. It will perform all the normal functions of the PKZIP/PKUNZIP package from PKWare without having to buy PKZIP/PKUNZIP! You can now benefit from the compression standard of ZIP without having to buy the original. WinZip also has a major benefit not found in many other utilities ... native versions in the three major Windows platforms. Yep. A Version exists in Windows 3.1, Windows NT and Windows 95. You could buy multiple copies for the office and not have to worry that your handicapping your Windows NT machine with software designed for Windows 3.1. WinZip may sound like a utility that should ship with every PC, right? It should, but take a look at these other features: Windows 95 long filename support. Windows 95 Explorer support. All versions support ARC, ARJ and LZH compressed files. All versions support popular virus scanners. All versions support the TAR, gzip and Unix compress Unix compressed files. All versions support drag and dropping of files. All versions sport context sensitive on-line help. The only problem I have with WinZip is that you need to keep the application open you are viewing the files with before you close WinZip. For instance, let's say you have opened a compressed file and are looking at an AmiPro file inside. If you try to close WinZip you get an error message and a question. You can't just close WinZip. Sometimes I have multiple files open from various compressed files and this error/question phase gets in the way. Well, now that you know you're missing out on the hottest Windows platform utility ever invented, what should you do? Get a copy and try it out! If you like it you can register it through so many methods you won't have an excuse for owning a copy or two at $29.00. You will easily make up the money in time saved dealing with compressed files. WinZip is a rock solid, steady utility for all platforms of Windows. Your toolbox isn't complete if you don't own a copy of WinZip, the compression master! Nico Mak Computing, Inc. POB 919 Bristol, CT 06011 CompuServe: GO WINZIP URL: http://www.winzip.com/winzip/ Atari 2600 Action Pack 2 for Windows Reviewed by Doug Reed Anyone who grew up in the late 1970s and early 1980s remembers the Atari 2600, the game system that started the video game craze. Long before PCs, Nintendo or Sega came on the scene, Atari was the force in home 'computer' gaming. Most of the games were simple and repetitive, but fun to play. It was at this time that Activision first became a power in the computer gaming industry, releasing an incredible string of hits first on the Atari and later on the more advanced computers and gaming systems as they came along. Although Atari has long since disappeared, Activision is still around and going strong. Realizing that a considerable number of PC gamers had grown up with the original Activision games (the median age of computers gamers is, believe it or not, 32 years old), they have adapted these games from the Atari to the PC. Action Pack 2 contains 15 of these old games, set up to run under Windows 3.1. Using SVGA graphics and the WinG graphical libraries, these old games are brought back to life in their original glory. As mentioned above, no less than 15 games are contained on the CD-ROM in Action Pack 2: Atlantis, Barnstorming, Dolphin, Dragster, Enduro, Ice Hockey, Keystone Kapers, Laser Blast, Megamania, Oink, Plaque Attack, River Raid II, Skiing, Stampede, and Tennis. These games can be played in a Window or full screen, just like Microsoft's Windows Entertainment Pack games. Graphically speaking, the games are primitive; when I said the games were brought back to life in their original glory, I meant it. No attempt was made to update the graphics from these games when they were updated for Windows. The blocky, primitive graphics were acceptable on the old Atari because no one had ever played video games before; but it seems a little bit ridiculous here, especially when you consider the superior graphics capability of today's personal computers. Graphics aside, the games are fun to play and offer a quick and pleasant diversion from everyday work on the computer; any of the games in the Action Pack can be quickly opened and played in a matter of minutes. Game play is smooth and quick, an important feature in arcade games. And should that pesky old boss come around, it can quickly be closed and work resumed. Yes, I said closed. Activision recommends that the Action Pack games be played without other applications running. Furthermore, should you be using an alternative desktop such as Norton or PC Tools, you will have to disable the desktop and run under the regular Windows Program Manager to play the games. And although the games come on a CD-ROM, they must be installed to the hard drive in order to play them. The Action Pack 2 is a fun set of games. Despite the lack of graphical quality, the combination of 15 games is quite a bargain. If portions of my review sound negative, I apologize. I like these games, partially because they are fun to play and partially because they carry a heavy sense of nostalgia. Those of us who grew up with these games will enjoy them again; those who are younger would probably be better off elsewhere. Activision P.O. Box 67713 Los Angeles, CA 90067 (310) 479-5644 CompuServe: GO ACTIVISION URL: http://www.activision.