CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing ISSN: 1525-4534 November 2, 1999 Issue 158 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 in 10 Minutes at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - about $10.39 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672315564/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Reviews: 4=> Product: HotDog 5.5 Professional Webmaster Suite, utility Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 5=> Product: How to Use Microsoft Office 2000 Visually in Full Color, book Reviewed By: Paul Schneider, mailto:p-schne@uiuc.edu 6=> Product: Adobe Photoshop 5.5, graphics Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 7=> Product: Norton Utilities v. 4.0 by Symantec, utilities Reviewed By: Paul Baker, mailto:pbaker@facstaff.wisc.edu 8=> Product: Star Trek: Starfleet Command, game Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 9=> Product: Actiontec 56K External Call Waiting Modem, hardware Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes-reviewcdn@home.com 10=> Product: PNG: The Definitive Guide, book Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:howardcarson@home.com 11=> Product: Year 2000 Detect & Correct, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:howardcarson@home.com 1=> CompuNotes Notes, CompuNotes - None this Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> Winner! This week's winner: raindanzer@AOL.COM. 3=> News, Articles and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Chinese Say NO to Foreign Internet Investment . . . http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1428239.html Bidder's Edge Takes on eBay . . . http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-1428165.html Free Voice Mail Via Internet ... But Watch the Ads . . . http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1427993.html Compaq Sports the First ISA/Legacy Free PC . . . http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2387076,00.html Copy that DVD? http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,32263,00.html Who is the Person Who Tattled on Real Networks? http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,32252,00.html Is Your Boss Watching You? http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctg552.htm 4=> Product: HotDog 5.5 Professional Webmaster Suite, utility Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Win 95/98, Pentium, 32+ MB RAM recommended MSRP:Hot Dog 5.5 Stand-Alone $129.95, Supertoolz Value Pack $99.95, Hot Dog 5.5 Professional Webmaster Suite (includes stand-alone, supertoolz, and partner applications) $199.95. All available as downloads from Sausage Software, http://www.sausage.com Thirty day trialware. HotDog 5.5 is a popular, full-featured HTML editor from Sausage Software, based out of Australia. This latest version comes in a variety of flavors, from a standalone editor up to a complete "Webmaster Suite" that includes a variety of 'Toolz" and "partner applications" from other vendors. HotDog certainly kept up with the latest and greatest products from other vendors: all the tools and implements that one could wish for are here. The sum of all the components would make the Suite worth the price even if the editor itself were no good. Lucky for Sausage, then, that the editor is topnotch, making this a product worthy of serious consideration by any web designer, professional or otherwise. Installation All Sausage software is downloaded from their website or a variety of mirror sites worldwide (including Download.com). The Webmaster Suite is four separate downloads: 1) the HotDog editor, 2) HotDog Express for beginners, 3) the Partner applications and 4) the Supertoolz value pack. So unless you have access to a fast connection, be prepared for all of this to take a while to download. Unlike so many of its competitors, however, you have thirty days to try out HotDog before you have to buy it. By the time you should be convinced. Featuritis The HotDog Suite comes with the sixteen Supertoolz and three partner applications which separately would be worth more than the cost of the whole Suite. The Supertoolz pack is a variety of small, special application utilities for such purposes as downloading websites, reducing bandwidth, or creating a web channel for use with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Collectively, here are the seventeen tools: Bandwidth Buster MultiFile Find and Replace Wizard Channel Wizard Real Audio-Video SuperTool ICQ Panel Wizard Reptile Image Mapper SafeSurf Web Content Rating Wizard ImageLab Table Editor Jack Hammer Text Effects Java Animator Web Downloader JavaScript Tools LinkExchange Add Banner Wizard The three partner applications are: Paintshop Pro (a graphics editor), Linkbot (a link checker), and mBed Interactor Lite (a dynamic HMTL scriptor). As you can see from this list of tools and applications, everything that a web designer could wish for is included. These are destined to make your life a lot easier, especially if you work on your own designing web sites. Day-to-day So HotDog has all these features, but is it easy to use? By and large, yes. The basic interface in HotDog is a little on the cluttered side, but it has everything you need and can be customized to remove what you don't. The center of the screen contains the actual HTML editor, as well as tabs to various toolbars and the partner applications. The editor screen is color coded, so that HTML tags and code are easily distinguished from the text. Below the editor screen is a second view of the page, showing you what the current page design would look like. While a nice idea, it doesn't work well. For one thing, you would want to preview the page in Netscape and IE (at the very least!). For another, the view doesn't stretch the width of the your screen, so text will end up wrapping when on the final page it might not. On the left hand side of the editor screen is a screen that can