COMPUNOTES - Issue #57 - November 13, 1996 This Week's Contents: My Notes: 1) Comdex Here I Come . . . 2) Weekly Winner! Columnists' Corner: 1) Reed's Corner News: 1) IntraNetWare Gets an Update! 2) How to Pick the Right Computer Game for Christmas! Reviews: 1) Product: Building Your Own Website by Susan Peck and Stephen Arrants Reviewed By: Doug Reed 2) Product: UltraSound PnP Pro Reviewed By: Doug Reed 3) Product: The Java Programming Language by Ken Arnold and James Gosling Reviewed By: Doug Reed, Associate Editor 4) Product: Better Homes and Gardens Healthy Cooking Deluxe Reviewed By: Steve Lozowski 5) Product: Laplink for Windows 95 and Webex Reviewed By: Don Hughes Web Sites: 1) Classroom Computing Guide 2) Win a Dream Vacation Interview: 1) None this week! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date : November 13, 1996|CompuNotes is a weekly publication available Issue: 57 |through email and many fine on-line networks. ------------------------|We cover the IBM computing world with CompuNotes is published |software/hardware reviews, news, hot web B440, |sites, great columns and interviews. We also 1315 Woodgate Drive |give away one software package a week to a St. Louis, MO 63122 |lucky winner for just reading our fine (314) 909-1662 voice |publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we (314) 909-1662 fax |are here to bring you the way it is! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Backroom Workers: |We are always looking for Patrick Grote, Managing Editor |people to write us with |honest, constructive Doug Reed, Asst. Editor / Writer Liaison |feedback! We need to hear |from you! Please take the Judy Litt, Graphics Editor/Web Master |time to send us your |opinions, comments and ------------------------------------------|criticisms. Some of our I am looking for a collection of shareware|better features have reviews I put out in the 87-88 timeframe |actually come from our under my handle of NEVER BEFORE. I think |readership! Thanks! they started as NB*.ZIP. Can you look |--------------------------- on your local BBS? THANKS! | Go St. Louis Rams! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Every issue of CompuNotes ever published can be found at the following ftp site: ftp://ftp.uu.net:/published/compunotes. Thanks to UUNET! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Web Site is at http://users.aol.com/CompNote/ Please Add Our Link to Your Homepage! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe, send a message to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com with the command in the body SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L Full Name. Example: SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L Patrick Grote To unsubscribe, send a message to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com with the command in the body SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L. Example: SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SYSOPS READ HERE! Wanting to make CompuNotes available on as many BBS as possible, we can't afford to call everyone's BBS every week. What we would like to do is send those interested sysops a UUENCODED version for posting on their BBS. If you can volunteer to receive the UUENCODED version, turn it into a ZIP and upload it to your BBS, we'll list you in our sysops directory. If you are interested, fill out the following lines and send them back to notes@inlink.com with SYSOPS. We'll list your BBS in our SYSOPS LIST which will be included in each version of CompuNotes we ship out. If you have a WWW link we'll throw that up on our page. BBS NAME: BBS SYSOP: BBS NUMBER: URL: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick's News Being The Publisher and Managing Editor Has Its Perks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COMDEX HERE I COME . . . | -------------------------- I'm on my way to Comdex on Monday morning. We like flying in early Monday and then leaving late Friday. Things I am looking forward to: Seeing Windows CE, the 56K modems and Bill Gates' keynote with press access! Things I am not looking forward to: the 1/4 mile hike from the strip to the convention center, the crowds and the buffets. I used to really be a fan of the buffets, but now I can't stand them. The computer may be staying home on this trip. If it does, I won't be sending any CompuNotes to you during the week. If I decide to bring it I'll send you an update. To make up for lost time I am also sending out issue #58 tomorrow morning. Enjoy! ------------------ WINNER IS . . . | ------------------ The software package being given away this week is The ASP Shareware Collection! Our winner is: billc@fortnet.org Send them a congratulatory email! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Columnists' Corner - We bring you a different person each week! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reed's Corner, NEW REVIEW RATINGS, Doug Reed, | ------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings and Salutations avid readers! This week's column covers the topic of recent changes that have been made to the format of reviews published in Compunotes. These changes will be introduced gradually over the next few months, as reviews that are being written now will probably not be published for another few weeks. These changes are meant to address issues that you have raised and are designed to improve the information you get out of a software/hardware review. First, there will be changes to the header that accompanies each review. In addition to the name of the product and the reviewer, we will now be including information such as the Manufacturer's suggested retail price and the hardware/OS requirements for the product. In addition, reviewers may optionally include the system that the product was actually tested on so that you can draw your own conclusions about performance and usability. The second and final change will be seen at the end of the review. We will now be including ratings for the product being reviewed, although the inclusion of these ratings will be at the discretion of the reviewer. Most of the people who have reviewed for us in the past are excited about the inclusion of these ratings as a measure of how the product performed and the intended audience. These ratings will be outlined as follows: Installation/Ease of Use: User-Friendliness: Quality: Audience: The first three ratings are intended to provide a qualitative assessment of the product, and will range from Gold Medal (the best) to DNF (Did Not Finish, the worst). We have asked that if reviewers include these ratings that they explain why they have given a particular rating in the text of the review (especially if it is a low rating). The final rating is the reviewers assessment of the intended audience of the product (hopefully, but not necessarily, in agreement with the manufacturer's stated intended audience). The possibilities for this rating range from Novice to Business to Programmer as well as All, which means that anyone can use the product. Well, there you have it. We hope you like the new changes and how they will affect the information you get out of a product review published in CompuNotes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . . All News (C)opyright Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint ---------------------------------------------------------------------- IntraNetWare is Updated!