RAndY's RumOR RaG January 1993 COURT RULES AGAINST AMD A court recently ruled that AMD cannot copy certain microcode used by Intel in the 486 processor. This is expected to have an effect on the record number of 486-based machines being sold these days. An Intel spokesman said that they plan to continue lowering 486 processor prices saying "Intel continues to lower prices to remain competitive, and whether or not AMD has a 486 on the market doesn't diminish the competition for microprocessors." Allocations are expected to remain tight well into the next year (93), although gray market prices have stabilized. Prices are expected to remain stable for the near future. Meanwhile, AMD will continue to "plow on" and retain a competitive market in the 486-class market, and said the ruling will not affect its 386 marketing plan (a $500 million business). Under a contingency plan, AMD has been developing a clean-room microcode and remains on schedule to introduce their own version of a 486 chip by the middle of next year (93). They also noted that Intel cannot copyright the 486 name. Cyrix and IBM expect to see a booming business from second and third tier vendors scrambling to find another CPU source. An official from Hyundai expressed skepticism regarding non-Intel chips citing "compatibility questions". An IBM representative said that the 486 chip ruling does not affect them because of existing agreements with Intel. --------------- NEWS IN YER FACE The initial release of Microsoft's Access wiped out printed packaging due to incredible initial demand. A large New York-based consultant expressed three complaints about the product: it's slow (I don't agree), it can't attach Fox-Pro files, and it has data validation problems. I can't vouch for these claims, but sales have been strong. A Microsoft spokesman countered saying that Access takes a different approach to many traditional relational database processes. --------------- In other Microsoft news, word has it that planning for MS-DOS 7 (internally known as Chicago) is already underway before Version 6 is out. Version 7 is expected to include integrated Windows and is targeted for release in late 1993. Dos 6 is expected to be released early in 1993. --------------- Borland is getting a gamma release ready of Paradox for Windows expected to be announced in late January. They're also getting ready a new dBase IV 2.0 for DOS, expected to be released in March or April. This DOS product uses a DOS extender and virtual memory management which will let it run on 286 computers with 4 megs of memory. Testers report that performance has been greatly tweaked along with enhanced mouse support. --------------- Logitech has filed suit against Microware Distributors seeking $350,000 and alleging that the distributor has not made payments since May. Personal experience with Microware suggests that they are rapidly headed for Chapter 13. They recently closed several distribution centers and I have had real difficulties getting product out of them. --------------- Microsoft's aggressive database pricing has led to a 15% cutback at Borland. That translates into 350 jobs lost at Borland. Borland officials refused further comment except to say that the bundling of Windows and DOS versions of Quattro Pro would cease at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Borland has acquired WordTech, a small but respected xBase competitor, for $35 million. Some industry insiders were surprised at Borland's rebuking competitors for undercutting prices. Said one consultant, "Borland started all this cut-rate pricing in DOS, so it's odd for them to cry fowl now." Meanwhile, Borland personnel have been shifted away from some product lines to focus on the database products. Specifically, cuts have been seen in the ObjectVision and Brief lines and the dBase for Macintosh team has been dissolved. --------------- Abacus has just released Version 4 of their BeckerTools utility. They've included seven new features, none of which are particularly useful. These guys are like Central Point; just add a bunch of stuff for the sake of change. Like Central Point, they took a basically good utility and ruined it. I liked the old BeckerTools, but when they went to Version 3 and broke up one program into a dozen smaller ones, that was the end for me. If you want this new one, go for it - but I think I'll pass. --------------- I'd like to know when we'll see Virtual Valerie ported to the PC. For the unaware, this is a game where a female invites you to her apartment, you inspect any object you want, and the ultimate goal is to have a "personal" encounter with Valerie. This is a CD- based multimedia game that is gaining popularity on the Mac. I guess you could liken it to a virtual Leisure Suit Larry. --------------- I hear that Lotus may be chilling out in their continuing legal battles with Borland. It is said that Lotus wants to make an out-of-court settlement with Borland so that they can take on Microsoft. --------------- Media Vision has new drivers out for the Pro Audio Spectrum Plus, Pro Audio Spectrum 16, CDPC, and Fusion 16 CD systems. Also included in the driver pack is a Pocket CD Player. Download the packet from their BBS. And speaking of sound cards, have you seen the advertisements for the new SoundBlaster 16 card? At least they've gone to a 16- bit bus, but the CD interface