CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing June 20, 1998 Issue 120 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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 Columns: 4=> Big City Byte by Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Reviews: 5=> Product: 3D ULTRA PINBALL:The Lost Continent, game/arcade Reviewed By: Don Hughes,mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com 6=> Product: 7th Legion, game/strategy Reviewed By: William M Frazier, mailto:wfrazier@techline.com 7=> Product: The Complete Reference Windows NT 4 Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com 8=> Product: IBM ScrollPoint Mouse, peripheral Reviewed By: Danny Williams, mailto:danny@packet.net 9=> Product: Visual Developer VISUAL BASIC 5 Web Database Development by Carl Ganz, Jr., book/VB/database/Web Reviewed By: Song-Muh Jong, mailto:songmuh@mci2000.com 10=> Product: Microsoft Office 97 Programming With VBA for Dummies, book Reviewed By: Mike Gallo, mailto:gallomike@aol.com --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net None this week. 2=> Winner! This week's winner: 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Viagra Shows Us the State of the Web http://www.abcnews.com/sections/tech/FredMoody/moody56.html Windows 98 Benchmarks ... Don't Upgrade for Performance ... http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/win98_tests/index.html A Complete Review of Office Suites ... Gee, I Wonder Who Wins . . . http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Compare/Officesuites/index.html Dec is no longer ... we should all be a little sad . . . http://www.crn.com/dailies/weekending061298/jun11dig11.asp Is It Just Me or Should We All Be Scared About "Simple" Cable Breaks? http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctc927.htm Wouldn't that be Nutty if the Chinese Used Satellites We Provided Against Us? http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/12953.html 4=> Big City Byte by Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com WHERE OH WHERE IS THE SENSE? Microsoft(R) and Netscape(R) are not the only players in the browser market. Microsoft is not the only manufacturer to ever fight for exclusive territory. Joel Klein of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seems to be actually taking sides in the federal action directed at Microsoft; Klein has publicly favored Netscape. And why do 20 other states, led by state attorney general (AG) Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, appear to be promoting an antitrust policy separate from that of the United States? Regulation of commerce is a national responsibility in the U.S. (the issue was settled in 1789.) Nineteen months ago, Texas AG Dan Morales was the first state AG to begin investigating Microsoft. In November '97 he filed suit to void parts of Microsoft's contracts with computer manufacturers that he said were preventing the manufacturers from assisting his probe. The case was dismissed. But Morales still joined 20 other state attorneys general in preparing an antitrust suit against Microsoft. Shortly thereafter, Morales received a letter from the CEOs of a handful of Texas companies and dropped out of the suit. Dell, Compaq and CompUSA urged him not to bring a case that would harm an industry employing hundreds of thousands Texans. After Morales received a visit from Michael Dell (of Austin Texas-based Dell Computers, a Microsoft stalwart and one of Texas' largest employers), the AG announced in a prepared statement that "several officials of the Texas computer industry have expressed concerns that the filing of a lawsuit against Microsoft may negatively impact their companies as well as the consumers of the state." Here's the scorecard so far: Utah, the base of operations for Microsoft rival Novell(R), is an active participant in the states' suit. South Dakota, the base of operations for Microsoft ally Gateway(R), is not. The state of California, where Microsoft rivals Netscape, Oracle(R) and Sun(R) live, is an active participant. Washington state, where Microsoft lives, is not (at least that's what we think.) Washington AG Christine Gregoire has only ever stated that there was "no need" to duplicate the federal effort. What are the chief legal officers in each state doing? Are they administering the law? Do they even know the law? Or are they acting as corporate-driven proponents of the economic realities in their respective states? It's likely that the most significant initial outcome of all this litigation will be a massive wealth transfer. Tens of millions of tax dollars plus a measurable chunk of Microsoft's war chest will soon be safe and sound in the bank accounts of some of the biggest law firms on the planet. There are dozens of law firms and hundreds of lawyers involved. If the government and corporate players are really serious about legal and ethical issues, they should be concentrating on consumer advocacy matters. Any reasonable government (and any group of truly dedicated competitors) should have been hollering loud and long about the OS crashes and bugs in Microsoft products. Netscape's own original complaint is only slightly loony in light of the fact that the company still owns 60% of the browser market. If poor Netscape (and all its corporate cronies) really want a level playing field, they should