| ------------------------- Novell IntranetWare(TM) Support Pack v1.0 Now Available OREM, Utah -- November 6, 1996 -- Novell, Inc. today announced the IntranetWare(TM) Support Pack v1.0, a comprehensive set of updates for IntranetWare that is now available free for download from Novell's World Wide Web site . Novell will regularly release IntranetWare support packs to provide customers a convenient means of updating their IntranetWare servers. System administrators can either install the service pack directly onto individual servers, or perform the process remotely, allowing the administrator to update all of an organization's servers from a central location. In response to customer feedback, Novell has included an integrated installation program as part of the IntranetWare Support Pack v1.0 to significantly reduce administrative time and effort. Customers no longer need to manually install multiple files to update their Novell network. The IntranetWare Support Pack v1.0 bundles the most recent patches into one file that updates IntranetWare's services in one simple process. "The IntranetWare Support Pack will be an efficient tool for us," said Gene Mazurek, Novell platinum partner at Bancroft and Masters, Inc., a reseller in Redwood City, Calif. "The integrated installation program will save us valuable time. In the past we had to manually track which updates had been installed and on which servers. Novell's new support pack makes my job easier and allows me to be more efficient and proactive in my time spent with customers." Also included in the IntranetWare Support Pack v1.0 is a feature that records each update as it is installed. Each support pack will automatically check the system upon installation to determine which services need to be updated. Administrators can view IntranetWare's Currently Installed Products screen to monitor what has and has not been updated. "The IntranetWare Support Pack is part of Novell's strategy to reduce the cost and complexity of ownership for our IntranetWare customers," said Willy Donahoo, senior director of product marketing at Novell. "Novell plans to release IntranetWare support packs regularly to ensure our customers benefit from the most current updates." The IntranetWare Support Pack includes updates for the following components contained in IntranetWare: * Lan drivers * DHCP support * Novell NetWare Web Server(TM) 2.51 * TCP/IP support * NetWare SMP * NetWare SFT III * Wide-area routing * IPX(TM)/IP gateway The IntranetWare Support Pack v1.0 can be found on Novell's Support Web site at or on CompuServe by typing GO NETWIRE. It will also be available in December of this year on the 96-12 Support Connections CD. IntranetWare combines Novell's leading networking foundation, NetWare 4.11, with new intranet and Internet capabilities, creating a comprehensive solution for building corporate intranets. These capabilities include a high-performance Novell NetWare Web Server 2.51; File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services; Netscape Navigator; an IPX/IP gateway; and integrated wide-area routing. -------------------------------------- Picking the Right Computer Gift . . .| -------------------------------------- SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ - If you've got someone on your gift- giving list who'd really like a computer game, you're not alone. This year, one out of every two home software purchases will be a game. And there will be plenty to choose from. Hundreds of new games will debut this holiday season, giving you plenty of options and possibly causing lots of confusion. Some simple sleuthing around your game player's computer will prepare you for a trip to the mall says Johnny Wilson, editor-in- chief of Computer Gaming World. "There's a little box on every game package that lists the system requirements for using that game. Games traditionally require some of the most powerful computers, so take along the answers to the following questions to find out whether the game will play on your special someone's computer," advises Wilson. 1. Is the computer a Mac or PC? Is the PC using Windows 95? 2. What is the processor type and its speed? (386, 486 or Pentium/50, 75 or higher) 3. Does the computer have a CD-ROM? How fast is it? 4. Does the computer have a sound card? Is it 'Sound Blaster' compatible? 5. What is the graphics resolutions (i.e. VGA or SVGA)? 6. Does the computer have a modem? 7. Is there a game pad or joystick? Once you've gotten this information, shopping is all fun and games. One of the easiest ways to guarantee a hit on Christmas morning, according to Wilson, is to match interests with games. Fantasy novel readers will probably enjoy a role-playing game like the newly released Daggerfall. Golf fans will appreciate working on their game with Links LS; military historians would appreciate a war game, like Age of Rifles; and auto sports fans are probably eyeing NASCAR2, World Circuit2 or X-Car. You should also look for games that support multiple players says Wilson. One of this year's hottest trends is online gaming - playing a game against opponents across town or across the country over the Internet. Again, advises Wilson, check the box to see if a game has a multi-player option. "Online gaming adds a lot of life to a computer game," said Wilson. Computer Gaming World's December issue includes the "Holiday Hot 100," the experts choices for the top 100 games this season. Following are the magazine's top picks by category: - Action - Quake, id Software, $50.00 -- Adventure - The Pandora Directive, Access Software $79.95 -- Role-Playing - Diablo, Blizzard Entertainment $50.00 -- Classics & Puzzles, Risk, Hasbro Interactive $39.99 -- Simulations - Flying Corps, Empire $54.95 -- Space Simulations - X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, LucasArts $54.95 -- Sports - NHL Hockey 97, EA Sports $59.99 -- Strategy Games - Master of Orion 2, MicroProse $60.00 -- War Games - Age of Rifles, SSI $54.95 -- Kids - Pajama Sam, Humongous Entertainment $39.95 -- Stocking Stuffer - Catz and Dogz, PF Magic $19.95 each pet ---------------------------------------------------------------------- REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: Building Your Own Website by Susan Peck and Stephen Arrants Reviewed By: Doug Reed Requirements: Windows 95/NT MSRP: $59.00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- There is little doubt about it: the battle amongst the different companies promoting Web Servers is white hot. Microsoft and Netscape are the big guns out there, but there are other choices that you should be aware of when you make the leap to creating your own website. One very popular choice is Website, created and marketing by the publishing leader O'Reilly and Associates. Website has many advantages over its competitors, the least of which is the fact that the standard edition is free. Website is a fully