AFTER READING THIS FILE, CLICK THE "FILE" MENU (IN THE WINDOWS PROGRAM) AND CLICK OFF "PSL-NEWS". Picks Of The Month: ================== (Click on a program name to install it.) 3D Ball of Defiance [WIN\GAMES\3DBOD.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is a action/puzzle game set in a time where knights, demons, and gargoyles exist. You must destroy your foes by crushing or smashing them with the 3d Ball of Defiance. Depending on where you hit your foe you will see a different death scene. Watch out for spikes and other dangers. The amount of gore can be minimized or eliminated from play. akFontViewer [WIN\FONTS\AKFV30.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] lets you view samples of all your installed fonts in Windows. It can show a list of fonts with each font rendered in its own typeface. Other features include the ability to define a sample text string, printing options, and the ability to check off attributes you'd like to display (such as bold, italic, underline, and strikeout). Requires Win95/98/NT. Balance 95 [WIN\HOME\BAL95.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is a checkbook balancing and analysis package for Win95/98/NT that includes graphing, auditing, and reminders. Entries are added using a dialog box which has several features to speed entry. Your account information can be sorted several ways and a purge function is included to make reducing file size easy. A toolbar contains buttons for common tasks. ButtonWiz [WIN\COMMUNIC\BUTTON55.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] allows you to easily create stylish buttons for your web pages. It includes dozens of button styles, each with an attractive background color or texture. You can enter up to 3 lines of text in any font size, style, alignment, or color. A preview is available at every step. When your button is complete you can save it as a PNG, BMP, TIF, JPG, PCX, or TGA, or you can copy it to the clipboard for easy pasting into your favorite graphics program. MyCorkboard [WIN\UT_SYSTM\CRKBRD.ZIP] turns your Win95/98/NT desktop into a unique virtual "bulletin board". You can easily attach sticky notes, "to do" lists, clocks, calendars, animations, and more. This is completely customizable, with an endless variety of graphics and themes. Can be installed as a screen saver. diskSpace Explorer [WIN\UT_SYSTM\DSKSPC20.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] a space manager that features an intuitive pie chart that graphically displays the contents of your folders. You can easily navigate through your files and folders just by clicking anywhere on the pie chart. It reports detailed information about the amount of space used and wasted by your files and folders. You may also see how your drive would look with another cluster size or file system, a feature that can help you make intelligent allocation decisions. Requires Win95/98/NT. The Galaxy of SF [WIN\ELEC_PUB\GALAXY.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] provides a synopsis of science fiction films, TV shows, and books. This is a fun and comprehensive collection. Password Storage Machine [WIN\UT_DSKFI\PASSSTOR.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] helps you keep track of all your different passwords. Each entry can have a title, user/login name, password, and freeform comments. This can be a great timesaver if you have a large number of passwords. RGB (CC) [WIN\COMMUNIC\RGB12.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] helps you find the perfect color combinations for your website quickly and easily. Providing hexadecimal and decimal values for each color, it sets the two background colors and text color at your command. You can fine tune your choices with sliders for each color value. Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor [WIN\EDUCA\TTTT21PC.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is designed to teach the skill of touch typing in an accessible step-by-step manner. Features include: an introductory quiz to customize the package to your requirements, full and correct support for the Qwerty and the Dvorak keyboard layouts, comprehensive "live" feedback and regular reports on your progress, extra practice options, a personalized certificate upon completion of the course, and more. Requires Win95/98/NT. CD-ROM Sections Of The Month: ============================ Following is a list of the sections from the most recent CDs. By getting all of these CDs, you would have every program/file in PSL's collection. Programs for both DOS and Windows are included in each group. Order from 800-2424-PSL or online at "www.pslweb.com". (PLEASE NOTE: Volume numbers not listed here are sold out.) Vol. Num. 7 6 Education for Windows (new files since V.6, N.12) 7 5 Utilities for Windows (new files since V.6, N.11) 7 4 Home for Windows (new files since V.6, N.10) 7 3 Business for Windows and DOS (new files since V.6, N.9) 7 2 Games for Windows and DOS (new files since V.6, N.8) 7 1 Communications for Windows and DOS (new files since V.6, N.7) 6 12 Education for Windows and DOS (new files since V.6, N.6) 6 11 Utilities for Windows (new files since V.6, N.4) 6 10 Home for Windows (new files since V.6, N.3) 6 9 Business for Windows & DOS (new files since V.6, N.2) 6 8 Games for Windows (new files since V.6, N.1) 6 7 Communications for Windows (new files since V.5, N.11) 6 6 Education for DOS & Windows (new files since V.5, N.10) 6 5 Words and Graphics (new files since V.5, N.9) 6 4 Utilities for Windows (new files since V.5, N.8 6 3 Home for DOS & Windows (new files since V.5, N.7) 6 2 Business for DOS & Windows (new files since V.5, N.6) 6 1 Games for DOS & Windows (new files since V.5, N.5) 5 12 Programming for DOS & Windows (new files since V.5, N.4) 5 10 Education for DOS & Windows (new files since V.5, N.2) 5 9 Words & Graphics (new files since V.5, N.1) 5 8 Windows Utilities (new files since V.4, N.12) 5 7 Home for DOS & Windows (new files since V.4, N.10) 5 6 Business for DOS & Windows (new files since V.4, N.9) 5 5 Games for DOS & Windows (new files since V.4, N.7) 5 4 Programming for DOS & Windows (new files since V.4, N.6) 5 3 Communications, Networking, Internet for DOS and Windows 5 2 Education 5 1 Words & Graphics (new files since V.4, N.3) & all OS/2 4 12 Utilities For DOS & Windows (new programs since V.4, N.1) 4 11 Home Applications for DOS 4 8 Games and Sounds & Music for DOS (since V.3, N.10) 4 5 Communications & Networking 3 11 Business (up to 11/95) 3 10 Games and Sounds & Music for DOS (up to 10/95) 3 7 Communications & Network (up to 7/95) FUTURE CD's: Following is the schedule for the section-of-the-month for coming CDs. Because the number of programs in each section continues to grow each month, it may be necessary to split up one or more of the following sections onto separate months' CDs. If this is important to you, check before ordering. ("Vol." indicates the year. "Vol.4" is 1996, "Vol.5" is 1997. Volume 1 appeared in 1993, so Volume 2 is 1994, Volume 3 is 1995, Volume 4 is 1996, and Volume 5 is 1997. The "Number" is the month number, so Vol.4, Num.11 is November 1996.) Vol. Num. 7 7 Communications 7 8 Games 7 9 Business 7 10 Home 7 11 Utilities Problems: ======== In all the years of producing the PSL Monthly CD, we have NEVER found a single problem caused by a "bad CD copy". If you cannot get a CD to work on your machine, please try it on another machine if possible. Otherwise, please read the following Q&A's. If none of this works for you, return the CD and we will check it and replace it if necessary. (1.) "My machine locks up or reboots when I try to install a program." You have one of the small percentage of systems with a CD-ROM driver that is incompatible with PKUNZIP. To get around that problem, we have placed a public domain unzip program on the CD. To invoke it with the DOS-based program, run it using the syntax: "PSL_SHRD /U" (without the quotes). In the Windows based program, select UNZIP in the window that appears after pushing the Install button. In Windows, you can also elect to use WinZip to dearchive files. (2.) "There are no files on the CD." "There are no files in one of the directories." "I get an error trying to copy a file from the CD." We have only had a few such complaints, but in all cases, there was nothing wrong with the CD. Some of the users who made the complaints were able to read the CDs without error on other machines or even when trying later on the same machine. We suspect that the problem is with dust or dirt in the drive or, more specifically, on the laser lens, or on the CD-ROM disc itself. If you do not have a CD lens cleaner, get one from your dealer. Also inspect the non-printed side of the CD for dust or debris. One caller took the CD out, wiped it off, put it back in, and it worked. Maybe it was dirty or maybe just re-seating it helped. (3.) "When I install from the Windows access program, it tells me FILE NOT FOUND." Some combination of flukes in Windows/DOS cause some systems not to be able to find PKUNZIP.EXE on the CD-ROM drive. The solution is to copy PKUNZIP.EXE into your WINDOWS directory on your hard disk. SOUND BLASTER PRO OWNERS: On the January 1995 CD-ROM, we went over 600MB on the CD for the first time and a couple of people with Sound Blaster Pro cards and CD drives were unable to get a directory on the CD. If you have a Sound Blaster Pro and have this problem on a future CD-ROM, ask Creative Labs for a new CD-ROM driver. Frequently Asked Questions: ========================== (1.) "Why don't you install the programs on the CD ready to run instead of in ZIP format?" There are many reasons: - Many programs try to write back to the directory that they are installed in, which cannot be done on a CD. - Many programmers require that their programs be distributed in archived format. - Some installation programs configure the software to the system they are installed on, so that a program installed on our system may not work on yours. - Because we add a section of PSL's disk-based library to the CD each month, there is not room to have all the programs dearchived. - For use of the CDs on BBSs, files must be in archive format. Distributing the programs in archive format makes for a much neater package, making programs easier to find. Dearchiving a program to hard disk only takes a few seconds and by using a temporary directory, you can easily delete the files when done. (2.) "Are the same programs repeated on each month's CD?" No. The \DOS, \WIN, and \OS2 directories contain only the new programs received by PSL during the last 30 days. In addition, we put a different section of our disk-based library on each month's CD. (3.) "I'm not interested in the section of PSL being added to the CD this month. Why should I have to pay for a CD with a section I don't want in order to get the lower subscription price?" The majority of each CD contains new programs received during the last 30 days. These are programs of ALL types and now usually total over 400MB. Rather than leave the rest of the CD empty (as we did during the first year of producing the CD, we fill it in with a different section of our library each month. Even if you don't care for that section, there are tons of programs on each CD for all interests. (4.) "After the PSL_NEWS program installs a file, the program sometimes has to be installed again from those files. Why can't it just be installed once directly from the CD-ROM?" Some shareware authors have custom installation programs which create directories, put files in specific directories, configure the program to the user's specific hardware, etc. We cannot have multiple INSTALL programs in the same directory and it would be cumbersome to have a separate directory for each program, so we are forced to archive such programs, resulting in their having to be dearchived from the CD-ROM before they can be installed with the author's installation program. Contacting PSL: ============== Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. We are striving to make this the ideal CD for sysops and vendors, as well as for individual end users. We will implement every possible suggestion which will still allow us to produce the CD in a timely manner and which will not degrade the CD in some other way. If you are a programmer and want your program distributed on this CD, simply send it on disk to the address below, or email us and tell us where we can download it from your BBS or Web page. Public Software Library, Inc. P.O.Box 35705 Houston, TX 77235-5705 Voice: 713-610-1432 Fax : 713-523-9803 Email: admin@pslweb.com Web : http://www.pslweb.com