appears to be non-standard and guess what they've got for a volume control? They're still using a potentiometer - now that's hi-tech, innovative, and handy to use. Will these dorks ever learn? --------------- Microsoft is sending out Release Candidate 1 for FoxPro 2.5 for both DOS and Windows. Release candidates are usually sent out after beta testing has been completed and just before the product's release. Microsoft is still hoping to ship both versions in January, although beta testers report memory management problems. --------------- Borland is dropping their Windows/DOS bundle for Quattro Pro. Borland's claim is that customers were confused. --------------- WORDPERFECT PRESENTATIONS When it first came out, I didn't think that DrawPerfect was all that bad. But as I looked at competing products (and as time progressed), I could see that it was sorely lacking. Fortunately WordPerfect Corporation noticed the same thing and now has totally rewritten the program. A complete installation takes 15 megs of hard drive space, so be forewarned. The installation process is quite simple, if not boring, but it does automatically detect your mouse. Once the program is started, the familiar WordPerfect keystrokes still work, such as SHIFT-F7 for printing functions. But instead of a program that looks like it's running in DOS, this looks like a Windows program without the title bar. You have your drawing tools arranged on the left and you can create your own ButtonBars for quick access to common functions. Since the program is DOS-based (look for a Windows version in about 4 months or so), the speed is pretty good. It does all the things the other drawing programs do and does them well. The charting section is quite good also. Both bitmap and vector graphics are very well integrated and autotracing a bitmap does not require a separate program. Clipart is arranged into galleries based upon subject matter and are presented on-screen similar to Corel's Mosaic. You get over 1,000 clipart images with the package. The presentation section lets you create the obligatory slide show, but this program includes lots of master templates. The feature that stands out here is the ability to attach MIDI and WAV files to your presentation. WordPerfect Presentations comes with 100 MIDI files and you can create your own (assuming you have the necessary hardware). They've come up with a fine package and I can't wait to see the Windows version. I still think that Corel Draw is a better product for the money, especially with the 12,000 clipart images that are included on CD-ROM. Presentations uses Speedo and Type 1 fonts, both of which I no longer use. Therefore, I don't like having them on my hard drive along with several megs of clipart. WordPerfect has done a great job and Presentations is a good value. For a couple of months, they're including a SoundBlaster with full retail packages. Also included are macros to work with DOS WordPerfect and their excellent shell program. You are able to share dictionaries with DOS WordPerfect also. I couldn't get the display to show 256 colors with my video card at any resolution, however. Like all other WordPerfect products, the printouts were outstanding. If you need the sound capabilities for presentations, I know of no other program that will handle that. They also include a provision for making a run-time version of your slide show. The popular Super PC-Kwik cache program is included. --------------- PRINT SHOP DELUXE There comes a time when an old stand-by program must grow, and in the process sacrifices must be made. Change for the sake of change is not necessarily good, but sometimes the change is for the better. Such is the case with the newest version of the popular Print Shop program. This program has been around since forever, helping the computer illiterate create signs, banners, greeting cards, and a multitude of other useful printed items. The primary drawback thus far is that the printing was awful. Print Shop output was commonly chunky and the layouts were immediately recognizable. All that has changed with Print Shop Deluxe. You can still make greeting cards, banners, calendars, and the like. The interface has been redesigned and is a bit more elegant. The program should still be simple to use for the computer neophyte, however. Each project (cards, banners, etc.) has a choice of layouts for text and graphics - or you can create your own. You can preview your work as you go similar to Bannermania. The real change comes when it's time to print. Gone are the chunky graphics and text. Printing is as smooth as it gets. There are not many fonts included, nor are there a lot of graphics. The price of change has been that Print Shop now requires a minimum of a 386SX and VGA display. Fortunately, that should not be a problem for the majority of computers out there. They've done a great of redesigning an old workhorse, and you can look expect to see clipart and font libraries being sold. You can also export graphics in several common formats for use in other programs. Expect to see a Windows version of Print Shop in the very near future. --------------- PHOTO CD WOES So far, the sales of Photo CD systems has been far below expectations. Resellers say the cost of processing is too high, others cite inadequate advertising. I've said from the beginning, if Kodak wants to sell