alternately display a links to the Supertoolz, a clipboard, or an HTML 4.0 reference, explaining each of the tags and how they are used. As you edit the page, the dictionary jumps to whatever tag you are currently adding - very nice! On the right-hand side of the editor screen is a HTML tag list, which you can click on to add the tag (unless, like me, you'd rather type it in). Summary HotDog WebMaster Suite is the ultimate compilation of tools for do-it-yourself web masters. The SuperToolz are worth the price of the whole package, especially with the Java animator, JavaScript tools, channel wizard, the web downloader, and the multifile find & replace wizard. It certainly will save you the time of having to learn how to do it yourself or hiring someone else to do it. The interface is everything you could possibly hope for in a HTML editor, especially with the HTML 4.0 reference. Do you need any additional reasons to try it out? HotDog 5.5 Professional WebMaster Suite Sausage Software http://www.sausage.com 5=> Product: How to Use Microsoft Office 2000 Visually in Full Color, book Reviewed By: Paul Schneider, mailto:p-schne@uiuc.edu Requirements: Familiarity with Windows 95/98/NT. Office 2000 (any version) Reviewed on: AMDK2-233, 96 MB RAM, 2x CDROM, MX300 Sound, Mystic Video card MSRP: $24.99 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy How to Use Microsoft Office 2000 Visually in Full Color at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - about $19.99 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067231522X/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ How to Use Microsoft Office 2000 Visually in Full Color, whew! Now say that title 5 times quickly! Here after I'll just refer to it as HUMO2000. HUMO2000's title may be long-winded, but the book is not. In a nutshell HUMO200 provides its users with quick straightforward visual explanations of how to accomplish a wide variety of Office 2000 tasks. Suffice to say this book is aimed at the visual learner. HUMO2000 is for beginner and intermediate level users. The book's contents consist of chapters on Common Office Features, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Publisher, Office Internet Tools (Internet Explorer and Word's Web Publishing tools), Office Graphics Tools, and Integration of Office Applications. The later chapters are a nice addition not typically seen in "MS Office" books. Each individual chapter is laid out in a visually appealing manner. The tasks covered are listed first, followed by a short explanation of the chapter. What follows are instructions on accomplishing each of these individual tasks. Each of these sections start off with a one-paragraph explanation of the task at hand, followed by the meat of the book, 4-8 pictures and text explaining the steps. Last, is a series of "How-To Hints." These hints more or less give you the "next step" for each of the tasks. Where HUMO2000 excels is in the visual layout and explanation of each task. The text is short and concise. With the use of full color photos you are quickly and easily shown what needs to be done to accomplish the task at hand. Overall I found it easy to follow the book and repeat each of the individual tasks. Another strength to this book is its glossary and index. Building a useful and comprehensive glossary and index can be a difficult chore, but the authors of HUMO2000 have certainly risen to the task. This, combined with the comprehensive table of contents, makes it quite easy to quickly find any desired topic. Sounds pretty great so far. Well in many respects it is, but there are some areas where it fell short. One of the area that is lacking is in a coherent lesson plan or organization. Although it provides a great quick and easy way to figure out how to do things, I don't see it helping the user to really learn the product. It seems that most of the learning will occur through repetition and looking up tasks again and again (fortunately this is quite easy with its excellent index). Put simply, it does not provide any review of the lessons learned, the explanations of the tasks are minimal, and the grouping of the tasks, while logical, does not fit a specific lesson goal. In terms of education the pedagogy leaves something to be desired. In sum, HUMO2000 successfully delivers a wide variety of MS Office 2000 lessons visually. If you are a beginner or an intermediate user looking for a quick easy to understand reference for MS Office 2000 or like to learn on the go and as needed, HUMO2000 may be the book for you. If you know that you are primarily a visual person, then definitely check out HUMO2000, because this is the area in which it excels. (No pun intended!) SAMS Publishing How to Use Microsoft Office 2000 Visually in Full Color http://www.samspublishing.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy How to Use Microsoft Office 2000 Visually in Full Color at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - about $19.99 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067231522X/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6=> Product: Adobe Photoshop 5.5, graphics Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Win95/98, 64 MB RAM Recommended: 100MB+ RAM, Pentium-200 or better MSRP: $609 ($199 upgrade) Adobe's Photoshop has long been the premiere graphics design software on both Mac and PC computers. Adobe maintains that lead by constantly releasing new versions with new features while still maintaining the same basic interface, allowing you to feel instantly at home. Adobe's stated goal in the Photoshop manual is for this software to be a comprehensive environment for designing graphics for print or the web. Included with Photoshop 5.5 is version 2.0 of ImageReady, an application which can optimize graphics for the web as well as create some of the nifty effects and animations you see on the web. Photoshop is as powerful and comprehensive as anyone