be working towards heating up the competition against Microsoft, not hiding behind state and federal skirts and claiming an inability to compete. That's just plain lazy, especially in light of the fact that Netscape products could use some diligent bug fixing too. If Windows 98 turns out to be notably more stable than Windows 95, Microsoft could remain in the OS driver's seat for at least another ten years. With Windows NT5 slated to dominate the network OS market within the next 4 years, with MacOS occupying only 4% of the market (and losing ground) and with UNIX, Linux and a couple of other minor players occupying the rest of the available seats (generally static positions), there's little doubt that the very best efforts of the DOJ may have little effect on Microsoft's hegemony. Microsoft must become more responsive to the demands of it users (who are hollering for fewer bugs and greater stability) and the demands of its strategic partners (who are also hollering for fewer bugs and greater stability.) The operating principle will be: if Microsoft wants OS and software preeminence, it better prepare for the consequences of being the biggest target in sight. The government's and corporate detractors can carp and whine, but Microsoft and all its OS/Browser combinations are here to stay. As (private and business) consumers, our responsibility is to hound Microsoft into providing a superbly reliable OS, superbly reliable applications, unassailably ethical business conduct and responsive support. Anything less is completely unacceptable. We need to demand far more intelligence from everyone concerned: government and business. They're all living the high life with our money after all. 5=> Product: 3D ULTRA PINBALL:The Lost Continent, game/arcade Reviewed By: Don Hughes,mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com Requirements: Windows 95/3.1, 486/66, 8MB RAM (Win 95) 12MB RAM (Win 3.1) 2x CD ROM Preferred: Pentium 16MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM, Windows compatible sound cards and game pads Price $42.95 Sierra's 3d Ultra Pinball "The Lost Continent" is a cross between an adventure and a pinball game. The play zone soon fuses together the user and the story. Success or failure of the hero "Rex Hunter" is directly linked to the skill of a player. The quickness of the animation and the games graphics are visually stunning, and the best of any pinball game I ever seen. The test system for this was a Pentium 166 MMX, 32MB system ram, ATI 3D Xpression video card with 4MB of ram, an 8X CD-ROM, and Window 95. To install the game, you just insert the CD-ROM, and close the door--CD Autoplays in Win95. Next the setup screen for the game will appear and all the end user has to do is follow the screen prompts. Installation takes about thirty minutes to complete, including installing the five other demos packed on the CD-ROM. The installation also prompts you to register the game on-line with Sierra. The additional game demos on the CD are: You Don't Know Jack, Ultra Mini-Golf, and 3D Ultra pinball games 1 and 2 and Trophy Bass fishing. If you have the hard drive space you can install the all the demos or just click "NO" when install requests user input. To quote Sierra On-line' s web site promo on 3D Ultra Pinball, The Lost Continent: An all-new and challenging design from the same designer that made 3-D Ultra Pinball 1 and 2 the most popular and best-selling computer pinball games of all time. Gameplay has been totally revamped to challenge the most skilled players, yet still be remain fun and accessible for the beginning player. A unique layout that actually puts you in the story. Rex's success or failure is controlled by how well you play. Help him fight off dinosaurs or cross perilous pits. As you help him through each scene, he moves on to bigger and more exciting challenges. After loading the Lost Continent, the main menu appears and the first thing you will see is six graphic icon's placed on a sand beach. Here the player can select Play Pinball, Practice, High Scores, Preferences, Help, and Exit. There are three major game adventure parts to 3-D Ultra Pinball; The valley Ruins, The Lost Temple, and Heckla's Chambers: The Valley Ruins Level 1: The Valley of Mystery Objective: Hit the required sequence of targets that will allow Rex, Mary, and Professor Spector to advance to either of two following levels. Level 2: Woeful Waters Objective: Raise the Flood Gate and allow the water to drain so Rex, Mary, and Professor Spector can safely cross. Level 3: Neeka's Rescue Objective: Kill the swooping Pterodactyls and allow Rex to rescue the native beauty, Neeka, from peril. Level 4: Jungle Fever Objective: Hit the required sequence of targets that will allow Rex to hack his way through the dense jungle and on to the next level. Level 5: T-Rex Attack Objective: Hit the cave in the cliff while avoiding the Tyrannosaurus Rex, or kill T-Rex to advance to the next level. Level 6: The Colored Chasms Objective: The gang must make their way through the colored chasms. Note the color immediately in front of Rex's path. Then clear out the barriers that block that color's portico. Then hit the portico to advance Rex. The Lost Temple Level 1: The Entrance Hall Objective: Hit the required sequence of targets that will allow Rex, Mary, and Professor Spector to advance to either