From: "pgrote@inlink.com" Subject: CompuNotes Issue #64 To: COMPUNOTES-L@eva.dc.LSOFT.COM Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= |-=>CompuNotes<=-| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing January 17, 1997 Issue 64 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@inlink.com Assistant Editor: Writer Liaison: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Graphics Editor, Webmaster: Judy Litt mailto:jlitt@aol.com Archives: ftp://ftp.uu.net/published/compunotes/ Website: http://users.aol.com/CompNote/ email: notes@inlink.com fax: (314) 909-1662 voice: (314) 909-1662 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> Product of the Year Voting! 2=> This Week's Winner! Columnists' Corner: 3=> Product of the Year Voting Form! Reviews: 4=> Product: Using Microsoft Explorer 3.0 Special Edition by Que Publishing, Reviewed By: Patrick Grote, mailto:pgrote@inlink.com, MSRP: $49.99 with CDROM 5=> Product: Shattered Steel Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 6=> Product: Terminal Madness, Que Publishing, Reviewed By: Patrick Grote, mailto:pgrote@inlink.com Web Site: 7=> Gamespot Interview: => None this issue. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CompuNotes is: Available weekly via email 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! CompuNotes B440 1315 Woodgate Drive St. Louis, MO 63122 notes@inlink.com +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= SYSOPS READ HERE! We want to make CompuNotes available on as many BBS as possible. Sysops who volunteer upload this newsletter to their BBS as a ZIP file will be listed in our sysops directory shipped with each newsletter. We'll also link to your website. If you are interested, fill out the following lines and return them to notes@inlink.com with SYSOPS as the subject. After processing this, we'll send you a weekly UUEncoded version of CompuNotes. BBS NAME: BBS SYSOP: BBS NUMBER: URL: +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send this email to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send this email to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Patrick's Notes 1=> Products of the Year! Enclosed in this issue you'll find our best of the year ballot form. Please take a few minutes and vote for those products you would like to see win! We'll post the results in about a month! 2=> Winner! This week's winner is oscar.super.zippo.com! Send them a congrats message mailto:oscar.super.zippo.com! 3=> Product of the Year Voting Form! mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com CompuNotes Software of the Year Awards, 1996 There was a lot of great software that came out in 1996, and we'd like to give you the chance to reward those that were the cream of the crop. I've compiled a list of nominees in 8 categories for you to select from. All of these nominees were software titles that were reviewed by CompuNotes and appeared in CompuNotes issues starting with Issue 26 and Issue 61, all of which were published in 1996. After the list of nominees is a short form which you can cut and paste into an email message to send back to me - simply fill in your selection for each category. The product with the most votes wins it's category; the product with the most overall votes also wins the "Overall Product of the Year" prize. Write-in's are allowed but are limited to software that we reviewed during 1996 - for example, the review of Quake is forthcoming, so Quake will appear among the list of nominees for 1997. Please do not vote more than once! This isn't because it would be "wrong" but simply because I expect to be getting a large volume of replies and multiple messages from the same person won't help matters. Voting ends effective one month from today. Thanks, and thanks for being such great readers! If you'd like to know what issue the product was reviewed in, check out the CompuNotes Archives Database at http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/dr2web/compnote (a JavaScript enabled browser is required). -Doug Reed, Associate Editor mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com -=>Category: Business Application Microsoft Office 95, Professional Edition WordPro96 AskSam Pro 3.0 DacEasy Accounting ABC Graphics Suite -=>Category: Internet Application HotMetal Pro 2.0 HTML: The Definitive Guide Website Professional Digiphone Deluxe Net Chameleon -=>Category:Utility Norton Navigator for Windows 95 WinProbe95 WinShield95 WinZip 6.2 Norton NT Tools -=>Category: Communications Procomm Plus 3.0 LapLink 7.5 Delrina CommSuite95 PC Anywhere32 -=>Category: Game Warcraft II Mechwarrior II Civilization II Zork:Nemesis MissionForce:Cyberstorm Descent II Steel Panthers -=>Category: Educational Encarta '95 Mathemagics Complete Guide to Gardening Mighty Math Numbers Heroes Discovery: Ocean Planet Healthy Cooking Deluxe -=>Category: Programming Symantec Cafe Visual C++ 4.0 Perl 5 Desktop Reference Visual Basic 4.0 The Java Programming Language by Ken Short and James Gosling -=>Category: Reference Complete User's Survival Guide The Corner Drug Store When You Can't Find Your Unix Systems Administrator Dictionary of PC Hardware and Terms CompuNotes Awards -1996 mailto: Doug Reed, dr2web@sprynet.com Business Application: Internet Application: Utility: Communication: Game: Educational: Programming: Reference: 4=>Product: Using Microsoft Explorer 3.0 Special Edition Reviewed By: mailto:pgrote@inlink.com MSRP: $49.99 with CDROM If you are a regular reader of CompuNotes, and I hope you are, you have noticed we review