RAndY's RumOR RaG January 1994 NEWS IN YER FACE Some distributors are reporting that sales of OS/2 are running 10 times that for Windows NT. --------------- Vendors and memory suppliers are predicting that DRAM prices will rise about 5% per month for at least the next six months. The reason given is a growing demand for memory brought on by graphics based software and inadequate manufacturing capacity. It has also been proclaimed that the epoxy resin packaging shortage which has been predicted is now ended. (Yeah, right). --------------- Borland has shipped a "field test" version of dBase for Windows. They're hoping to ship a final version in the first half of 1994. Testers say this beta version looks like Arago for Windows, technology Borland purchased from WordTech Systems last year. --------------- Eastman Kodak is planning to release an 80mm version of their PhotoCD for use in notebooks and other handheld devices. --------------- There are reportedly numerous problems with Word for Window 6 and Microsoft should have a fix out by the time you read this. Users have reported problems with the right mouse button, drag-and- drop features, printing glitches, and more. --------------- Insiders are predicting the demise of the 486SX-25 with the introduction of Intel's DX3 clock-tripling chips. The DX3 chips are low voltage and have power management capabilities. They will be positioned below the Pentium. The 486DX3/75 will appear early in the first quarter with the 486DX3/99 arriving by the end of the first quarter. Intel has not ruled out the possibility of a DX4 chip quadrupler either. Cyrix announced they will have a similar tripling product in the second half of 1994. --------------- At a recent conference in Burlingame, CA, Philippe Kahn gave a speech titled "How Not To Sell Software". Lotus head Jim Manzi quipped, "I'm amazed he could condense that in an hour." --------------- Apple was letting employees buy two Newtons for holiday gifts for $499. --------------- Cyrix has been experiencing manufacturing-supply problems. --------------- Lotus is getting ready to ship a multimedia version of 1-2-3 for Windows which will include ScreenCam technology. ScreenCam lets you record keystrokes and cursor movement, copy whatever is on the screen, and lets users create training movies and annotate them with voice comments. ScreenCam is in beta testing and will ship in the first quarter of 1994. --------------- Look for OS/2 2.2 sometime in 1994. The new version will go into beta testing early next year and will feature support for symmetrical multi-processing. IBMers are wondering if maybe two versions are needed, one for uniprocessor users and one for SMP users. --------------- CHICAGO REVAMPED Microsoft has made some changes to the forthcoming 32-bit version of Windows, code-named Chicago. Look for plug-and-play functionality, some 32-bit perks, and networking features from Windows for Workgroups. Mail and scheduling may be offered as add-ons. They're targeting 386 machines with 4 megs of memory. Plug-and-play means you can plug in a new card or peripheral and when you power up the computer it will automatically sense and record the configuration changes. There will likely be a version without the graphical interface of DOS 7. The full beta of Chicago will not ship until March or April (it had been expected in February). Release will be in late summer or early fall of 1994, but others suggest it may be as late as November. --------------- WORDPERFECT MAIN STREET Last month I talked about WordPerfect's efforts to get their products into your home under the banner of WordPerfect Main Street products. Here are some products you can expect and their anticipated list prices: WordPerfect Works for Windows ($149), ExpressFax+ for Windows ($99), Random House Webster's School and Office Dictionary for Windows and DOS ($29), Clip Art Premium Collection on CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh ($99), Clip Art for Home for Windows and Macintosh ($39), Clip Art for Office for Windows and Macintosh ($39), Clip Art for Kids for Windows and Macintosh ($39), and Personal Information Manager for Windows ($149). WordPerfect has also licensed entertainment software from Tune 1000 Corp. which includes Kid Karaoke for Windows and Macintosh. This includes "has the Fisher Price look with a lot of the primary colors." --------------- A NEW NT Microsoft is beta testing an interim release of Windows NT called Version 1.1 and scheduled for release by mid-1994. This release, code-named Daytona, is boosting speed while cutting memory requirements. There will be support for OLE 2, faster video drivers, an engine for 3-D graphics licensed from Silicon Graphics, and NetWare client software included in the workstation version. The next release of NT Advanced Server will included features for TCP/IP configuration, account lockout capabilities, the ability to run DOS and Windows applications from an NT server. Nobody's talking specifics for price, but it's expected to be more than $200. --------------- OS/2 FOR WINDOWS Recently I reported on an IBM product code-named Ferengi which has since turned into OS/2 for Windows. So what is this thing? It's basically a version of OS/2 that uses an existing installation of Windows 3.1 instead of the Windows emulation normally provided in the OS/2 package. Of course, Windows applications will run faster with OS/2 for Windows than under WIN-OS/2. Some quirks have been encountered, among them being Windows sometimes not exiting properly. As before, programs needing virtual device drivers will not run. --------------- MORE NEWS IN YER FACE Look for CorelDraw! 5 to be released in May for Windows, followed by an OS/2 version three months later. Ventura Publisher will be a pert of CorelDraw! and they're working now on porting Ventura to OS/2. --------------- IBM has resumed shipments of the ThinkPad 500 following reports of battery problems in late October. --------------- McAfee Associates, of anti-virus fame, have signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro, a large reseller. This is a first for McAfee. --------------- Media Vision will ship a $499 PCMCIA sound card sometime next quarter. --------------- Look for a new series of Pentium chips this year with second- generation chips shipping by next quarter. These chips will have 4 times the yield per wafer, using only 6-8 watts versus the current 12-13 watts. This will lower heat, yet allow Intel to produce more chips in higher quantities with lower costs. --------------- Sales of Windows for Workgroups have suddenly taken off with the release of a new version. See a review later in this issue. --------------- GEnie is preparing a Windows front-end for their online service, but no word yet on its release. Should be soon - I'll let you know. --------------- WordPerfect and Shana have settled their differences over WordPerfect's InForms package. Shana thought the name sounded too much like a couple of their products. Following litigation, neither company will