of two following levels. There's also some side action with moving Rex across a rope strung at the top of the Temple. Level 2: The Walls of Doom Objective: Rex, Mary, and the Professor are in a "tight" spot. A combination of shots on the Light Targets, Alcove Saucers, and the Center Loop, in a specific sequence, completes the events required to save them. Level 3: The Temple Guards Objective: Start Rex's Walk and move him successfully past the Temple Guards. Level 4: The Labyrinth Objective: Hit the proper sequence of targets to successfully move Rex through the Labyrinth on the right. Level 5: The Stegosaurus Objective: Lure the Stegosaurus away from the mouth of the cave with food so Rex and the others have an escape path. Hit the Bumpers to light up the fruit trees, then hit any available T-Rex Saucer. Heckla's Chambers Level 1: Heckla's Lab Objective: The Lab houses Heckla's Morphing Machine, which he uses to turn people into prehistoric monsters. In fact, Neeka soon becomes a casualty and Mary may follow unless Rex can escape the Lab and figure out rescue plans. The Ramps and Overload Lights are the keys to shutting down Heckla's machine. Level 2: The Robot Factory Objective: Hit the robot crossing the lab floor, then hit the Booth Saucer to start the Robot Attack. Rex must kill all of the advancing robots to move on. Level 3: Devilish Devices Objective: Hit the Light Towers to charge up the Super Laser Assimilator Cannon (SLAC) and fire it at the "dinosaurs." Level 4: Behold the Dinobot! Objective: Use good timing and skillful shooting to allow Rex to board the mechanical Dinobot and head for his final stand with Heckla. Level 5: Heckla's Final Stand Sorry. Because of the sensitive nature of the technology that was discovered inside this level, the developers of this game have decided to classify this level as TOP SECRET!!! There are ways, however, to discover more details. The player is automatically advanced to other levels in the game as their skill and game score increases. The action, sounds, and animated displays in this addictive game soon entangle the Lost Continent player. The Sierra 3D Ultra Pinball program has functioned appropriately and worked without any errors encountered to date. The game has performed beyond my exceptions and the graphics, sound, and animation are first class. I highly recommend if you purchase this game, you also purchase a game-pad to save wear and tear on your keyboard. Included in the software package is a "Quick Reference Game Card" for the; Gravis Grip, Microsoft Sidewinder, and ThrustMaster games pads. The keyboard can also be used instead of a game pad: The Control, and Shift keys run the Left & Right Flippers, Down Arrow is the Plunger, Spacebar & Z & / keys nudge the table, and Pause & P keys pause the game. The mouse can also be used as a control device using the left & Right Buttons for the flippers, and both mouse Buttons for the plunger. However, with current prices of game pads less then $50.00 and their ease of use, they are the best control device to use with this pinball game--most other games also have a game pad control settings. Once the installation was completed and we started to review the game, and realized the stress the keyboard was under, it was not long before we purchased the Gravis game pad for our system. The game pad comes with Window 95 setup software, which made the installation and testing a breeze. The game is brimming with background movements of prehistoric dinosaurs, cavemen, and large winged creatures. The five extra demos, Sierra placed on the CD are limited to one level, but allow the end user to test drive and evaluate extra programs. You can download demo software from Sierra Online's web site http://www.sierra.com, should you want to test drive 3D Ultra Pinball the Lost Continent. If you like pinball, but want something, just a bit out of the ordinary, then you must try this Adventure/Pinball game. Sierra on-line Inc. Web Site http://www.sierra.com 6=> Product: 7th Legion, game/strategy Reviewed By: William M Frazier, mailto:wfrazier@techline.com Requirements: Windows 95, Pentium 100 or faster, DirectX compatible video and sound cards, 16 MB of RAM, CD-ROM drive. Recommended: highspeed Pentium, 32 MB of RAM Reviewed On: 200 MHz Pentium Pro, 48 MB RAM. MSRP: $39.95 7th Legion is the latest addition to the strategy/action genre, long dominated by Command and Conquer and the Warcraft series. Like all such games, 7th Legion comes with a story to set up the action. Conveying an environmental twist, 7th Legion presents the premise that centuries of overpopulation and unconscionable consumption has brought the Earth's ecosystem to the edge of collapse. With the Earth beyond redemption, governments and corporations set up the Planetary Evacuation Program (P.E.P.) to transport the Earth's inhabitants to safety on interstellar bio-colonies. As the time for departure approached, it became clear that only a small portion of the planets occupants could be saved. A selection lottery system was implemented, but like all such systems, the elite were chosen first. Although thousands of those not chosen tried to join the exodus, they were slaughtered by the P.E.P military escort troops. As the shuttles departed, billions were left behind to either perish or live by their wits. Centuries later.... With a significant