capable Web Server that in numerous tests has been found to compete with or even beat the best that Microsoft and Netscape have to offer. In addition Website can run on either Windows 95 or Windows NT (3.51), meaning that you have your choice of operating systems to use for your website (Microsoft would like everyone to use NT Server, the most expensive choice). In Building Your Own Website, Susan Peck and Stephen Arrants have undertaken the task of explaining how to create your own website using Website, as well as how to administer the site and customize it to create your own unique "home". Building Your Own Website comes with a companion CD that includes the Website server in addition to a number of other programs that you will find very handy. WebView allows you to visually examine the various internal and external links to your site, insuring that they all function properly. WebIndex and WebFind aid in indexing your site so that it can be easily searched by visitors drawn to whatever content you provide. A number of 3rd party programs are also included, such as Map This!, a shareware program that allows you to easily create Image Maps and Hot Dog (standard edition), the popular HTML editor program. To test your Website creation, O'Reilly has also included the Spyglass Extended Mosaic Web Browser. The first part of the book is pretty rudimentary - why you should use Website, what Website requires to run, and how to install Website including the variety of options (for example, to install Website as a desktop application or a service). This section is basic, and most people will breeze through it fairly quickly. To test whether Website is working properly, however, you will need an IP address (or DNS domain name). This requires, of course, that you already have an agreement with an ISP to set up a website and an assigned address. Luckily, however, you can create your site and learn how to use the variety of secondary tools mentioned above without having even an internet connection; then once you are ready and familiar with the various components you can contact your ISP and start the ball rolling. The second part of the book - labelled appropriately "Building Your Own Web" covers some of the tools included on the CD and how to use them to create a website. Webview, a utility provided by O'Reilly as a part of Website, is a visual aid that you can use to examine and test links that are a part of your site or that are connected to the big wide world of the web. From there, Peck & Arrants include a brief chapter/introduction to the subject of HTML (the language used for creating/formatting a web page). This chapter is very introductory, and the reader would be wise to consult other texts to learn all of the ins and outs of HTML, such as O'Reilly's own HTML: The Definitive Guide. The next chapter covers the topic of creating an index for your site so that users can search it to find what they want more easily. As mentioned above, O'Reilly includes WebIndex and WebFind on the CD so that you can easily create both the index and the form for users to use. Finally, Peck and Arrants includes a chapter on creating Image Maps with Map This! and using Server-Side Includes to display such information as the number of visitors to the website. The third part of the book is the meat as far as concerns using Website as a server. Advanced Webmaster topics such as mapping and using Website as a virtual server are included here, as well as entire chapters on controlling access to your site and administering it from a remote location. Website includes a number of utilities for finding out a wide variety of information about your site, including the number of hits you are receiving as well as determination of peak usage times and other nice touches that can help you to administer and optimize your website for the people who are visiting. The fourth and final portion of the book covers using CGI programs on your website. If you aren't familiar with CGI (Common Gateway Interface), CGI programs are used to access database applications or other programs on the server to create dynamic information for the user. They can be created with Visual Basic as well as C++. On the web, CGI programs are most commonly encountered with Web Search programs, Guestbooks on home pages, or searchable databases for almost any kind of information. The book actually goes into a fair amount of depth in both the creation and usage of CGI programs, however, you should be forewarned that unless you have a Visual Basic or C++ compiler on your hard drive you will have to be content with simply using the examples provided on the CD. (it is funny that with all of the extensive coverage of CGI that the book completely fails to mention Java, the language most commonly touted as being the replacement for CGI since it is platform independent. The failure to mention Java is also strange considering that Website Professional (the one you have to pay for) includes the use of Java for server-side programming. As a whole, I would say that both Website and Building Your Own Website can be highly recommended for the budding WebMaster. In addition, the number of utilities and 3rd party software included on the CD make this a definite treat. It would have been nice to see some mention of Java, but any bookstore will have shelves lined with a wide variety of books on that topic alone. Suffice it to say that Building Your Own Website will cover all of your website creation and administration needs. O'Reilly and Associates 103 Morris Street, Suite A Sebastopol, CA 95472 1-800-998-9938 http://software.ora.com Installation/Ease of Use: Gold Medal User-Friendliness: Gold Medal Quality: Gold Medal Audience: Programmer ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: UltraSound PnP Pro Reviewed By: Doug Reed Requirements: PC-compatible computer MSRP: $199 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The UltraSound PnP series is the latest line in Advanced Gravis's UltraSound series of sound cards (commonly called the GUS) that use wavetable synthesis to produce unbelievable sound quality on a PC computer. The GUS was one of the first cards to ever offer wavetable synthesis when it was originally introduced, breaking the established mold of soundcards that simply followed the lead of Creative Labs Soundblaster (the established standard, based itself on the old Adlib standard). With the release of Windows 95 last year, most hardware vendors have released PnP cards (short for Plug and Play, an overly optimistic euphemism) to work with the new operating systems enhanced abilities for adding or upgrading hardware components to your PC. With the GUS PnP line, however, Advanced Gravis took a leap, unveiling a new line of boards with a new chip for wavetable synthesis (called the Interwave) designed by AMD with the ability to add on-board RAM for enhanced sound effects (such as reverb, echo, fade, chorus, and flange). Although this review covers the PnP Pro model, the reader should be aware that the primary difference between the PnP and the PnP Pro is that the Pro model comes with an additional 512K RAM onboard (8 MB RAM can be added). This