Copyright: Copyright ® 1992 Windows OnLine.
Citation: All rights reserved, Copyright ® 1992 Windows OnLine.


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About Windows OnLine™

Windows OnLine™ is an on-line (modem) service dedicated to supporting Windows users and Windows network professionals. WOL prides itself on having the most complete and up-to-date library of Windows shareware in the world. We have over 8,000 Windows 3.x programs and files to download. With 13 phone lines, (all equipped with US Robotics high speed dual standard modems), operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year... there are no busy signals.

WOL is growing rapidly with thousands of callers directly using the service. We advertise in national publications as well as several computer newspapers. Call today for your free trial and see why WOL is the Worlds Premiere Windows On-line Service.

About WinOnLine™ REVIEW

The WinOnLine™ REVIEW (WOLR) is an electronic magazine that is distributed worldwide to major on-line services on the 1st and 15th of each month. It is estimated that each issue is read by 50,000 on-line and network users. (It is reported that there are over 40,000 BBS's in the USA alone as of 1992). This unique creation is actually a Windows HELP file. All Windows users can view it with its hypertext, built-in search, and pop-up color graphics.

The REVIEW's articles are limited in scope to allow us to present our readers both a diversity information and to maintain a manageable file size. Subject matter includes all aspects of Windows and its associated applications and utilities. Also covered are, Industry and New Product News, Communications and other GUI subjects, etc.,.

Why not

Write for the REVIEW

Do you like to test shareware programs? Do you enjoy giving opinions on the latest commercial Windows software? Do you have an interest in Windows software, hardware, programming, etc., and the time to write an article or review? Do you like working with graphics? We are interested in adding a few quality Freelance writers for

the WinOnLine™ REVIEW.

Freelance writers can submit their article whenever they wish and are only required to include a .RTF or .DOC file and the .BMP graphics for their article. We will prepare your help file for you. You can become part of our publication, so call us today.

The WOLR pays a fee for each article we publish. Why not get both, publicity for yourself, and cash to spend. Give your writing career a kick in the pants! For complete details on how you can become a paid writer, download our WRITERS GUIDE named WOLWG11.ZIP. It is available for download on many BBS's around the world and on CompuServe. You can also download it directly from Windows OnLine™ (510) 736-8343 (modem).

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   I would like to take this moment to say 'THANKS' to everyone who had made 1992 a most memorable year for Windows OnLine. A special THANKS to all the members and staff of Windows OnLine who made this all happen. 1993 will be a very interesting and productive year, so I hope we venture into the unknown together. There will be new hardware, new 32 bit operating environments, new software and new friends to meet. Have a Happy New Year!

Frank J. Mahaney

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Index Page

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  Interesting Computer News,  by Randy Wong

  New Product News,  by Rich Young

  Shareware News,  by Bob Gollihur

  Comdex 1992,  by Hugh E. Hardie

  Windows Tips,  by Hugh E. Hardie

Tiling for Fun and Profit

A Small Insurance Policy

Don't Get Lost in DOS

  FontMonger For Windows,  by Derek Westfall

  Microsoft Windows Sound System,  by Alex Howard

  Program Launchers,  by Ed Hoffman

Plug-In 1.12

KBDock 1.2

Application Dock 4.10

'Lectric ToolBox 1.0

Usher 1.4d

Launcher 2.7

  InContact!,  by Bob Gollihur

  Metz Task Manager 2.0,  by Ed Hoffman

  WinGrin,  by Bob Gollihur

For the Frequent Flyer. . .

  BoardWatch Contest

  Modems for Members

Save big time on file transfer costs!


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Interesting_Computer_News
Microsoft is just weeks away from releasing the next version of DOS to the world. Version 6.0 is said to be tailored for Windows users. This version will include several new features, but the main core of the operating system will be the same as version 5.0. DOS 6.0 will not be doing anything fancy, like breaking the 640k barrier, but it will deliver its first set of network services for DOS. Microsoft has even added disk compression hooks into the operating system. The performance is comparable to Stac's Stacker and a new Smartdrv is included to handle the compressed data. Anti-Virus protection will be included, which has been developed by Central Point Software. There are other improvements in several areas, such as backup, restore, multiple configurations for boot-up, and file recovery utilities. There has been some indication that there is also an improved memory management facility which will include a memory optimizer similar to Quarterdeck's Optimize program. The upgrade price is unknown at this time.

Lotus Development has just started shipping their final beta version of Notes version 3.0. Lotus confirms that this version is close to the final product. Their original plan was to release this version of Notes by year's end. Version 3.0 will be a major upgrade from version 2.1, but the ship date is still uncertain at this time. Notes 3.0 will include many features that were not included in earlier versions. There will be native TCP/IP and NetWare support. Work-flow automation will be a key ingredient in Version 3.0. Action Technologies has licensed its work-flow software to Lotus for use with this version. Lotus has pointed out five major areas to watch out for in Version 3.0. They are improved database management, Macintosh support, improved graphical user interface that includes Lotus' SmartIcons, easier application designs, and new tools. The NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) will be available at a later date, and rumor has it that this NLM will require NetWare version 4.0. Lotus will be offering more Version 3.0 tools, but these will be sold separately as an option.

Fourth Wave Technologies, Inc. has introduced a new idea in the Windows communication world. WinBEEP is a Windows PC to beeper communication software for executives, professionals, or other users who are always on the run. WinBEEP's function is to send messages to people with alpha-numeric pagers from any Windows PC with a standard modem. With this type of communications, people with beepers are guaranteed to get their messages. Besides sending messages to any kind of beeper, WinBEEP will allow users to attach files to the paging message. Several vendors are considering adding WinBEEP to their products, and one of them is Campbell Services, developer of OnTime calendar application. WinBEEP's software development kit, containing all the Application Programming Interfaces (API), is free to other vendors upon request. WinBEEP is available now for $149.00, but only from Fourth Wave Technologies at (313) 362-2288.

Intel will be shipping their Pentium processor, code named P5, sometime in the first quarter of 1993. This new processor will offer another leap to higher performance. It will be backward compatible with previous software that was written for the 80486 processor and prior. Intel claims that this chip will operate at 100 million instructions per second (MIPS). Several companies have already commited to using this new chip. They are Unisys, Compaq Computer, and Zenith Data Systems (ZDS). IBM also has the rights to manufacture the Pentium processor. With more 32 bit operating systems arriving on the scene, the P5 will have a major impact on these environments. The first wave of computers using the Pentium processor will be bought mostly by power users who can afford the high price. The majority of 386 and 486 users will be waiting for the price to drop. Initially, the new computers will be priced in the neighborhood of $3,500. and higher. Hopefully, by the end of the year, these new machines will fall just below $3,000. When that happens, the rest of us will be more likely to buy into this new technology.

Software Publishing Corp. is shipping an additional multimedia add-on to its Harvard Graphics For Windows product. Video Player software uses the capabilities of some of the popular digital video boards and Microsoft's new Video for Windows for playing back digital video clips. The current release of Harvard Graphics for Windows provides sound and animation. With Video Player, the user can now control the volume, window size, and position of the video. Video Player is available to current Harvard Graphics For Windows users for $15. Video will be included with the next unscheduled version of Harvard Graphics for Windows. The next version will also include Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) capabilities.

TWAIN is a rising standard for processing photographs or any images into documents. The characters in its name do not have any standing meaning. It is an acronym for "The Standard Without A Name." This standard was called by three different names, but it looks as if this one will stay. Using the TWAIN standard, there will be only one input driver for the operating system. Developers will only have to develop for a single interface for their image input. Likewise, users who use TWAIN compliant devices and software will be able to import an image directly from their software. You will not have to open an application for scanning, then open another application for image editing. Over 60 vendors have announced that they will be adding TWAIN support in their products. They are hardware and software vendors, such as makers of scanners, video capture boards, page layout software, and word processors. Heading the first wave of major players that have TWAIN compliant products are Hewlett Packard, Logitech, and Microtek Lab. Other vendors on the way are Aldus' FreeHand, PageMaker, and Persuasion; Corel's CorelDraw; WordPerfect's WordPerfect products; and Microsoft's Word For Windows 3.0.

Now that Christmas has come and gone, a lot of users have moved to a faster modem. Slipping into the 9600 baud fast lane, there are several things to watch out for. A major problem is the case of data losing characters. If you do not have a 16550 UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) communication chip powering your serial port of the computer, you will want to consider looking into that area. With this chip, special buffers are enabled to provide more protection against lost characters when transmitting data at speeds above 9600 baud. Another form of protection is to use TurboCom, the enhanced communication driver for Windows. TurboCom provides support for the 16550 UART chip in both Windows and DOS applications running under Windows. Other features are the elimination of character overruns, better reliability on data transmission, and the cutting of interrupt overhead while running in Windows. The current version of TurboCom is 1.21, and can be obtained from Bio-Engineering Research Laboratories at (503) 482-2744. This version supports ProCom+ for Windows, Crosstalk 2.0 for Windows, and provides better support for DOS communication programs running under Windows. Version 1.2x is now Windows 3.1 compatible.

Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. has upgraded its Enhanced Serial Port (ESP) card. The new ESP Communication Accelerator for Windows will support communication speeds up to 115.2 kilobytes per second (kps). This two serial port card will allow PCs to transfer and receive data reliably at high speeds in the Windows environment. The card is available now, and is priced at $299.

National Semiconductor and Toshiba are teaming up to enter the Flash Memory chip market. Flash memory chips are special chips that will not lose any information stored on them when the computer is powered off. They are faster than any drives, because there are no moving parts. In this agreement, National Semiconductor will design, manufacture, and market the memory chips, while using Toshiba's technology. There are currently other vendors in this market area, such as Intel and Sharp. Apparently, there is a delay in making these modules at both Intel and Sharp. This new team is hoping to jump in and move right up to the forefront.

Citrix Software has announced a program that will provide Windows for multiple users. Wincredible allows users to connect locally over LANs or remotely from a dial up modem. From what I understand of this, the user can access Windows on a remote server. Remote users with 286 based computers can run Windows 3.1 and Windows applications with some better performance and speed or as fast as the server can deliver the data to you. Microsoft has commented that they may implement a version of Wincredible that will run on Windows NT.

Best Data Products is preparing to release their new SoundMaker and SoundMaker Plus audio cards for the PC. The two products will feature 32 voice synthesis capabilities and 8 or 16 bit recording functions. It will be bundled with sample sound libraries and will also have a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). The SoundMaker is priced at $169. The SoundMaker Plus includes a voice recognition feature and is priced at $197.

According to Business Week, the Federal Trade Commission has concluded its investigation of Microsoft Corp. The FTC found that Microsoft is performing anti-competitive procedures. The FTC is in the process of preparing several recommendations for preventing future behavior. There were suggestions of splitting Microsoft into pieces, erecting a "China Wall" between divisions, and revising the way Microsoft 's software is being sold to computer manufacturers. No matter what, Microsoft is still denying any wrongdoing.

When the 42nd President of the US takes the Oath of Office, he will be assured that the staff will be on time. Dunkin Ritchie, head of Office Automation for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, has chosen OnTime For Networks Group software for managing their affairs. The Inaugural Committee's scheduling staff is a running a 50 user configuration of OnTime on an Artisoft LANtastic network. Several of the Committee's members are running the single user version of OnTime on laptop PCs to manager their schedules. The scheduling team is responsible for managing the schedules of President-elect Bill Clinton's family.


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New_Products_News

by Rich Young

PerForm Pro Plus

Delrina Technology has announced PerForm Pro Plus, a product that takes form design and filling to new heights. In addition to the host of object-oriented form-design tools, are intuitive tools for linking forms, giving the user an automated environment to control office paperwork.

PerForm Pro Plus has features usually only found in high-end desktop publishing packages, and intelligent spreadsheet applications. Fields can be pre-formatted, linked to fields on other forms, used in calculations etc. You can assign a pop-up help window to each field, or include custom buttons, check boxes or radio buttons.

Your dBase, Paradox or Clipper file formats are supported, and you can mix formats and databases amongst your forms, if need be. You can also use the PerForm Pro Plus built in database, which will even perform routine form-based queries. You can even have PerForm Pro Plus build your form automatically, using the fields in your existing database.

PerForm Pro Plus sports two main elements, the form designer portion, where you design forms and form systems, and the form filler portion, where you input data directly, or with database files. While designing forms, you can set fields up with read and write options, or security password protect individual fields or whole forms.

PerForm Pro Plus supports Windows 3.1 fully, making use of DDE and OLE as client and server, and supports multiple document interface (MDI). MDI lets you quickly and simply share data between forms via copy/paste etc. The friendly user interface gives you features such as a pull down menu where you can select a tool ribbon for the task at hand, and if you right click on an object, a dialog box pops up so that you can edit the properties for that object.

Object-oriented design features include a supply of prebuilt objects (Object Libraries) such as telephone number masks, an invoice table with built-in calculations, and neat effects such as drop shadow boxes. You just need to open a library and drag the desired object onto your form, simple as that. PerForm Pro Plus also gives you symbols and graphic objects to spruce up your forms. PerForm Pro Plus will import ten graphics formats and can produce eight kinds of bar codes.

The form filler portion lets you take a form, or a group of related forms into a "folder". You can then simply fill in the forms with the standard mouse or keyboard conventions any Windows user is familiar with. You can print blank forms as well as filled in forms with several options that let you specify output quality. You can even eliminate objects such as graphics or effects when you need to print quickly.

PerForm Pro Plus gives you a complete tutorial, and over 100 form templates to make your life a bit easier. You also get five pre-built applications that show the user how forms work together, and you can use them as a basis for developing your own systems. PerForm Pro Plus also contains a macro language with 240 pre-defined macros and gives the user the ability to create or record your own macros and assign them to on-screen buttons.

As if that weren't enough, PerForm Pro Plus also contains a version of Delrinas infamous WinFax fax software, so you can create a form, fill it in, and then fax it to your customer all in the same application. PerForm Pro Plus carries a suggested retail price of $399 and is available now.

For further information, contact:

Delrina Technology

(800) 268-6082

Brought to you by

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  Rich Young
  Staff Writer
  Windows OnLine


Rich Sig


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Shareware

a compendium of the latest good, bad

and ugly in the world of Windows Shareware

DIVINE INSPIRATION . . . . . . Decisions, Decisions

I won't spoil the surprise, but this program really cracked me up! Essentially, Divine Inspiration is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek decision maker program, like the old eight-ball you used to turn over to get an answer. It comes with a three WAV files and, well, you'll see when you try DIVINE.ZIP! Just $5.00 to Apogee for this shareware program will bring a disk in return with additional advice for your consultation. My wife thought I was a bit off, but it gave me a chuckle.

IMAGE CONVERT . . . . . . . . Graphics Conversions

Image Convert is definitely worth a look if you do a lot of graphic file conversions. Taking full advantage of the drag and drop features of Windows, the activated program leaves only its icon visible to which you drag a graphics file. A popup dialog box appears with conversion options to GIF, PCX, BMP, TARGA, DCX, TIFF, WPG, and WMF. Check out IMGCON.ZIP from MTE Industries, a shareware product well worth its $20.00 asking price.

WINCAPTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Screen Capture Utility

Professional Capture Systems offers its WinCapture utility to the shareware market. A user specified hotkey activates its screen capture capabilities, changing your cursor to a crosshair ready to outline your target. Various options for capture are available. It's a very handy utility, available as WINCAP.ZIP, but it seems priced unreasonably high at $44.00, including shipping. Perhaps someone should tell them so.

PRINTENVELOPE. . . . . . . . Envelope Printing Utility

This very popular and well designed envelope program from Maurer Associates (reviewed in Issue 63 of Windows Online, the Weekly -WOLW63.ZIP) has graduated to Version 2.32. Now written in Visual Basic 2.0, it adds dBase file imports and easier maintenance to envelope Note Text, but otherwise remains the fine program is has always been. ENVEL232.ZIP is high on our list and always on our computer.

VBREADER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Offline Mail Reader

This appropriately named offline mail reader was written by Daniel Page in Visual Basic. This freeware program is nicely done and a very nice alternative to other QWK packet readers. READER12.ZIP is worth a look and a try. It's not as quick as WinQWK (pun intended), and the screen layout takes a bit of getting used to, but I liked it and look forward to future versions. Mr. Page is to be congratulated on his work and generosity; he is actively soliciting input from all.

MIXCASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ASCII Text Convertor

This handy Windows utility will convert text files to mixed upper and lower case. Two modes are available, file and clipboard. Mixcase first converts all characters to lower case, and then capitalizes the first letter of sentences and table items. A dictionary can be updated and used for reference by the program to capitalize chosen words. Files and text pasted to the MixCase text box receive the same treatments. If you have the requirement, MIXCASE132.ZIP may be your Windows solution. This shareware program is priced at $35.00, which seems a bit high, but your need may justify its cost.

WINBENCH . . . . . . . . . Measure your Windows Speed

Version 3.1 is available to put your PC to the test. If you'd like to see how your machine stacks up, or produce benchmarks to compare against changes you make, check out WNBNCH31.ZIP and see how it flies . . . or doesn't. WinBench is from PC Magazine and is freeware. One word of caution: be careful whom you give this program and the one that follows to. I passed it on to a friend with a 486-50 and graphics accelerator board and he made me feel real bad! Perhaps ignorance is bliss.

WINDSOCK . . . . . . . . .  Windows Performance Utility

Here's another Windows performance program with extensive options to measure your system. This freeware package written by Chris Hewitt has very attractive graphical features and you can save your results for future comparisons. This program is very impressive, with complete online help and a number of configurations to suit your preferences. WindSock is available as WSK302.ZIP and well worth the download.

FONT MONSTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Font Data Editor

Don't expect Font Monster to change the look of your fonts; it is not an editor for that purpose. However, it will alter any of the vast array of identification data which internally describes and sometimes limits the use of your True Type and Type 1 fonts. This monster is easy to handle with a very nice interface and ease of use. No problems with foreign currency registering FMONSTR.ZIP, written by an American living in Taiwan; just send him a crisp $20 bill and he's happy.