percentage of the population removed from the Earth by the P.E.P., and billions more dying from famine and disease, the Earth was able to recover. The survivors eventually split into seven legions, all vying for political and military control of the Earth and its resources. The P.E.P. and those who were chosen for survival are cloaked in myth and legend. The most enduring legend predicts the Returning, when the Chosen will return to claim the Earth as their own. The Returning will be preceded by three signs. The first is one day and night of continual daylight. The second is a day and night of darkness. The final sign is the rain of fire. The signs have begun to appear and the seven legions must now unite to fight the Chosen, or lose all. A nice story, in a green sort of way. But what about the game? 7th Legion requires a hefty system if you want decent performance. Figure on a Pentium 100 with 16 MB of RAM as a minimum, although 32 MB of RAM would probably be preferable. The program installed without any problems. Since my system had an old version of Microsoft's DirectX software I was given the option of upgrading to version 5.0. This is a must do upgrade. 7th Legion begins with the action/strategy genre, removes the tedium of gathering resources , and adds a new twist. You are no longer required to mine the earth for gold or chop wood in the forest to build your infrastructure. In 7th Legion you get paid automatically, just like in a real army. You start off with a set amount of cash to begin building your base. Additional money is added automatically at set time intervals, depending on your rank. You can get additional money by accomplishing mini-missions assigned throughout the game, or by discovering money power-ups on the map. Unique to 7th Legion is the introduction of Battle Cards. Each side is dealt a random combination of up to five Battle Cards prior to the mission. Skillful use of Battle Cards can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but beware, the enemy can devastate your army just when you think you have things under control. If you run into an infestation of enemy units about to cream your men, play the Blizzard card. You will freeze the enemy in place and be able to shatter them with a single shot. Want to scout the area ahead without risking your units? Play the Blast Fog card, removing the fog of war. Like Warcraft and Command and Conquer, 7th Legion also includes indoor missions. Anyone familiar with action/strategy will recognize this portion of the game. You wander around a maze, blasting any enemy forces that move. The graphics of these missions are different from the outdoor missions, and well done. Unfortunately, once you've played one indoor mission, the rest seem repetitious. In fairness to Microprose, I don't care that much for the indoor missions of Warcraft or Command and Conquer either. I like 7th Legion. There are lots of different types of units with different capabilities. You can create ground troops, armored vehicles, and robot-assisted units. Getting the right mix of units for a given situation takes a certain amount of trial and defeat before you get it right. For instance, you need armor and rapid fire robots to repel an all out enemy invasion. When attacking an enemy base, you should have longer range rocket robots assisted by long range armor, with short range heavy armor for close in defense. The game is missing a couple of obvious components. Although many of the mission maps include areas of water, there are no naval units. Flying units were also omitted. There are a couple of negatives that have to be mentioned. The worst problem with this game is the mouse control and screen scrolling (also a mouse function). Scrolling is jerky at best, and selecting and controlling units is often difficult. You do get better with practice, but it shouldn't be this hard. There is a web site at http://www.7thlegion.com devoted to the game. These problems are mentioned on the message board at the site, with the promise of a patch mentioned. Unfortunately, this promise was made at least 3 months ago. The message board at the site seems to be a one way street, with many people asking questions and making comments, but no answers flowing back. Finally, I think the artificial intelligence engine controlling the enemy could be improved. It seems like the enemy units usually just wander around the map, blasting at your units when they get in range. There seems to be very little in the way of intelligence or strategy involved. Another problem I noticed occurred when I tried to start the game without inserting the CD-ROM in the drive. The game interface came up normally but the only option available was to play a Multi-player Game. The New Game and Load Game options were grayed out. I restarted the game 3 or 4 times without a clue as to what was wrong. Finally I spotted the CD-ROM lying on the desk and realized what the problem was. It would have been helpful if the game interface let me know that the CD-ROM needed to be in the drive. Should you buy this game? It's hard to say. If you're a die-hard action/strategy junky, I'd say go for it. The outdoor battle missions are a kick, the new types of units are fun to experiment with, and the Battle Cards add an element of anything can happen. For anyone else, the game needs to be refined and improved before