has some important implications, as will be discussed later in the review. I'd love to say that installation was a snap and that the PnP system worked like a charm, but I can't. I've generally had good luck with installing hardware, but I had no fun at all with the GUS. This is really no fault of the board itself or even Gravis, but has to do with faults of the whole PnP system. Scanning the newsgroups concerning soundcards will find numerous help requests with installing all of the new PnP soundcards, including Creative Labs PnP Soundblaster. Plug and Play (or, as some people refer to it, Plug and Pray) is supposed to auto- detect the new hardware and automatically configure the necessary interrupts and DMA's for you - and it does. The problem lies in that it will often install devices at interrupts and DMA's that are in conflict with other devices. This can lead to havoc with the operating system, especially if (as in my case) one of the device's drivers installs in conflict with one of your hard drive controllers. The GUS is greedy, installing no less than 5 device drivers (one for the GUS, one for the Soundblaster emulation, one for Midi emulation, one for the gameport, and finally one for the on-board CD-ROM IDE controller). The common problem with the GUS PnP is that it is the driver for the on-board CD- ROM controller that is installed in conflict (which was also my problem). Luckily, this can be fairly easily remedied by disabling the CD-ROM IDE controller, which simply means that if you have an internal CD-ROM drive you will have to run it off its own card and not the GUS. Once you have the card installed however, you will quickly discover that it was all worth it. The GUS PnP Pro sounds magnificent, especially when playing Midi files and instrumentals. The CD-ROM that comes with the card includes a wide variety of software, including two commercial quality Midi composition tools, CakeWalk Express and PowerChords Debut, and the sound creation/editing program SoundForge (which will allow you to record audio CD's). Gravis has also included WinDecks, their Mixer program that allows you to play wave files or audio CD's from a stereo- like interface. Finally, a number of game demos are included and a few Internet Applications designed to show off the full-duplex capabilities of the GUS PnP. Internet Phone allows you to connect to anyone on the Internet (also running Internet Phone) and talk as if by regular phone - with no long distance charges. The full duplex abilities of the GUS mean that you can hold a simultaneous two-way conversation (older FM cards are primarily half-duplex, which means that the Internet Phone works like a walkie talkie). Programs like Internet Phone have a long ways to go to achieve true phone-like quality, but the potential is very high. The GUS PnP Pro also includes a microphone for recording or Internet conversations, a fairly nice one that unfortunately is also fairly long and awkward when trying to find a home for it on an already crowded computer desk. You're probably asking - okay it sounds great playing CD's and Midi's, but what about games? Well, its a mixed bag, primarily due to the lack of GUS support in older games (games more than 2 years old). Although the GUS offers Soundblaster emulation, it has never been one hundred percent, so expect that with older games, you may have to settle for poor sound quality or none at all. With newer games this is not a problem, with one caveat; if you want to play a DOS game that supports Ultrasound directly, you are going to have to install RAM on the board (unless you have the PnP Pro, which I mentioned before comes with 512K built-in). Windows and Windows 95 games play just fine- no tweaking or extra RAM is required. I have quite a few games, both old and new, and I couldn't find any that didn't play with the GUS or that didn't sound good - all sounded as good or better than my old Soundman 16 card. Windows 95 games that use the DirectX technologies sound the best of all. Cyberstorm, a new game by Sierra, sounded absolutely fantastic with the GUS, as did another very popular new game, Quake (if you need to ask who makes Quake, well...). All in all, I love this card. I'm glad I got it to review, and I love the new sounds emanating from my old computer. Sound quality sure has come a long way since the old Adlib days! If you think sound isn't important - well, I think you need to upgrade that soundcard! Sound is at least as important as graphics in a game - Doom would not have been nearly as scary without the terrific background music in the game, nor would have the more recent Gabriel Knight 2:The Beast Within. A good soundcard is a must for any computer gamer or composer, and the GUS PnP Pro is a real winner. Advanced Gravis 101-3750 North Fraser Way Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J5E9 604-431-5020 http://www.gravis.com Installation/Ease of Use: Silver Medal User-Friendliness: Gold Medal Quality: Gold Medal Audience: All ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: The Java Programming Language by Ken Arnold and James Gosling Reviewed By: Doug Reed, Associate Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Java is the hottest new programming language in the last few years for several reasons, among them being its portability, its relationship to C++, and its usefulness on the World Wide Web. The Java Programming Language is the first book in a new series on Java published by Addison- Wesley. What distinguishes this series from all of the others covering Java is that these are written by the people who actually created Java, and the books in this series are meant to be the definitive books on Java. The authors have impressive credentials: James Gosling, Vice President of Sun, is credited as being the creator of Java, while Ken Arnold is a noted programmer/engineer/author also in the employ of Sun Microsystems (and now at Javasoft, Sun's spin-off company devoted to the development of Java). This first book, The Java Programming Language, serves as an introduction to Java for people already experienced in programming. The Java Programming Language contains 14 chapters and 3 appendixes, which are divided into 5 general areas. The first chapter, A Quick Tour of Java, is just that. In the Quick Tour the authors lay the groundwork for the rest of book, explaining how Java works, basic commands, and how it all fits together. As with almost every book about programming, the first program example is the "Hello, World" program, converted to a Java application. From there, the Quick Tour gives a quick explanation and example of Java code, including objects, classes, interfaces, and packages. One of the things I like about this book is that it gives you exercises to complete to gain an understanding of how this bit of programming works. No answers are given to the exercises, implying that the authors believe there is more than one 'correct' solution to the problem. While many people might wish for the answers, I think it is better to leave them out; it requires the reader to really focus on solving the exercise rather than giving in and looking at the answer. Some of the exercises