==================== LOOKING AT SHAREWARE ==================== By Jim Thompson Western News Service WNS -- Microsoft Windows and associated programs have become the biggest news in PC software. For better or for worse, Windows programs are THE talk of the industry and the most demanded programs by end-users. If you are running a bulletin board, you have probably seen your Windows shareware program section grow dramatically in popularity. If you want to stay competitive, the trick is not to offer more programs, but to offer the best of what is currently available. Here is a list of some of the Windows shareware programs that are among my favorites. WINDOWS EDIT (WINEDIT) ---------------------- We all have our favorite word processor and for most of us its a power and BIG program. But, sometimes you don't need or want to use the big gun for a small job. This is especially true if you are writing or editing program code, whether it be in dBase, C or even basic. What you want is something that is easy to use, quick to load, saves in Ascii text and, above all, is fast. Windows does ship with Notepad and DOS 5 does have Edit, but, except for the simplest jobs, these programs are just too simple and bare. One of the best shareware solutions is WINEDIT.EXE from Wilson WindowWare. It has one of the cleanest interfaces I have seen in any program, shareware or not. A button bar provides quick access the major features -- and those features are impressive. The program uses all available Windows memory allowing you to load up to 16MB of text files. The Multiple Document Interface allows an unlimited number of document windows. For the programmer, WinEdit provides some impressive and sophisticated features. For example, you can run your favorite compiler or other programming tool from within WinEdit. It will even monitor the compiler's output and allow you to review any warning or error messages. You also have full access to Windows SDK help and C 6.0 language help simply by clicking on any SDK or C language key word. The search and replace feature is fast and efficient. You can also print half sized "two-up" pages side by side in landscape mode. As the documentation points out this is "ideal for source listings or early drafts of desktop publishing documents." There is also the ability to add headers and footers to your documents and an easy to use Macro recorder. Add to this an extensive on-line help facility and you have one of the best shareware word processors available. MEGA EDIT --------- If you are looking for something a bit less ambitious in a Windows editor, try Mega Edit from Computer Witchcraft, Inc. What makes this editor nice is its very simple design. There is nothing on the screen to clutter things up. Along the top is the typical Windows menu bar -- along the bottom is a very useful "information bar." The "information bar" displays the total number of lines in the file you are editing, the line number your cursor is presently on, the name of the file being edited and the amount of free memory There is a nice search-and-replace facility and a "GOTO LINE" command that allows you to jump directly to any line in the file (great for making adjustments to your programming during the debug process). One of the best features is that text can be imported or exported as ASCII, Macintosh or Unix text. This is a real winner. PHONE CODE (PHCODE.EXE) ----------------------- This is one of those nice little programs that doesn't pretend to do everything, but what it does do, it does well. PHCODE.EXE or Phone Code will find the area code for any city in the U.S. You can search by area code or by city. If you know the area code and want to find the city just enter the numbers and up pops a list of the cities that share the code. If you need to find an area code, you can search by state and then city. In addition to a list of cities, once the code is found the program also displays the time in the area code (Regional time), your local time, the difference between the two time zones, the name of the state, and even the region of the state (for example, 214 would show South East Pennsylvania or 805 displays South Central California). WINZIP ------ If you have ever complained about having to remember all the command line switches of PKZIP, then this is the program for you. WinZip is actually a front end for PKZIP and makes compressing files with this utilities easy. Besides doing standard compression, WinZip also allows you to look inside a ZIP file to read individual text files and to add or delete files from the archive. You can even do virus scans on the zipped files. One of the nicest features is the ability to do a "checkout" of a zipped file. This allows you to decompress and run a program before actually install it on your system. After running a virus check on the zipped file, WinZip decompresses it into a designated directory and allows you to run it. After exiting the program, all the files, except the original ZIP archive, are deleted. Win Zip works with ARC and LZH compression programs as well. WINDOWS UNARCHIVE (WUNA.EXE) ---------------------------- WUNA or Windows UnArchive is another excellent utility. This one is strictly concerned with decompressing archived files. Unlike WinZip, it comes packaged with both PKZIP and ARJ. Like WinZip, It also allows you to "checkout" a zipped file. The interface is clean and the program easy to use even for the novice. To unzip a file, just enter the name in the program or just drag the file name onto the WUNA icon -- what could be easier! PAINT SHOP PRO -------------- This program will not allow you to create graphic files, but it is one of the slickest available for viewing and converting between formats. Paint Shop Pro from JASC, Inc. supports the most popular graphic formats including TIF, PCX, PIC, WPG, TGA and BMP. This means you can covert any of these image formats into any of the others. Among the image-manipulation tools are the ability to rotate, flip or resize an image. You can create a mirror image, apply filters, create a negative and even change the resolution of the original. All this is fairly standard stuff, but there is more to this fine program. One of the best features is the ability to alter the information of an image that was created on a PC so it can be used on a Macintosh. Another great feature is the ability to do screen captures within windows. If you have ever struggled with writing a user's manual for a program, you know how valuable this feature can be. TIME & CHAOS ------------ Providing your schedule is not as complicated as that of the newly elected President, this Personal Information Manager should keep you on schedule all the time. Time & Chaos includes an appointment manager, phone directory, monthly calendar, daily schedule, and to-do-list. The main screen displays all the essential information and the easy-to-use interface and three-dimensional buttons make using the program easy. The phone book has plenty of room for names, address, fax numbers and even extensive notes. It will even dial numbers for you through your modem. Best of all, the search facilities are excellent.