HI, FINANCE!  . . . . . . . . . Financial Planning & more

Speaking of monsters, HiFinance! is definitely a monster of a financial program. Very sharp in the look and feel categories and flush with modules for personal and business financial purposes. I believe this program may warrant a complete review in the near future. Two files, HIFI214A.ZIP and HIFI214B.ZIP are needed to install the program. Not inexpensive at $64.00 including shipping, though its capabilities may justify your investment.

All programs listed above are available to members of Windows OnLine. To learn more about this premier BBS, call 1-510-736-8343 (modem) and download WOLMEMBR.ZIP for a list of available file directories and membership information.

And thanks, authors, for all your fine and dedicated work!


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PrintEnvelope and many other new releases and updates are beginning to use Microsoft's Visual Basic Version 2.0. If you haven't done it already, VBRUN200.ZIP deserves a download and the unzipped VBRUN200.DLL deserves a place in your Windows subdirectory for current and future use. A word of advice, though, don't remove VBRUN100.DLL! The update engine is not backwards compatible. No registration or charge for VB 2.0 . . . consider it a Holiday gift (?) from Bill Gates.


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Comdex 1992

Technology and Fantasy in the Desert

The major fantasy in the desert are the numbers of attendees that Sheldon Adelson claims for Comdex. This year it was 130,000, a number that most cab drivers thought came from a highly inventive mind. Nonetheless, there were a whole load of techno junkies and some ordinary human beings in Las Vegas. There was no real hit of the show this year, although there were a number of interesting products both in hardware and software. The following is a digestible synopsis of the more important product areas.

Multimedia

If there was any area where the number of product announcements exceeded the number of potential customers for the technology, it was Multimedia. Most of Bally's Hotel was given over to the Multimedia Pavilion, an area dedicated to everything that makes up Multimedia and these days, that's a lot of different products.

Imagine living in a house with 20 children between the ages of 12 and 17 each with their own stereo system and the complete works of their favorite band, orchestra, ensemble and group on CD. That's roughly what it felt like to walk around the Multimedia Pavilion. I suffered an immediate attack of sensory overload that made recognizing and understanding the various products on display terribly difficult.

Sound

Prior to November 1992 there were a handful of companies shipping MPC compatible sound cards. Well, now there's a deluge. Everyone under the sun is making or planning to make a sound card, including such well known Multimedia suppliers as Mouse Systems and Orchid? The big problem is software support. If you are not Sound Blaster compatible, you are at somewhat of a disadvantage. The kilohertz of the sample rate, the format of the wave table file are two technical questions that puzzle me and leave most users scratching their heads. I predict a year of confusion in the audio segment as vendors struggle to position their products as both different and superior to their competition. Users, not surprisingly, will share in the confusion.

And Now, Video!!!

Yes, folks, just as you are trying to digest audio and your favorite application, along comes Microsoft and announces a video standard for Windows, called Video for Windows. It is a software only product which will allow you to edit, save with compression and recall video clips in Windows. It does have some critical limitations. The maximum sized window which can show video is very small and the frame rate is 15 fps which does not provide smooth motion.

You will require additional hardware if you wish to capture the video yourself, as opposed to buying clips produced by someone else. Yes, there are companies who would love to sell you video clips for use without royalty in programs created by you. The best known name is Jasmine Multimedia Publishing, They will sell you a CD ROM with approximately 20 video clips in a variety of subject areas and a number of music selections for $295. Boards to capture your own video clips cost anywhere from $350 to $1500.

Microsoft is making available a playback only version of the software free of charge. It is available on all BBSs with an interest in Windows. On Windows OnLine, it is available to members in file directory 12 with the name, VFWRUN.ZIP, or I am sure that you can find it on a board local to you.

I feel a little left behind with this video revolution. Most of my clients are struggling with the concept of sound in their favorite application. Be sure and see Video for Windows in action on a screen near you, but keep your wallet in your pocket.

Portables, notebooks and handbooks

As with last year, there were hundreds of portables, notebooks and handbooks on display from companies whose names are household words and from others whose names you might never hear of again. The price of machines with active matrix color screens is coming down slowly as the manufacturing yields on the screens get into double digits. IBM, for once, appears to have a winner on its hands.

Their ThinkPad is a small wonder. There are three models, a monochrome and an active matrix color both with 486 SLC 25MHz processors, the 700 and 700C, respectively and a monochrome with a 386 SLC 25 MHz processor, the 300. Memory is 4MB with expansion to 12MB on the 300 or 16MB in the 700. Disk capacity is 80MB or 120MB and is removable on the 700s. The base 300 model is $2,375; the base 700 is $2,750 and the base 700C is $4,350. All prices are competitive and the 700s even have a 3 year warranty. Watch out for this one.

AST continues their leadership in the notebook field by introducing new Powerbook machines. They are using passive matrix technology but have somehow managed to get the colors brighter than other manufacturers. They will sell lots of them because of the price savings over active matrix screen units.

Handbooks are sub three pound machines with some penalties for their size. Most have CGA screens that I thought had gone out with the Edsel. Processors vary from 286s to 386s at 25 MHz and 64k of cache. Hard drives are 40MB or 60MB. I don't know how serious these machines are. It may be that they trade off too much for their size. Gateway has their 2000 and ABC has their Bicom SL60.

Personal Digital Assistants

While more products will be shown at the CES in January, AT&T was showing a machine called the EO Personal Communicator which was developed as a prototype by a variety of firms with AT&T providing the communications piece. EO is a GO Systems Pen OS based hand-held computer with wireless modem capability. All kinds of remote services are being talked about including GPS. The Global Positioning System will tell you, within 300 feet, where you are anywhere in the world. I know a few people who could do with that capability. 1993 may be the year of the PDA but I doubt that many of us will be able to afford the tab.

Database

The two contenders for heavyweight champion database developer were in full action. Microsoft had more real product to show in as much as one of their offerings was actually shipping, Microsoft Access. Uncle Bill himself officiated at the product announcement but did not have a good time. Access crashed during his demonstration. The official word afterwards was that a beta version of Foxpro for Windows that had been running prior to Access had caused the problem. Uncle Bill was not amused.

Back at the booth, everyone was oohing and ahing at Access. But they were also oohing and ahing at Foxpro for Windows. The general first impression was that it was more of an industrial strength development tool than Access.

The other contender, Borland, was showing its still non-existent product, Paradox for Windows. In vapor for over a year, Paradox for Windows looks like a great app but then so does anything in a demo where you control all the elements. Borland has been hit hard in the trade press and the stock market for taking so long to get Quattro Pro for Windows and Paradox for Windows out the door. Let's hope it ships soon. If Foxpro for Windows ships before Paradox, Borland will be in even bigger trouble.

Accounting software for Windows

Accounting software for Windows has been around for a while but only at the personal or very small business level. Recent announcements herald a new set of accounting applications designed for small to large businesses. At Comdex, Great Plains Software was showing their product Dynamics. First out of the gate with shipping product, GPS will launch their line with a General Ledger in January '93. Other modules will ship throughout the year. Not only will GPS sell the packaged accounting modules, they will also sell to qualified vendors a complete Windows development environment which will allow the GPS packaged applications to be completely customized to a given client's needs. The standard module will also allow customization but to a much simpler level.

1993 will be the most interesting and exciting year for micro based business information systems. For those readers who are working in the accounting area or are potential purchasers, stand by for a year of stellar launches.

Document Management

Document management software is something whose time has come. It allows the retrieval of documents through the use of keywords, date, author, client, subject etc. This is not entirely new since many Windows word processors can do that now. However, document management software works with all types of software, not just word processing documents. Even a small office which uses word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software can quickly lose track of who has what document in what directory. Yes, you can standardize on a directory structure which reduces the search time but it still means useless work to find a document.

PC DOCS is one of the Document Management products which have a chance of going big time. The Windows version of PC DOCS will ship at the end of January, 1993. PCDW replaces the save dialog box of Windows with their own. It is customizable to suit the organization within which it is used. PCDW will also do a full text search. If someone is working on a document and you try to look at it, you are told that it is presently checked out and by whom.

This thumbnail sketch in no way does justice to the sophistication of PCDW. Look for it in your local computer store.

Presentation Software

There were a slew of new products being shown. Many were new versions of current products but there was one notable new product, WordPerfect Presentations. It looks like the WP folks learned a lot from their work on WP for Windows. Lotus Freelance, Microsoft Powerpoint, SPC Harvard for Windows and Aldus Persuasion will all have new versions with Multimedia capability, both video and sound.

All are working on ease of use, a much touted but less frequently delivered commodity. Just wait for your update notice and then order.

Windows for Workgroups

Windows for Workgroups, WFW is not new but the applications being developed for it are. Microsoft is banking on WFW really giving them an edge in the office automation market. The list of applications being worked on is too long to list here but suffice it to say that when all the products are on the market, second quarter '93, WFW will be a formidable platform.

Networks

It became very clear this year that if you are really interested in Networks, you should not go to Comdex but to Networld. Novell had a very small booth which dramatically demonstrated their view of the importance of Comdex to the networking world.