are easy, while others are very difficult and require considerable thought. Chapter 2 through 4 deal with basics of how to create and use objects and classes, which are the elements which Java programming is built around. The second chapter covers creating Classes and Objects in Java, while the third chapter explains how inheritance works in Java and how to create a subclass. These chapters cover in detail how one goes about using object-oriented programming in Java, including creating and calling methods, and garbage collection. Chapter 4 explains how to use Interfaces in Java, including when to implement them and what they are useful for. Chapters 5 and 6 deal with standard language constructs. Chapter 5 explains the use of Tokens, Operators, and Expressions in Java. Included in this chapter are an explanation of the different variable types and when to use them. Chapter 6 details the various conditional statements and loops that you can use in Java. The middle portion of the book includes several chapters on unrelated but important topics. The basics of error handling and how to deal with exceptions is the topic of Chapter 7. Chapter 8 deals with Strings, how they are different from other variables and the various ways they can be manipulated and dealt with in Java. Java is optimized for multi- threading, but unless you read chapter 9 you won't know how to use threads! Chapter 10 deals with Packages. For those who aren't hardcore programmers, Packages are collections of related classes, subclasses, and interfaces. Chapter 10 gives the basics of how to use and create packages. Examples of packages include the java class libraries provided with the Java Development Kit, such as java.lang and java.applet. Chapter 10 leads into the final section of the book, chapters 11 through 14 which cover the core of the Java class libraries. Chapter 11 explains how Java handles data input and output, using the class library java.io. Chapter 12 is more comprehensive, covering the various Java utility collections which provide useful utilities classes and interfaces such as the Date class. Chapter 13 deals with the classes that cover the various elements in Java programming, such as the Object class, the Class class, and the classes that detail the various primitive value types. Finally, Chapter 14 details how to implement system programming using the java.lang library, including the System and Math classes. The last portion of the book contains 3 appendixes covering the use of native methods, a list of runtime errors and exceptions handled by Java, and tables for quick reference for the most commonly used elements of Java, including keywords and operators. Overall, I would give The Java Programming Language high marks. This book serves as excellent introduction to programming with Java for those with expertise in other programming language (particularly object- oriented languages). I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone with little programming knowledge; however, there are a number of good books out there that instruct the novice on programming in Java. Ken Arnold and James Gosling have put together a book that is a great beginning to what I am sure will be considered to be one of the definitive series on Java. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company One Jacob Way Reading, MA 01867 (800) 822-6339 http://www.aw.com/cp/javaseries ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: Better Homes and Gardens Healthy Cooking Deluxe Reviewed By: Steve Lozowski Reviewed on: 486DX/133, 16 MB RAM, Windows 3.1, 2x CD-ROM, PAS-16 sound card ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the deluxe version of the original Better Homes and Gardens Healthy Cooking CD-ROM. This version includes over 1,000 recipes, and over 150 video demonstrations. Most recipes include a full-color photograph that can be expanded to about one-quarter the size of the screen. Healthy Cooking Deluxe also allows you to enter and store your own recipes, which are then accessible from this program. Some other major features are shopping lists, a meal planner, and a "What's For Dinner" selection of recipes by various options. All these features and more will be described below. But first a word on installation and performance. I started out this review on the minimum recommended system - a 486DX/33, and did the minimum install, which took up 4.5 MB of my hard disk. Performance seemed sluggish, so I went back and did the full install, which took a whopping 45 MB! I can't say that this appreciably improved performance of the product, other than improving the initial load time. What did help was the upgrade of my system to a 486/133 in the middle of the review process. (This is another story, but I recommend the Kingston Turbochip 133 if you have an older system like mine that will not take a Pentium chip.) I suspect that Healthy Cooking Deluxe is a processor resource hog, but now it performs like it should. One example should explain what I mean. With my previous configuration, when printing a shopping list, my printer would print at an incredibly slow rate, unless I exited the Healthy Cooking Deluxe program, at which time the printer would resume its normal performance. On my current system, there is enough horsepower for the printer to go at a normal speed, even while I keep working in the cookbook program. The main attraction of this program is the large number of recipes available to choose from. An index groups the recipes by chapters (breads, meats, desserts, etc.). These are all light, healthy meals that have been tested for taste and quality, and can be viewed and printed. I must confess that I did not prepare any of these recipes, but I did eat meals made from them, and they were delicious. In addition to the ingredients and preparation instructions, you also get the following nutritional information: calories, cholesterol, carbohydrates, protein, sodium, fat, saturated fat, and fiber, in both raw counts and a percent of daily values. These features would be very helpful to someone on a restricted diet. The video techniques are also useful. I initially thought "why would I want to watch someone chop onions?" So I randomly selected some videos, and I actually learned how to make frozen drinks with ice cubes in a blender the correct way. So that's what the removable top in the center of the lid is for! Like any respectable cookbook program, this one has a shopping list. And like others that I have used, you have no way to save your shopping list. Which means if you print it, get out of the program, and then lose the list, you have to go back and reselect your recipes. I would think they could let you save at least your last shopping list. On the positive side, Healthy Cooking Deluxe has "drag and drop" capabilities. You can drag a recipe and drop it on the shopping list menu bar, or the meal planner, or even to "My Recipes". Within the shopping list, you can vary the number of servings from the default, and the program automatically recalculates the ingredients for you. Unfortunately, the recipe instructions themselves do not vary, so if you double the size of a pork roast, for