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Windows OnLine
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  WOL Press Release,  by Randy Wong

  Cache la Byte Commentary,  by Thom Foulks

  Utilities For Windows,  by Ed Hoffman

UnInstaller

FMTools

  Picture Publisher,  by Tami Brydone-Jack

  MakeOver,  by Derek Westfall

  Ami Pro 3.01,  by Ed Hoffman

  Typecase III,  by John Morris

  MyBackUp,  by Ed Rasimus

  LetterHead,  by Ed Hoffman

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WOL Press Release
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(Danville, California) -- Windows OnLine™ (WOL), The premiere Windows oriented computer online service, has announced new memberships including a very special offer for their GOLD members. For a limited time, new and renewal GOLD members will receive FREE, the PC-SIG, "World of Windows™" CD-ROM. This new product offers many outstanding Windows files and programs. Included are 350 of the best shareware programs, 900 TrueType fonts, 429 ATM fonts, over 2,000 sound files in .WAV, .VOC, .SND, .SOU, .MID format and 10,000+ icons.

The disc provides a font previewer and installer, a sound player and an icon manager. More than 200 programs can be run simply by clicking on them in File Manager. All programs and articles reviewed in the July/Aug issue of Shareware Magazine are included as well as copies of the WinOnLine™ REVIEW™,  and its sister publication, WinOnLine™ REVIEW™ Shareware Edition - the original electronic magazines that feature reviews and briefs of both commercial and shareware Windows software. The WinOnLine™ REVIEW™,  praised by the international online community, is published in a Windows Help file format featuring hypertext and color graphics.

Frank Mahaney, founder of Windows OnLine™  and Publisher of the WinOnLine™ REVIEW™,  is pleased to offer the CD-ROM to GOLD members. "I believe that this gives our members a wealth of resources to use immediately."

This CD, combined with a one year membership to the online service, will give users the opportunity to acquire the best and latest in Windows files.

GOLD members may download up to 400 megabytes of the very latest Windows shareware. This combination of CD-ROM and Online service access is the 1-2 punch that other services lack. WOL does not charge connect fees, hourly fees, speed surcharges for high speed modems, or any other continuing fees.

Windows OnLine™   has been described by PC-SIG as the "World's Best Windows BBS" and may be the world's largest in terms of Public Domain and Shareware Windows files. "We wish to be the one place that Windows users can be sure they will find what they are looking for in PD and shareware Windows software," said Mr. Mahaney.

A WOL GOLD membership costs $109.95 which gives the user access to the BBS for one year, the CD-ROM, and up to 400 megabytes of file downloads. "Even considering long distance charges, our GOLD membership is a greater value and much less expensive than major online services," said Mahaney. "We can furnish our members with 14,400 bps v.32bis data speeds on all our phone lines while the major services offer, at most, 9600 bps." Also available is a one year "less-active" membership at $69.95.

More information and online membership can be obtained by calling Windows OnLine™ BBS, 510-736-8343 (modem).

Reported by

Click Here


Randy News Signature


Cache la Byte Commentary

The computer industry needs a new word.

Oh, no, you say -- we ALREADY have too many new words. Often based on acronyms (like "scuzzy" for SCSI) or product names (like Pentium so Intel could copyright the name of what we all know is an 80586). If you talk about a TIFF, it's not really an argument, but a kind of graphics storage format like GIF, JPEG, Targa, etc. (No, etc. is not a storage format -- but Kodak could use it for storage of the extra negative frames on a Photo CD disk.)

And there's all those other arcane words and acronyms: ZIP, LZH, IDE, ARLL (the growl of a bear with a splinter in its paw), ad infinitum. (Ad infinitum: The way some users think DoubleSpace is supposed to work.) Plus product names that are downright intimidating (Sound Blaster, Phaser printers) -- not to mention the computer "crash" that frightens us all, and the "bugs" which hatch only after the software is removed from its plastic shield.

All, a genuine pain to learn and keep track of. But, I digress. (Digress: Potential name for software that reviews your old calendar instead of building a new one.)

The new word we need is a computer definition for megabye. No, I don't mean a new definition for 1,000,000 bytes. I mean a NEW definition for 1,048,576 bytes.

Say what!?  OK -- here's the point. Buy a 213MB hard drive. Format it. You now have 202MB of new storage space. No, you didn't get gipped. The manufacturer's rating of the drive is in millions of bytes, in Base 10 numbers -- 1,000,000. The computer operating system's perception of the drive is in millions of bytes, in Base 2 numbers -- 1,048,576 bytes.