Catch the VL Bus

Last year's Comdex report sang the praises of local bus for video, specifically the Orchid Superboard 486 which I have used for the past year. The downside of the Orchid solution was that the bus was proprietary and only Orchid video cards will function in the local bus slot. As you probably know, the VESA, Video Electronics Standards Association created a standard for local bus called VL BUS. There were a large number of motherboards with VL BUS capability in Las Vegas.

They usually come with two slots, one for video and a second one for an IDE disk controller. The VL BUS means that you can buy an Orchid VL BUS motherboard and any of 8 other companies local bus video cards to put in it. Don't expect your old IDE drive to go faster with a VL BUS IDE controller card. The IDE drive has to the latest product released by the drive manufacturer and it must be based on their previous SCSI technology drives.

Within a year, it will be nearly impossible to buy a 486 motherboard with VL BUS slots. This technology is really going to take off.

Video cards

Plain old video cards are going the way of the Dodo bird. All the action is in video co-processor cards. They have been around for the last year at reasonable prices but the performance has been turned up a notch. S3 has a new chipset that is faster than their original model. IT&T has a new chipset that is being used by Paradise. Weitek is touted as the new speed leader with their 9000 chipset. Naturally, it is the most expensive but if you're an Autocad or serious desktop publishing user, you will find the approximately $700. price tag an easy sell to the check signer.

Many manufacturers are producing cards with one or more of the above chipsets. For Windows users, be sure to check out the stability of the software drivers for any video co-processor card before you buy one. There is a constant stream of complaints about drivers for their current cards from two of the better known video card companies, Diamond and ATI.

Printing Products to Put a Smile on Any Windows User's Face

The HP LaserJet IV was not a new product at Comdex but it was one of the hot spots in HPs booth. The output is stunning and the price is right. Not only that but it comes with 10 True Type fonts in the printer itself.

For those of us who cannot find anyone to buy our existing LaserJet so we can buy a LaserJet IV, we will not be left behind. Microsoft, in conjunction with HP has developed a cartridge and new software drivers for any LJ II or III called The Windows Printing System. The cartridge speeds up printing out of Windows by putting the Windows GDI in printer. The Windows GDI, Graphical Device Interface, is the imaging model that Windows uses to display characters on the screen. Using GDI in the printer obviates the need for all the translation from GDI to PCL, the printer language of HP printers. This saves a lot of time.

In addition, the Windows Printing System supports bi-directional communications between the printer and the computer, just like the LJ IV. This allows the printer to communicate back to the computer what is happening to it. If you have sound capabilities in your computer, it will announce that the printer is out of paper or that an error has occurred. No Windows user with a LJ II or III will want to be without the Windows Printing System. Coming in the first quarter of 1993 to a store near you for a mere $140, my guess at a street price.

HP also announced the Portable Deskjet for mobile computer users who like to print things out wherever they are. It is 300 dpi and prints at three pages per minute. The output is excellent even with greyscale graphics. The street price will be around $400.

Summation

The oasis in the desert was not as exciting as in previous years. Despite this, there are many smaller but interesting developments as you can see from all of the above. I plan to go into training again for Comdex in the spring. Until then, ciao!

Investigation conducted by

Hugh E. Hardie

P.S. I can be reached in either the I-Link Windows or Relaynet Windows conferences for questions or for tips.


Windows Tips

Tiling for Fun and Profit

A Small Insurance Policy

Don't Get Lost in DOS

Tiling for Fun and Profit

The early versions of Windows were not as we see Windows today. Not only were they notoriously unstable, they had features which are rarely seen today. One of these was tiling of application windows.

I was always of the opinion that tiling was a very inelegant solution to multiple application display. Tiling is the presentation of all currently running applications being allocated a section of the screen at the same time. Usually Windows manages to work out a scheme where all applications have the same number of square millimeters of screen real estate. Tiling of application windows fell into disfavor.

Since I never really liked the idea of tiling in the first place, I conveniently forget that Windows 3.1 still has that feature in most applications, certainly those which support multiple windows within the application itself, e.g., File Manager.

I got to the stage where I would create two directory windows inside File Manager and go to a great deal of trouble to arrange them such that they both got the same amount of screen real estate. Recently at a seminar I was giving, someone leaned over my shoulder and quietly said, "You know you that you can use the Tile command to do that for you." I sheepishly said my thanks.

As you can see below, the tile command is in the Windows menu in File Manager and in most other applications that support tiling. You can also switch between windows by selecting from the list of open windows at the foot of the Windows menu.

The effect is demonstrated below.

I also started using the Tiling feature of Excel while I was working on multiple spreadsheets. It made moving between them much easier.

Don't forget, Tiling may be good for you too!!!

A Small Insurance Policy

There is a flurry in the various Windows conferences from time to time about the issue of when SMARTDRV writes back the write behind or lazy write buffer and whether you could reboot the system and still have sectors in the buffer which would be lost for all time.

SMARTDRV does not, by default, write data back to the hard drive when an application requests it. Instead, it collects data until there is a lull in the disk I/O and writes back the list of writes accumulated since the last time is flushed the write back cache. You can switch off write back caching but that will slow up your system. You could issue the command:

SMARTDRV /C

just before you boot to manually trigger the flushing of the write back cache. An alternative is to write a small batch file, BOOT.BAT as follows:

C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV /C

C:\UTIL\BOOT

BOOT.BAT resides in the root directory of your boot drive. You are probably wondering what BOOT.COM does. BOOT, which , on my system, resides in the \UTIL directory, does a soft boot of the system without using the three fingered salute, i.e., Ctrl, Alt, Delete. I have always liked the gentility of BOOT as opposed to the more interventionist "salute". Thus, the batch file flushes the write back cache and reboots the system in that order avoiding the messy possibility of rebooting with unwritten data in the write back cache.

You should, of course, ensure that the root directory of you boot drive comes before the directory containing BOOT.COM in your path statement otherwise BOOT.COM will restart your system without the benefit of the cache being flushed.

Happy flushing!!!!

Don't Get Lost in DOS

Have you ever been in a DOS full screen session under Windows 3.1 and have forgotten that you are in a DOS window rather than at a native DOS prompt? It's quite easy to do since, after the your first sighting of the DOS prompt, Windows is very quiet about its presence in the background.

Most of the time, whatever potentially dangerous things you do. even if you do forget, are trapped by Windows and nothing injurious occurs. But there are the occasions when your entire system locks up, usually with some important document or spreadsheet unsaved.

There is a very simple solution. Using an environment variable, created by a SET command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you can alter the prompt in a DOS window to force a continual reminder that you are not in DOS but in a pretend DOS world created, for the moment only, by Windows.

The command is:

SET WINPMT=EXIT BACK TO WINDOWS - $P$G

The WINPMT, when present, is used by Windows as an equivalent of the PROMPT variable in DOS. The words EXIT BACK TO WINDOWS appear on the screen followed by the drive and current directory. In fact, if you go into a DOS window and type SET followed by enter, you will see a list of the environment variables for that window. The variable actually appears as:

PROMPT=EXIT BACK TO WINDOWS - $P$G

Leave your trusty Swiss knife at home. Stop praticing campfire songs composed for lost souls. Forget the map and compass. All you need to avoid getting lost in the DOS forest is your SET WINPMT command.

Investigation conducted by

Hugh E. Hardie

P.S. I can be reached in either the I-Link Windows or Relaynet Windows conferences for questions or for tips.


hughpop2
Hardie & Associates Inc.

Walnut Creek, CA

(510) 935-3994


FontMonger_for_Windows

FontMonger for Windows

Reviewed by Derek Westfall

Ares Software Corporation is leading the industry in reducing headaches for the end user. Once one has gotten past the infamous install, compatibility and driver problems that Windows 3.1 can conjure, there still remains the question of font management. Wading through the different font standards to decide which type will find a home on the ever-shrinking hard drive can be downright frustrating.

FontMonger is Ares' slick answer to the font dilemma. This software is a complete font translator. With FontMonger, there is no need to worry about whether or not your local service bureau uses TrueType or PostScript. This software can convert an entire typeface between the two font standards. In fact, FontMonger can convert fonts from many sources:

FontMonger document files

- .FRF or .FRT extensions

Windows TrueType font files

- .TTF extension

Macintosh TrueType font files

- System 7 TrueType files, or suitcases containing TrueType fonts

LaserMaster font files from LaserMaster LX6 Professional Controllers

and Plain Paper Typesetters

- .LXO extension

Macintosh PostScript Type 1 font files from any vendor

- downloadable font file, with optional suitcase file containing

screen fonts and/or .AFM file

PostScript Type 3 font files in major formats, including those

produced by FontMonger for Macintosh, FontStudio and

Fontographer, as well as fonts from Bitstream, Monotype, Casady &

Green, etc.

