CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing ISSN: 1525-4534 June 28, 1999 Issue 153 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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, None this Issue, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Articles: 4=> The Well-Tempered Palm: "Protecting Baby", by Alex Lane, mailto:alex@galexi.com Reviews: 5=> Product: Bug!, game Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:howardcarson@home.com 6=> Product: Padlock-It, utility Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:robin@robinsnest.com 7=> Product: Norton AntiVirus 5.0, utility Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes.reviewcdn@home.com 8=> Product: PPPShar Pro and PPPShar Lite, utility Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com 9=> Product: Star Wars Episode I: Racer, game Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r Save Real Money with Computer Coupons! Print real coupons from your own computer. Free Membership Today! CLICK below to enroll for BIG savings from your favorite stores, restaurants, and travel companies. It's FREE and your privacy is guaranteed! Join over a million other smart shoppers and print real coupons from your own computer. New companies and new offers show up all the time. Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/cool.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 1=> CompuNotes Notes, None this Issue, mailto:pgrote@i1.net -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r Free Internet World Magazine Subscription! Internet World Magazine is The only source you'll need for your Internet business and enterprise activities...sign up for FREE right here! Internet World puts all the news into perspective -- and that saves you valuable time and gives you an edge on breaking trends and technologies. Regular features include: E-Commerce, Infrastructure, Web Development, and Industry, Plus columns from leading reporters and journalists. Don't miss it...sign up today! It's FREE for EVERYONE!!! Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/iw.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 2=> Winner! This week's winner: art_roberson@KCMO.ORG. 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Be ... The Cheap OS . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,38420,00.html?st.ne.fd.mdh.ni Yahoo! Owns your Geocities Work? http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,38463,00.html?st.ne.fd.gif.j Liddy Wants to Censor the Net at Libraries . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/20464.html Talk Radio Invades the Web . . . http://www.thestandard.com/articles/display/0,1449,5340,00.html?home.t f Coffee Protects from Radiation? http://www.newscientist.com/cgi-bin/pageserver.cgi?/ns/19990626/newsst ory3.html Linux vs. Windows NT ... Round 2 . . . http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,1015266,00.html The PC iMac? http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/StephenVanEsch/StephenVanEsch6.html Top UK Bank May Fail Y2K Test . . . http://www.techweb.com/news/story/TWB19990628S0019 -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r NEED MONEY FOR COLLEGE? Fastweb is the largest FREE scholarship search on the Internet, with more than 400,000 scholarships worth over $1 billion. Get accurate, updated information on scholarships, grants, and fellowships, all at absolutely no cost. And Fastweb is the only scholarship search service that allows students to apply on-line through the E-Scholarship program. Sign up now! CLICK BELOW!!! Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/fastweb.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 4=> The Well-Tempered Palm: "Protecting Baby", by Alex Lane, mailto:alex@galexi.com If you look at it a certain way, if you decide you can afford to spend a dollar a day on a device to help you in your work, help you plan your goals, and maybe even entertain you from time to time, then you can justify buying a new Palm about once every year, more or less. (Of course, you could look at it another way, and try to make one Palm last as long as possible, but I think it's not anywhere near as much fun. :^) In either case, though, between trips to the store, you'll surely want to protect your Palm from the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," that were observed and chronicled as far back as Shakespeare's day. Not quite that far back, but back in the days of PalmPilots that had no flip covers, units came packed with a black slip case that ostensibly protected the Palm's LCD screen. This was an altogether usable case, whose major disadvantage was clumsiness in getting the PalmPilot in and out, particularly without moving the contract control. The major advantage of the case (besides the fact it protected the screen) was