From hotwired-info@wired.com Mon Oct 24 00:39:09 1994
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 1994 18:19:09 -0800
From: HotFlash <hotwired-info@wired.com>
To: hotflash@wired.com
Subject: HotFlash 1.26

HotFlash 1.26
*************

Hello, and welcome to the HotFlash for October 21, 1994.

In this issue:

     o "How To Get HotWired" Part Three - Browsers for HotWired


NEWS OF THE WIRED
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"How To Get HotWired" Part Three - Browsers for HotWired
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In this final installment on "How To Get HotWired" we discuss the different
types of World Wide Web browsers that will work with HotWired. NCSA Mosaic
may currently be the most popular browser for WWW, but more than 30
different Web browsers are available, and new ones are available every day.

But not all browsers are created equal. In fact, some won't work with
HotWired. The main reason for this is that HotWired has been designed to
require forms-based authentication (a feature included in the second
generation of browsers). Forms-based authentication allows you to interact
with a Web site, via features such as surveys and text-based discussion
areas. Below is a list of some of the leading browsers that _are_
compatible with HotWired.


HotWired-Compatible WWW Browsers
********************************

Mosaic Communications Corp. - Mosaic Netscape 0.9b (Mozilla Beta 9)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

OS Flavors supported: Windows, Unix, and Mac

In our view, this is the new king of browsers. Even though the program is
still in beta, it has numerous cross-platform improvements over NCSA
Mosaic, including faster transfers and the ability to view documents while
multiple images are loading. Mosaic Netscape also has some specific
advantages for Windows users. Unlike the current NCSA Mosaic for Windows,
Mosaic Netscape doesn't require a 32-bit version of Windows. Also, helper
applications are configured and launched through a convenient menu system,
so users don't have to edit the mosaic.ini file by hand. All this _and_
native JPEG support. Best of all, Mosaic Netscape is free.

Mosaic Communications has announced that a release version of Mosaic Netscape
(1.0) will be available on the Internet in November for free downloading.
Commercial users can purchase supported, licensed copies of Netscape
directly from the company. Prices start at US$99 per user, which includes a
90-day warranty and customer support.

The most recent beta version, Mosaic Netscape 0.9b, is available via
anonymous FTP from the following locations:

    file://ftp.mcom.com/netscape
    file://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/net/infosys/Mosaic-Comm
    file://ark.cc.ukans.edu/Netscape
    file://ftp.meer.net/Netscape
    file://doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/Netscape
    file://archie.au/pub/misc/netscape
    file://ftp.cica.indiana.edu/pub/pc/win3/winsock/nscape09.zip (PC only)
    file://mac.archive.umich.edu/mac (Mac only)

For more information on Mosaic Netscape, contact:

    Mosaic Communications
    Phone: +1 (415) 254 1900
    Email: info@mcom.com.

    For information on volume licensing of Mosaic Netscape -
    Email: sales@mcom.com


Spry Inc. - AIR Mosaic (Version .03.07.04.02)
---------------------------------------------

OS Flavors supported: Windows (and only Windows, currently)

Spry's new browser (a licensed version of NCSA Mosaic) comes bundled with
Internet in a Box ($149 suggested list price) or as part of the AIR Series
modular TCP/IP packages. We rate AIR Mosaic a close second to Netscape,
with a significant increase in performance over NCSA Mosaic. However, AIR
Mosaic currently does not allow you to view documents while images are
loading (a Netscape feature we've become addicted to). Installation and
configuration
are relatively simple (as with Netscape, a 32-bit version of Windows is not
required), particularly if you're using Internet in a Box. Nice features
include a full-screen "Kiosk" mode that allows you to view documents
without the clutter of toolbars or buttons. AIR Mosaic also allows page
printing and includes a preview utility. Finally, the program comes with
extensive built-in hotlists and the ability to convert your old NCSA
hotlists to work with AIR Mosaic. AIR Mosaic will run under OS/2 in
WinOS/2.

You can download a free demo of AIR Mosaic via anonymous FTP from:

    file://ftp.spry.com/AirMosaicDemo/AMOSDEMO.EXE (a self-extracting
    archive).

The demo is fully functional except that it can only access six URLs.

For more information on AIR Mosaic, contact:

    Spry Inc.
    Phone: +1 (800) 777 9638
    Email: info@spry.com.


Spyglass Inc. - Enhanced NCSA Mosaic (Version 1.00)
---------------------------------------------------

OS Flavors supported: Windows, Unix, and Mac

Spyglass has licensed its version of NCSA Mosaic to several OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) and software publishers, as well as a print
publisher (IBM, DEC, Firefox, FTP Software and O'Reilly & Associates). At
press time, we were unable to locate any publicly available implementations
of Spyglass. A Windows-based evaluation copy we tested displayed
improvements over NCSA Mosaic, but it did not match the power of either AIR
Mosaic or Mosaic Netscape. It will work with HotWired, albeit with mixed
results. The Windows version requires a 32-bit version of Windows to run,
but the program comes with the necessary patch to upgrade standard
Microsoft Windows 3.1 to 32-bit standard.

For more information on Spyglass Enhanced NCSA Mosaic, you will have to
contact one of Spyglass's licensees; Spyglass Inc. does _not_ market the
software directly.


National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA Mosaic (Version
2.0x)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

OS Flavors supported: Windows, Unix, and Mac

This is where it all started. NCSA Mosaic, created at the National Center
for Supercomputing Applications, is the old warhorse of publicly available
Web browsers. It's functional, even slick at times, but we still rate it
lower than some of the newer browsers available on the Net. Because
HotWired required forms-based authentication, only versions 2.0 or higher
will work - and those versions are still in beta testing. The good thing is
that it's still free and relatively easy to obtain. The NCSA FTP site is
crowded, so you may not be able to connect on the first try.

The software is available via anonymous FTP at:

    file://ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Web/Mosaic

For more information on NCSA Mosaic, contact:

    NCSA
    Email: mosaic@ncsa.uiuc.edu


Thanks for reading, and stay Wired!

                                 + + +

(c)Copyright 1994, Wired Ventures Ltd.


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