- PC: .PFA extension, with optional .PFM and/or .AFM files

- Bitstream Fontware: .PSO extension

- Mac: downloadable font file, with optional suitcase file

Nimbus Q from any vendor, including URW, SoftType and

SuperPrint fonts

- .FNT extension

Intellifont FAIS

-.FI Extension, with associated .FF files

From these, FontMonger can create fonts in the following formats:

FontMonger document files

- .FRF or .FRT extensions

PC PostScript Type 1 font files

- .PFB, .PFM and .AFM files, plus .INF files for use with Adobe

Font Foundry

Macintosh PostScript Type 1 font files

- downloadable font file, plus suitcase file containing screen fonts

NeXT PostScript Type 1 font files

- .NXT and .AFM files

PostScript Type 3 font files

- PC: .PFA, .PFM-and .AFM files

- Mac: downloadable font file, with suitcase file

Nimbus Q font files

-.FNT

Editing With FontMonger

FontMonger is surprisingly intuitive. I feared having to tell the program all sorts of information about the font I wanted to convert, but FontMonger did all that work. I just chose File/Open, changed to my \PSFONTS directory and picked the font I wanted to convert. For this exercise I chose Adobe's Optima font, a personal favorite.

FontMonger opened the .PFB file in roughly 10 seconds and presented me with a keyboard layout of the character set. I could also have chosen to view the font in terms of a character keycode chart.

I was about to convert the font to TrueType format when an evil impulse struck me. I did something that would give the Adobe font designers a heart attack: I got creative with Optima. It was too easy. I double-clicked on my favorite letter of the alphabet, the capital D. Instantly I was in edit mode.

In this mode, I could stretch the character, rotate it and otherwise manipulate the character to my liking. Leaving the simple stretching and rotating to the faint-of-heart, I chose to edit the character using the bezier curve editing tools. This allowed me to exercise my creative genius to manipulate the character into a work of art. When I was satisfied that my D was something that Van Gogh would be proud of, I proceeded to influence the W in a similar manner. Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I will let you be the judge of my handiwork.

The bezier curve tools are limited. It is not easy to create complex graphics in the character editor. For instance, creating a gothic or complicated decorative font would be next to impossible. To allow for creation of such fonts, Ares wisely gave FontMonger the ability to import graphic files in Adobe Illustrator format for use as characters. Programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Micrografx Designer, Aldus FreeHand and CorelDraw can all create such graphics.

Converting Between Font Formats With FontMonger

While the changes I made to the D character were admittedly juvenile, FontMonger should not be mistaken for a toy. The program is a workhorse when it comes to converting fonts! FontMonger's Batch Conversion utility easily changed my whole \PSFONTS directory to TrueType format at a rate of roughly 30 seconds per font (486/33 with 16 megs of RAM). Your mileage may vary.

The only problem I had concerned font weight names. Font weight refers to whether the font is regular, bold, italic or bold-italic. For some reason Windows applications like Paintbrush and Excel did not like the TrueType font weight names that FontMonger created. Because of this, instead of "regular" being listed as an option along with bold, italic, etc., there was garbage. This only happened with TrueType fonts. Ares believes that this may be traceable to font families with non-standard or excessive font weight names. Whatever the cause, the buyer should be aware of the problem.

Solving Compatibility Problems With FontMonger

FontMonger's ability to convert between different font formats can save a great deal of time and trouble when dealing with service bureaus or cross-platform desktop publishers. Included with FontMonger is a Macintosh Translator diskette to ease the cross-platform font translation. All these elements combine to make a nifty little utility, critical for those who have font compatibility problems and a great way for artists to get creative with type.

By the way, here's my masterpiece. I call it Westfall Optima. Thanks, Ares!


Derek_sig

         Derek Geoffrey Westfall

      Philosopher, Artist, Windows Consultant

              25200 Carlos Bee Blvd. #189

                   Hayward, CA 94542

                       (510) 881-4738

                      CIS: 73617,2131

I welcome your comments, questions and snide remarks.


Windows_Sound_System
Microsoft Windows Sound System

Windows Now Has A Voice

Reviewed by Alex Howard

It's true. Windows does have a voice. And, the voice can be yours! But let me start at the beginning.

I was asked by Microsoft's Hardware and Accessories Group, HAG for short, to beta test a new product. (To my knowledge, this is the first hardware product Microsoft has produced since their highly successful mouse.) Naturally, I accepted. I found out early that this was to be a small beta, only one hundred testers in the entire group. I later discovered that half of those testing this product would be Microsoft employees. That meant fifty of us did not work for Microsoft. The project had a code name: FOGHORN.

As with many of the Microsoft beta tests, we were given a free forum on CompuServe, in which to ask questions and post error messages and upload bug reports. And we were told that the beta test period would be approximately six weeks. This was extremely short, as compared to the Windows 3.1 test period of nine months.

The hardware and software arrived, complete with beta test instructions and a cover letter instructing us to have fun and try to break the product. After all, that is what beta testers do: try to make a product fail in as many different ways as possible.

So there I was, with what is now called the Windows Sound System, a half card to install in an open slot, a set of Walkman type earphones, and a small microphone. I read the instructions, which described the jumper settings, for specific I/O address placement, and realized that I didn't need to change the I/O address selection jumpers from their factory settings. I installed the Sound System controller card.

The installation routine was a breeze. As with almost all of Microsoft's products, I selected File / Run from the Program Manager Menu and typed "A:SETUP." Windows Sound System's Setup walked me through selection of a hard drive on which to install the software. During the early installation process, Windows Sound System showed me a screen. There were three options to select: Change the Board Configuration, Perform a Sound Check, and Install the Software.

I worked my way through each option and, with the earphones on, got to the Sound Check. When I clicked on this option, I heard a pleasant voice say "Sound Check." I chuckled, and tried it again. Then I went ahead with the software installation.

During the installation, Windows Sound System asked me to tell it where Excel was located. (Note: this is because I don't have Excel 4.0 in my PATH statement.) Windows Sound System creates it's own Group under Program Manager. One of the Sound System Apps is a Guided Tour which I took. I then worked my way through the other Applications: Volume Control, Recording Control, Sound Finder, Music Box, Quick Recorder, and Voice Pilot.

This is the Windows Sound System Group:

Windows Sound System's Voice Pilot was the first application to really grab my attention.

The developers at Microsoft had pre-set it with a number of words it would recognize. I, the user, could program it, or rather teach it, to recognize any words I chose.

In the above screen, you can see the options available for adding your own Vocabulary: Edit, New, Train, Help, Delete, and Close.

Beginning with Edit:

You can see the editing screen allows you to declare the word and enter the key-strokes, telling Voice Pilot for which area the command is valid. You then click on OK and go on to Train. You can see from this screen shot:

... that Train gives you the option of training for the Whole Vocabulary, Items with Untrained Sounds, or One (Single) Item.

Other options for Voice Pilot are the ability to change and set the user, for yourself or others in your office or home. You can determine the rigidity or looseness of recognition. In other words, make Voice Pilot recognize exactly what it hears, or give it a little leeway for different accents. You may change the font in which the active words, those showing in the window which are ready to be recognized, are displayed. Voice Pilot pretty much allows you to control every aspect of Windows, and comes complete with default settings and vocabularies for a large number of Windows Applications. Among these are Ami Pro 3.0, Norton Desktop for Windows 2.0, Winword, Excel, and, in fact, most every Windows Application published by Microsoft. There are also default settings, which can be altered and augmented by you for Write, Micrografx, Lotus 123 for Windows, Powerpoint, Word Perfect for Windows, Microsoft Mail, MS Project, MS Publisher, MS Works, and I could list a few more, but you do get the idea.

And through Voice Pilot you can access the Recording Control, which allows you to determine the volume level at which you record. I must say that, while still in beta, I trained the Sound System to recognize many words, while the air conditioner in my office was running. It actually recognized these words!

Since I just discussed the Recording Control, here is what it looks like:

As you can see, you can control the level or whether the input comes from a Microphone or other source, as a CD ROM. A nice touch is the Input Level Indicator. Sort of a VU Meter, like seen on stereo amplifiers, for each channel.

One of the most fascinating parts of the Windows Sound System is the Proof function. Created to work with Excel and Lotus 123 for Windows, Proof quietly helps people avoid repetitive strain injuries. Don't laugh! Proof can be set, as in Excel, to read each entry as you type the data in. Like Voice Pilot, you can train it to recognize any word or phrase you want. Then, as you enter your daily data into the spreadsheet, Proof reads it back to you. You are no longer required to move your head and neck up and down, up and down, checking to see whether you've typed the data correctly. You can control the pauses between words, and the speed at which Proof reads them. And, like other aspects, or Applications in the Sound System, you have control over the volume. You can have it play softly, or even use the supplied headphones, to not bother your co-workers. Here's a shot of the main Proof Menu, inside Excel 4.0:

The first option is On Entry. This allows the Proof function to read back to you what you type into an Excel spreadsheet. As I mentioned above, this is how to avoid having to look back and forth between your (paper) data sheet and the screen. But there is a caveat! Before you can hear everything you enter, you must train Proof to know those words. There are many supplied words in a number of dictionaries. And there is a Miscellaneous dictionary, in which you can add words which don't fit those supplied. The Microsoft supplied words fit into dictionaries such as Money, Numbers, Dates, Times, Other, and User. You can even control the time between words and the pronunciation of the words: slowly and more quickly. Basically, Proof makes proofreading foolproof!