I would recommend it. Microprose http://www.microprose.com 7=> Product: The Complete Reference Windows NT 4 Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com Price $39.99 USA /$57.95 CAN The Complete Reference to Windows NT 4 is a large 744-page user guide that takes you from the early beginnings of NT, setting up your system, then on to Diagnosing and Troubleshooting. The book is broken down in six parts, which contain twenty-six chapters covering the NT operating system in depth. The author convivially uses icons on the side of a page to indicate a Reminder, Note, and a box section for a mini-glossary. Mini-Glossaries are placed intuitively throughout to explain any complex terms one might encounter reading the book. The author also use many diagrams and screen captures to aid the reader in applying techniques in the book to real life situations. In chapter Seventeen, the NT Registry system, and its components are explained in detail: Under the older 16-bit versions of Windows, booting the system with preconfigured parameters, retrieving user preferences, setting up the network and application initialization values, and loading custom startup involved reading this data from multiple configuration files (usually called .INI files). These files were specific to the operating system component, or application, that used them.... With NT (and partially in Windows 95, which we'll talk about shortly), the operating system and most applications store, retrieve, and use their configuration information by referencing only one file, in one location--the Registry. The registry is divided into sections called hives. This curious name comes from the early days of NT 3.1 development, when these parts of the Registry were so named because, purportedly, one of the developers thought of their structure as existing much like the individual cells within a beehive, or honeycomb. The preceding text is a prime example of how the author takes a complex subject such as the Registry, and converts it into simple English. The Complete Reference to Windows NT 4 is targeted for the skill level of every user. Although the text is easy reading, the book is a bit too large and heavy for use as a hand held text. Because of the book size and weight, you will soon find yourself placing this text on a table or desktop. The book has six parts that lead the user though the various topics: Part I Getting Started, Part II Analyzing NT's Architecture, Part III Learning the Basics, Part III Connecting with Windows NT, Part IV Inside Windows NT, Part V For Programmers and Power Users, and Part VI Internet and Intranet Functionally. Part III for example contains chapters eleven to thirteen, Covering topics from Networking with TCP/IP, Configuring DCHP, and WINS, to setting up the Remote Access Service. Another nice feature of The Complete Reference is Appendix A: Diagnosis and Troubleshooting. The author Griffith Wm. Kadnier, and the publisher Osborne McGraw-Hill, has produced what can only be described as an superior reference guide for Windows NT 4. They have effectively produced a text not just for the beginner, or an intermediate, or advanced NT user, but for every user. This book is loaded with insight into Windows NT 4. Users or students currently working with Windows NT 4 or the computer curious who want to advance their knowledge of this operating system, will find this great reference work book a welcome addition to their collection. The Complete Reference to Windows NT 4, will not be left sitting on the bookshelf collecting dust, as this is one book that will sit within reach of your keyboard and used as a valuable resource. Publisher Osborne, McGraw-Hill 8=> Product: IBM ScrollPoint Mouse, peripheral Reviewed By: Danny Williams, mailto:danny@packet.net Reviewed on: Pentium 60, 16 MB RAM, Windows 95 Requires: PS/2 style mouse port, Windows95 Street price: $69 in black; $61 in white IBM has built a thinner, lighter mouse; stuck a laptop "eraser" style pointer between the two major buttons; and and come up with a winner -- almost. I've gotten used to Microsoft mice, not by any specific choice, but because that's what always comes with the computers. I've had no complaints, although I did have a sore thumb for a while after they switched from the "dove bar" style to the current "bent" mouse. The newer "bent" mice feel heavier and since I tend to move the mouse with my thumb and ring finger only, I found my thumb getting sore. I had to learn how to mouse left handed for a while, but got used to it and wasn't bothered enough by it to go out and track down a lighter or easier to move mouse. Microsoft then came out with a clever trick - a wheel planted between the two buttons to make it easier to scroll up and down without moving the pointer to the scrollbars. Nice idea, but the limitations kept I from catching on around here - the wheel only works with MS Office 97 products and only scrolls vertically. I don't know about you, but my spreadsheets tend to run wide and I use lots of other applications besides MS Office. Thus the wheel goes unused around here. Enter the IBM ScrollPoint Mouse. The device is physically slightly smaller than the current MS Mouse - it is about as long, but not as thick or wide. The buttons slope more and the "heel" of the mouse, the part farthest from the cord, slopes very sharply to the