that there was not the slightest temptation to store anything in there with your Pilot; no business cards, no cash, nada. You heard me right. You see, Palm cases typically provide a business-card-sized pocket on the flap that covers the LCD screen. This is supposed to be a product feature. However, unless you police this area constantly, I have found it will start of accumulate a motley assortment of business-card-sized pieces of paper. Eventually, this mass will become thick enough to force the flap to rub against the very same LCD screen, which is a Bad Thing. This is exactly what happened to me when my old Pro went traveling with me to Russia in a rugged case marketed by CaseLogic, and the result was a very slight, yet annoying abrasion on the unit's LCD screen. There's supposed to be a wonder fluid out there somewhere that can treat slight imperfections such as this; I haven't tried it (but I'd like to hear from anyone who has). Since then, I have a very strict rule: Nothing goes in the pocket. I can report that I have been sorely tempted to break this rule from time to time ("it's only one, itty-bitty piece of paper" says the voice in my ear), but I know where that road leads. While on the subject of the screen, you might want to consider protecting the Graffiti area from scratches that (in my opinion) will eventually appear unless you take scrupulous care to make sure no dust particles get caught between the screen's surface and the tip of your stylus - as they inevitably will. I do this with a piece of transparent plastic that's been cut from an old report cover and wedged in under the frame of the screen. The piece in my Palm is 7 cm wide and 2 cm high, and it does a dandy job of protecting my Palm III. I arrived at this solution in the wake of numerous scratches appearing in the Graffiti area of my first Pilot, culminating in a tiny gouge in that area that noticeably worsened character recognition. Others report success using Scotch Post-It brand tape flags, and similar materials in the Graffiti area. I experimented briefly with this alternative, but felt uncomfortable with the feel of the stylus against the tape (some like the tape because of the feel - go figure). Another commercial solution - the "WriteRight Screen Enhancement System" - entails adhering a sheet to the entire Palm screen. (As with most things in life, I suppose it's possible to damage one's Palm while trying to implement one of these protective measures. Work carefully, in a clean environment, don't exert a lot of force, and be vigilant: it's your Palm and your responsibility, not mine.) Back on the subject of cases, there are Palm users who feel no need for a case, being perfectly happy to carry a Palm III (or V) in their shirt pocket. I'm not one of them. I can't stand carrying around a "naked" Palm device, flip cover or no. Soon after buying my IIIx, I ditched the flip cover and went looking for a case. There is a large variety of cases out there, including high-end cases made of titanium with neoprene linings (about US$60, from RhinoSkin). Personally, I've used the Dooney & Bourke case (about $55, which I found it to be nice, but too thick), as well as the aforementioned CaseLogic case (rugged, but bulky), but finally settled on a plain-vanilla "slim leather carrying case" marketed by 3Com (about US$25). It holds my Palm in place with a piece of Velcro and accommodates an extra stylus. Of course, there is a pocket on the flap (with three credit-card-sized slots), and the flap is held closed with Velcro tab. It is not fancy, but it does the job for me. Cases in General (including Dooney & Bourke and 3Com): http://palmorder.modusmedia.com/P2/P2-casesandcovers.htm RhinoSkin: http://www.rhinoskin.com WriteRight Screen Enhancement System http://www.pygmy.com/wrscrn.htm -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r THE MOST REWARDING PAGE ON THE WEB. LITERALLY. Prolaunch launches you to a different web site which matches your interests PLUS you can earn "Launch Points" which are redeemable for frequent flyer miles, gift certificates and many other rewards. It's free. It's easy. It's private. And it pays...you! Sign up today at.... Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/plaunch.