RAndY's RumOR RaG February 1992 MISCELLANEOUS I hear that OS/2 2.0 is having trouble running on some of IBM's own computers. Apparently, it won't even load on a PS/2 Model 57. This doesn't look good, folks. IBM is also suggesting that vendors install OS/2 2.0 on customers' hard drives, apparently figuring that installing 14 disks is too intimidating. 14 disks?? --------------- In related news of operating systems not working right, I also hear that Digital Research has shipped an update to DR-DOS 6 but that there are problems with that fix also. --------------- Here's some uplifting news: the December volume of the Netware Support Encyclopedia carried the Stoned 3 virus on some of the disks. This affliction freezes your computer, alerts you that your computer is stoned, and recommends the legalization of marijuana. The Novell people quickly shipped out virus detectors and clean disks, but nobody knows how this happened. --------------- Symantec, publisher of the Norton Utilities, is getting into the game business. One of their Windows games is a connect-the-dot thing but apparently it cheats and won't let you win. I've suspected for years that the computer was cheating on some of these games. --------------- I'm not normally a fan of magazines put out by companies. They promote their product and tell you that theirs is the greatest thing around. But the newest issue of Aldus Magazine has an excellent article on offset lithography and another great article on paper. The article on paper goes into great detail about the differences between coated and non-coated stock as well as other technicalities which determine how good your output looks. I believe that subscriptions are only through the purchase of Aldus products. Speaking of Aldus, as I write this Aldus stock is taking a nosedive. Apparently there is a perception that pageMaker could face enormous competition from a new generation of high-end word processors. --------------- Look for lower 386 prices just around the corner. Intel will be lowering 386 prices by as much as 35% in the second quarter. These changes are a result of competitive chip prices and 486 and 386SL revenue. Intel will lower 386DX-25 chips from $152 to $99 (quantity 1000) and a 386SX-20 will drop from $82.50 to $59. Expect a 10%-15% reduction in end users prices as a result of all of this. In related news, AMD claimed it had captured 30% of the 386 market in the fourth quarter of 1991. An AMD spokesman claimed that Intel's planned price cuts were not a surprise and would not affect their company. Analysts do not feel that the price cuts will hurt AMD's market share, but could have an effect on profit margins. --------------- Adobe is working on a major upgrade to the Windows version of Illustrator which will offer file compatibility with Mac and Next computers. New features include the ability to edit images in preview mode, extended graphing capabilities, and the ability to enter and manipulate text directly within art. There will also be a new version of Streamline, which converts bitmap images to vector-based. --------------- Borland's stock has been taking a beating amid fears that Quattro Pro for Windows and Paradox for Windows would not meet anticipated first quarter shipping dates. --------------- Expect something new soon from Approach Software of a Windows database that can access Paradox, dBase, and SQL files. It's expected to ship in March. --------------- Just downloaded HIMEM.SYS Version 3.03 and EMM386.EXE Version 4.41 from a BBS and noticed a substantial change in memory allocation. I don't know what's going on technically, but I'd guess these are in preparation for Windows 3.1. Anyway, when I do a MEM/C, my free memory jumped from 317K to 322K. After printing out a listing from MEM/C, it looks like the EMM386.EXE program takes up 5.1K less than before, and there is now 3.6K additional free in my Upper Memory Blocks. I don't know exactly what happened or why, but I'll take it. --------------- GOOD NEWS - RAndY's RumOR RaG will soon be carried in its entirety in ModemNews. (Up until now, they only printed excerpts.) I talked to creator/publisher Jeff Green and he said it was one of the most popular features and will be reproduced in full along with a similar column for Macintosh people. We need to talk about this Mac stuff, Jeff. --------------- According to the WordPerfect Reseller Report, during the first 30 days, 369,693 copies of WordPerfect for Windows were sold. That's just sales, not reseller copies and not the number shipped. Still, that's not too bad. This product has some problems, though. The display is NOT WYSIWYG. I've tried lining up song lyrics with the chord changes above each line, and I always have to monkey with putting in spaces so everything lines up right. I like WordPerfect for Windows, but it makes me mad that if I switch from the Windows printer driver to the WordPerfect driver and then back to the Windows driver, the default font is something funky - not what I want it to be and not what it was set at before. Also, when I switch to landscape or actually make any change to the printer drivers, I get the dialog box saying it's "updating printer information" and it churns away at the hard drive for 30 seconds or so. Please fix this stuff soon. --------------- IS ANYBODY THINKING? DEPT. - can someone tell me why they ship PC Tools on high density disks, then send the 7.1 bug-fix disks on 360K? --------------- I've just seen the most incredible VGA demo from the people at UltraForce. That's a company in the Netherlands that does superb 3D demos. I can give you the address if you want, but this demo is the best I've seen on a