quite a few books. We've made a conscious effort to seek out the best books that can help people get the most of their computer investments. We only review books that can have an immediate impact on you and how you use your computer. It is with that in mind I chuckled when we received the title Using Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0. I cleverly thought to myself, "How tough can it be to use a browser? I mean past pointing it where to go and how to deal with bookmarks there just isn't much left." As I started to read and peruse the 830 page tome I came to realize I was very wrong concerning my initial thought. Using Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 by Que is a SPECIAL EDITION. I know you have seen these huge. Black books sitting on the shelves begging you to buy them. As I started to read I noticed it kept touting itself as the most complete reference. This somehow made sense as the documentation you receive when you download Internet Explorer is the help file. As I got to the table of contents page I was impressed, almost too impressed. This book covers loading IE3, configuring IE3, searching for information, building a web site, downloading files, viewing web pages, using Front Page, Java, JavaScript, VBScript, ActiveX controls, VRML worlds, newsgroups, Microsoft Internet Information server, IE3 addins, real time voice, chat and much more. As if this wasn't enough, the book includes a CDROM that features examples of everything listed above. One minor point is the CD isn't autorun. With this Windows95 feature being so new user friendly you would think they would have made this happen. As you read the book you'll be impressed with the layout. The first page of the chapter notes what is covered in the coming pages. If you look on the right hand side of the pages there is any easy to use tab marking system. This is a boon when you jump from page to page. Caution notes are shaded for easy to recognize importance and web addresses are bolded for easier reading when you are typing them. The book is written in easy to understand language, but it isn't geared towards beginners. It is geared towards someone who has experience with the Internet. The actual usage of IE3 is explained in the first 200 pages or so. It is very complete and demonstrates the power of IE3. Take for instance Word documents. If you view a Word document on a web site or FTP site the controls for Word pop up. I didn't know that feature existed . . . As we all know well, IE3 isn't alone in the world. The book does a good job explaining Internet Mail and Internet News and their usage. They missed a few features that are in the latest releases of these programs, but 90% of what the programs can do is covered. Moving onto creating your own web page, you'll be very satisfied with the prose. Really, a book inside a book, the sections dealing with web page creation are fantastic. The supplemental items on the CDROM give you all the tools you need to create your own web site. The Java, JavaScript and VBScript chapters didn't appeal to me at first as I am not a programmer. I found myself engrossed as the chapters did more than introduce someone to the programming aspects. The chapters explained and showed with graphics the impact these technologies could have on a web site. By showing a before and after you really see the difference the technology makes. As you make your way to the appendix section you are in for a treat. The appendix covers installing IE3 for Windows 3.1 and a detailed listing of what is on the CDROM! Using Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 from Que is a must have for any serious user of Internet Explorer 3. You will save time, learn more and have more fun on the Internet! 5=> Product: Shattered Steel Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: 486/66, 8 MB RAM, 2x CDROM Reviewed On: 486/66, 12 MB RAM, 2x CDROM Fans of games featuring mecha (giant human-piloted robots) have had a lot to cheer about the last couple of years. First there was the much- anticipated release of Mechwarrior 2, followed this summer by the release of EarthSiege 2. Now Interplay and Bioware have teamed up to forge a new entry into the genre, Shattered Steel. Even though this is Bioware's first game, it hold out a promise of great things. Shattered Steel does have a few flaws, but is still a gem worth possessing. The game is set in a future where governments have disappeared and mega- corporations rule the day by strip-mining worlds for their natural resources. To protect their resources they have created planet-runners, one-manned robotic machines that carry the firepower of twentieth- century battleships. Planet-runners (simply called Runners) are the same as the 'Mechs in Battletech and the Hercs in Earthsiege. The player is a mercenary in the employ of the Mach-Shearing corporation, which has recently had some problems on the remote world of Lanios 3. Upon landing on Lanios 3, the player quickly realizes that this is no raid by a rival corporation; instead the colonists and miners on Lanios 3 have run into alien beings of untold power... As evidenced from the storyline, the game is set in a dark, "Alien"- esque environment. The game comes with fifty solo missions and a number of missions designed for multiple players. Shattered Steel can be played over modem or LAN, or using KALI, over the Internet. Besides the inevitable anarchy and team modes in multi-player games, players can choose to play together to complete the campaign game. You can even play