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 5=> Product: Bug!, game Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:howardcarson@home.com Requires: Windows(R) 3.1, 95 or 98; CPU: 486 DX2/66 MHz (Pentium(R) processor 75 MHz recommended), 8MB RAM, SVGA 256 colors or higher, 1 MB Video RAM, CD-ROM 2X, 8MB free hard drive space, Sound Blaster(tm) 16 or compatible sound card MSRP: US$12.99 Bug! is billed by Expert Software(R) as a "gnat-brained animated hero" who "debuts in his first PC game." With graphics reminiscent of Nintendo's Super Mario(R), and a rather simple story line and strategy, Bug! will appeal mainly to novice game players interested in a temporary diversion. The point of the game is to guide the Bug! character through 6 island kingdoms, each containing 18 levels infested with enemies, in order to save some of Bug!'s friends before they're eaten. The final mission is to win a showdown with the evil widow Queen Cadavra. Bug! was written by SEGA Entertainment and is distributed by Expert Software. I attempted to test Bug! on several machines; basic Pentiums running Windows 95, 98 and NT4. Bug! would not install under NT4, apparently installed but would not run under Windows 98, and installed and ran only in 256 colors under Windows 95. Bug! was not tested under Windows 3.1. Game play was barely adequate for novice gamers, the graphics are very dated, the story line is rudimentary, and the featured weapon seems to be bug juice which is spit at enemies. Good grief! Expert Software makes a number of claims in its Bug! marketing collateral which beg closer inspection and a careful review of the language. Here are some examples: 1 - "Incredible SGI-rendered movie sequences." Does Expert use the acronym SGI in place of the name of the famous graphics workstation maker Silicon Graphics Industries(R)? It's impossible to say, especially since the graphics quality in Bug! is below average; a throwback to 1995 actually. 2 - "Customized for the PC: play in window or full screen mode." This particular sort of marketing claim is almost totally meaningless. "Customized" usually means something had to be altered, which begs the question "what was it before it was customized?" As for the screen modes claim, this sort of statement is a non-sequitor and lends no advantage to the software. It merely sounds to novices like something of value. 3 - "Easy to play for all ages with 2 levels of difficulty." This is one of broadest claims made by software producers, and is included on marketing materials solely to fill in blank space. 4 - "CD quality audio and digitized voice make Bug!'s attitude even more entertaining." If Expert means that the audio is stored on the CD and copied to your hard drive during installation (or into RAM during game play), the statement is accurate. If Expert means that the game audio equals the recording quality of typical music CDs which are currently popular, the statement is inaccurate. The use of the word "digitized" to describe Bug!'s voice is also misleading, mainly because analog data cannot be stored on a CD. In fact, digitized text-to-speech is a very distant second best to live recording in any case. 5 - "Tailor graphics for peak PC performance with 4 resolutions, including high-res." We're not sure what is meant here, because we could not use Bug! under Windows 98. Bug! demands 256 colors only. The use of the word "tailor" (normally associated with some notion of craftsmanship), is also out of place. 6 - The Expert web site states that Bug! is a new release, but the CD contains a Readme file that was written in 1996. The date is actually typed into the file itself. There are also inadequacies in the technical specs which accompany the software. For instance, although the Expert web site lists the minimum hard drive installation footprint as 8MB, the installation program asks for 10MB. The SegaSoft web site says the minimum installation is 1MB, lists the minimum RAM requirement as 16MB, and states the game is for Windows 95 only. Expert Software is a publicly traded company which should be providing much more accurate information for consumers. Cons: The Bug! web page on the Expert Software site sports the Microsoft Windows 95 and 98 compatibility logo, but the logo is not present on the CD or the jewel case liner. The use of a Microsoft logo is meant to suggest broad Windows compatibility to consumers, who often use the presence of such a logo as an indication of thorough testing and reliability. Microsoft mandates rigorous compatibility testing before granting any company permission to use the Windows logo. This particular Expert Software title cannot survive even the most perfunctory Windows 98 compatibility testing, and does not live up to expectations under Windows 95. The SegaSoft web site lists Bug! and Bug Too! on the retired old games page. Pros: The game play is suitable for novice players. Expert Software & SEGA Entertainment Bug! http://www.expertsoftware.com/bug.htm http://www.segasoft.com/gamedept/bug/index.html -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r Free WorldPrints Wallpaper for your Desktop! Register Now and get one year of FREE Wallpaper for your Computer. We'll e-mail you Weekly with New Images. Choose From... o National Geographic o Life Magazine o Museum Collections and Much More!! Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/wprints.