could possibly wish; ImageReady is probably perfect for graphics designers migrating to the web although to this web designer it feels a little rough around the edges. Installation Photoshop comes with two manuals, a hefty User's Guide and a Supplement that describes how to use ImageReady. The software itself comes on a single CD, and includes the latest versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader, Quicktime, and a postscript print driver for Windows. A second CD provides the tutorials, essential for anyone who is a newcomer to using Photoshop. Installation requires about 100 MB of space, although this can be customized; installing the optional extras (like Quicktime and Acrobat Reader) require additional space but I would recommend finding the space to install them. The two applications are real hardware hogs - Adobe recommends 64 MB RAM minimum for running one of the two, and 100 MB or more if you want to run both at the same time. In my testing on my 48 MB RAM Pentium I noticed no excruciating lag, so that RAM estimate by Adobe must include virtual memory. Tutorials The two manuals and the tutorial on the 2nd CD are more than enough to teach anyone how to use Photoshop and ImageReady. While they don't describe every feature in detail, anyone who uses these resources will certainly know how to navigate and use the interface to find what they need. Meat-And-Potatoes In terms of the layout and interface, Photoshop remains basically unchanged from my previous review (version 4.0). Various palettes and toolbars are placed on the left and right hand sides of the screen, leaving the middle for display of your images. Creating those images works by using layers, placing one on top of another and arranging for the look you desire. Effects can be performed on various layers, as well as changing the layers with the various tools. New tools include one that's been on my personal wish list for some time: a background eraser tool. The background eraser can erase more than just a single color; by setting the sampling and tolerance options you can erase everything but the portion of the image you want to retain. In the example given in the book, you can erase the meadow background from around the body of a horse. Photoshop has substantially improved support for web graphics than the previous version I reviewed. Now you can directly save images in GIF format! JPEG and PNG support is also much improved - including background and transparency effects in PNG. ImageReady is a really interesting new addition. In the example provided in the User's Guide Supplement, you take a Photoshop image that looks like a web page and carve it up into 'slices'. These slices can then be manipulated, for example, you can ask ImageReady to make an image 'rollover' to display a new image. For example, you could make a navigation menu with buttons that change color when the user moves their mouse over the button. ImageReady does all the coding for you. The possibilities are quite enormous for the kinds of effects you can make. ImageReady also gives you the ability to make animated GIFs. This works very well - you simply open the animation palette and put each image in sequence in the palette. Then you can change the timing of the image display, or the number of the loops, or ask ImageReady to add additional images to create effects like gradual fades between frames. Very cool! Flies in the ointment The problem I have with ImageReady comes when you save this document as a web page. The page displays fine in every browser I could test it. Those browsers that support the special effects appear to do so nicely. The page even 'degrades' nicely in older browsers - no, you don't get the effects - but at least the full page appears. The problem is that the entire page is sliced into nothing but graphics. Yes, it does display nicely. Yes, the page and the graphics are optimized for quick loading. But what about users who are blind, or who don't want to look at your pretty pictures? They would only see one giant blank page! From a graphics designer's standpoint the page might be considered beautiful. From a web designer's standpoint - Yikes! And unfortunately, ImageReady does not allow you to start with graphics on a webpage - you start with a graphic of the entire page and slice it up. You can use ImageReady, however, to design portions of web pages. You can, for example, design a button with a rollover effect and save it as a web page, then cut and paste the necessary code (as well as the link to the images) into your actual web page. And I think this is what the software designers intended. You should note however that the example given in the Adobe manual implies you can design an entire page, when the truth is the page you design would be an egregious sin in the eyes of most web designers. Summary Photoshop is still the best and most comprehensive graphics software around. New features make Photoshop a much better tool for designing graphics for the web. The additional ImageReady software is a very useful tool for web graphics design, including animation effects and dynamic HTML effects. The problem I mentioned with ImageReady is a minor one - and one easily avoided by the serious designer. Although it is a point worth mentioning (IMHO), it hardly negates the value of this software. Bottom line: if you are a serious graphics designer, you probably already have this software. If you are a web designer looking to make the leap into professional design, this is the graphics software you need. Photoshop 5.5 & ImageReady 2.0 Adobe http://www.adobe.com 7=> Product: Norton Utilities v. 4.0 by Symantec, utilities Reviewed By: Paul Baker, mailto:pbaker@facstaff.wisc.edu Requires: CD-ROM drive, Windows 95 or 98 (will not run under Windows NT), 486-66 processor (Pentium recommended), 16 MB RAM, 70 MB disk space for standard installation, 256-color graphics, CD-ROM drive, mouse. Reviewed on AMD K6 