these things, they've got to get the price of the viewers down to a reasonable level. With the lease expensive player running about $400, that's a bit steep. Also, in talking to people I find that most of them just don't understand what's going on. Education is the key here. In other CD news, it appears that there is a shortage of CD- ROM drives just when the price is beginning to drop. Actually, the shortages are in the area of double-speed drives from Sony, Hitachi, and NEC. Everyone wants them and they can't keep up. --------------- NEW MONEY Microsoft recently updated their personal finance program Money. I normally don't get excited about financial programs, but they've done a good job. Among the improvements are a feature called "Coaches" which guide you interactively while you enter your first transactions in the Account Book. You can now create pie, bar, or line charts from most of the predefined report formats. AutoBudget can help you set up a budget by averaging your past expenses. You can also customize any report and then "remember" the report's customization. Money allows you to track your amortized Loans. It can also create a Future Transaction so you can enter loan payments automatically. A loan calculator is also included so you can compare different loan alternatives before applying for a loan. They've included a currency converter, allowing you to enter foreign currency amounts and convert them to your currency. There is now tax form support allowing you to print a Tax Form Report for line-by-line help in completing your US tax return forms. You can also export a Tax Form Report for use with tax preparation programs such as TaxCut or TurboTax. There are a number of other improvements which combine to make this version of Money a serious competitor for Quicken. --------------- RETURN TO YESTERDAY I remember when I first got started in computers, computer games were different than today. We didn't have the graphics and cartoon games that are around now. Companies like Infocom produced excellent text adventures where the pictures were "in your mind" (remember Zork?). You had to read some text, then respond to the situation. I recently received a new shareware release in this genre called The Great Archeological Race from Absolute Zero software. There are no pretty pictures or cute cartoons. There is no joystick or mouse necessary. You have to read text on the screen and make a decision as to what to do next by actually typing in a command from the keyboard (how barbaric). Actually, when they sent me this disk and I loaded it up, I was shocked to find an old-style text adventure. I never really liked these things because they made you think. The amount of detail and color in the descriptions is close to what Infocom used to produce. It's very well done in a category of gaming software that I thought had passed away. Look for it on a BBS near you. --------------- NEW PKZIP After months of waiting, I've finally had a chance to get my hands on the new PKZIP program. This is the most popular method of file compression on bulletin boards and elsewhere. So, what's new with version 2? PKZIP/PKUNZIP 2 implements a new compression algorithm called Deflating. Deflating has varying levels of compression and speed available. Both speed and compression are greatly improved over previous versions of PKZIP. It also has the ability to "span" a .ZIP file across multiple diskettes if the final .ZIP file size would be greater than a single disk. PKZIP now has the ability to format the destination diskettes on the fly. PKZIP/PKUNZIP 2 has the ability to use EMS, UMB, and HMA memory, which will allow the ability to process more files or be able to run with less conventional memory. PKZIP/PKUNZIP 2.04 will run in as little as 85K of conventional memory if EMS or XMS memory is available. The new program is Novell NetWare "aware". Updating or creating a .ZIP file on a network drive is much faster with the network support in PKZIP 2.04c. PKZIP/PKUNZIP 2 will detect what type of CPU it is being run on and will use instructions specifically optimized for an 808x CPU, 80386 CPU, or 80486 CPU. The program now automatically detects if DPMI (DOS Protected Mode Interface) support is available and will execute code in 32-bit protected mode for better speed. PKZIP can be configured to best suit your needs through the use of the PKCFG program, only available in the registered version of PKZIP. Sensitive data files can be scrambled with password protection. The security of this feature has been significantly improved in PKZIP/PKUNZIP 2. In my own experience thus far, I can't see a noticeable speed difference but compression is somewhat better. Of course, they've used PKLITE on the executable files to keep their size on your hard drive to a minimum. ================================= 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 America Online as well as in Modem News. In case anyone cares, RAndY's RumOR RaG is produced on a DTK 386-33 with 16 megs of memory, Cyrix Fasmath co-processor, ATI VGA Wonder+ card (1 MB), 105 MB Toshiba IDE hard drive, Teac 1.2 MB and 1.44 MB floppies, Hitachi 3750 CD ROM drive, Sceptre SVGA display, Microsoft mouse, WordPerfect 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, America Online, 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 America Online: RumOR RaG