Simple fact of numbers. Problem is, the two varying definitions of megabyte tend to be used interchangeably, inconsistently, and not necessarily with deceptive intent, throughout the industry. "Mega" -- 1,000,000 -- itself is a well-established prefix used in many other areas of society, so we're not going to convince everyone else to count OUR way.

What we need is a new word to define a computer megabyte. Please drop your suggestions in the nearest suggestion box. Our crews will pick them up.

P.S. -- Please don't let the Department of the Treasury get wind of this situation. If the megabucks of the budget deficit suddenly and inexplicably drop, you'll know what happened.

Click Here


Thom Signature

         Thom Foulks

        5311 Alta Loma

Colorado Springs, CO 80918

     719-598-7828 Voice

     719-528-8545 BBS


Utilities For Windows
Utility programs for Windows are high on my list of products to check out. Anything that can make my computer life easier and simpler gets high marks from me. But too often, many utilities that start out with a good idea, lose their direction or intention about half-way through the program. I'm quite frequently disappointed with the short shortsightedness of some programmers. It's much the same as expecting a steak and getting a hot dog. Well I'm happy to report that such is not the case with the programs from MicroHelp. These programs: UnInstaller and FMTools, each start with a simple premise and never lose their way.

UnInstaller 1.0

Anyone who has ever attempted to remove a program from Windows can understand the magnitude of this task. Unlike DOS, where everything is usually kept in a single directory, Windows is much the same as an octopus, with tentacles that spread throughout your whole system. So, removing Windows programs is much like a problem with cock roaches  you're never quite sure you've got'em all. Not only does Windows put program files in unexpected places, but many times the install feature of these programs will even make up places to put files. To uninstall these programs, you'll need to find and delete all these files, plus the added entries to your WIN.INI, and SYSTEM.INI, not to mention the Program Manager groups that may have been created. From this you can see that the old DEL *.*  just won't work with Windows.

Even though manually removing a Windows program is not impossible, it does take a bit of effort. But, if you'd rather spare yourself the grief and frustration you might try the UnInstaller program. This program makes short work of uninstalling windows programs, and after giving it a test run, I'm quite satisfied with the work it performs.

UnInstaller is actually two programs in one. The first program is UnInstaller and the second is IniClean. Together they help you keep your system free of unnecessary files and programs. The UnInstaller component is the program that actually does the heavy duty removal of programs. IniClean helps you keep up with your system by letting you delete those extra little files that happen to remain after you've deleted a program without UnInstaller 1.0.

The UnInstaller component is used to remove existing programs from your system. When you call up this program the first screen that appears directs you to the Program Manager groups presently on your system. Here you select the program to be removed. If the program you wish to delete is not in one of your Program Manager groups, a Browse feature is included to help locate the program. Once the program is selected the UnInstaller looks through your system to find the program and all its related elements. These are then displayed and you are offered the opportunity to remove all or part of the program. At each step, before removing anything the program pauses for confirmation before deleting the files. An optional SmartLinks feature is available to show the links a program may have to *.DLL's or similar files. When you install the program, this option is turned off. If you elect to use the SmartLinks, remember the files it finds linked to one program may very well be linked to another as well. Removing it may interfere with the operation of some of your other programs.

The UnInstaller works remarkably fast and the unwanted program is gone in just a matter of a minute, or so. Like any other program that removes items from your system, make sure you read and understand all the screen information before removing anything.

The IniClean component is useful for looking at the variety of associations and entries in the *.INI files on your system. This program allows you to check the individual associations in your system as well as selected entries in your WIN.INI file. The program offers you the option to view these entries either in their entirety or simply the changes made since a specific date. This allows you to scan your complete system to find any remnants of programs or associations you no longer need. Once these are found the program allows you the option of viewing, editing, or deleting the section.

The documentation for the UnInstaller 1.0 program is well done and the online help system is well prepared and answers virtually any question about the intent and operation of the program.

FMTools 1.0

The FMTools 1.0 program is a neat add-on utility for the Windows File Manager. The program incorporates both customizable buttons and a menu bar option to make working with File Manager a bit simpler. Although the operation of the Windows File Manager is relatively straight forward and doesn't require a great deal of study to figure out, the menu structure does take a while to master. The FMTools program allows you to take the commands, or menu options you use most often and apply them to a floating button bar.