300 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 3 GB HD, Windows 95 build 1111 MSRP: Retail Price: $49.95 shrinkwrapped, $44.95 download . Upgrade price: $29.95 shrinkwrapped, $24.95 download. Symantec's Norton Utilities v 4.0 is designed to keep a PC running efficiently and safely. The set of programs included in this suite can find and correct potential problems, prevent disasters and help recover from disasters, and make your computer run better and faster. So many useful programs are included that I can't do justice to all of them here. I'll discuss a few that I've used and found particularly helpful. When you double click on the desktop icon to bring up the main menu, you see the Norton Utilities Integrator. This "home base" serves as the launching point for all the Norton Utilities programs, which fall into these categories: 1. Find and Fix Problems. Norton System Check finds disk problems and Windows problems, can improve performance, and can give your PC a preventive maintenance checkup. Provides an immediate or scheduled system checkup. Norton WinDoctor performs a series of tests to diagnose and fix most Windows 95/98 problems - software errors, hardware, configurations, registry problems, and clutter from failed uninstalls. It includes Registry Doctor, which detects and repairs Windows registry corruption. Norton Disk Doctor checks the integrity of logical disk structures (boot records, FATs, and directories) and performs a series of surface analysis tests. 2. Improve performance. Norton Speed Disk defragments files and rearranges them on your disk so the ones you use most are more quickly accessible. Works with Windows 98 Application Launch Accelerator to make programs load faster. Norton Optimization Wizard optimizes the size of the Windows Registry and speeds up access time to it. Also sets your swap file's minimum size to the optimum setting for your system. It works with Speed Disk to move the swap file to the front of your hard disk for maximum efficiency. Space Wizard identifies files that take up lots of disk space and lets you move, compress, or delete them. Norton System Doctor works with Space Wizard to monitor your available disk space. Speed Start improves program startup time. 3. Preventive maintenance. Norton System Doctor detects and prevents potential disk and system problems. It monitors disk and CPU usage, disk integrity, system integrity, network throughput, Internet site access time, etc. When a problem is detected System Doctor either recommends a course of action or corrects the problem automatically, depending on your preference. Rescue Disk records a duplicate set of system startup files, CMOS data, disk partition information, etc. It stores rescue items on an Iomega Zip disk, across multiple floppy disks, or on a network drive. Image. Creates a snapshot of critical disk information: the boot record, FAT, and root directory data. Norton Registry Tracker monitors changes to your computer's setup data and startup files, including Windows Registry keys and .INI files. Norton Protection adds extra, configurable data recovery protection to the Recycle Bin to help you recover deleted files that the Recycle Bin cannot find. 4. Troubleshoot. System Information provides common device information and details about memory, logical and physical characteristics of your disks, network connections, multimedia devices, and Internet connection. Norton File Compare compares the differences between system startup files before and after you install programs-items added, items deleted, and items moved or changed. Other things Symantec's LiveUpdate uses your computer's modem or Internet connection to download updates directly from Symantec. LiveUpdate Pro can automatically locate and install updates for your hardware drivers and your other favorite software programs. This is available through subscription to Norton Web Services. Norton Utilities also includes a number of DOS-based programs in four levels: Recovery procedures: how to repair a hard disk, recover accidentally deleted files, or unformat a disk. Startup procedures: How to repair common hardware, setup data, startup date, operating system, and hard disk problems. Common procedures. How to repair common disk problems. Advanced procedures. How to repair less common disk problems with Disk Editor, a disk sector editor. I've Been a Norton fan for some time and was happy to have the opportunity to review Norton Utilities v. 4.0. I notice a faster PC and I'm glad I finally have a comprehensive set of utilities, particularly disk defragmenter and troubleshooting tools, for my machine. Symantec Corporation Norton Utilities v. 4.0 http://shop.symantec.com/nu40buy.html 8=> Product: Star Trek: Starfleet Command, game Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: P-166, 32 MB RAM, Win 95/98, 4x CDROM, sound card. P- 166 requires 3d graphics card. MSRP: $44.99 I've been playing computer games for a long time now. If you count my old VIC-20, it encompasses two decades. And during all that time I have dreamed that one day a computer game company would make a computer version of Star Fleet Battles. For sci-fi nerds growing up in the 70s & early 80s, Star Trek (the original series) was pretty much all there was for science fiction on television. Star Fleet Battles was a board game that allowed us to pretend we were Captain Kirk, or the villainous Klingons, treacherous Romulans, or reptilian Gorn. Finally, as the century prepares to enter it's final year - someone has finally made Star Fleet Battles into a computer game. Hooray! If you haven't played the board game, a brief intro might be a good idea. The board game was a turn-based game, in which players allocated energy to weapons, shields, or engines (as well as additional starship components) and then (if in range) fired weapons that could be brought to bear on enemy ships. The game retained the flavor of the television series, even