PC. Catch it on a BBS near you. --------------- WINDOWS 3.1 UPDATE It looks like we'll be waiting until April for the introduction of Windows 3.1. Microsoft shipped the "final beta version" of the product at the beginning of January. This new beta version includes the final implementation of TrueType along with the first working versions of several multimedia extensions. Sources inside Microsoft say that the product will be released on April 6 at the Windows World show in Chicago. Following the rollout will be a major advertising campaign, of course. Three new audio features are included. Through the Windows Control Panel, users can assign sounds to different applications and system events. You can select a sound to play when you start Windows and other sounds can be application specific. For example, an application could play a trumpet sound whenever you encounter a warning message. (Don't ask me why, I just report this stuff.) To use these features, you'll need a sound card which conforms to the Multimedia Personal Computer specifications. If you don't have one, you'll just get a beep. A second program called the sound recorder will allow users to record, play, and edit sound files. The recorder has VCR-like control buttons and includes a "wave box" panel that displays a graphical oscilloscope-like representation of the sound. New sounds can be recorded with a microphone. Editing capabilities include blending files, speed adjustments, playing sounds backwards, and adding echo. The multimedia player program plays multimedia files including MIDI song files and audio and video discs. It supports both compound and simple multimedia devices. Also included in this beta release were 25 TrueType fonts. The documentation says in part: "Play with these, have fun, but don't count on any of them being in the final Windows 3.1 product. In fact, we don't promise to ship any of these fonts ever again." Hmmmm..... Starting in March, Microsoft will launch an $8 million television advertising blitz in preparation for the release of Windows 3.1. The whole campaign will be aimed at upping the appeal of Windows applications. Look for 15-second commercials touting Word for Windows and Excel. Meanwhile at NextWorld, Steve Jobs was wisecracking that Windows NT was "just a UNIX wannabe". And the show goes on ... --------------- STANDARDS FOR PORTABLES Microsoft, Intel, and Phoenix Technologies have launched the Portable Computing Initiative, an attempt to increase versatility and battery life in portable computers. The objectives of this group are to load DOS and Windows into ROM chips, ROM DOS to support Advanced Power Management, and to set standards for portable computing. The initial signs of something happening is the announcement of a ROM version of DOS 5 (called DOS 5.0a) which complies with power management standards. Later this year, this will be followed by a "Lite" version of Windows for ROM, and scaled down versions of Excel and Works for Windows. In related developments, Chips & Technologies will be including its PC/Chip computer-on-a-chip in Phoenix Technologies' Palmtop Reference which will include MS-DOS 5 in ROM card form, the PC/Chip and LotusWorks in ROM form. This reference set is expected to be available to OEM developers sometime in the first quarter. --------------- CHIP WARS By the time this is published, Advanced Micro Devices is expected to announce a line of 486 processors which will be identical to and plug compatible with Intel's. The release of the chips will be staggered throughout the year, but speeds will include 25 mhz, 33 mhz, and 50 mhz models. Also under development are 486SX and 486SL chips. Since the introduction of their 386 chip, AMD has captured 30% of the market and generated $145 million in sales. The 50 mhz chip is expected to ship during the third or fourth quarter and prices have not been released but is expected to be competitive with Intel's. AMD is also rumored to be considering a 33 mhz 386SX microprocessor. Sources say that if such a chip were marketed, quantities would be immediately available. In related news, Cyrix is planning to introduce its 386 and 486 lines this year including a 40 mhz 386SX, 33 mhz and 50 mhz 386DX, and a 50 mhz 486 chip. These chips are expected to be introduced late in the first quarter. --------------- NEW SOFTWARE? Lotus Development is thinking about moving away from its traditional 1-2-3 spreadsheet analogy for its next generation product. This project has been called Walden and has been in the planning stages for some time. The idea began about the same time as 1-2-3 for Windows, and now there is really some code. Apparently it is being written mostly in C++ and the final product will have a customizable interface and advanced scripting language. Users will be able to edit objects by calling up lists of attributes rather than navigating through menus. Original plans were for a product launch (for Windows) at the end of 1992 with Mac, UNIX, and OS/2 versions closely behind, but at this point it is unclear if Lotus will still follow that schedule. In other Lotus news, look for an upgrade to that awful LotusWorks thing. The new Version 3 will have a reworked spreadsheet which is more "1-2-3-like". The module is not 100% Lotus compatible, but the 27 or so most common keystroke sequences will work the same. Also included will be better support for laser printers, fonts, and attributes. Some of Lotus' Impress technology is responsible for that. I hear that Lotus is also working on an upgrade to Symphony, but it's unclear if there will be a Windows version. Who cares? --------------- ELECTRONIC PEOPLE I came across a product