RAndY's RumOR RaG
June 1994

NEWS IN  YER FACE
      I  hear  that  the M6 beta release of  Chicago  has  a
challenging  installation  and  is  prone  to  crashes  once
installed.  What was that final release date again?
      Other  than  that, Microsoft will eliminate  suggested
retail prices on packaged products beginning in July.
---------------
       Hardware  vendors  are  getting  perturbed  at  their
inability to get 100 Mhz Pentiums.
---------------
      Windows NT 3.5 will ship in June and run as fast  with
12  megs of memory as the current release does with 24 megs.
Testers  report that the current beta release is  "extremely
solid."  Only 250,000 copies of NT have been shipped  as  of
December 1993.
---------------
      Microsoft is planning to open a company store  in  the
Seattle   area   which   will  show  off   their   products,
merchandising, and packaging concepts.  The store will  have
a high-tech look similar to Nike's company-owned store.
---------------
      LucasArts Entertainment Company will be introducing  a
line of Star Wars screen savers, posters, and animation this
summer  in anticipation of George Lucas' upcoming Star  Wars
trilogy.
---------------
       Microsoft   is   hoping  to  have  replacement   disk
compression technology available by the end of June.   This,
of  course,  is  in  response to the lawsuit  lost  to  Stac
recently.  Said Russ Stockdale, product manager for  MS-DOS,
"We  are  making sure that it meets the technical  needs  of
people, and from a legal standpoint that it will be able  to
withstand  any infringement claims."  Purchasers  of  MS-DOS
6.21  will  get  a  coupon for a free  upgrade  to  the  new
compression upgrade.
---------------
      Compaq  prez  Ben  Rosen  anonymously  called  in  for
technical support and got lost in the system after being  on
hold  forever.   He  convinced  the  board  to  put  on  250
additional  people on the support lines and  did  some  butt
kicking with the head of support.
---------------
      AMD recently threw a party to celebrate the opening of
their  new world headquarters in Santa Clara.  The estimated
cost  of  the  bash  is in the $1million-$2  million  range.
Washed-up  rocker Rod Stewart was rumored to have been  paid
$800,000 for his two-hour gig.
---------------
      I  recently  reported that the new version  of  Norton
Utilities  had  a problem with the new version  of  Stacker.
Stac points out that it was Symantec's choice to release its
product  into an environment where it didn't work.   (Sounds
like someone is pulling a Clinton here.)
---------------

WINWORD VS WPWIN
      Last month I expressed my disgust with Version 6.0a of
WordPerfect for Windows.  The program has never been speedy,
but this interim release brings it to a choking halt.
      Here's  just one example:  I load an existing document
and  position the cursor anywhere, press ENTER to  insert  a
carriage  return,  and it takes about three  seconds  before
something happens.  This is inexcusable.  Also, I've  always
been  angered with the WPPrint thing.  Why can't  they  just
dump  my  document to the Windows Print Manager and  get  it
over with?  It's just another thing to slow things down  and
Version 6.0a really slows down here.
      So,  after  completing  last  month's  RaG,  I  erased
WordPerfect for Windows and installed Word for Windows.
      Now  here's  a  program that  really  snaps.   I  type
something and it immediately appears on the screen - bizarre
concept.   I  print the document and it goes to the  printer
NOW - pretty radical.
     There are features WordPerfect has that I'd like to see
incorporated into Word.  I like the idea of Quick Lists  and
having  file management features under the File  Open  menu.
The  AutoFormat  feature of WordPerfect works  as  a  toggle
while  Word's Format Painter is a one-shot deal.   I  prefer
this feature as a toggle.
      I prefer WordPerfect's envelope printing.  WordPerfect
allows you to store multiple return addresses and addressees
that you mail to often.
      Feature  for feature, both programs seem to  be  about
equal.  It's taking a little bit of time to learn a new  way
of  doing things but it's not a painful process.  So far,  I
like it.
---------------