offering solitaire missions against "monsters" like the planet killer and giant space amoeba. Seven different races battled it out for control of alpha quadrant (long before it was even known as alpha quadrant, thank you ST:TNG!) . When playing with all the rules in effect, the game was extremely complex, and single turns could take a long time with multiple players and ships involved. Star Fleet Battles fairly cried out for being converted to the computer. The manual for Starfleet Command stipulates that the computer version follows the spirit if not the letter of all the rules for Star Fleet Battles. However it is worth noting that there are some exceptions, one of them quite big: Starfleet Command is played in real-time, not in turns. This makes for a more interesting computer game, especially when playing battles over the Internet - had Interplay made Starfleet Command a turn-based game it would have flopped. Otherwise the game is identical in play to the board game, an important point for aspiring Captain Kirks: be prepared to invest some time earning the right to sit in the command chair. Transporters, mines, photon torpedoes, shields, etc.....They are all here, and at your command. One thing that might throw people who have never played the board game is that Starfleet Command is played in two, not three dimensions. Yes, this is a game of battles in outer space. But the added complexity of three-dimensional battles along with the control of the starships would have overwhelmed most people, and it takes nothing away from the fun and intensity of the game. The graphics of the game are outright gorgeous. This is one of the best looking computer games I have ever seen. An immense number of ships exist in the game, from six of the seven races (one was left out due to copyright problems). Federation, Romulan, Klingon, Gorn, Lyran, Hydran - they are all here and resplendent in three- dimensional depictions. Explosions and damage are breath-taking, and I guarantee you that if you are any kind of Trekkie fan you will be left breathless the first time you enter the Mutara Nebula! And yes, that fabled battle between Kirk and Khan can be recreated. The game offers "academies" for each race to train you in the use of the ships and different tactics, as well as single player missions for you to try your hand. But the heart of the game is the "Dynaverse" campaigns. In these campaigns, the missions you play are randomly generated based on your performance and crew (you can command up to three ships at a time). Over time the game does steer you into scripted missions based on the "Special Elite Forces" for each race, but even these missions are fun and there is a lot of variety. All of this would fall apart if the AI was not up to snuff. Happily I can report that the AI is among the strongest I have ever seen in a game. When playing the original demo that was released, I was stunned to be constantly defeated by a lowly Klingon D-7 cruiser in my Federation heavy cruiser! You can pause the action to get a grip on what you are doing, but the key is energy management and shield facings. The AI seems to be quite up to the task. There are difficulty settings, but this apparently does not change the quality of the AI; instead the settings limit the options which the AI can implement. For example, on easy the AI will not make use of transporter bombs. Summary The best Star Trek game ever? Absolutely. Not a doubt in my mind. A strong contender with Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri for game of the year. A number of fan sites are popping up on the Internet where "mods" can be found that add new ships and even new missions or campaigns. For example, one group is busy adding graphics and designs for Borg ships. And now back to boldly going where no man has gone before... Star Trek: Starfleet Command Interplay Productions http://www.interplay.com Fan Site: http://www.starfleetuniverse.com 9=> Product: Actiontec 56K External Call Waiting Modem, hardware Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes-reviewcdn@home.com Requirements: IBM compatible computer, 386 or higher with a serial port, DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, OS/2, Linux. Included in the package: 56K External Call waiting modem, Installation manual, Serial port cable, six-foot modular telephone cable, and bonus software on the installation/driver CD. MSRP: US $124.99 When the Actiontec Call Waiting modem, appeared on CompuNotes review lists, and after a visit to their web site, curiosity got the better of me and I requested the product to review. The call waiting feature caught my attention and I pondered the logic behind ownership of a call waiting modem. The modem arrived in a shrink- wrapped package with the serial cable, manual, installation and bonus software on CD. Test Systems: Intel Pentium 166 MMX, 64 MB Ram, Windows 98, an Intel Pentium 233 MHZ 64 MB ram, running Windows NT 4.0 workstation, and an Intel Pentium 233 MHz, 128K Ram, Windows 2000 (beta 3) Server. The telephone system used during the test was a Bell Canada business line, with call waiting, call forwarding, call answering, conference calling, call mall, call hold and call display. In addition attached to the same line are two portable phones (one with call display), a Bell desk phone with call display and a wall phone. Our fax machine and Internet phone line connection are on a separate line. The Actiontec Call Waiting modems come in three versions: PCI Internal $104.99, External $124.99, and External USB model $134.99. Actiontec States: Never again will you have to worry about missing that important phone call that may come while surfing the Net. If you receive a call while you are online, you will hear a phone ringing, notifying you of an incoming call. You have approximately seven seconds after you pick up the phone to decide whether you want to take the call and be automatically disconnected from