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 6=> Product: Padlock-It, utility Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:robin@robinsnest.com Requires: Win 95, 98, or NT MSRP: $29.95 Are you tired of having to remember passwords for all of your programs or Internet sites, tired of digging for the information when it's requested? Have you ever password- protected a file or program, then forgot what the password was? Padlock-It is a simple utility program that consolidates all of your passwords under one password, to where you don't have to remember them individually. So, instead of having to remember a dozen or more passwords, you'll just have to remember one simple password. Installation was simple. After installation, you're asked for your main password, the only password you'll now have to remember. Enter it twice, and you're ready to go. The program is so easy to use that you won't have to spend time learning how to use it - you'll just dive in. To enter your existing passwords to where you'll never have to enter them again, click on Edit Accounts. Choose Add. Simply name the folder or program, then enter your username and password. Do this for each of your password-protected programs, files, or websites. From then on, every time you need to enter one of those passwords, click on the small "padlock" icon next to the password box, then choose the name you designated for the folder, program, or website, and Padlock-It will insert the password for you. Or, you can always enter the password yourself on the fly. You can choose to enter your master password every time you use the program, or you can choose to enter the password only at startup. Though it is more secure to enter the master password every time, it's also rather time-consuming, so I chose to enter the password only at startup. Another feature of Padlock-It is the Password Snoop, which helps you try to recover passwords that you've forgotten. To use the program, you go to the password screen of the file you want to open. Open the Password Snoop, and type in your master password. Then, click anywhere within the Password Snoop window and drag to move the window. Position the red cross hair that appears within the Password Snoop window above the password edit field in your windows application. The password within the edit field should be displayed in the password snoop window. I tried this myself on an old Word Perfect file, but I couldn't get the program to determine my forgotten password. I wrote to WinWare's Technical Support, and they answered promptly. They said: "The password snoop field works by extracting cached passwords. Word does not cache passwords (when you launch it, the password is not auto-entered with ******* in the password field)." So, I learned two things: the program doesn't work with Word Perfect files, and WinWare has an efficient technical support system. Padlock-It is an easy-to-use utility that will prevent your having to remember countless passwords on your own. For anyone who has to remember a lot of passwords on a frequent basis, it will prove to be an invaluable program. WinWare, Inc. Padlock-It Product Website: http://www.winwareinc.com/padlock.html -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r NEWSLETTERSFORFREE.COM Get Free Newsletters delivered to your inbox. Check out this FREE service NOW! Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/nl.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 7=> Product: Norton AntiVirus 5.0, utility Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes.reviewcdn@home.com Price: Windows 95/98/NT Workstation.... US $59.95 System requirements for Windows 95/98: Intel 80486/25 or higher processor Windows 95 software 8MB RAM (16MB recommended) 24MB of available hard disk space CD-ROM Drive Windows NT 4.0 Workstation: Intel CPU Windows NT Workstation 4.0 software 16MB RAM (32MB recommended) 24MB of available hard disk space CD-ROM Drive If you use the Internet, exchange data with the office, swap data with friends, you need an anti-virus program. There are no guarantees that the new programs in the shrink-wrapped package or the new box of formatted disks do not contain a virus. Nevertheless, your computer is virus free according to the Freeware anti-virus program you down loaded last year. Then a co-worker or family member sends you a program called "Happy99.exe" as an E-mail attachment. As you watch, the fireworks explode on your screen the Happy99 worm is running amuck on your computer--Science fiction, no a reality! To Quote a recent article in our local paper "Computer virus and worm attacks on information systems have caused businesses to lose a total of 7.6 billion (U.S.) in the first half of 1999 as a result of disabled computers and lost productivity, a research firm said yesterday." Another factor