This button bar can be configured to a single or multiple row arrangement either vertically or horizontally. Since the button bar floats, it can be placed anywhere on the screen that's convenient for you. You can even move the bar directly on top of the File Manager if you wish. The default button bar is furnished with a selection of typical commands. You can keep these, or change them. The button bar configuration screen is straight forward and only takes a few minutes to master.

When setting up the program you are offered the option of adding the FMTools to the menu bar. Here you can add up to 12 user defined menu options. Typically these are the programs you most often use and would want to keep close at hand. Although you can access these program directly from the menu bar, an even simpler alternative is to add these programs to the button bar. The button configuration window offers two general options in the Command Set area, for setting up the buttons. As shown these are File Manager and FMTools. Selecting the File Manager option, accesses the commands found in the menus of the File Manager. However, by selecting the FMTools option you can add the programs that you've added to the menu bar directly to the button bar as well.

In use the FMTools program is well behaved and does exactly what you expect it to do. I personally like programs that don't offer hidden surprises. Both the manual and the help system are well written and are easy to follow.

Both the FMTools 1.0 and the UnInstaller 1.0 are good utilities that both the experienced and novice computer user will find helpful. So, if you're in the market for the features these programs offer, they definitely deserve a closer look.

UnInstaller 1.0	(Retail price: $79.00)

FMTools 1.0	(Retail price: $49.00)

Available from:

MicroHelp, Inc.

4359 Shallowford Industrial Parkway

Marietta, GA  30066

1-404-516-0898

Brought to you by:

Ed Hoffman

Staff Writer

Click Here


ED H Signature


Picture Publisher Review
With Micrografx Picture Publisher, your computer becomes a state of the art photo-editing lab. While Picture Publisher is a powerful program, it is also surprisingly easy to learn and use. Documentation is clear and concise.

Picture Publisher has many special effects that can be added to images; and an Image Browser that will let you see a portion of the special effect before you add it to the image.

Picture Publisher allows you to apply an effect to all or a portion of the image, by using masks. Masks work just as a clear protective film over a portion of the image. In the following example, a mask was used so the glass brick effect would surround the portrait.

Color correction is another important tool. While normally color correction would be used to make the image more realistic, it may also be used to make an image appear completely unbelievable. This was created by editing the colors until the pumpkins were a perfect shade of royal blue. By using a mask, the pumpkins could have been individually colored as well.

Picture Publisher is not only a powerful professional tool, it is also fun to play with images just to see what interesting effects can be made. Perfectly normal pictures can be made into bizarre images, such as the one below, by combining images, resizing them to fit, using the transparency feature, and adding text.

Picture Publisher supports TIFF, CMYK (TIFF), GIF, BMP, PCX, TGA, Kodak Photo CD, JPEG, and EPS. Picture Publisher also supports most popular scanners and CD-ROM. The package ships with a CD filled with quality images to get you started.

System requirements are: 386 PC, 4MB of RAM, Windows 3.1, DOS 5.0 or later, mouse or other pointing device, and VGA display.

Micrografx has come up with a winner in Picture Publisher! It's loaded with features, easy to use, but most of all, it's fun!

MICROGRAFX

1303 Arapaho

Richardson, TX 75081

(214) 234-1789

Brought to you by:

Tami Brydone-Jack

Click Here


Tami Signature

        Tami Brydone-Jack

      WinOnLine Staff Writer

(510) 736-8343 - Main Conference


Makeover Review

MAKEOVER

from Playroom Software

I'll be the first to admit that more creativity went into designing the user interface for the Macintosh System software than went into the design of the Windows interface. On the Mac side things have always looked more stylish, while the Windows GUI has very few frills. But it doesn't have to stay that way. With the addition of Playroom Software's Makeover, Window users can enjoy the "Look and Feel" of a Macintosh without getting sued ! From Title-Bar Stripes to System 7 buttons and beyond, Makeover can create a "Window dressing" custom tailored to any user's tastes.

Makeover is a collection of Windows applets centered around OSFramer. You may remember OSFramer from the days of Windows 3.0. OSFramer has been upgraded to work with Windows 3.1. The software can add many subtle effects to your Windows desktop. 3D effects in addition to those provided by Windows 3.1 are available on Active and Inactive Title Bars, Borders, Dialog Boxes and Menu Bars. OSFramer can also add shadows and edges to Active and Inactive Title Bar Text for a chiseled look. However, the most famous aspects of OSFramer are its ability to put stripes on title bars and change the control buttons to look like those from other operating systems.