the Net, or you can hang up and resume your work online. You can also ignore the call altogether. The call waiting feature is unique and the modem does beep, giving a user the opportunity to pick up the phone, answer the call or continue their Internet secession. However, the user must answer the phone quickly as after seven seconds the modem will be disconnected from the Internet provider. At first, I thought that seven seconds seemed like a very short time to answer a call and decide the appropriate action. In addition, I wondered just what advantage this feature would be to the average user. Over last few years, I have become disenchanted with low-cost modems that claimed to be fully Windows compatible, and easy to install. However, most brands are a nightmare to set-up, plagued with incompatibility, and have high failure rates. I simply gave up trying unfamiliar brands name modems and sell or recommend only USR (3Com) line of modem products to my customers. The USR (3COM) modems have always worked. Thus, eliminating problems associated with other lesser-known brands-an added plus is the well-written manual and installation software. I decided to put the call waiting feature to the test, and see just how this modem would respond to an incoming call while linked to the Internet. I connected the modem to our main phone line wall jack, and a spare telephone into the phone jack on the back of the external modem, Then I dialed the Internet provider, and once logged in, linked to a web site. Having already plugged in one portable phone into our other fax/data/phone line, my wife, who was upstairs dialed our main number to help me test the call waiting function. Just as Actiontec stated in their advertising the modem, beep and I picked up the phone, but to my amazement, it was not my wife's voice on the line, but a customer calling. I quickly explained I was testing a piece of equipment and I would call back in a few minuets, which I did. Once the call from the customer had disconnected, I was still linked to the Internet and able to continue surfing web sites. After I disconnected from the Internet and noticed our desk phone flashing, which suggests a message awaiting on Bell's Call Answering--Call answering is a feature provided by the telephone company that answers the line, gives out a recorded message and allows a caller to leave a message when you are talking on the phone. The message was from my wife wondering why I had not picked up the phone as we had planned. However, we did conduct several other successful call waiting tests between our two lines. I also conducted several repeated tests over the next few months and each time the modem worked without a hitch unless a user goes over the seven-second time limits. Then the modem disconnects the user from the Internet. Nevertheless, the Actiontec 56 call waiting modem failed my expectations during testing. I fully expected this modem to malfunction, but try as I may to cause or find a problem this modem kept right on working. No matter the operating system or software running the modem, this 56K external modem with rock solid stability, performing all tasks without a single error. Internet connection speeds varied from 42kbps to 51kbps-I have yet to hit 56K on any modem. I tested the modem using Internet Explorer for Internet browsing, and WinFax to send and receive faxes. In addition I farther tested the modem using LAPLINK's modem file transfer between computers and the Actiontec modem labored without a single incident, glitch or gremlin appearing. The call waiting function only works if you have call waiting enabled on your phone line--the telephone company must enable this feature on your phone line. At first, I wondered just what value this feature, and the seven-second time limited would have for the Internet user. The more I tested the modem's call waiting features it became clear as to the importance of such a feature. The Actiontec call waiting modem is a valuable asset to Internet users that need an inexpensive way to maintain communications while surfing the just in case they might receive a call from: a prospective employer, those who have a sick or elderly parent, family illness, or just need to be on call for shift or emergency work. The call-waiting feature is ideal for the single line home, University or College students, and small businesses. Actiontec's Call waiting modem makes a great Christmas gift for family member or friend who has call waiting available on their phone system. Most of us at some time or another have received busy signals when attempting to reach family or friend, and find out later that they are surfing the Internet. Without a doubt, Actiontec's 56 K External Call Waiting modem is one of the best hardware products I have seen in a long time, and it can be used with or without call waiting. This one tough modem will be in service long after we delegate others to spare part's bin. The modem is an excellent product and has one of the best installation manuals I have seen to date. The thirty-page manual has many screens shot to guide even the most novices' computer users. The installation CD and well-written manual provided by Actiontec make it a breeze to install this modem in Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0-plus the driver works under Windows 2000 (NT). The modem preformed beyond my expectations, and proved to be a solid performer. Actiontec's 56K External Call Waiting modem design also looks great sitting on a computer desk, but more importantly, it is an extraordinary piece of hardware. 