desk. The body is straight and the buttons are the same size so it will work equally well for southpaws. The slight difference in physical size may make it more comfortable for women and children, although my wife and daughter noted no big difference between the new IBM mouse and the MS "bent" mouse it replaced. Installation is stone simple - plug it in, turn on the computer, run the setup program on the lone diskette. An optional system tray icon provides access to all the configuration options, but if you'd rather not have the icon in your tray, the control panel mouse icon does just as well. Although this mouse has what looks like laptop style pointing device (I'll call it the "stick"), but pointing is still done by moving the mouse body around just like any other mouse. Most clicking is still done with the two big buttons just like any other two-button mouse. Wheel style scrolling, however, is replaced by pushing the stick in the direction you wish to scroll. This works in ANY direction - up, down, to column YY on your spreadsheet, and even diagonally. The stick performs all the special MS Office 97 tricks like AutoScroll, Zoom, and DataZoom. It also works in any Windows program, unlike the competing wheel. I'm delighted to have this ability in my e-mail and browser without having to mess with an addon program like FlyWheel. The stick can also be clicked like a button, and all of the three buttons can be configured to perform any of a list of 47 different functions. You can, for example, set up the right button to access My Computer, the left button to do the normal select, and the middle button to work as a double-click. I think the most usable setup is leaving the left and right buttons alone (as "Click/Select" and "Context Menu/Alternate Select" respectively, like a two button Windows mouse normally behaves) and using a stick-click to perform the fancy stuff. The two fanciest tricks attempted by the IBM mouse are called Hyperjump & Cyberjump. These configurations can be selected for any of the mouse buttons, but I expect most commonly for the stick button. When enabled and the stick is pushed, a small square graphic box of actions pops up wherever the pointer happens to be at the time. When configured for Hyperjump and the stick is pushed (it must be pushed HARD by the way) like a button, the following commands are available in a box around the mouse pointer: Menu Minimize Close Recall Vertical Scroll Start Horiz Scroll Resize Menu pops up the File menu of the current application. Minimize puts the application in the taskbar. Close is equivalent to the little X in the upper right corner. Recall is like Alt-Tab and opens the previous window. Horizontal/Vertical scroll moves he pointer to and grabs the slider bar. Start pops open the Start menu. Resize moves the cursor to the lower right and grabs the resize handle. Cyberjump is similar, but is geared toward Internet surfing and presents the following menu block at the push of the configured button: Menu Bookmarks Add Bookmark Back Vertical Scroll Start Horiz Scroll Stop loading Bookmarks jumps to your browser's current bookmark list. Add Bookmark creates a new entry in your bookmark list. Back is the same as the Back button in your browser. Stop is the same as the Stop button in your browser. Theoretically this makes it easier to perform common tasks in Windows, but I found a few problems. The stick button is so hard to push that I kept scrolling off my page while trying to bring up the menus. I've also found that I'm familiar enough with the locations of the standard controls that it's faster to just go to the standard control than to push the button for the floating menu, then hit the correct button on that menu. I'll have to chalk this down to personal preference, but I just prefer using the standard Maximize, Minimize, Start menu, Bookmarks, Back button and such. I also found it inconvenient that were I to use the menus on a regular basis, I'd be constantly reconfiguring the mouse for the application in use at the time. You must configure the mouse for one menu or the other - it does not recognize whether you are in a browser or other application and select the appropriate menu automatically. This seems a major omission to not at least have automatic operation an option. Another omission I noted was a lack of configurability for the menu items. I might actually have used the stick-button menus if I could, for instance, set one to launch my e-mail program, one to launch the calculator in my systray, one to bring up a command prompt, etc. AS it is, you must live with the options presented and no other. Windows95 is currently the only operating system supported, and you must have a PS/2 style mouse - a serial mouse with an adapter will not work. Support is planned for Windows NT, Windows98 and OS/2. I expect this mouse will work as a basic mouse with any operating system that supports PS/2 style mice. I tested this mouse with FreeBSD and found it works fine as a plain PS/2 style mouse as far as movement and buttons, but of course the stick did nothing. At $60-something dollars, this mouse is a good value. It's a quality piece of hardware, and the built in scrolling for every application makes switching worth the hassle and cost. While I had not much use for the stick-menus, they do work as advertised and may be just what you are