missing from this number is the loss in time, and data, directly caused by virus attacks on home computers. Scanning your computer with Norton AntiVirus 5.0 and getting into a routine of regular back-ups may save you from becoming another statistic in the virus wars. The computer system used in the WinFax test consisted of: Intel Pentium 233 MMX CPU, ASUS Motherboard, 64MB SDRAM, ATI 3D Xpression with 4 MB ram on the video card, Aopen FM56-P voice/data modem, and the Windows NT 4.0 operating system, ViewSonic SVGA monitor. The program arrived on a single CD-ROM disk making the installation set-up an easy task, which took less then ten minutes to complete including the on-line registration. Symantec's Norton Antivirus 5.0 Features: ...Quarantine area ensures that your other files stay clean and that you don't accidentally send infected files to anyone else...Scan and Deliver wizard makes it easy to send quarantined or other suspicious files to Symantec for evaluation...LiveUpdate built-in feature enables Norton AntiVirus to automatically retrieve new virus definitions from Symantec as often as once a week...Protection against malicious codes and thousands of viruses, dangerous forms of ActiveX code, Java applets, and Trojan horses...AntiVirus runs constantly in the background to keep your computer safe from viruses that might come in from e-mail attachments, Internet downloads, floppy diskettes, software CDs, or a network. And Symantec's built-in Bloodhound(tm) technology "sniffs out" and eliminates new viruses that might arise between virus updates. Norton AntiVirus comes with a boot disk that you can use before installing the main program, and make sure that your computer is virus free. After rebooting the computer, you simply insert the Norton AntiVirus CD into the drive and the program will auto play. As the program installs it prompts you for several options: Schedule Weekly scans, Enable Auto-Protect, Scan at Start-up, Run Live Update, Create a Rescue Disks (make sure you few formatted blanks handy) and Scan for Viruses after installation. Norton recommends these items be left checked, unless you are familiar with the programs operation. Once the program has installed it, will reboot the computer and check your hard drive during boot-up. Once the desktop appears Norton dials Symantec and LiveUpdate updates the program and anti-virus signatures. You can also access LiveUpdate from the Anti-Virus programs toolbar. A user should run LiveUpdate every couple of weeks in order to have the latest AV signatures when scanning. The Antivirus program manufactures and the virus makers are caught up in a catch 22, never-ending chess game. Therefore, a user must run the update and scan on a regular basis to keep their system clean. In addition, it is a god idea to save any E-Mail attachments to a separate directory on your hard drive, and then scan the drive, and the file, just to be sure. One of my wife's co-workers sent the Happy99.exe file as an E-mail attachment. I was already aware of the file name and the worm, but saved the file to a directory, as I wanted to scan the file. Sure enough, the file had a virus; I then deleted the file, and the E-mail. Next, I then sent E-mail to the co-worker warning her not to run this file and recommend that she contact anyone sent this file-Luck was on her side, as she had not executed the file. As she hurriedly sent out E-mails to friends and family, another E-mail was received from her sister-in-law saying "Wow, nice graphics"--You can guess the rest of the story. Norton AntiVirus 5.0 is easy to operate as all functions are run from the main screen or the toolbar. The tool bar has buttons for: Options, Virus List, Scheduler, Log, Quarantine, and Live Update. There are five other buttons on the programs screen: Enable-Disable Auto-Protect, Info, Scan Now, Exit and Help. The drive list window displays floppy, hard and CD drives in the computer system, and any with a check mark are ready to be scanned. To scan all the user has to do is click on the Scan Now button and the program will start scanning, memory, and all hard drives for a virus. If a virus is located, during a scan, the program will prompt the user and buttons appear for: Repair, Delete, Exclude, or Quarantine. Running Norton's AntiVirus does not exclude a user from contacting a virus, and if the rescue disks are current, you have an excellent chance to recover from an attack. However, backing up your data and regular scans ought to become part of your computer operations. Norton's AntiVirus program update lists 41,947 virus definitions as of 06/10/99. The need to protect your computer from a virus attack grows daily, and Norton's AntiVirus program offers good protection, and free Updates. The proliferation of computer virus only enhances a user's chance that eventually their computer will fall prey to an attack. Do yourself a favor and try a thirty-day Norton AntiVirus trail version that can be downloaded from Symantec's Web site www.symantec.com. However, if you suspect your computer already has a virus, then I recommend you purchase a copy of Norton's AntiVirus at your favorite computer store, as the package includes the boot disk. Symantec Corporation Product Website: http://www.symantec.com/nav/index.html -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r FAMILY POINT Your Family's Meeting Place in Cyberspace Great free services that the whole family can use.