10=> Product: PNG: The Definitive Guide, book Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:howardcarson@home.com MSRP: US$32.95, Cdn$48.95 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy PNG: The Definitive Guide at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - about $26.36 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565925424/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Targeted at graphic designers and programmers, PNG: The Definitive Guide is the first book devoted exclusively to teaching and documenting the free Portable Network Graphic (PNG) image format. It's a compendium for Web content developers and programmers and contains illustrations, examples, sample code, and hands-on advice. The book also appears to be the first of its kind devoted exclusively to teaching and documenting PNG. O'Reilly & Associates chose wisely when they asked Greg Roelofs to write this book; he's actually the programmer who has taken on the responsibility for fixing Netscape Communicator's (Mozilla) support for PNG alpha channels. The well-known Netscape Open Source Code project is currently ongoing. It is hoped that since the release of this book in May 1999, the author has managed to actually get some more advanced coding done for Mozilla, and that full PNG support will shortly appear in Netscape Navigator (Author's Note: Open Source development much like the Linux 'movement' is all well and good. Unfortunately, it takes a significant amount of money to finance the gathering of open source code updates and revisions and the subsequent testing, packaging, and release of a finished product. Hopefully, Mozilla/ Netscape still has the resources to respond to such needs as PNG, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) HTML updates, and so on). The PNG format is not brand new, and the fact that you probably haven't heard much about it is a testimony to the fact that it's not very widely used - yet. In fact, the PNG format is in wide use as a so-called intermediate format, used in some Web site development, and in software user interface development environments. PNG viewers exist for virtually every popular computing platform available over the past few years. Even the now-dead (but still used) Atari platform sports a couple of robust viewers and PNG file conversion utilities. Windows, Mac, BeOS, NeXTStep/ OpenStep, OS/2, Acorn, and Amiga all provide varying support for the PNG format, with Windows and Mac software leading the way. MGI Software Corp. uses PNG as an intermediate graphic format during development of its PhotoSuite II & III user interfaces and template content; the result is superb and you can also use PhotoSuite II & III to save and convert PNGs. First and foremost, PNG: The Definitive Guide provides non- programmers, programmers, graphic artists, web site designers and user interface designers, with a wealth of information. The information itself is invaluable in deciding whether or not to bother with PNG in any capacity. The book certainly makes a strong case for using PNG, and provides straightforward comparisons to other popular graphic exchange formats including GIF, JPEG, and TIF. Second, although no less important, the book defines the best uses for PNG-based graphics, referring specifically to intermediate use. What that means for graphic designers of all stripes is that PNG, a format which uses lossless compression, can be saved and re- saved without loss of quality (unlike even the highest quality setting for the JPEG format). This factor is especially important when graphic designs are being exchanged across a network, for review and approval purposes. While PNG may never be a format suitable for printed output, it will always be a reasonably good, small-size format, making it excellent for low-impact exchange across Intranets and other networks. As anyone who has ever had to send large TIFs or PSDs by e-mail can attest, smaller is better. The same is true for internal networks and Intranets; loading a corporate network with large, bandwidth hogging graphics is always going to earn the unrelenting ire of some harassed network manager. Third, and perhaps most important of all, Greg Roelofs defines PNG as a poorly supported format. While extremely useful and potentially robust enough for a variety of worthwhile applications, PNG does not enjoy the widespread platform support needed for a format to gain general acceptance as a major player. With features in the PNG format such as selective transparency, cross-platform color consistency (through gamma correction as part of the format specification), excellent lossless compression characteristics, fast save palette, and a very small footprint, you'd think that PNG would be in use all over the place. Unfortunately, the two biggest needs for any Web and intermediate graphics format eager to gain widespread recognition and use are absent: browser portability and editor portability. Simply put, browser and editor portability are defined as widespread support for full format viewing in all browsers, and full format editing capability in all major graphics editors. You might think these sorts of requirements are 'no-brainers', but the truth is that supporting all the internal features of any graphic file format demands a lot of engineering at the application level, and in the case of PNG is not simply a matter of adding another plug-in to Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Adobe PhotoShop, etc. There are a few full feature professional editors which partially support PNG either through native application revisions or plug-ins. These include Macromedia Fireworks 1.0 & 2.0, Adobe ImageReady, and Adobe PhotoShop. With Internet Explorer PNG support stagnating, it is unlikely that PNG will find a solidly placed position on the WWW. But PNG seems tailor-made as a robust, portable format for software user interface design (especially considering the number of applications which are being built on top of HTML/DHTML browsers, and Java). Stronger browser support for PNG should make sense to all browser makers (especially Microsoft). Greg Roelofs has put together a well-written, comprehensive and easy to understand tome on PNG. User interface and Web designers would do well to read the book and then take some time to demand wider support for this excellent, intermediate, graphic file format. Cons: There are none. Pros: Greg Roelofs can write. The book is well organized. Many books of this type are far too dry to be of the greatest possible use. This is a reasonably good read even for those with just a casual interest in graphic file formats. The book is thorough, providing a complete compendium for casual users, designers, and programmers. For anyone interested in PNG, it's a must-read. Published by O'Reilly & Associates Authored by Greg Roelofs PNG: The Definitive Guide Product Web site: http://design.oreilly.