MORE NEWS IN YER FACE
      This  fall Intel will begin shipping samples of a  3.3
volt  75mhz  Pentium for use in portable  systems.   They're
already  having  trouble meeting demand for the  100mhz  DX4
chip  with  severe backlogs reported.  This is  because  the
chip  is manufactured on the same fabrication lines  as  the
90mhz  Pentium.   The conversion of the  line  back  to  DX4
production will not happen until later in the summer.
---------------
      IBM  is finally replacing MS-DOS on systems they  sell
with  PC-DOS.  The goal is to preload systems with  IBM  DOS
and eventually Personal OS/2.  IBM's recently introduced PC-
DOS  6.3  includes integrated data compression  and  they're
banking that they can eat into sales of MS-DOS (which at the
present does not have data compression).
---------------
     Lotus has announced 1-2-3 Release 4 for DOS which gives
you  a graphical interface with tabbed worksheets, a manager
for multiple scenarios, better integration with cc:Mail, and
enhancements  such as cell notepads.  The product  ships  in
June  and will work with files, keystrokes, and macros  from
previous  versions.  It will require a 286  and  2  megs  of
memory.
---------------
      Remember hearing about Broderbund and Electronics Arts
plans to merge a while back?  The wedding is off.  Stocks of
both  companies fell during the interim and a new  agreement
could not be negotiated.  Broderbund made a one-time payment
of $10 million and called off the deal.
---------------
      Ensoniq, manufacturer of professional keyboards,  will
soon  introduce a 16-bit 32-voice sound card  based  on  the
wavetable technology used in their keyboards.  It will carry
an  estimated street price of $199 and will be bundled  with
Audiostation and SuperJAM!Jr.  The card has an  onboard  CPU
which  they  claim  will prevent pops and  clicks  on  audio
tracks  and  sluggish video performance.  Unfortunately  the
card  will  have a proprietary interface for Sony,  Mitsumi,
and  Panasonic CD drives.  The Ensoniq card will support the
normal standards for PC sound.
      (The keyboard player in my band plays an Ensoniq  SQ-2
and it sounds excellent.)
---------------
      Intel  is hassling with New Mexico authorities because
their  chip fabrication plant uses large quantities of water
and dries out the aquifers.
---------------
      Paradox for Windows 5.0 is now in beta testing and  is
due   out  this  summer.   Included  are  a  new  integrated
development environment with a flexible debugger, more  than
100  new ObjectPAL methods and 200 new ObjectPAL properties,
interactive tutors, better online help, and a project viewer
that  lists  working  directories by type.   There  is  also
support for OLE 2.
---------------
     Bill Gates was recently interviewed by Connie Chung and
it's  what  you  didn't see on the air  that's  interesting.
Bill got mad when she mispronounced DOS as "dose" and Novell
as "novel".  Chung admits to the "dose" but not the "novel".
Apparently  Bill  got  real  mad  when  she  questioned  his
character.   (Sounds  like  he's been  taking  lessons  from
Clinton)
---------------

ACCESS 2.0
      I  am  not  proficient  when it  comes  to  relational
databases.  I use Access primarily for mailing lists -  sort
of like using a bulldozer for smoothing out your garden.
      This  upgrade corrects some of the weaknesses  of  the
initial  release.   Wizards abound for  almost  every  task,
almost  to  the  point  of  being annoying.   Microsoft  has
incorporated the Rushmore technology from FoxPro, and  as  a
result, queries are now noticeably faster.
      You've  also got customizable toolbars which are  more
consistent with the rest of Microsoft's applications.
      I  do  have a couple of complaints.  When you  install
Access, it installs some network features.  This is fine  if
you're on a network, but it should be able to detect whether
you  are  or  aren't  and  act  appropriately.   Related  to
networks,  when  you open a database Access creates  an  LDB
file   which   is   used   for   network   record   locking.
Unfortunately it also does this if you're not on  a  network
and  only  serves  to fill up your hard drive  with  useless
files.  The documentation says you can delete the LDB's  but
Access  will  recreate  them the  next  time  you  open  the
database.   I find this quite annoying and wish  there  were
the ability to turn off this "feature".
---------------