example, it will not convert the cooking time for you. The "What's for Dinner?" feature can search for recipes based on your individual needs. You can choose recipes by type of dish, preparation time, or the nutritional criteria mentioned above. The meal planner feature lets you organize your selected meals by day or by week. And being a healthy cooking program, you can see how your menus stack up nutritionally, with individual and total counts of calories, fat, and sodium. An "About Cooking" section contains cooking charts, conversions of volumes before and after cooking, substitutions, a glossary, descriptions of utensils with pictures, and a few other features. I found this to be a useful reference guide to cooking. The program starts with an introductory audio-visual presentation that is only worth viewing once. After that, you can click with your mouse when it begins to skip past it. I don't know why Multicom left it on as a default though, since it is akin to viewing a commercial for the product. Likewise, when you exit the program, a credit screen starts up. This can also by bypassed by clicking with the mouse. One other minor annoyance was the inclusion of "sponsors" on some screens. For example, Equal sweetener sponsors the Main Index screen by having their logo show up. I expect these kinds of ads on commercial on-line services, but not in a product you buy for your home computer. When you print the shopping list, a large Better Homes and Gardens logo prints at the top, so that people in the supermarket can see where you got your list from. I would like the option of choosing to advertise this product for Multicom, not always printing their logo. Help is included within the program. But it does not have any navigational options, such as backtracking. If you go too far down a help index path, you cannot back up. Your only option is to exit help and start again from the top. So while it's nice to have this within the program instead of in a manual, the implementation of it is unsatisfactory. This program also includes the capability to link on-line to the Better Homes Kitchen area on CompuServe for more recipes and ideas. It comes with the software to install Compuserve on your computer. I chose not to install and evaluate this option, as CompuServe does not have a local phone number in my area, and I would have racked up toll call charges. The help screens list two other on-line options, 1) - a Better Homes and Gardens site that had no cooking or recipe information that I could find, and 2) - which seemed to be a bad URL. It's hard for me to judge the technical support provided by Multicom. I had one problem which I emailed to their technical support address. Surprisingly, I received an answer that night saying "I'll have to check with the programmers... maybe there is a patch...". Not surprisingly, I have not heard from them since. I thought the problem was caused when I reinstalled at the maximum hard drive usage over top of the initial minimum install. So I used the included uninstall program, and then reinstalled again, but that did not solve it. The uninstall program worked fine, and only left one user file in the HCD directory. Multicom also has a free tech support 800 number, but I did not want to make a phone call for a minor problem that does not prevent me from using the product. One other time the program did crash and hang my system, but I was not able to recreate the problem. The only troubleshooting help provided with the CD-ROM is the ridiculous suggestion to only run Program Manager and Healthy Cooking Deluxe, and no other startup applications. For a program that runs under Windows, is it not very Windows-friendly. I guess that's why it does not have the usual Windows interface with maximize and minimize functions. You can swap to other applications by hitting Alt-Tab, but perhaps this does not sit well with Healthy Cooking Deluxe. My final opinion is that Healthy Cooking Deluxe has wonderful content, both textual and multimedia. I would recommend it for someone looking for a cookbook program with healthy recipes. But the occasional problems, Windows stand-alone mode, and an unfriendly help system kept this from being an outstanding CD-ROM product. Multicom Publishing 110 Olive Way Suite 1250 Seattle, WA 98101 (800)-850-7272 WWW: CompuServe: None Installation/Ease of Use: Silver User-Friendliness: Bronze Quality: Silver User: All ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: Laplink for Windows 95 and Webex Reviewed By: Don Hughes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I am inclined to admit after having been involved with Computers since the late 1970s, there are not many computer programs on the market that can capture my attention anymore, or so I thought, until this review of Laplink. Over the years I have a tendency to believe less about products in the printed media, instead depend more on actual product testing by the end user and impartial reviewers. Much to my amazement Laplink does precisely what Traveling software affirm in their ads and beyond. When I first received the disks and Using the new features of Version 7.5, I did not have the Installation and User’s guide. To attain more information I contacted Traveling Software office and spoke to Ken Hammond, in Public relations. Three days later the installation guide arrived and other information, plus a new set of disks arrived at my door in London, Ont. Canada. The modern computer support lines raises my ire, when after calling long distance one is placed on hold and waiting in the queue for half an hour or more. However, this did not happen with my call to Traveling Software. From the receptionist to Mr. Hammond, I was treated with prompt, efficient, and courteous service. The CEO of Traveling should be commended not just for manufacturing an excellent product, but for having some of the best consumer oriented employees I have ever had the luxury of speaking with. The three computers became testing base for Laplink 7.5 included: a Pentium 100 MHz with 16 meg of ram, ATI Winturbo VGA graphics card (with 2megs ram), a DX4 100 MHz with 20 Megs of ram, ATI Winturbo VGA graphics card (2 megs of ram) both machines are using Windows 95, and a 386 25 MHz with 4 megs of ram, and a Trident VGA (512k) graphics card. The modem’s in all three computers are 14.4s and tested the parallel connection transfer rates. Software requirements: Windows 95 or Windows 3.1, Intel compatible 386DX 33 or higher, 8 MB of ram, VGA compatible monitor, and 7 MB of hard drive disk space. However, as noted in the above paragraph, Laplink for Windows does work on a 386 25 MHz with 4 megs of ram. The Laplink software installation could not have been more enjoyable, or easier with its menus, and user friendly screens. Installation time varied from computer to computer, but all were well under fifteen minutes. Not tested was Laplink’s ability to transfer data over the Internet. Traveling software added data encryption to their Windows 95 program. This enables the user to securely encrypt the data before transfer over the Internet or on a wide- area-network. An added Laplink plus, is encryption also