While Makeover is often billed as "funware" (possibly because of Playroom Software's name), it has some serious applications as well. In this author's office we employ mostly MacJunkies, but we run an exclusively Windows shop. Makeover has helped to ease the transition from Mac to PC by providing familiar visual cues. Makeover isn't limited to imitating a Mac, either. The Buttonmaker software that is part of the Makeover package can mimick buttons from OS/2, NeXT, System 6, and System 7. Buttonmaker also alows the user to create custom buttons.

Playroom has thrown a couple of other useful utilities into the Makeover package. Capskey allows the CAPS LOCK and SHIFT keys to work as they would on a conventional typewriter (remember those?). If the CAPS LOCK is activated, pressing the SHIFT key disables it. There are three customizeable modes to Capskey depending on how you like to work.

Paper Calc and Simple Calc are two calculators, one that works like the Windows Calc but adds root and percentage functions. Paper Calc is the same as Simple Calc but adds a scrolling paper tape display. These products are useful additions if you don't already have similar utilities.

Noise Maker teaches basic music skills in a follow-the-leader fashion using conventional music notation. Keyboard skills, music reading skills, and playing-by-ear skills can be learned in a game format. Somehow though, this application doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the Makeover package. The accompanying Icon Editor is not fancy, but is handy and much more in line with the "Makeover" theme.

A caveat:  Don't try to run this on a Hercules monochrome driver. It won't crash, but it won't look good either. These products were clearly designed with at least a VGA display in mind. Some drivers may be incompatible with Makeover. The Display Test that comes with the package is a good indicator of whether you should expect problems. Unfortunately, the Display Test utility is not packaged in the free demo zipfile which Playroom has made available. The Display Test may be downloaded separately from Playroom's section of the WINAPB forum on CompuServe, however.

The Makeover package provides the "custom" look that can give you some personal ownership of your Windows system. And if you've always wanted a Macintosh, Makeover is the only way you can get one for a reasonable price.

The Makeover package is available directly from Playroom Software or through CompUSA. The price is $39.95. The "demo" version can be downloaded from Windows OnLine (MAKOVR.ZIP) or from Compuserve (GO WINAPA).

For more information, contact:

Playroom Software

7308-C East Independence Blvd.

Suite 310

Charlotte, NC  28227

(704) 536-3093

Reviewed by:

Derek G. Westfall

Philosopher, Windows Consultant

(510) 254-1744

Click Here


Microsoft Sued

Apple/Microsoft Lawsuit

Apple recently sued Microsoft, alledging that Windows illegally copied the "Look and Feel" of the Macintosh.  Apple lost the suit, but I'm sure that a glimpse of a Makeover-enhanced Windows desktop would really get them riled up.


AMI Pro Review
AmiPro 3.01 is the latest version of one of the most popular Windows Word Processing programs available today. Although not a major revision, there is enough added to the program to cause many AmiPro users to run for their checkbooks. While this version does fix a few minor problems with the earlier release of 3.0, the major difference between this revision and AmiPro 3.0 is the Working Together Bonus Pack. This bonus pack contains features that help integrate the suite of Lotus Windows programs into virtually a single program with several parts. This makes learning and working with the variety of Lotus products much easier. So, the command structure and SmartIcons used for the programs carry across the complete suite. Likewise, common elements like the spell checker, are installed once and shared by all Lotus Windows products.

The simplest way to launch the variety of Lotus programs on your system is with the Application Manager. This utility is run through a macro and installs a series of five launch icons for Lotus Windows products in the upper right portion of the screen (in the Windows title bar area). Clicking on any of these icons immediately launches the selected program. If you, like me, use the Lotus Organizer as your PIM (Personal Information Manager), you now may be able to use your Organizer address book as a merge data file. In addition, the bonus pack also includes an automated calendar style sheet that allows you to print your Organizer calendar data. Similar types of macros and style sheets are included in the AmiPro 3.01 program for the other Lotus products.