announcement that sounds interesting. Mannequin 1.1 software lets you incorporate 3-D, ergonomically- correct human forms into CAD and graphics packages. Mannequin creates human-likenesses (men, women, children of different sizes, shapes and nationalities) that can see, walk, bend, and grasp objects. All of this can be integrated into programs like Autodesk 3D Studio, Animator Pro, Micrografx Designer, Harvard Graphics, and AutoCAD. There is support for virtual memory and palette features. Don't get excited, I said ergonomically-correct not anatomically-correct. But I still think I could have some fun with this one. MSRP is $499. --------------- NEW AOL SOFTWARE Subscribers to America Online have new communications software available. If you haven't upgraded to Version 1.3 yet, just use the keyword UPGRADE and get it ordered - it's FREE! They've changed several things about the software including support for DOS 5. That means you don't have to have SETVER trick the program into thinking it's DOS 4. Also, you can now run the software from Windows in Enhanced mode with PIF and ICO files included. There is improved mouse support with compatibility with more different brands. One of the better features is the ability to compose mail offline. You can write E-Mail messages before signing on and there is also an Address Book included for keeping track of friends on the service. Before downloading a file, you can check a box that will sign you off after the download is complete. Also included is a graphic gauge to monitor the status of your download. Finally, you can perform simple DOS functions such as Delete, Open, Rename, and more without exiting the AOL program. --------------- SOFTWARE CHEATERS The Software Publishers Association recently raided Advanced Business Microsystems in Irvine, CA finding more than $100,000 of unauthorized software. The president of ABM, developer of the Platinum Series accounting package denied any wrongdoing. But witnesses have alleged that company officials instructed employees to make and use illegal copies. The company can now either settle with the SPA or go to court. --------------- INTEL NEWS Intel Corporation is planning to unleash at least 30 new 386 and 486 chips on us this year. By the end of the year, the number will be over 40 as compared to the present 9 offerings. Many of the new chips will be 486 derivatives for portable and notebook computers. Expect to see low power 486-based versions of the 386SL chip which includes built-in peripheral chips and power management features. Included in this roundup are a 3.3-volt 386SL, 3.3-volt 486SX, and a 3.3-volt 486-class version of the SL processors in a range of clock speeds. Also under development for release this year are 66 mhz, 16 mhz, and 20 mhz versions of the 486DX as well as a 33 mhz 486SX. And rumors have been abounding about development of "clock doubler" or "speed doubling" chips which will operate normally externally, but double the clock speed internally. These will be available in two packages - one for computer makers building systems and the other for resellers who sell and upgrade 486SX computers that have an empty CPU upgrade socket. These "doubler" chips are pin-compatible with existing Intel 486 chips and let owners upgrade their performance by just plugging in a chip. Many vendors fear that such a wide choice will only spark confusion in buyers. People are already confused about the 486SX and a wider choice will make things more difficult for people on both sides of the counter. Most significant to be excluded from this plethora of chips is the P5 or 586 which is still expected to ship this year. The expectation is that you won't see too many 586 machines until around Christmas. (The P5 will contain 3 million transistors and offer performance in the area of 100 million instructions per second.) Mysteriously there was no word on increasing the performance of the 386SX or 386DX chips. I wonder why? --------------- FILE EXPRESS 5.1 Following on the heels of a major overhaul to File Express, Expressware has just released File Express 5.1. I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, but should be able to do a complete review next month. In the meantime, here are some highlights concerning what's new and what's changed. Pressing CTRL-D when viewing a record will dial through your modem using the contents of the field you're on. File locking can be turned off in the setup program. (Everyone I know has had problems with being locked out of a database and it's frustrating to have it happen all the time.) You will have more Quick Scan fields (20) and Quick Scan, Find Records, and Add Records will be integrated. You can Search for a record in Quick Scan, jump to the full screen record display mode, and continue searching a d displaying records easily. You can define and save up to 9 different Quick Scan layouts and Search criteria. There are new printer drivers, faster screen displays, selective indexes and smart indexes. Automatic field spacing for labels has returned (YEAH!). Just looking at the changes, it looks good. I hope the bugs have been worked out. Hope to let you know more next month. --------------- ================================= DISCLAIMER RAndY's RumOR RaG is published on a monthly basis by AINSWORTH COMPUTER SERVICES and is available on various 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, 360K, and 1.44 MB floppies, Sceptre VGA 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. AINSWORTH COMPUTER SERVICES 605 W. Wishkah Aberdeen, WA 98520-6031 (206) 533-6647 GEnie Address: RAG Aberdeen - Home of Nirvana (I know they suck, but just had to throw it in.)