includes all of Laplink services, such as Remote Control and Chat. The new Laplink 7.5 version for Windows 95 includes: Xchange Agent, that automatically connects and synchronizes data with a single click. Storing images from the remote screen on your hard drive for faster reconnects. Decreasing the number of bitmap colours transferred from the remote computer to speed up transfer rates/fastest speed when set to black and white. Filtering out of large program bitmaps so they do not slow down access. Improved compression for faster transfer and remote control/Adaptive compression adjusting to the speed of each connection. Encryption protects data during transfer over the Internet or network. Resuming interrupted file transfer, if you lose the connection, and reconnect Laplink will continue the transfer where it left off, so you do not have to transfer the entire file again. Deleting files to the recycle bin, instead of deleting the file permanently. Sharing clipboard information with the remote, copy and paste from the host to the remote computer. Lowering the resolution of a host screen to fit in your view, match the desktop you are controlling to the screen resolution of your portable or other computer. The many fascinated features of Laplink 7.5 are operator customizable, allowing the user to control his or her transfer environment. Traveling software has created a very efficient, user friendly program that puts you in total control of the data transfer. Does Laplink work as Traveling Software advertised? In a simple one word answer, YES. Not only does this program work as advertised, I was impressed by the ease Laplink’s ease of use. After the program was installed on our two computers I decided to test Laplink using a modem and parallel port connection tests. I was very curious to see if it lived up to its press releases and worked as stated. First I used a modem program to see how fast I could transfer from host to remote. For this test I used a rather large 4,941 MB file in zipped format. When you install Laplink the easy to follow menus prompt the user for the type of connection required. There are several choices available: Serial or parallel port, modem, wireless, network, and Internet. Once selected you can re-set the connections by clicking on the menu bar icons. The program will also use autoconnect if the two computers are linked by a cable or you can manually link. Traveling software has taken the work out of setting up file transfer between computer and downsized the drudgery involved to the simple click of a mouse. Depending the computer you are operating (host or remote) you see a split screen displaying the file directories of each computer. This makes transfer operations of dragging a file from the host and dropping it to the remote or vice-versa. With the software was installed and setup, I started testing and comparing the varied connection abilities of Laplink with a modem program. Next I repeated the same file transfer using the modem and Laplink software as host to Remote connection. Then I repeated the file transfer using the parallel port connection built into Laplink. These are my test results: File Size: Test.zip 4,941,156 Modem to Modem program (zmodem) transfer time: 54 minutes. Speed of transfer (baud rate per second): 1624 Using Laplink to Laplink modem transfer: 51 minutes. Speed of transfer (baud rate per second): 1400 Laplink out performed the modem program, by three minutes. The biggest surprise was when I connected the two computers using a parallel cable: File size 4,941,156 Transfer time: 2.15 (two minutes and fifteen seconds) Transfer baud rate per second: 289,500 (average) In both Laplink’s modem and parallel connection mode the transfer was a simple drag and drop. You just select the file you want to transfer and drop into the proper directory on the other computer. Also you can drag and drop complete directories from the host to the remote within the click of a mouse button. The speed of file transfer using a direct cable link is very impressive to say the least. Moreover the ease of transfer by using simple drag and drop method made the job a snap. The next test involved transferring between a computer using Windows 95 and one using Windows 3.1/note the 3.1 computer is an 386sx running at 25 MHz with 4 Mb of ram. Installing the software on the 386 was a breeze, as was the program set-up. However, when I attempted to transfer a three and one half meg-a-byte (windows 3.1 program) file from Windows 95 to Windows 3.1 a screen appeared warning me that the file I was about to transfer contained a long file name that was not supported by Windows 3.1. I was totally unprepared for what happened next. Another window appeared asking me if I wanted to accept the new shortened file name! So I clicked on OK and Laplink automatically transferred the file with its truncated name, in one minute, and fifty-three seconds. Just to make sure that an error did not occur during the transfer, I installed the program and it works without a problem. Laplink performed efficiently during my tests and made transferring files between computers a very easy chore. The program is skillfully designed, user friendly, and customizable. Not only does Laplink 7.5 function as advertised, with its ease of operation, pop- up menus, built in help, etc. The program practically runs itself, and is so easy to use, anyone can operate the program. The price for Laplink 7.5 here in Canada at one large office supply store was $199.00--prices maybe lower in the U, S. A. If you have the necessity to transit data from one computer to another or want to be able to access your computer at home or in the office remotely, then Laplink is for you. I use a portable tape drive to back- up and move large files from one computer to another, and thought I had the perfect way of transferring files, till I reviewed this program. It takes time to hook-up the tape backup to the parallel port, then backup the file to tape, unhook the drive and reattach it to the other computer, and restore the file. With Laplink you just connect the parallel cable between the two, then start Laplink, and drag and drop the file in minutes. The only thing I could find wrong with Laplink 7.5, is that they should add few more feet of wire to their parallel cable to make connecting two desktop computers a bit easier. Traveling Software’s Laplink 7.5 for Windows 95 is a rock solid product that works, beyond what is stated in their advertisements. I grant this product a five plus on a scale of one to 5 rating. Traveling Software 18702 North Creek Parkway Bothell, WA, 98011 Tel (206) 483-8088 Fax (206) 487-1284 Product: WEBEX Reviewed By: Don Hughes This product formerly known as Milk-truck and is designed to automate your Internet access and using off-line browsing. The program comes on one 1.4 floppy and is easy to install and use. Webex works with Microsoft’s explorer (2.0 or higher) and Netscape (1.2 or higher). Once installed the program loads your browser, and appears on the screen just below the browser tool bars. The computer used for testing Webex was 486VL bus, DX4 100 MHz, 20 Mb of Ram, ATI Winturbo 2Mb graphics card