The AmiPro 3.01 upgrade, though very useful on its own, builds on a very solid base: the AmiPro 3.0 program. Few who have ever seen this program walk away unimpressed. I must admit the first time I saw this word processor in action, I was suitably awed. Were it not for the firm hold WordPerfect and Microsoft have on the word processing, I honestly think Lotus would dominate the market with AmiPro 3.01. Many of the new features heralded for the new releases of the other two word processors are already part of AmiPro 3.01. In fact, I'm convinced that AmiPro 3.0 may very well have set the standard and provided the inspiration for these new features in the other programs.

The single most compelling aspect of working with AmiPro 3.01 is that it really simplifies word processing. The basic design of the program has a very intuitive feel and if it's really possible, actually makes word processing enjoyable. The user interface of AmiPro 3.01 allows you complete and direct control of your documents. From the layout of the screen to the available user definable options the program was designed from the ground up with the user in mind. Though I'm an avid user of the DOS version one of the other word processors. This program may even make me rethink my apprehension over a total changeover to Windows for word processing.

The main screen in AmiPro conveniently locates all the common word processing tools both at the top and bottom of the screen. If your prefer to operate with a totally blank screen there is a Show Clean Screen option in the View menu. The top of the screen contains the menu bar, ruler (not shown here) and the SmartIcons. The SmartIcons are a collection of commands assigned to a button for easy and instant access. The default SmartIcons are shown here, but a collection of eight other SmartIcon sets are furnished with the program. These additional sets are accessed by clicking in the SmartIcon button at the lower right corner of the screen. While these pre-defined sets are furnished with the program any or all of them may be modified to suit your particular needs. You may even wish to create a few sets of your own. Changing or creating your own SmartIcons is as simple as dragging and dropping the icons in the SmartIcon editor. If you don't like the choice of available icons, you can even use the built-in SmartIcon editor to modify an existing icon or create a completely new icon.

Though the SmartIcons are shown here at the top of the screen, you can position them wherever you wish. The options offered include: top, bottom, left, right and floating. With the floating option the SmartIcon pallet can be re-sized and placed anywhere on the screen. This is convenient when working with some types of documents where you want quick access to the icons. Switching between fixed and floating icon pallet positions is also quite simple and only require a mouse click. While the SmartIcons are quite intuitive, there may be a time when you forget what each icon does. At these times a simple click on the right mouse button displays the function of the icon under the cursor. This information is shown in the title bar. A similar feature is available for all the menu options. Here you simply place the cursor over the menu option and depress the left mouse button and the function or operation of the menu option appears in the title bar.

The program also has over 55 professionally designed style sheets to help you create a variety of different types of letters, memos, facsimile cover sheets, calendars, and other standard documents. There are over 32 automated style sheets that will prompt you for information. So, for example, if you open an automated letter style sheet you'll be asked for the recipient's name, company name, title and address, and the salutation. You can also make you own custom style sheets in either an automated or plain form.

A built-in document viewer is also a nice touch. With this feature you can look through a group of documents to find the one you need, without opening and closing each document. This preview option shows the document with all of its fonts, attributes, colors, graphics and tables in a true WYSIWYG view. When you find what you're looking for, you can scan through the document, print it, copy text from it, or open the document from the document viewer.

So, if you're ready to move from a DOS word processor, or if you're looking for a new Windows word processor, AmiPro 3.01 definitely deserves a close look. You won't be disappointed. Members of Windows OnLine can find a demonstration version of AmiPro 3.0 as  AMIPRO-1 and AMIPRO-2 in Directory #18 - (Windows-Editors/Word Processing).

AmiPro 3.0	(Retail price: $495.00 - Competitive upgrade price $119.00)

AmiPro 3.01	(Upgrade is free but the shipping charge is: $10.00)

Available from:

Lotus Development Corporation

55 Cambridge Parkway

Cambridge MA 02142

1-800-343-5414

Brought to you by:

Ed Hoffman

Staff Writer

Click Here


Typecase Review
The names alone suggest possibilities. Chili Pepper, Neon, Moravian, Agincort, Berliner, Dem Bones, Copacabana, and Deep Freeze are just a few of the fonts in Typecase III.

Typecase III is a Swfte International collection of over a hundred TrueType fonts for Windows 3.1. Earlier Swfte collections emphasized a solid variety of workhorse fonts. Typecase III adds display and decorative faces along with holiday and other symbols, border materials, and other non-alphanumeric items. The symbols make up a significant collection of miniature clip art.

The Typecase series also comes with a font management program that permits easy access to fonts without the usual demands for space on your hard drive. The font management program deserves attention in its own right.