A GUT REACTION

      If  you've  read down this far, you know that  I  have
switched to Word for Windows.  I also use Excel and  Access.
Along  with  these applications, I'm also using Windows  for
Workgroups and MS-DOS.
      Since  switching to Word, I've noticed something  that
makes  me  curious.   It seems like all of  these  Microsoft
products  work  together  unlike other  programs  I've  used
through  the  years.   Now,  I'm  not  accusing  anyone   of
anything,  and I can't point to anything concrete.   But  it
appears  to me like Microsoft Windows applications  are  all
working together in a smooth, coherent fashion.
       My  question  is  this:   why?   Is  there  something
Microsoft knows that third party developers don't?  Or is it
that  Microsoft  just  has  a better  understanding  of  how
everything works together?
     Again, I'm not suggesting that Microsoft has any hidden
or  undocumented  code that allows them  to  develop  better
software.  It's just that there's something different  going
on (by using all Microsoft products) that I can't quantify.
      I'd like you to drop me a note and tell me if you have
the  answer,  tell me if you've had the same  feeling  about
this.
---------------

A STACKED DECK
      I  just downloaded a file from the WordPerfect section
of GEnie because the file description was so funny.  It said
that  WordPerfect  6.0a was faster than  Word  for  Windows.
According  to  their exhaustive tests, the  new  WordPerfect
was:
   Five times faster opening a 500-page document with simple
text and font attributes
    Four  times faster cursoring through a document  top  to
bottom
    Six times faster changing the font in a 50-page document
from Arial to Courier
    Two  times  faster  spell-checking a  document  with  no
spelling errors
   Four times faster saving a file with changes
    Two  times  faster  opening a  50-page  WordPerfect  5.x
document
      This is all real nice, but take a look at what they've
chosen  for  comparisons - faster spell-checking a  document
with   no   errors?   How  about  retrieving   a   document,
positioning  the  cursor anywhere, and pressing  ENTER?   It
took  me at least 3 seconds for something to happen  on  the
screen.
      I  don't  want to attack WordPerfect unduly.   But  my
experience  thus far since switching to Word is that  it  is
noticeably  faster  regardless  of  what  operation   you're
performing.
---------------

GENIE FOR WINDOWS
      If  you're a member of GEnie and are not using Aladdin
software,  you  know what a complicated system  it  can  be.
I've  been  a member since 1986 and still can't  figure  out
their message base.
      Aladdin  is GEnie's DOS-based front-end software.   It
works  fine,  but  it  would be nice to  have  Windows-based
software  (like the other services have).  Well, in  looking
around  GEnie's RoundTables I found that they're  open  beta
testing GEnie for Windows.
      I  downloaded the massive file and installed it.   The
software  looks  good on the screen, but  since  there's  no
documentation there are some things that I just can't figure
out.   If any of you readers can answer my questions, please
send me some E-mail or something.
     I'd like to know - how do I set it up like Aladdin - so
I  can  select  a  menu option or hit a  key  and  have  the
software logon, check for new files since I was last on, and
download mail.  The software has a To Do Manager and a  File
Cabinet,  but for the life of me I can't figure out  how  to
automate the system.
      When you are first connected, you're presented with  a
somewhat  graphical menu through which you can  navigate  to
wherever you want to go.  The interface is pretty much a no-
brainer, but I don't see the point of using special software
if I can't automate it and save a little money online.
       I   also  don't  see  where  you  can  have  multiple
configurations, such as one for 2400 and one for 9600.
              =================================

                         DISCLAIMER
      RAndY's  RumOR RaG is published on a monthly basis  by
AINSWORTH  COMPUTER  SERVICES and is  available  on  various
local BBS's, GEnie, and in Modem News.
      In case anyone cares, RAndY's RumOR RaG is produced on
a  486-50  with  8  megs of memory, 420 MB Connor  IDE  hard
drive, 105MB Toshiba IDE hard drive, TEAC 1.2 MB and 1.44 MB
floppies,  Pro Audio Spectrum 16 running a Hitachi  3750  CD
ROM  drive, Sceptre SVGA display, Microsoft mouse, Word  for
Windows  and  transmitted through a  US  Robotics  HST  Dual
Standard modem.
      Opinions expressed are those of the author.   Comments
should be addressed to Ainsworth Computer Services on GEnie,
via  phone, analog mail, or whatever method makes  you  feel
good.

     AINSWORTH COMPUTER SERVICES
     605 W. Wishkah
     Aberdeen, WA  98520-6031
     (206) 533-6647
     GEnie Address: RAG