- Worldwide! Set up your own space on Family Point and share photos easily, keep everyone up to date with the Calendar, never lose an address again - keep them all in the master address book. Plus Chat, e-mail and more and it's all FREE, Easy and waiting for you at Family Point. Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/familypt.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 8=> Product: PPPShar Pro and PPPShar Lite, utility Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com System Requirements for PPShar Pro and PPPShar Lite (Main system) Pentium with 16 MB of RAM, Windows 95/98/NT, Network Adapter configured for TCP/IP, MS-Internet Explorer I.E. 4.0 and an Internet Connection Terminal/Workstation requirements: 486 with 8 MB of RAM, Network Card set for TCP/IP, Any operating system Win 95, Win 98, NT, Win 3.11, Linux, Mac, OS2, Internet browser PPPShar Pro is available in different user versions and priced as follows: US$25 - for 1 user US$49 - for 5Users US$90 - for 10Users US$149 - for 20Users US$225 - for Unlimited Users PPPShar Pro is an easy to use program that allows an end user to connect two computers or more to the Internet using a single connection. The program acts as a proxy server and can be used with TCP/IP, ISDN, ADSL, Cable modem or an Ethernet connection. All users can access Internet services: E-mail, FTP, Telnet, ICQ, Real Audio/Video. Plans Proposals & Projects have the following product information posted on their Web site: ...PPPshar is a proxy server that enables you to share a single Internet connection of any type among computers in a network...PPPshar is small, light weight, very easy to setup and use...PPPshar saves you money by removing the need for getting a separate Internet account, phoneline and modem for each user...Ideal for setting up public Internet booths/cafes, corporates, educational/training institutes & hospitals and wherever there is a need for multi-user Internet access...PPPshar is available in two versions - PPPshar Lite, the shareware version and PPPshar Pro. PPPshar Pro differs from PPPshar Lite in three significant areas: features, documentation and support...PPPshar Pro version 1.4 supports the following Internet facilities: E-mail, World Wide Web, FTP (user@host) using any FTP clients Usenet (NNTP), Telnet, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), RealAudio and Real Video Supports POP3 proxy for multiple e-mail accounts, SOCKS 4 & 5 proxy, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) support, FTP via Web browser, Domain Name Service America On-line and CompuServe, Mirabilis, ICQ & AOL Instant Messenger, On-line games like Mplayer, Battle.net/Starcraft/Diablo, and Java Web chat like Yahoo! Chat, TCP & UDP Mapping proxy. You can use all the above facilities in every computer in your Network which are not directly connected to Internet Our test network consisted of three Pentium Computers with CPU speeds of 133, 166, 233. All systems have 64 MB of RAM, ATI graphic Cards, 56K Modems, Internet Explorer 5.0 and Windows 98 and NT 4.0. The software was supplied electronically and sent as a 400K-email attachment. The only requirement is the PPPShar versions are only installed on the computer you intend to use as the proxy server. The files are self-extracting and installation is straightforward, an added feature is that the PPPShar program creates an icon on the desktop. After the installation is completed, you can access and read the instruction and program set-up file. You can set up E-mail functions in PPPShar Pro, but you cannot use e-mail in PPPShar Lite version. I decided to use the Pentium 133 (slowest system on our network) as our proxy server, just to see if the processor speed made any difference for accessing the Web. How PPPShar works: If you have a small network set-up then you are ready to take advantage of what this program has to offer. However, if you and your spouse, or children are fighting over the Internet and time-sharing has become a bore. All you need is a second computer system; two network cards, and some cable. Currently there are network kits available for home and small business and they costing about a $100.00. Moreover, it is