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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.
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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