Clearly, I can continue to describe every single feature and sub-feature of the Windows Sound System. But that would take most of the fun of discovery away from you, the reader. So I will summarize the remaining features. Quick Recorder allows the user to insert sounds into a word processing document, using OLE, Object Linking and Embedding. Why would anyone want to do this? Many of the latest Windows word processors allow for notations when a number of people contribute to the creation of a document. But it's so much nicer to be able to add your own voice. That way, the readers can click on a microphone icon, and hear your comments on any section of a document. Much more personal and truly slick!

I began this review with installation, and should offer one very important note. During the beta test phase, we discovered that the Install process had one flaw. While not a big deal, it is disquieting to the user. Install will add Windows Sound System goodies to your WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI as most Windows applications do. However, the Windows Sound System also takes your [386enh] section and moves it to the bottom of your SYSTEM.INI file. This does not have an adverse effect, but the next time the user goes to modify this file, they find things are not quite where they left them. My suggestion is to use SYSEDIT.EXE or any other ASCII editor and move that section back to the proper position. Just for general housekeeping purposes.

Most beta testing is routine. You try to exercise the new or upgraded program or system. You try to make it fail in any way you can. You spend lots of time doing this, and reporting the results to the company. Software companies rely upon testers to find things their developers cannot find, because they are much too close to the software. But, in most cases, beta testing is not truly fun. This was. The Windows Sound System was probably the most fun I have had testing. Period. And I believe it will be equally as much fun to the user. Who says you cannot have fun while doing your work?

I'll wind down with a brief summary of some other functions and features: Adding sounds to documents. Controlling that sound quality. Polishing your sound. Talk to your computer! Have fun!

Reviewed by

Alex Howard

Alex Howard is president of Oxymoron Unlimited, an independent consulting company in North Bergen New Jersey. He can be reached by calling (201) 868-7681, by fax at (201) 854-2990, on CompuServe at 73310,2237, or through Windows Online.


Windows_Launchers
by Ed Hoffman

Program launchers, though an important part of any windows system, are some of the least exciting forms of software. All program launchers are a variation of the features that already exist in the windows. And even though the program manager, file manager, or command line may be used to launch any program, the right program launcher may be a useful addition to your system.

Program Manager is the primary program launcher in windows. Here you can setup your programs in any number of specific groups. Then when you need the program, you simply go to the program manager, open up one of the groups and select the program you want. This sounds very simple, and works well if you have only a few programs. But, if you are like me and have a variety of windows programs, you'll often forget where you put a particular program. "Let me see - is it under System Utilities, Windows Utilities, or Accessories?" Sometimes, by the time I find the program, I've forgotten why I wanted it.

To help resolve this problem you might want to look at one or more of the following program launchers. These programs are all shareware and are grouped into two general categories: program manager type launchers and simple program launchers. The program launchers are further divided into two types: icon style program launchers, and text based menu style program launchers. These launchers will not help you remember where you put your programs, but they may help make sense of your program filing system.

Program Manager Launchers

Program manager launchers are programs that either replace or augment the windows program manager. This type of program usually offers several features not available with the windows program manager. Most notable of these features is the ability to change the group icons. So, instead of having all group icons the same, as with the windows program manager, these programs allow you to use custom icons for each program group. This makes finding the group you want a bit easier. In addition to changing icons, most of these programs offer added launch features, as well as other custom options to make windows more personal and efficient.

Plug-In 1.12

Plug-In is a add-on enhancement program for the windows program manager. But, unlike some shells that replace the program manager, Plug-in has the same look and feel as the windows program manager, but much more power. Plug-In allows you to customize both the group icons as well as the individual program icons. The program also allows you to activate and deactivate individual groups. When a group is deactivated it stays on the disk, but is removed from the program manager. Icon changing is much faster with Plug-In and the complete setup process is also greatly simplified.

In addition to icons, Plug-In also allows you to change the cursor. A variety of custom cursors are also furnished with the program. Plug-in also offers a variety of enhancements for the menu bar. A QuickRun option allows you to configure the program manager to run your more commonly used programs without opening any groups. The program also has an enhanced RUN option with a browse option, a history list, and other runtime options. The system resources and available memory may also be displayed on the menu bar. Other notable features includes a fine-grain program alignment, low-system resources alarm, and detailed system information window.

Plug-In

Plannet Crafters, Inc.

2580 Runic Way

Alpharetta, GA 30202

Registration fee: $20.00

KBDock 1.2

The KBDock program is a windows shell that replaces the program manager with a vertical application bar. When loaded the application bar is positioned on the right side of the screen. KBDock is equipped with a CONVERT utility to change your existing program manager groups to KBDock groups automatically. These group icons may be customized to suit your preferences. The existing program icons are also included in the application bar. The individual programs may be modified by manually changing the data file or by using the drag-drop feature to load programs from the file manager.

When KBDock is launched, the application bar first shows the listing of program manager groups. When one of the groups is selected the buttons in the application bar change to the icons of the program with that particular group. KBDock may be setup to show a descriptive name as you pass the cursor over each icon in the application bar. This allows you to read the name of the group or program rather than memorizing the meaning of each icon. The icons are cached after their first use. This saves valuable memory space and makes the program very fast. The program may be setup to activate the button with a single or double click and the program may be configured to stay on the desktop or on top of any running programs.

KBDock

Keith Burton Consulting

1800 Grier's Creek Road

Varsailles, KY  40383

Registration fee: $20.00

Program Launchers

Program launchers are typically intended to launch individual programs rather than program groups. These launchers are most often used to keep the programs you use most frequently close at hand. So, rather than starting a specific program by roaming through the hierarchical structure of the program manager or file manager, the program is launched directly from an icon or menu. Depending on the specific program launcher, almost any type of program, or combination of programs, may be started with a single mouse click. The main advantages in using any program launcher are in their increased speed and convenience. The two general styles of program launchers are the icon type launchers and the text based menu style launchers.

Applications Dock  4.10

The Application Dock is an icon style program launcher that allows you to setup the programs you use most often in a convenient dock, or group of icons. The major strengths of this program are its flexibility and easy configuration. The dock may be setup to contain as many as 50 icons and may be locked in one position on the screen or left to float. When set to float on the screen a simple click and drag allows you to reposition the dock whenever it gets in your way. The dock will also change its shape as you drag it to the edges of the screen. So if you have a dock that is two buttons wide and six high, dragging it to the bottom of the screen can change it to three wide and four high, four wide and three high, or down to twelve wide and one high. The dock may also be set to stay on the desktop or on top of any running programs.

Programs may be added to the Applications Dock by editing the .INI file, by editing each button command line, or from the file manager using the drag-drop feature. The program offers a range of startup options and parameters for each program added to the dock. The dock also has a very useful "RUN" option to launch additional programs. The program has a wide array of setup options and may be configured to suit almost any individual taste.

Applications Dock

David R. Black

23651 Verona

Laguna Hills, CA  92653

Registration fee: $10.00

'Lectric Toolbox 1.0

The 'Lectric Toolbox is another icon style program launcher. This program makes extensive use of the windows drag-drop feature. Although programs may be entered by editing the command line, the drag-drop feature is a much faster and simpler way to add programs to the toolbox. The program also makes arranging the buttons very easy. Rather than re configuring or editing the command line for each button, the toolbox may be rearranged by simply moving the icons to the desired button location. The tool box size is set by dragging the borders of the toolbox to the desired size. The size of the toolbox can be set from a single icon to a grid of 18 X 18 icons.

Another benefit of the 'Lectric Toolbox is multiple toolboxes. The program allows any number of different toolboxes to be configured to suit your specific situation. Once the program is loaded the specific toolbox may be selected from the list of existing toolboxes. If you have one tool box you normally use on a regular basis the program can be configured to load this toolbox at the startup. Any additional toolboxes may then be accessed from the startup toolbox. When not needed the toolboxes may be minimized to an icon to save screen space.

'Lectric Toolbox

James Robinson

2809 Brookside Circle

Paragould, AR 72450

Registration fee: $15.00

Usher 1.4d

Usher is a small text based menu style program launcher. One of the more attractive features of Usher is its very low memory overhead. Usher only requires 9k of memory. This type of program launcher is well suited for those people who prefer words to icons when launching programs. Also, since the program is a simple text menu, it takes up much less space on your screen than the icon based launchers. Usher is a very simple and easy to configure program that keeps everything you need close at hand. The program is furnished with a sample USHER.INI file that serves as an example when configuring the program. Usher allows up to ten levels of menu hierarchy and may be configured without leaving the main window. So, no more searching the file manager for the program .INI file.

Usher may be set up to work with any combination of mouse buttons. If you have a three button mouse, for example, a convenient configuration would be using the right button to load the program and the center button for the Usher configuration. This keeps your left mouse button free to select the program. If you have a mouse with two buttons, the configuration area of Usher can be added to the main menu. The program is activated by clicking at any blank space on the desktop. The specific appearance of the program depended on where on the desktop it is activated. So, if the menu is activated on the left side of the screen, additional menus will appear to the right. But if activated on the right side of the screen the menus will open over the main menu. The program has a variety of additional features such as an easy to use run option and an arrange icons command to keep you desktop neat and tidy.