the campaign missions against another team - the other team plays the role of humans helping the aliens in their battles. Needless to say, these last two options provide some of the newest elements of multi- player game play - the idea of playing together as a team through a campaign. I haven't tried this yet, but I think it provides the coolest idea yet for first-person mecha action. Having played a few of the missions in the campaign game, believe me, you will need all the help you can get. This is one tough game to beat. Gameplay is simple to learn; the default setup uses the mouse and keyboard. If you've played X-Wing or Tie Fighter the principles are much the same; the player allocates power to the shields, weapons, and engine as needed while engaging the enemy. The mouse buttons fire the primary and secondary weapons, while various keys are used to move the Runner or twist the torso. Although there are a few keys to learn, the number of keys necessary to learn is far less than that of Mechwarrior 2 or Earthsiege. The emphasis is on the action, not on the mastery of the keyboard. Various types of Runners are available and can be loaded with both a primary and secondary weapon (primary weapons are lasers or cannons; secondary are ranged weapons like rockets and missiles). The variety of weapons are interesting - you go from the weak and ineffectual laser all the way to the tactical nuke. Prior to initiating a mission you are briefed with a 3-D wireframe map by ANIC, a futuristic computer that acts and sounds a lot like a certain computer in a very well known science fiction movie. You can also alter the load on your Runner, if you have acquired sufficient experience and salvage to do so. The graphics are the industry standard - beautiful. The landscape is gorgeous, even in the low-res mode on my 486. In most games of this sort, like Mechwarrior 2 or even Apache, where combat is on or low to the ground, I have trouble discerning subtle changes in angles until (usually) too late. Not so in Shattered Steel; here the ground effects seem very realistic and well done. Pop over a rise and surprise- there's the alien compound you were sent to investigate. Play your cards right and you can hide behind that rise, using to lure the overwhelming enemy force to their doom. Get used to the odds being overwhelming; in the third scenario alone I killed over 17 enemy targets and still failed. I mentioned it before and I'll mention it again; this game is a challenge to win at. The designers state specifically that this is intentional; the missions require a well laid out plan more than they do fast trigger action. Proper power allocation is only one of things you must master; hit and run tactics are a must in the early portion of the game for success. The cut scenes are also gorgeous, certainly up the industry par, introducing the player to the storyline without really letting you know what you are in for. It is these cutscenes that lead to the majority of problems that I had with this game. Shattered Steel can be played under Windows 95 or DOS; I installed and ran the game in Windows 95 because of problems with my CDROM. Specifically my CDROM, a 2x Sony, occasionally has problems with reading CDs, a problem with the drive and not the CDs themselves. In most games it simply stops and asks me to check the drive; at the start of Shattered Steel, however, it would always result in a fatal crash (in DOS). Running in Windows 95 was better, but I still have lots of problems with the game crashing during the opening movie. This wouldn't be a problem if you could skip the movie, but for some reason the designers in their infinite wisdom decided not to include that option. The movies are nice, but after a while they get old. Hopefully Bioware will fix this shortly, as it the most flagrant flaw in an otherwise great game. A patch is due to be released soon which will hopefully fix this problem as well as add a mission editor. That's correct - players will be able to create their own Shattered Steel missions. Given the depth of the universe provided- greedy mega- corporations and an alien species battling amongst one another, the possibilities are just about endless. Overall I like this game a lot, and would recommend it to all mecha fans or action game fans out there. A demo is available for a tryout, however, like most demos these days it is very large (7+ megs). Be forewarned that you will need VESA 2.0-compliant drivers to play the game; Scientific Display Doctor's excellent shareware Univbe drivers are included on the CD but you will have to pay to use them after the 21-day trial period expires. Bioware is very active in their support of the game; they have set up a mailing list for it and their response time to questions is very fast (24 hours or less). With the patch and mission editor, as well as the multiplayer options, this is a great game with lots of replayability. I'm giving it a conditional overall gold based on those features and the just plain fun that I had playing the game. A worthy opponent for all you freebirth clanners out there! Interplay Productions 16815 Von Karman Ave. Irvine, CA 92606 Ratings: Installation/Ease of Use: Silver User-Friendliness: Gold Quality: Gold User: action gamers and fans of big giant robots! 