looking for. IBM http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/ibmhome/scrollpoint/ 9=> Product: Visual Developer VISUAL BASIC 5 Web Database Development by Carl Ganz, Jr., book/VB/database/Web Reviewed By: Song-Muh Jong, mailto:songmuh@mci2000.com Requirements: Visual BASIC 5, a browser, and some third-party tools MSRP: $39.99/$55.99 (USA/CAN) The Internet is becoming popular because of the World Wide Web. Browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer also open the possibilities of Intranets inside large corporations. More and more companies are making their databases Web-enabled for either the Internet or private Intranets. Microsoft's Visual Basic (VB) is now the leading Windows front-end database development tool. There is a growing need for using Visual Basic as a front end for databases on the World Wide Web. That's the need Visual Developer Visual Basic 5 Web Database Development tried to answer. This book covers SQL essentials, VB 5's database strategy, ODBC and Non-ODBC databases, VBScript, HTML basics, ActiveX and System Registry, Internet protocols and even the integration with Microsoft Office 97. The topics covered are very well laid out and progressive. Readers may want to read the first four chapters before jumping to other topics in the book randomly. Beginners who follow the chapters one-by-one will benefit from the logical plan of the author. The book starts out with a chapter on database design concept, followed by a chapter on the database structured query language (SQL). These two chapters should provide a sound review for basic database terminology. I believe that users from different backgrounds would appreciate this concise summary before jumping into the intricacies of VB and web terminology. The book then continues to discuss the Microsoft Jet Database Access Object (DAO) as used in VB, including the DBEngine object, the Workspace Object, the Database object, ... etc. The third chapter concludes with an example of using VB to open an Access database and examine all the tables, fields, and indexes within that database in a TreeView control. A full-scale sample application: The Student Registration System is then presented in the subsequent chapter. It introduces three tools to complement VB's database capabilities (demo versions included on CD), and discusses issues regarding security, transaction processing, multi-user, and replication. Error handling is discussed neatly in chapter 5. It covers VB's Err object, DBEngine's Errors collection, Error-trapping in VB, Error Handler customization, Error Routing, Error Logging, and Errors Outside of VB such as from Microsoft Word. The subsequent chapter (chapter 6) briefly discusses the use of ODBC databases such as Oracle and MS SQL Server. Chapter 7 discusses non-SQL databases such as xBase, Paradox, and Lotus/Excel files. Here, the author uses the third party solution: SuccessWare's Artemis (only the help file is included on CD). Another tool, Videosoft's VS-Awk (demo copy included on CD), is used to import ASCII data. Report writing is not part of the greatest strength of VB, and is usually done by third party tools such as Crystal Reports, Borland's ReportSmith, or R&R Report Writer. However, Carl advises not to use either VB's Printer object or the above-mentioned third-party products. Instead, he recommends VS-View from VideoSoft, Inc. in chapter 8 (demo copy included on CD), and provides examples of using that product. Data-driven programming is an advanced topic covered in chapter 9. Here, the author presents a sample program to handle user input at runtime and then ties it to database. He also introduces a third-party tool, The Sax Basic Engine (demo version included on CD), to work as a macro compiler. After all the above fundamentals, the book comes to the real gem: web page creation, HTML basics, VBScript, and using VB to program Internet Explorer objects in chapter 10; ActiveX programming in chapter 11; and Deploying databases on the web in chapter 12. Although these three chapters cover a lot of interesting topics related to web database programming, the sample codes are very scarce and patchy. Readers may feel that all the discussions are "touching the surface" only. I would love to see at least The last chapter is a welcome addition to this book. It discusses the integration of Microsoft Office 97 with the database programming, especially the interaction with Word and Excel. Also mentioned is the ODBC database SAS which is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. The VB development standards listed at the back of the book are useful guidelines for VB programmers. All the source codes are listed in the companion CD, as are the third party demos mentioned above. The companion CD also comes with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 and the VBScript documentation. These should save readers hours of downloading time from the Internet. This book covers everything you need to know about database and web page design. I found it to be a pleasure to read, providing many tips, tricks, and suggestions for creating and deploying databases on the web and beyond. Anyone who is serious about web database development should have a copy of this book on the shelf. More advanced readers may need to go to the web for more help. The Coriolis Group, Inc. http://www.coriolis.com 