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.) 123 Slidemaster and Screensaver [WIN\GRAPHICS\123SLIDE.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] allows you to easily create a slideshow presentation or your own personalized screensaver with any image that is stored on your computer. Features include support for WAV and MP3 audio files, the ability to select an unlimited number of folders to display images from, over 100 different effects/transitions between images, and more. Requires Win95/98/NT. Two Handed Net Spades [WIN\GAMES\2HNSPAD2.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is played between you and the computer or you and another person over a modem. There is no partner play, but the interactive dealing makes it possible to play with two people while ensuring that each player only has 13 cards. Complete Cleanup [WIN\UT_DSKFI\CCLEAN43.ZIP] provides a wide variety of cleanup options for your computer, ranging from privacy files leftover during web browsing to space-consuming files leftover from Windows. This is very thorough, and extremely easy to use. Requires Win95/98/NT. Elimination [WIN\GAMES\ELIM01.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is a fun strategy game where the object is to remove all of your opponent's marbles from the board. If you can jump your opponent pieces, and they will be removed from the board. Some spaces are "sink holes" which will swallow up your pieces. A musical soundtrack accompanies the game play. Handy 2000 [WIN\UT_SYSTM\HANDY2.ZIP] contains 16 "handy" desktop programs for Windows, including a font viewer, electronic dice, a stopwatch, conversion utilities, a gradient wallpaper maker, and more. 123 Free Solitaire [WIN\GAMES\ONETWOTH.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is a collection of five different Solitaire card games which feature winning layous, fast game play, rich sounds, extensive options, and quality help. This includes Easthaven, Four Seasons, FreeCell, Klondike, and Pyramid.Each solitaire has more than nine trillions possible games to play, so the game remains fresh no matter how many times you play. Poster-Printery [WIN\PRINTING\POSTPRNT.ZIP] allows you to print your own very big posters without the need of a special printer. It prints the posters on many pages and you can put them together with glue. Scratchpad [WIN\UT_SYSTM\SPAD1.ZIP] creates a "permanent clipboard", which will not lose its data after a reboot. Its minimized window is always floating on top so it's easily accessible for quick copy-and-paste jobs. Requires Win95/98/NT. Zilch Standard [WIN\HOME\ZILCHS22.ZIP] [SEE SCREEN SHOT] is a financial tool that will help you save money and get out of debt. Simply enter the name, annual percentage rate, current balance and monthly payment for each of your credit cards, loans, and mortgages and and the program determines the best method for paying off debts by maximizing the use of your money. It creates a payment schedule that shows you exactly how much to pay each creditor each month. 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 7 Communications for Windows (new files since V.6, N.1) 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 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