Fonts and Font Management, Too...

TrueType fonts demand less of your resources than bit mapped fonts. In addition, with TrueType fonts, one font serves both your screen and your printer. With bit mapped fonts, you generally need one font for the screen and a matching font to send to the printer.

A single TrueType font can be scaled, too. (The Typecase fonts are fully scalable from 1 to 999 point.) That means you store one font instead of several sizes of one font. Be that as it may, TrueType fonts do take space.

The Typecase font manager takes a dual approach to space savings. First, you can store compressed and deactivated fonts on your drive. If you like, you may individually activate the fonts you want to use. Generally, activated fonts appear in the font window of your various applications. Activated fonts may be deactivated without deleting them from your drive. It's your choice whether to compress them as they're deactivated.

Secondly, and sometimes the better choice, you may group fonts into "typecases," based on the way you use them. The installation sets up default typecases. The default typecases are groups called Add in Pics, Classy, Cutting Edge, Fonts Around the World, Hype Display, SWFTE Fonts, TV Fonts, and All Fonts. Whether the default typecases will prove useful to you is a toss-up.

You may, however, create your own: one typecase for your flyers, another for your business letters, and so on. A whole typecase may be activated or deactivated all at once. An individual font may appear in several typecases, but the font is not duplicated on your hard drive.

The idea is to group your fonts in ways that makes sense to you. From that point forward, you may activate only the fonts you need at any given moment. In addition to space savings, the font manager helps control the number of fonts that appear under the Fonts option in your applications.

Running the Font Manager...

The font manager main menu offers five choices:  Typecase, Fonts, Edit, Options, and Help.

Under Typecase, you may create a new Typecase, edit an existing one, or set up new fonts. The Fonts option lets you activate and deactivate fonts, print a sample sheet of any font, select font properties, and move, copy or delete fonts. The Edit option lets you select or deselect all fonts in a typecase.

The Options choice gives you direct control over the text displayed in each font in the Active Fonts window. The default text shows upper and lower case for each letter as well as all ten digits. A second choice on the Options menu permits you to select compression for deactivated fonts. Finally, there's the Help choice. The help is good, and the Contents window includes a technical support phone number.

The toolbar just beneath the main menu sports four buttons:  Activate, Deactivate, Select All, and Deselect All.

The main screen has 3 windows. On the top left is a Typecases window. When you select the name of a typecase, the names of the fonts in that typecase are displayed in a second window below. On the right of the main window is a window for active fonts. Samples of each active font and the font name are displayed. Slider buttons, vertical and horizontal, provide a rich view of all active TrueType fonts.

Conclusion...

Fonts are a matter of taste -- or lack thereof. On the whole, this batch adds a nice finishing touch to earlier Typecase products. The playful names and appearance of the faces may hide the fact that the collection is clearly designed for real work. Few people will use all the fonts in Typecase III, the vast majority will find several to be exactly what they were looking for.

Typecase III  (Retail price:  $49.95)

Available From:

Swfte International

724 Yorklyn Road

Hockessin, DE 19707

Reviewed By:

John A. Morris

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MyBackUp Review
You have to. You absolutely must. If you don't you'll be sorry. I mean you will seriously regret it. You know you should. But you don't. You don't back up. MyBackUp may be the answer to your stubbornness.

If you are like me, you want software that is simple to use, quick to learn, equal to the task and inexpensive. MyBackUp  will fill the bill on all counts. I'm always suspicious of a product which touts, "Less than 5 minutes to learn and extremely easy to use." I didn't exactly time myself and I wasn't attempting to set a record, but I would estimate the average user can go from shrink-wrap to first backup in the advertised time. It's just that simple.

The program offers a simple, intuitive Windows interface for hard disk backup and recovery, and provides a bit of entertainment during the process. Installation of MyBackUp is straightforward from the program's single floppy. Documentation is concise and to the point. The point being that the program is so intuitive that you will be able to operate it without much help. Once installation is complete, double-click on the MyBackUp icon and start your first backup.

Choices are offered for full or partial backup and restore from a simple pull down menu. Select specific directories/files to backup, a total drive backup, or a "changes only" backup. When you have started the process, you can enjoy the entertainment part. In the upper right corner of the display is the "backup forecast" window. When your selections have been made, the program displays the number of files selected, the total Kbytes involved, and the number of disks required (based on the type and capacity of disk selected in the destination window.) As the backup starts, a security truck image is generated which is progressively loaded with discs. When the backup is completed, the truck "drives off". You have to be there to appreciate it.