Usher 1.4d

George Browning

5124 Melbourne Road

Raleigh, NC  27606

Registration fee: $15.00

Launch 2.7

Launch is one of the more sophisticated variations of the text based menu style program launchers. Rather than editing an .INI file, the Launch program has a self-contained configuration program to help you setup the launching menu. When the program is first run the configuration program looks for your existing setup and copies it to the Launch program. So, when you click on the program manager menu item your existing configuration is shown. All programs currently loaded in each of the listed groups may be launched with a simple click on the program name. Or if you wish the program may be launched from the keyboard with a hot key combination that may be configured within the program.

Launch is activated by clicking on any blank spot on the desktop. The main menu that appears when the program is launched may also be configured to suit your personal tastes. The main menu is usually the best place to put the programs you run most often.

Launch 2.7

David Stafford

65 Grandview Unit 1

Santa Cruz, CA  95060

Registration fee: $29.95

All of these programs are furnished with very good help files and reasonably complete and well written documentation. The best suggestion this reviewer can offer to help you determine which of the programs is best suited for you is to download all of the programs. Then by working with each you'll be able to find which programs work best for you and your style of work.

Members of Windows OnLine BBS can download these files located as follows:

Plug-In 1.12 is named PLUGN112.ZIP in Dir 5.

KBDock 1.2 is named KBDOCK12.ZIP in Dir 4.

Application Dock 4.10 is named APDCK410.ZIP in Dir 4.

`Lectric ToolBox 1.0 is named LECTBX10.ZIP in Dir 2.

Usher 1.4d is named USHER14D.ZIP in Dir 5.

Launcher 2.7 is named LAUNCH27.ZIP in Dir 4.

Brought to you by

Ed Hoffman

Staff Writer


InContact

The are a number of moderately expensive, complex contact managers on the commercial market. InContact! fills two gaps very nicely with its deceivingly simple appearance but multi-featured functionality and its reasonable and flexible pricing policies.

Thoughtful design is apparent the moment you start InContact! The opening logo offers three choices: Continue into the program, display Shareware information, or be presented with an informative Overview. Shareware authors take note of this intelligent approach to making a first impression.

The main screen of InContact! presents all of the information about a particular contact and the mechanisms to move from one to another or select groups of contacts. However, it can be customized to hide any unnecessary or unused components of the data to reduce the size of the screen (see View on menu composite graphic).

Category, Status and Flags are all initially blank and available for customization to your individual needs. Contacts can be quickly categorized from the drop down selections you place in your configuration, and Status can contain anything from a hot to cold rating or your very own business or personal system to determine action plans. Eight flags can be named and used for each contact and later used for selection criteria or just general information about a contact.

Entries for six telephone numbers are provided, all of which can be accessed from the phone dialer. Work and home addresses can be entered, or the home address fields can be used for other purposes such as letter salutations, etc., since InContact! has the capability to integrate any data field into form letters or extract to a file. Random notes up to 64,000 characters are easily placed and later scanned in the window provided.

Finally, dates of Last Call, Call Back and Birthday along with an automatically calculated Age are shown. Clicking on the ellipsis adjacent to the date fields will pop up a convenient calendar which can assist you in selecting and inputting a date.

The slider on the toolbar of the main screen browses through your contacts, but pressing Locate pops up a list of all in your database in alphabetical order, the name being the key to the database. A quick double click on any selection will bring that contact to the screen.

The first of three pushbuttons on the toolbar allow quick access to Attached Files. You can attach any number of files, an invoice, a document, etc., to a contact, and clicking on that file will bring up the application to which the file extension is associated.

The second will bring up the Call dialog box. Any of six numbers in the contact record can be dialed after you've set up InContact! to recognize the com port to which your modem is attached. When you dial out, a Call Log dialog box is activated and your call is timed and logged with notations you make through easy check-off options describing the result of the call.

The final icon on the toolbar activates a Print Letter dialog box which provides for the selection of a form letter file. InContact! instructs you on how to make a document template into which fields from your contact database can be inserted by placing certain character strings in the letter.

Facilities are even provided to produce user-defined reports or labels directly from InContact! A variety of label formats are offered, and the ability to customize label formats is even available! Your library of fonts can be accessed for use in production.

Another method to take advantage of your contact database is the ability to import and export data to and from InContact! Various delimiter formats are available to accommodate nearly any interface. Fields can be selected for export, including blank lines, to work with many other applications, and formats established can be saved.

Selection criteria to extract contacts for a specific purpose is extremely flexible. Text searches can be accomplished as well as keying in on specific fields which do or do not meet the data specified. The flags which you have defined can be used as keys to maintain certain mailing lists or contact groups for easy extraction.

InContact! is a surprisingly full-featured program with many dimensions that are at first not apparent. Multiple databases can be created and accessed by the program so it can be useful for multiple personal and/or business purposes. A menu option even offers user defined program launching directly from InContact! Extensive and well-written on-line help is available. The following composite of the menu system provides additional perspective on the richness of the program:

                     Summary

InContact! is a wonderful entry to the world of shareware and provides a very nice array of features. It seems very well designed for the first version right out of the starting gate. Clearly David Balmer is not just the author of the system he created, but a user as well. While not quite in the league as various commercial programs, it must be recognized that not everyone needs all the bells and whistles of those $300.00 behemoths. And InContact! makes quite a bit of noise itself, and for a fraction of the cost.

One could comment on additional components which would be complementary to a contact manager, such as scheduling. However, certain features begin to cross over into the Personal Information Manager (PIM) category, and debate could very easily break out as to what features should be exclusive to either program.

Various pricing options are available dependent upon the need for a manual and telephone support. The program can be registered for as little as $20.00, extraordinary for such an extensive contact manager. Site licenses are available.

Requirements are Windows 3.X, VBRUN100.DLL, and at least 1 meg of RAM. It will run in either standard or enhanced mode. Networks are not supported. Members of Windows OnLine can download InContact! as INCT11A.ZIP and INCT11B.ZIP.

For further information please contact:

Serious Shareware

P.O. Box 5523

Arlington, TX 76005-5523


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Metz_Task_Manager

Task Manager 2.0

Reviewed by Ed Hoffman

One of the first features of Windows 3.X that many people trip over is the utility called "Task List". The "Task List", in case you have not yet found, is started by double clicking the blank desktop, or by clicking "Switch to..." in the Control-Menu of any windows program. You can also bring up this window with the Ctrl+Esc key combination. When I first stumbled over this built-in Windows utility my first thought was, "That's nice, but what else does it do?"

The original intent of the "Task List" was to make task switching easier. But, as is often the case, Microsoft left quite a bit of room for improvement in this program. And improve the program is just what Metz Software did. But rather than simply adding a few new features, Metz completely redefined both the basic concept as well as the program. The end result is the METZ Task Manager 2.0.

Task Manager is like a Swiss Army Knife for Windows. It contains virtually every important feature needed to use Windows efficiently and effectively. Task Manager may be run as a stand alone program or as a Windows shell. As a replacement shell, Task Manager offers many of the benefits and much of the power or larger shell replacements like Norton Desktop for Windows. Despite its compact design, Task Manager is deceptively powerful and fast. The three main functions of Task Manager are in the areas of Task Management, File Management, and Scheduling.

Task Management

Task Manager offers three separate choices for launching programs. The "Launch Pad" allows you to setup the nine programs you use most often. These programs are started by simply clicking on the program icon. In addition to simply adding buttons, the program also allows you to customize the way the program runs. Each program may be launched in any of four ways: Normal, Minimized, Maximized, or Hidden. Hot keys may also be assigned to each program to allow the programs to be launched from the keyboard.

A second type of program launcher is the LAUNCH command on the Menu Bar. This menu puts any number of programs just a mouse click away. Instead of using icons, this menu shows the programs as text entries. The menu is fully customizable and may be setup with a single menu or a series of cascading sub-menus. Again, each program may be setup to run virtually any way you wish. For those committed to the DOS like command line, the "Run" box at the bottom of the window will allow you type commands directly. The "Run List" will keep track of up to 99 specific commands and permits a doubleclick return to any previously "Run" task.

In addition to providing a convenient method of launching programs, the Desktop Arrangement Buttons, above the Launch Pad, allow you to keep the Windows Desktop setup and arranged. A simple click on any of these buttons will allow you to arrange the icons, launch programs either minimized or maximized with a simple drag and drop, and set up the screen arrangement for cascade, tile, or grid arrangements. There are even "End Task" and "Switch To" buttons that appear when a program is selected. Again, each works with a simple drag and drop.

The "Task/Group Combo Box" and the "Task/Group Window" on the left side of the Task Manager Window show both the currently running programs and allow easy access to all your Program Manager Groups. The down-pointing arrow on the right switches the Task Window to the listing of Program Manager Groups. To change, simply select the group you want and the Group Window appears with all the programs. When you want to return to the Task Window, simply click the up-pointing arrow on the left. Both these windows are fully customizable and either the Program Manager or Norton Desktop for Windows Groups may be shown. The "Task Window" may be setup to show only normal programs or hidden programs as well. Even the sequence and appearance of the listing can be set to suit your preference. So, if you prefer the description, command line, or no text may be shown. Even the icons can be turned on or off.