change the names of their products. Sounds like a productive use of court time. --------------- Industry sources report that up to 25% of multimedia upgrade kits are returned by consumers because they are frustrated by installation problems. This has not been my experience, but I can understand why people would return some of these things. --------------- Blockbuster Video Stores have launched a CD-ROM rental program at 52 of their stores in Northern California. Titles rent for $4 for three nights and a system and a title for $14.95 for three nights. --------------- Prodigy (the best way to throw away your money) has new color- coded menus and buttons along with a less cluttered design with more readable TrueType fonts. You can now send binary files and play back sound, see digitized photos and support for new services. I just report this stuff - Who cares about what Prodigy does? --------------- MPC WIZARD 2 This $15 CD has been updated with a few new still images and several WAV and AVI files. The AVI files are better than most packages, but could still be better. The testing end of Wizard has been substantially improved. Besides performing several tests on your CD-ROM drive, Wizard will do several checks on your sound card and see how well your system does with Video for Windows. New to this version is the ability to print your test results. Take the tests with a grain of salt. I've seen these things indicate faulty hardware when nothing was wrong. What do you want for $15? --------------- MULTIMEDIA CAVEAT Be careful if you buy a multimedia upgrade kit. Often these CD-ROM/sound card bundles come packaged with a variety of software. Just because something is on CD doesn't mean it's any good, let alone multimedia. You should be aware that Microsoft's Bookshelf is produced in both DOS and Windows versions. If your bundle includes Bookshelf, I'd make sure it's the one for Windows, although either is excellent. Most bundled encyclopedias are DOS-based as are the occult- based games that are often bundled with these packages. There's nothing wrong with DOS-based software, but many people expect that all CD software is for Windows. I recently sold one of these bundles and got to see the Time Almanac 1993. The program runs from Windows, but is largely textual information. It's not a bad package overall because there is a large amount of historical material included as well. But multimedia it ain't. The worst part is seeing Clinton's face on the opening screen as Man of the Year. (Excuse me as I hurl!) One of the best examples of multimedia software I've seen is Encarta. I'm told that the new Grolier's is excellent also. But be aware that these cost bucks. The hardware may be coming down in price, but good multimedia software is still somewhat expensive. Many of these bundles come with speakers which sit on each side of your monitor. You should remember that the resonant qualities of plastic do not qualify for high-fidelity. Hook up to your stereo if possible. --------------- SHAPE UP OR SLIP OUT This is the newest installment in the Leisure Suit Larry series (#6). The premise is that you're at an exclusive health spa and need to help out several shapely, attractive ladies. The jokes are moderately tasteless and Sierra has added a number of sampled sounds to enhance your gaming experience. Included are both DOS and Windows versions but be aware that the Windows version is significantly slower. I had thought the last Larry would be the final one, but I guess the popularity of the species remains high. This game is suggested for mature audiences with a sticker on the package. --------------- NEW WINDOWS VERSION - NOW I thought that headline would sucker you in. Actually, there is a new version of Windows which is available right now. Windows for Workgroups 3.11 will work on a stand-alone machine. This version includes a personal scheduler which works well without being hooked up to a network. If you're on a wire, you can check others' schedules, notify them of meetings, check for compatible meeting times, etc. Also included are faxing capabilities through the first implementation of Microsoft's "At Work" technology. The functionality of the fax module is similar to that of stand-alone fax packages. It ties in with the Network Post Office which allows E-mail on your network, if so connected. Operation is the same as packages such as WinFax Pro. Sending a fax from an application is slower than a commercial package, but it works. I wish there were a way to print my phone book of fax numbers too. Microsoft claims that 3.11 is faster than Windows 3.1. This claim comes largely from the ability to have 32-bit file access. What they don't tell you is that you either have to have a permanent swap file or none for this feature to work. It won't work with a temporary swap file. (I haven't been able to get it to work yet with either option on my machine.) Both File Manager and Print Manager now come with Toolbars and the one in File Manager is customizable. If you install Windows for Workgroups 3.11 over an existing installation, it won't mess up your carefully tweaked INI files. And you don't need a network to use it (except for E-mail and other network features). I am unable to test the software on a network because I don't have one at my office. I have seen it demonstrated and Microsoft has reworked the areas that left the previous version lacking. Support for DOS and NetWare are tremendously improved Here's the good news - you don't need to rush out and buy the whole package. Microsoft makes a product called Add-On which adds the new functionality. It will change your existing Windows installation and update it with new files and the new applications (so you don't need to pay for all the Windows files). And the price is only $69.95 - with a $10 rebate coupon for Windows for Workgroups 3.1 owners. A DOS add-on is also available for hooking up with DOS-only computers. Of course, Windows NT linkage is supported. Check it out. Major mail-order cloners are using 3.11 instead of 3.1 on new machines. --------------- NEXT MONTH I had planned to talk about three new products, none of which were released in December as they were scheduled to be. January will be a better month for Maui, a card from Turtle Beach which complements an existing sound card to give it sampled sounds. I tracked one down and will be working on the review by the time you read this. Then there's the NEC 3Xi triple spin CD- ROM drive which is due out the first week of January. And finally I hope to see Excel 5.0 before the end of January, but I'm not holding my breath. The anticipated ship date is the last week of the month. Vaporware sucks - uh huh huh huh uh huh huh... ================================= 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 486- 50 with 8 megs of memory, Diamond Stealth Pro VESA VLB (1 MB), 105 MB 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, 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, 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