If the graphics weren't entertainment enough, MyBackUp also offers a choice of twenty tunes which alert you when it is time to insert the next disk in the backup sequence. More than simple beeps, bells or ta-das, these choices include recognizable excerpts from the William Tell Overture, Dixie or the Nutcracker Suite. This may sound like a hokey feature at first, but if you have something more pressing to do than watch the truck fill with disks during your backup, you can take advantage of Windows multi-tasking and maintain full awareness of the progress of MyBackUp without subjecting yourself to a jarring buzzer or bell. A nice touch and it doesn't require a sound board.

MyBackUp offers features which cover most conceivable backup situations. The program offers backup to "non-diskette" such as another partition of the drive or a second hard drive. It does not, however, offer tape support. And, for the klutz like me who sometimes fumbles the disk labeling, MyBackUp will identify a backup disk and tell you its position in the sequence. Any problems that a user might encounter are quickly cleared up by the well-written Windows Help.

For the increasing number of casual computer users who don't have need for a tape drive, don't have a horrendously large hard drive, and don't have the patience to go into complicated backup software, MyBackUp could be just the insurance they need to prevent disaster when the term paper due tomorrow winds up inadvertently in the bit bin. Recovery is simple and as straightforward as the original backup. And, when that casual user graduates into the more complex systems, good backup habits will be well established.

MyBackUp

(Retail price: $29.95)

For more information, contact:

MySoftware Co.

1259 El Camino Real, Suite 167

Menlo Park CA 94025-4298

(415)325-4222

Review by:

Ed Rasimus

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Letterhead Review
Preparing letters is one of the more common applications for Word for Windows. Here we typically type merrily along and send our letters to a printer. The printer then takes the letter we've typed and puts it on a letterhead sheet that we've loaded into the printer's paper bin. Quite a simple process. Simple, that is, until you type another document, or form, that requires a different style of letterhead or other stationary. One answer to this is including the letterhead, or form we require right with the document. This simplifies the paper shuffle at the printer, but it can also add substantially to the size of our documents. The ultimate answer to this problem may very well be Letterhead, from Swfte International.

The Letterhead program allows you to type either a single or multi-page letter just as you would normally. When you print the document you assign the letter to a specific letterhead of your choice at the time you print. The letter is saved as a simple text file and the letter and letterhead are merged in the computer and printed out on plain paper. The letterhead itself is contained in a sub-directory under the WINWORD directory. So, rather than having a large number of copies of your letterhead included with all your letters, only one copy of the letterhead resides on your hard disk.

In addition to letterheads, virtually any document you now print to pre-printed paper or forms can be setup within Letterhead. The program comes with a variety of sample letterheads that you can either modify for your own purposes, or use as an example to create your own sheets. In either case, the program is virtually foolproof to use. When it comes time to print a letter and letterhead, simply select the Print Letterhead ... option from the File menu instead of using the Print ... option. The Letterhead program then opens and allows you to select the specific letterhead design you need for your document.

Besides merging letterheads and documents, the Letterhead program allows you to add a stamp or date line to any document just as easily as adding the letterhead. The stamp option places a selected message across your document in much the same way as a watermark. The content, angular orientation, shading, size and font used for the message are completely user definable. So, virtually any one line message such as: FILE COPY, CONFIDENTIAL, or TOP SECRET may be placed in your documents. The date line option allows you to add a variety of information to a document at the time it prints. The available options include: the last saved date and time, the print date and time, the document filename, the author's name or the document title. The fonts used for this information are also user selectable and may be as large or small as you like. The date line is then printed across the bottom of the specified sheets.

The Letterhead program is a very useful addition to Word for Windows and though you may not use it for every document, when necessary it will perform admirably. The program comes with a few sample Swfte TrueType fonts. One of the more useful of these fonts is the Instant Logo collection that may help to add a bit of spice to your letterheads. This is one Word for Windows add-on utility that has found a home on my system. So, if you're in the market for a program to make printing your documents easier, you should certainly take a look at the Letterhead program.

Letterhead  (Retail price: $49.95)

Available from:

Swfte International, Ltd.

724 Yorklyn Road

Hockessin, DE  19707

1-302-234-1740

Brought to you by:

Ed Hoffman

Staff Writer

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