10=> Product: Microsoft Office 97 Programming With VBA for Dummies, book Authored by: Karen Jaskolka and Mike Gilbert Reviewed By: Mike Gallo, mailto:gallomike@aol.com Published by: IDG Books Worldwide (c) 1997 411 Pages MSRP: $29.99 I've done my fair share of complaining about how the size of PC applications have grown over the last few years. Microsoft is no champion either when it comes to efficiently sized code. However, with the introduction of Microsoft Office 97, some really fundamental changes have occurred. These are changes that require more hard disk space than ever, but space that is deserved. Microsoft has exposed at boatload of objects, properties, and methods in the office applications to the external world. Using the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) language, programmers can put together some truly powerful and useful applications utilizing a commercial product (Office) as the commercial foundation. Microsoft Office 97 Programming with VBA for Dummies is an introductory text for computer users not familiar with the Visual Basic for Applications programming language. Readers will discover in the introduction how Office 97 has (almost) unified the macro languages across all of the Office applications in the Office suite. Instead of having to learn macro languages specific to an application, Microsoft standardized all of its Office applications on the Visual Basic for Applications language. This is true for all the applications in Office 97 except for Access which still retains some specialized functionality of Access Basic. A whole chapter is dedicated to showing users where the Visual Basic code lives in your office application and how to get at it using the Visual Basic editor. Following that, readers learn the concept of objects in Office 97. The book walks readers through small examples of how to access functions (called methods)and properties that are associated with various objects. In fact it is not until the reader is more than halfway through the book until something more than a snippet line of code is really written. The book walks readers through each of the major Office 97 applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access. The book reviews some of the major objects in each application while reinforcing the notion that some objects (like application object) have some commonality across Office applications. These chapters are kind of like an appetizer, you get a taste of programming in each of the applications, but nothing too substantive. Other chapters are devoted to user dialog boxes, error trapping, debugging VBA programs, and real world programming examples. These include writing macros to automate search and replace of specific text in Word. Another example is writing a program to automatically generate a PowerPoint presentation from a simple text file. In an Excel example, the book shows readers how to develop a kinder user interface for pivot tables so users can quickly generate an Excel pivot table without having to use the wizard. Throughout the book, visual cues are used to draw the reader¦s attention to something of importance. One of the cues is the little pointed face nerd. This character is intended to warn the novice reader that technical information is going to be discussed and the very novice reader may want to skip over until enough knowledge is gained to understand the discussion. The book also comes with a companion disk with sample file that contain the code examples shown in the book so that the reader can follow along. I can't stress enough how basic (no pun intended) the book is. Readers are introduced to the concepts of constants, variables, functions, sub-routines, if-then statement, etc. If users have had ANY sort of programming experience, then this book may be too simple to be of any use. You only need to see an if-then statement once to know it basically works the same in all languages. It's tough to cover a lot of ground across all of the Office applications without ending up with a monstrously thick tome. Each Office application still has their share of specific objects and methods and properties that are unique to that application only. I think the authors attempted to make the best tradeoff in trying to give readers enough of a taste of each of the Office applications without printing too many pages. Some of the material near the end of the book seemed inappropriate for the novice user. This included material on migrating Office 95 VBA applications to Office 97 and the discussion on accessing the Windows API directly. Both of these topics would NEVER be tackled by a novice user. Overall, Microsoft Office 97 Programming with VBA for Dummies is a decent introduction to VBA programming. However, having to cover the introduction of basic programming, the concept of objects, along with a VBA review of each Office applications resulted in a book that compromised detail to achieve breadth. If users are truly a novice then, this book is an excellent non- threatening introduction. Otherwise, skip over to an intermediate level VBA book. IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. Web: www.dummies.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.uu.net/published/compunotes/ 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! 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