6=> Product: Terminal Madness, Que Publishing Reviewed By: Patrick Grote, mailto:pgrote@inlink.com MSRP: $9.95 OK, imagine you are in Las Vegas as a press member covering Comdex. You are one of 210,000 people trying to learn the latest about all the products. You get there in the morning, hustle as fast you can and try to hit all the vendors you have marked off for that morning! When lunch time rolls around you typically have two choices: 1) Waiting in line for the vendors inside the convention center or 2) Waiting in line for the vendors outside the convention center. Either way you wait and wait and wait and wait. As a member of the press we may have it a little easier when it comes to lunch, though. We have a room called the press room. At certain times dictated by phases of the moon and new product release dates from Microsoft, trays of snack food are brought out. As one of a few hundred press members your chances of hitting a dollar sandwich by the time the food is gone is slim. As your turn in line comes to the now empty food trays you can have a few Ritz crackers and a lime flavored water. Yeah! This year I was happy to receive an invitation to Lunch at Peiros. Basically a PR company representing twelve technology companies rented out a restaurant across the street from the convention center and offered lunch free to the press. The food wasn't the only draw, however, as you were able to receive demos and talk with representatives from the technology companies without having to elbow your way past fifty others. Nice. As we were waiting in line for the food I look over and see a familiar face signing books. Odd, I don't know any professional writers. Then it hit me, it was Judd, Judd from the Real World III on MTV. (For those of you who don't know, the Real World is a TV show about 7 strangers thrown together to live with each other for 4 months or so.) Judd was an aspiring cartoonist on the show and I was surprised to see him signing a cartoon book for the press. I went over, made a fool of myself while talking to him and got the book. I went back to the line for the food and tossed the book in my bag of literature. Later that afternoon the heavens seemed to have developed a leak and Las Vegas was nailed with rain. I mean a lot of rain for a town that never gets any. There were shuttle buses running from the convention center to your hotel. They were due to arrive at 3:00pm. As I stood at the uncovered loading point for the bus I started to anger as the minutes went by. 3:01, 3:03, 3:05. Ugh! As the bus arrived and we started packing in it was 3:10pm and I wasn't wet anymore. Any moisture that had soaked into my body was steamed off due to anger. I reached into my literature bag for that book by Judd. Finding it and the clever title of Terminal Madness, I began to read. By the fifth page I was laughing out loud. By the tenth page two rows of people were laughing with me when we read the cartoon where the farmer sends a cyber love message to the address farmlover@iquest.net. In the next panel you see a cow answering it . . . The book is filled with hilarious black and white cartoons describing people in hilarious positions with computers. Most are real life computer situations so that everyday people can relate not just computer professionals. For instance a woman hits the escape key and the computer sprouts legs and runs off her desk. Computer professionals shouldn't feel like they are missing out either. Computer professionals usually feel cocky about their skills, but one panel where Forest Gump says, "Retrieving lost files is like a box of chocolates ..." the computer professionals is knocked down a peg a bit and shouts, "Shut up Forest!" The art is well drawn and very understandable. The jokes are right on and hit the mark on every cartoon. Very rarely have I read a cartoon book and chuckled or laughed at every cartoon, but this one did it for me! If you're looking for a great laugh or for a book that can't miss as a present, you need to buy TERMINAL MADNESS by Judd Winick from Que Publishing. 7=> Site: Gamespot http://www.gamespot.com/ Type of Site: Entertainment / Games-related site Reviewer: Lex Raaphorst mailto:arpt@xs4all.nl Browser Used: IE 3.0 (M$) Browser Recommended by Site: none Enhancements/Plug-Ins Required: Java-applets Internet Connection Used: ISDN Load Time of Main Page during Peak Hours: Differs very much, once within 20 seconds another time I gave up after waiting more than 3 minutes. Load Time of Main Page during off-peak Hours: less than 10 seconds First something about the look of the main-site. It's designed for a 640x480 resolution, which is not common anymore nowadays. But I like it. People without a good monitor (or videocard) have no problems with it. At least I assume that everyone surfing the net has at least VGA. Another pro of this site is that they have a low-band version, which has less graphics. The site is fancy, but not too. This is what Gamespot claims to have on it's site: "Gamespot's home page, the most comprehensive gaming site on the Web, offering the most up-to-date reviews, features, demos, links, hints, cheats, and tech support on PC games available. Includes reviews of PC games, online games, PC gaming hardware and PC software and hardware contest giveaways". Now, I can tell you it's there indeed! Some things are only accessible when you're a member (talk about games, add reviews, contests). They do not tell if it's for free or not (-), but I took the risk and subscribed. Since I became member immediately and didn't have to give a credit-card number, I assume it's for free :). Okay, now it's time for the real contents. The main page is divided in 8 game-types (action, adventure, puzzle classics, interactive movie, role playing games, simulation, sports and --END OF ISSUE .