VGA, and 100 MB of free disk space. The Webex menu gives the user four basic options on your browser screen: Personal Storage: Where you store your pages. Recommend Sites: Set-up by Traveling software, containing links to internet sites. Webex Options: To customize Webex. Help: Self explanatory. They are many other options available for setting up the amount of page(s) to be downloaded, and links, graphics, etc. The main intent of Webex is allowing the user to download a site information to a hard drive, then when you are off line enabling you to browse throughout the site, just as can on the net only faster. The strength of Webex is its ability to retrieve Web pages and save them to your hard drive, for you to browse later. Nice feature I thought, but what would it do for me? So I set about find out the answer to my question. I went to a web site and saved a page, then set Webex to dig deeper into the site going down for four levels, and capture all of these links. Next I used Webex’s scheduling feature to Dial the Internet provider, log onto the selected Web site and download the information requested. Webex not only dialed the Internet provider, logged onto the required site, but took off like a blood hound on a hot trail, retrieved the data, then shut down my Internet connection. I then restarted the Webex program to see if I could view the retrieved data. The program allowed me to browse the link, just as if I was actively on the net, only much faster. This quick information gathering is a handy feature for rail or airline commuters and others who use laptop computers. They could use this feature to gather information such as: stock quotes, newspaper, weather, sports, or research articles, then read the data on their way to work. The program can be set to automatically gather the data, while you are getting ready for your day. Another handy feature of Webex is you can print any page you have downloaded from the internet, just as you would if you are were connected online. The Program allows the user to customize the amount of data pages, and links, graphics, etc. you wish to store from any site. However, you must make sure that you have enough hard drive space to do so. Traveling Software’s Webex is not a program for every Internet user, but, if you need to quickly retrieve data, and read it later off-line then I recommend you try this program. To attain a limited demo version of their products contact Traveling software on the Internet at: . In testing I found Webex to be slower than Microsoft’s Explorer 3.0 by its-self and when I hit a site using frames (three frames on the screen) the Webex menu appeared in all three, and hung the computer. However, I reinstalled Webex, and this problem did not appear again, but the speed was still slower than Explorer with-out Webex. The feature of off- line browsing far outweighs any minor problem I had with the program. I give this program four out of five rating. Traveling Software 18702 North Creek Parkway Bothell, WA, 98011 Tel (206) 483-8088 Fax (206) 487-1284 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WEBSITES OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to cool WebSites . . . ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Classroom Computing Guide . . .| -------------------------------- MANHASSET, N.Y. Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ - CMP's HomePC magazine has always been firmly rooted as a leading advocate for the use of computers and technology to advance children's education. This November, HomePC's commitment goes to the next level as it launches Classroom Computing, a comprehensive resource guide that will illustrate the power and importance of computers in the learning process. The debut issue, which will be distributed to 200,000 teachers nationwide, will feature accounts from 10 teachers who incorporated technology into their lesson plans, as well as contact information for organizations, publications, conferences and grant- giving foundations dedicated to advancing technology in schools. "According to a recent report on the state of U.S. schools from the Committee of Economic Development, there will be one PC available for every four pupils by the turn of the century," said Carol Ellison, Senior Editor, Education for HomePC. "To help ensure that members of the academic community are ready for this revolution, we created Classroom Computing. It's our hope that this resource will raise awareness of the ways technology can make a difference in the education process among those who are directly responsible for educating our children - their teachers." As an online companion to Classroom Computing, HomePC is also launching the Classroom Computing Web site, located at . Here, teachers will find additional resources and direct e-mail and Web links to the teachers and organizations profiled in the print edition. This interactive site will also feature the Teacher's Lounge, a place where educators can swap stories and ideas with each other about the use of technology in the classroom. "By providing a forum for teachers around the globe to share their stories and putting much-needed information about available resources directly into their hands, the editors at HomePC hope teachers will feel empowered to harvest the rich and ever- growing crop of educational opportunities technology makes available," Ellison pointed out. Home PC's Classroom Computing has attracted technology industry advertisers such as Apple, Intel, Virgin Sound & Vision, as well as non- endemic advertisers such as General Motors Corp. Cost for a one-time, full- page, four-color ad is $8,900. Another edition of HomePC's Classroom Computing is slated for release in the spring of 1997. ---------------------- Win a Dream Vacation!| ---------------------- SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ - My Yahoo! and Preview Travel are offering Net surfers the opportunity to design and win their "dream vacation." Users of My Yahoo!, a free customizable guide to the Web, with personal news, weather, sports and other programming, can customize their own dream vacation and win. Each entrant selects from a range of criteria including popular destinations such as Europe, South Pacific, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and a broad variety of activities including skiing, water sports, cultural attractions, golf, biking, tennis, shopping and nightlife. The contest runs through the end of November, with one winner announced weekly. Entrants can register FOR My Yahoo! AND ENTER the My Dream Vacation contest by going to: . One lucky winner each week will receive a complete vacation package for two, including round trip airfare originating from anywhere within the continental U.S. or Canada. Official contest rules are available on the contest pages. Banner ads, linking the Net surfers to the contest page, are running on popular, high traffic sites throughout the month. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERVIEW WITH ????? | Weekly Interviews with the Movers and Shakers! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- No interview this week! We'll see you next week! --END OF ISSUE--