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy PNG: The Definitive Guide at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - about $26.36 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565925424/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11=> Product: Year 2000 Detect & Correct, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:howardcarson@home.com Requires: Any computer running DOS (386/33, 640K RAM, 1.44MB floppy drive), Windows 3.1 (486/66, 16MB RAM), Windows 95/98 (486DX66, 16MB RAM) MSRP: US$29.95 Parsons Technology has been offering software solutions for home and business since it began developing and selling MoneyCounts(R) in 1984. By 1988, Parsons Technology had grown to a staff of 13 people and a customer base of more than 40,000. Intuit, Inc. bought Parsons Technology in 1994. In 1997, Intuit spun Parsons Technology off to Broderbund Software. When The Learning Company bought Broderbund in 1998, Parsons Technology became part of The Learning Company's vast holdings. The Learning Company Inc. is the largest privately owned developer and marketer in the U.S. of educational and reference software for consumers and schools. It is a massive organization which owns Broderbund, Mindscape, Creative Wonders, SkillsBank, Compton's, Banner Blue, The Pleasant Company, SSI and Red Orb, and Parsons Technology among other software brands. We used Year 2000 Detect & Correct to test three different computers: 1) a DOS 6.0 box sporting an Intel 386SX/33MHz processor (remember those?) and 16MB RAM, 2) a 486DX/66MHz machine with 32MB RAM running Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, and our workhorse Pentium II/400 with 128MB RAM running Windows 98. Installation was flawless on all three machines. Year 2000 Detect & Correct checks your PC's Real Time Clock, CMOS, and BIOS for year 2000 compliance, including a leap year test. The only problem reported during the PII test was that the CMOS century did not roll from 19 to 20. Unfortunately for Year 2000 Detect & Correct however, the CMOS in that PII actually does roll the century from 19 to 20 (this machine underwent a Y2K test the week after it was delivered to us in March of this year, and passed with flying colors). We have no idea exactly what problem Year 2000 Detect & Correct was actually reporting, but it certainly wasn't a problem with this particular CMOS. To be safe, we ran Check 2000 PC, and Norton's utility. Neither utility reported a CMOS problem. The Parsons Technology web site explains that "after [the] diagnosis, you get a full report explaining any problems or confirming PC compliance." In use however, the Year 2000 Detect & Correct explains very little. Supposed problems are reported by the test routines, and you're told that Year 2000 Detect & Correct will fix them. But you're never told how the fix will be accomplished. For our supposed CMOS problem, the Year 2000 Detect & Correct documentation states that "the Year 2000 Monitor will correct this problem automatically the first time the system is booted in the year 2000." But the documentation doesn't say HOW the Year 2000 Monitor will fix the problem. Cons: The retail price of $29.95 is outrageous. Utilities like this are always a momentary diversion at best, but at $29.95 the only thing that's going to be diverted is money from your pocket. In our opinion, this is nothing more than five dollar shareware, and The Learning Company should know better than to take advantage of consumers' Y2K worries with overpriced nonsense. Year 2000 Detect & Correct provides data which does not agree with the computer system manufacturer's data, and test reports from competing Y2K testing products. So which data is correct? The Year 2000 Detect & Correct online help system is no help whatsoever; it explained that our supposed CMOS problem would be fixed automatically by Year 2000 Detect & Correct, but it did not explain how that would be accomplished. This kind of non-explanatory silliness in the face of Y2K excitement is completely unacceptable. Pros: If you're really worried about some Y2K catastrophe, Year 2000 Detect & Correct might be another tool in the detection arsenal. There are many other utilities in this product category as well however. Parsons Technology (a division of The Learning Company) Year 2000 Detect & Correct Product Web site: http://www.parsonstech.com +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net Assistant Editor: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Assistant Editor: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Archives: ftp://ftp.compunotes.com/pub/archive Website: e-mail: mailto:notes@compunotes.com Want to Write for Us?: mailto:writers@compunotes.com fax: (314) 909-1662 voice: (314) 909-1662 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CompuNotes is: Available weekly via e-mail and on-line. We cover the PC computing world with comprehensive reviews, news, hot web sites, great columns and interviews. We also give away one software package a week to a lucky winner for just reading our fine publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we are here to bring you the computing world the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us! CompuNotes B440 1114 West Essex Ave. St. Louis, MO 63122 notes@compunotes.com (C)1999 Patrick Grote ISSN: 1525-4534