File Management

Managing files is handled in Task Manager with the "Quick Utilities" buttons located above the Desktop Arrangement Buttons. These utilities provide quick and easy access to perform many of the file housekeeping chores. The first two buttons are for the Select Directory and the Quick File Manager options. If Task Manager has one weakness, this splitting the directory and files is that weakness. But these do allow you complete, if somewhat cumbersome, access to all your files for copying, moving, renaming, deleting, printing, or launching. Again, the drag and drop feature many be used for each of these operations. One other unique feature of Task Manager is the "default application" option. When you select a file that has an extension that is not listed in the Windows Associations, rather than an error message Task Manager will run the program you preset. The default program is Notepad, but you can set it to run any other viewer or program you desire.

The next two buttons are the Quick File Find and Quick Text Search options. The Quick File Find is without doubt the fastest file finder for Windows this reviewer has ever seen. The speed rivals some of the better DOS file finding programs. The Quick Text Search, while not as fast as the Quick File Find, is fast enough for most routine searches for specific words or text passages. Both these programs also offer a nifty launch feature. So, once the file is found a simple double-click will launch the program or a viewer to look at the file.

The last Quick Utility button is the System Status option. This program is a very quick popup array of system information. The data shown includes memory allocations, system setups, and drive space. There are also a series of five icons for opening and editing the WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, METZ.INI, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and CONFIG.SYS files.

Scheduling

The scheduler program, which is installed in the Program Manager group, rather than the Task Manager itself, is another feature that this reviewer has learned he can't live without. From running simple pop-up reminders to scheduling lengthy print jobs or system backup tasks, when your away from the computer, the scheduler is a very useful utility. The scheduler even has a memory and if you have a system shut down, scheduler remembers what the computer did not do and allows you a "Run Missed Event" option.

The final feature of the METZ Task Manager that deserves mention is the built-in screen saver. Once again the screen saver is fully customizable and allows you to set either a blank screen, the Metz logo, or a custom bitmap. The screen saver may be set to activate at any interval from 0 to 99 minutes of inactivity. The delay interval that moves the logo or bitmap around the screen may also be set.

The program has excellent on line help and a very well written manual. Task Manager runs on IBM AT, PS/2, 286 (and up) or compatible, and requires Windows 3.0 or 3.1, DOS 3.1 or higher, 720K disk space for a complete installation and a mouse is recommended.

From: Metz Software, P.O. Box 6699, Bellevue, WA 980080699

Telephone orders - 8004471712

Technical Support - 2066414525

Fax - 2066446026.

Retail Price: $49.95

Brought to you by

Ed Hoffman

Staff Writer


WinGrin


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Vote
Want a chance to WIN a new high speed modem

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help Windows OnLine too?

If you have not noticed, the on-line world is growing rapidly. The use of high speed modems is becoming quite common. Due to the current low cost of these modems more and more computer users are connecting to the rest of the world at high speed every day. Specialized on-line services, such as Windows OnLine, are growing in popularity. Boardwatch Magazine is another popular service that caters to the on-line (modem) user. This publication is distributed as a printed magazine, by subscription, and is available at your newsstand. It is also distributed as an on-line file similar to this magazine, the WinOnLine REVIEW.

Boardwatch Magazine is sponsoring a contest to find the 100 most popular bulletin board systems in North America - and the ONE BBS most popular among callers. The contest will run from January 1, 1993 through July 1, 1993. Winners will be announced at the Online Networking Exposition and BBS Convention (ONE BBSCON) held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs Colorado, August 26-29 1993. The Boardwatch 100 list will be published in subsequent issues of Boardwatch Magazine and distributed in electronic form world-wide. This REVIEW will also print the list of the TOP 100 BBS's when they're announced.

PRIZES FOR BULLETIN BOARD OPERATORS

1ST PRIZE: The BBS system receiving the largest number of valid ballots will be named the most popular BBS. A trophy will be awarded to the top BBS at the Online Networking Exposition and BBS Convention (ONE BBSCON) held August 26-29th, 1993, at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Additionally, the winning BBS will receive air fare, hotel accommodations and registration at ONE BBSCON for the primary BBS operator as the guest of Boardwatch Magazine. Additionally, the system will be featured on the cover of Boardwatch Magazine with an accompanying feature length story about their system and a free full-page black and white advertisement in Boardwatch Magazine for a period of three months.

TOP TEN: The ten most popular bulletin boards selected by the voters will each receive an award trophy, and in Boardwatch Magazine, inclusion in a special top ten BBS listing in the magazine, and a free quarter-page black and white advertisement in three successive issues. Additionally, they will be listed in the Boardwatch 100 BBS list.

TOP ONE HUNDRED: The 100 bulletin boards receiving the most votes will each be listed in the Boardwatch 100 readers choice BBS list. This list will be published in Boardwatch Magazine and freely distributed electronically on thousands of bulletin boards world-wide.

IN CASE OF TIE: Positions for which an identical number of votes are received will be determined by point value established by the date stamp assigned to each received ballot. Time/Date stamp values are accumulated for all votes and a cumulative score assigned to each BBS based on date of receipt of ballots. Votes receive a date stamp value between 1 and 180 based on the day of the contest the vote is received. System with lowest (earliest) cumulative date stamp score will prevail in event of tie.

PRIZES FOR VOTERS

All valid ballots submitted by voters will be entered in a random sweepstakes drawing. As of the opening date of this contest, prizes include two U.S. Robotics Courier Dual Standard 16.8K Modems, two Hayes OPTIMA 14400 + FAX 144 modems, and two ZyXeL U-1496 14,400 bps modems - and more are on the way. A minimum of six valid ballots will be selected from all entries and each will receive a free modem - from the most popular modem manufacturers in the world.

RULES FOR CALLERS

Each voter can vote once, for a single bulletin board system. Each ballot must be fully completed, and individually mailed by each voter. We will verify ballots as necessary. There are three ways to vote:

1. Complete this ballot and mail to:	BOARDWATCH MAGAZINE

READERS CHOICE BBS CONTEST,

5970 South Vivian Street

Littleton, CO 80127

2. Complete this ballot and FAX to (303)973-3731.

3. Or, dial the Boardwatch BBS at (303)973-4222 and complete the online ballot provided on the main menu.

Balloting closes at 23:59:59 on June 30,1993, Last year it ended at midnight on July 1 and caused all manner of grief and confusion so we're cutting a second off of this year's contest.

This contest is not limited to Boardwatch Magazine subscribers, and no purchase of anything is required to participate in this contest. Reasonable facsimile's of this ballot are acceptable, so long as all specified information is included.

We held this contest during 1992 and it generated 11,152 votes by the close of balloting for some 1250 different bulletin boards. The TOP system received about 450 votes. Your individual vote can have a tremendous impact on the outcome of this contest. Further, the odds of winning a modem in last years contest, were 1 in 1394. You won't get those odds in the lottery.

Windows OnLine,

the best Windows BBS in the world, (we think),

who is the publisher of the WinOnLine REVIEW

 and of  the Weekly,

is asking for your support.

We ask you to print out the following form

 fill it out and VOTE for WOL in this contest.

Please mail it TODAY!

   (Click here to go to the Voting Form).


Vote_Form

To print this form, pull down the File menu item and select Print Topic.

TITLE OF BBS YOU VOTE FOR AS THE BEST:      Windows OnLine

PRIMARY BBS ACCESS TELEPHONE NUMBER:      510-736-8343

VOTER NAME:

VOICE PHONE NUMBER:

STREET ADDRESS:

CITY: STATE:                                                                                     ZIP CODE:

Primary COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE YOU USE:

PRIMARY MODEM MANUFACTURER AND MODEL:

HIGHEST SPEED YOUR MODEM SUPPORTS: 1200bps   2400bps   9600bps   14400bps   19200bps

DO YOU USE MS WINDOWS (Y/N):

DO YOU HAVE A SECOND TELEPHONE LINE FOR USE WITH YOUR MODEM (Y/N):

TOTAL CALLS YOU MAKE TO BBS PER MONTH:

WHEN DID YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST BBS CALL (MM/YY):

AGE:     	SEX (M/F):      	PROFESSION:

SIGNATURE:      	DATE:


WOL Application
o  MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM  o

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P.O. Box 1614

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(510) 736-8343 Modem

Members Voice Support (510) 736-4376

Fill out the application below, sign, and include your check or credit card information. Your application will be processed upon receipt.

Date ___________________

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I understand that the sysop is in no way responsible for the files I receive from Windows OnLine and that as a member, I will not be subject to any upload or download ratio. The sysop reserves the right to cancel this membership at any time and refund the balance on a pro-rated basis.

The membership plan I have chosen is (please choose one):

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[  ]   6 Month FULL MEMBERSHIP or 300 file downloads        =   $  49.00

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