worth noting that you can now purchase wireless home/small business network kits, eliminating the need to hardwire the computers together. Once the home or business network is functional, you are ready proceeding with installing PPPShar. The program is only installed on the computer you wish to use as the proxy, and is not installed to the workstation or client computers. One you have the program installed and the client/Workstation browsers set to point to the main (proxy server) computer, your ready to surf. The process could not be simpler as you just dial-in to your Internet provider, and then load PPPShar or PPPShar Lite. Once this is completed, you can load the browser for both computers and two or more people can have access to the Internet. The only draw back to this system is you must have the Internet (proxy) computer on and running in order to surf from a client. I did have a little problem understanding the instructions and setting up client e-mail with for PPPShar Pro. I promptly sent an e-mail to PPPShar and a few hours later, I received a response from B. Kandasamy that quickly explained the settings--PPP India did answer all of my questions in a fast efficient manner. The copy of PPPShar sent for testing was limited to two computers and as we have three systems on the network, I requested a three-computer version from PPP. The company was extremely quick to send me PPPShar Lite for testing with three computers. I sent up, conducted three-computer surf, and download test utilizing one 56K Internet connection. The files I chose to download ranged from one Meg to two Meg in size. The three computer download test worked like a charm and all downloads were successful. Then the I decided to run the test one more time using a larger five Meg file on the NT computer (running PPPShare Lite as the proxy server) and a one Meg and a 750K file on the other computers. I wanted to see if the speed of the download increased after each file completed downloading, and each computer browser was shut down from the Internet and the proxy service. As the second and third computer complete their tasks each was shut down, but the speed on the NT system's download did not increase as I had expected, it remained constant. It was remarkable to glimpse from computer monitor to monitor and watch as all of the computers in our office were perusing the Internet and downloading files from three different sites. Both programs performed flawlessly and toiled without a single incident during testing. If you have the Internet and need a way to ease the bottleneck of user access problems in you office or you simply want to keep peace in the family and allow more then one user at a time on-line. Then do your self a favor, download a copy of PPPShar Pro or PPPShar Lite, and try it, then buy it. You will be glad you did. PPPShar Pro and PPPShar Lite Website:http//www.pppindia.com -C-o-m-p-u-N-o-t-e-s--S-p-o-n-s-o-r Free Trial of Money Magazine Worried about the markets? Concerned about your retirement? Why not listen to the experts? Why not secure professional advice for free? FREE TRIAL ISSUE of Money Magazine! Your personal guide to a great future of Financial Success! Click on Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/money.htm -T-h-a-n-k-s--f-o-r--C-l-i-c-k-i-n-g-! 9=> Product: Star Wars Episode I: Racer, game Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Pentium-166, 4x CDROM, 32 MB RAM, 4 MB 3D graphics card Reviewed on: Pentium-166, 16x CDROM, 48 MB RAM, Intense Voodoo Rush card Recommended: Joystick or gamepad, 3D audio MSRP: $44.99 Racer is the "other" Star Wars game that was simultaneously released alongside the The Phantom Menace on the same day that the movie arrived in theaters. Racer allows the player to compete in Pod Races, with the grand finale being the chance to compete in the Boonta Eve classic. Unlike the other Episode I game, The Phantom Menace, Racer is not as strictly limited to events in the movie and as a result is much richer for it. Besides competing on Tatooine, players will get to compete on six other distinct worlds each of which has three distinct tracks to compete on plus an additional 4 "Invitational" tracks (25 tracks, if you were counting). Once completed, you can then race those same 25 courses in the opposite direction, essentially giving you a whopping 50 tracks! Of the two Episode I games that were released with the movie, Racer is my pick for the one game everybody will love. Racer is essentially a racing game with an exotic theme (hovering pods with powerful engines) and environment (the Star Wars galaxy). Racer is very reminiscent of POD & Need for Speed III in terms of graphics quality and the feeling of speed that you achieve. In other ways Racer is reminiscent of other games like Carmageddon where part of the fun is