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEBSITE OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to a cool WebSite . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ School Teams and Single Surfers Search the Web to Benefit Education WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Software Publishers Association (SPA) is pleased to announce CyberSurfari '95, the first digital treasure hunt with a difference. CyberSurfari's mission is to promote technology in schools and to profile the Internet's richness and amazing abundance of information. Over CyberSurfari's two-week play period, web surfers will travel through some of the most interesting sites on the Infobahn. In addition to the tens of thousands of contestants expected to play CyberSurfari, school teams across the nation will also compete for special recognition and exciting prizes. "CyberSurfari represents a new dimension for the SPA and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to education technology in schools," said SPA president Ken Wasch. "The contest is designed to highlight how easy it is to use the Internet, and how limitless its possibilities are for reference material, ... and fun!" There are many ways to win cash, computer equipment and other prizes, which total over $50,000. The group of prizes will be awarded to the racers, those contestants who finish the fastest after recording 90 of the 100 treasure clues. Three identical prizes for the leisurely players who record at least 50 of the 100 clues within the two-week hunt-period, will be selected randomly by drawing. The two grand prizes are $5,000 in cash plus $5,000 gift certificates awarded to the school of the winner's choice. Second and third prizes are $2,500 and $1,000 respectively, also with matching school gift certificates. There will also be CyberSurfari trophies, which will be awarded to winning school teams. CyberSurfari was launched at the SPA Annual Conference press luncheon at Boston's Westin Hotel Copley Place, on the 27th of September, 1995. At the luncheon, Jim Hassert, SPA's Webmaster, presented a live demonstration of CyberSurfari. Guest speaker Tom Niehaus, SIMBA Information Inc., followed Hassert's presentation with his perspective on the future of the Internet supported by findings of SIMBA's recently published online industry research reports. The actual start date of the contest is Oct. 24, 1995 and will extend until November 7, 1995, a full two weeks of fun competition. For more information or to register as a single surfer or school team, visit our home page at http://www.spa.org and click on the CyberSurfari logo. B-roll and press-kits are available upon request. The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade association of the personal computer software industry. Its 1,200 members represent the leading publishers of software in the business, consumer, and education markets. The SPA has offices in Washington, DC, and Paris, France. SPA press releases are available on-line through the new SPA Web site (http://www.spa.org) and CompuServe (GO:SPAFORUM) as well as on the SPA faxback service at 800-637-6823. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COOL FTP FILE OF THE WEEK | You may need this file . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CuteFTP is a 16 and 32 bit Windows based FTP program. The 32 bit version is specifically written for Windows 95. Excellent program! Small Description: The BEST FTP client in the World. Description (README.TXT): Version 1.4 Final Beta 3 New Features ------------ * "Resolve Links" option (for UNIX systems only) * Retry Delay option Bug Fixes --------- * Several small bug fixes, mainly to 16bit version You can find this as CFTP14FB.ZIP on the following FTP site: WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU:/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/misc/CFTP14FB.ZIP You can find this as CFTP14FB.ZIP on the following FTP site: FTP.CRL.COM:/users/su/supportu/cftp14fb.zip ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK | Interesting people you should know about . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the past we have reviewed a few PCBoard sysops. We also know that a number of PCB sysops receive this publication for posting on their BBS. This information should be of value to you! On Thursday, September 21st, during the Keynote Dinner of the 1995 PCBoard Online Communications Conference, we announced the winners of the 1995 PCBoard Favorite Add-On Contest. Congratulations to all the winners and all the nominees in this years contest! Stacy Smith UpLoadProcessor (ULP) OVERALL WINNER Niels Damgaard Al Lawrence AREAS.PPE Sunrise Door Software PPE Programs - Free States DOORS - Freeware Robert Jackson Robert Watson Seth Robinson The Depository Bank Shawn Teal PPE Programs - Shareware LORD DOORS - Shareware Brent Yandell Yandell Custom Software Sparkware PCBFV - PCBoard File View Qmail DOOR Other Utilities DOORS - Commercial Raymond L. Gwinn Rob Kittredge The Software Division RoCo Software, Inc. SIO / VModem QFront Outstanding OS/2 Utility E-Mail Add-Ons END OF ISSUE