using your vehicle as a weapon to remove competitors from the race. The most impressive quality about Racer is the feeling of sheer speed that the game conveys. The back of the box proudly states "Feel the Force at 600 MPH, 4 feet off the ground" - and Racer lives up to that claim. Graphically the game is beautiful and quite the site to behold. The tracks are well varied and smartly laid out, with lots of little twists, shortcuts and detours. Doors that open and close, chasms that must be crossed, and narrow paths that must be carefully navigated are all just a part of the hazards you face. Soundwise, the designers and programmers smartly put in some of the best elements of the racing segment from the movie - the two headed announcer, the taunts and jibes from Sebulba and others, and the music. Cutscenes between races are well done, conveying the sense of "being there". Only two things disappoint in terms of the graphics and sound: wrecks are not as spectacular as those in the movie, and engines for the different pods sound exactly the same. However, I still give Racer very high marks in terms of graphics and sound. Given the added fact that Racer is rock-solid stable and won't require a patch (at least, not if the buzz on Usenet is correct), this is a remarkable feat by LucasArts. Installation was a snap, and the game does have some wonderful cut-scenes where elements of the movie are shown or recreated - for example, the game starts with a slightly different Boonta Eve race on Tatooine. All of this is done with spectacular effect and with the use of the score from the movie - which I happen to believe is the best of the musical scores for a Star Wars movie. Only a dead person could not be roused by John Williams music during the part where they are marching the flags across the arena just prior to the start of the pod race. One special feature deserves mentioning. While most games these days seem to take a sink-or-swim approach to play, Racer takes a gradual learning attitude. In tournament mode the player is required to complete three circuits of seven races each - amateur, semi-pro, and professional. Amateur is strictly that - opponents are extremely easy to beat at this level. While some might disparage this approach as too easy, I like it because it gives you a little confidence and a chance to learn how to control your pod while not having to deal with the frustration of constantly losing. It also gives you a nice chance to play with the various viewing cameras, something you won't have time for when the game gets tougher. There are lots of other nice touches as well. You can boost your engines for extra speed, but press them too hard and they'll catch fire! You can repair your engines in-race if they become too damaged, but this slows you down considerably. When you wreck, you don't die - the pod restarts where you wrecked, but you lose valuable time and position. In a close race, this can be a killer. Other racers taunt you when they pass you, but you can return the favor when you pass them by! The game insists on labeling you as Anakin Skywalker, but you aren't limited to his pod. The small number of initial choices is expanded as you progress, with specific races "unlocking" certain pods. Get to the end of the game and you can unlock Sebulba's pod, which has one special feature that the others don't - a flame jet on the right side. Each pod has its own distinct look and starting characteristics. As you win money in the races you can make special modifications to the pod, affecting the acceleration, top speed, traction, turning radius, braking, cooling, and in-race repair capability. You can purchase either brand new parts or used ones from none other than Watto himself - used ones cost less, but are more likely to fail on you - a nice touch. You can also buy pit droids which repair your pod between races - the more droids you have the more repairs they can make. This can become critical as time goes by and your opponents get tougher! Racer does have a few minor annoyances. No in-game recorder/replay to play back your best races/wrecks. Only Sebulba's racer has a weapon. No Internet multiplayer capability (although you can play on a LAN). Anakin's voice can get a little annoying after a while. And why do the announcers shout out "New Record Lap Time" if you are in last place? Luckily these are minor issues and do not detract from the fun. Even my four-year-old daughter is fascinated by the game and loves to watch me play. Racer is stable, it loads fast, and is a blast to play - and it is based in the Star Wars Universe. Can I possibly say anything else that will convince you this is a fun game to play? Two thumbs up from me! LucasArts http://www.lucasarts.com Star Wars http://www.starwars.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