______ _ __ __ / ____/___ ____ ___ ____ __ __/ | / /___ / /____ _____ / / / __ \/ __ `__ \/ __ \/ / / / |/ / __ \/ __/ _ \/ ___/ / /___/ /_/ / / / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /| / /_/ / /_/ __(__ ) \____/\____/_/ /_/ /_/ .___/\__,_/_/ |_/\____/\__/\___/____/ /_/ This Week's Contents: My Notes: 1) Movement of Table of Contents News: 1) Intel and ADM Sign Agreement 2) Novell Releases New Version of LAN Workplace Reviews: 1) Star Rangers Reviewed by Doug Reed (dreed@panda.uchc.edu) 2) WarCraft II Reviewed by Bill Frazier Web Sites: 1) SuperBowl Super Site! (http://superbowl.com) 2) BlackStar 60th Anniversiary Pics! (http://exhibit.blackstar.com) FTP File: 1) Virus Simulator for DOS Interview: 1) Web Rambler Looks at Hot Internet Software ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date : January 5, 1996 |CompuNotes is a weekly publication available Issue : 31 |through email and many fine on-line networks. --------------------------|We cover the IBM computing world with CompuNotes is published |software/hardware reviews, news, hot web 4Point, Inc., |sites, cool FTP files and interviews. We also 135 W. Adams, Suite G9 |give away one software package a week to a St. Louis, MO 63122 |lucky winner for just reading our fine (314) 984-9691 voice |publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we (314) 984-9981 fax |are here to bring you the way it is! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Backroom Workers: |We are always looking for Patrick Grote, Managing Editor |people to write honest, (pg@supportu.com) |concise reviews for us. Send Doug Reed, Games Editor |a message to the autobot at (dreed@panda.uchc.edu) |REVIEW_LIST@supportu.com. You Judy Litt, Graphics Editor/Web Master |will receive the latest (jlitt@aol.com) |writer's guidelines and a Raymond Hines, Web Rambler |list of available software (solari@gate.net) |to review. Follow the Paul Ferrill, Languages Editor |instructions for requesting (ferrill@teas.eglin.af.mil) |software to review. Dennis MacPherson, Utilities Editor |----------------------------- (pctc@infi.net) | Go Detroit Lions! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every issue of CompuNotes ever published can be found at the following ftp site: ftp.uu.net:/published/compunotes. Thanks to UUNET! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our Web Site is at http://users.aol.com/CompNote/ Please Add Our Link to Your Homepage! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@rust.net with the command subscribe compunotes your email address. Example: subscribe compunotes you@you.com To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@rust.net with the command unsubscribe compunotes your email address Example: unsubscribe compunotes you@you.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Patrick's News Being The Publisher and Managing Editor Has Its Perks! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Listening to Readers . . . | ---------------------------- One of the neat things about publishing is hearing feedback from readers. Most the feedback is negative and very few offer solutions on how to make things better, but sometimes they do. for instance, notice how the table of contents are first this issue. We had a very well thought out suggestion from a reader to place this first so that he could quickly scan his email and see what parts of COmpuNotes he was interested in. He wasn't mean, offensive or angry. He just thought it made more sense to see what is in CompuNotes from the first screen. We agree, so we moved it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . . All News (C)opyright Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Intel and AMD . . . | --------------------- LOS ANGELES (Reuter) - Almost a year to the day after they ended eight years of legal hostilities, semiconductor giants Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said on Friday they signed a five-year patent cross-license agreement. The arrangement gives Intel and its smaller rival the rights to use each others' patents and certain copyrights, exclusive of microprocessor microcode copyrights. The cross-license is royalty-bearing for products that use certain technologies, although specific financial terms were not disclosed in the firms' joint statement. The deal builds on a 1976 collaboration agreement that was extended in 1982 and led to litigation beginning in 1987 when each side accused the other of reneging on the deal. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel filed a number of lawuits to protect its chips from being copied illegally while Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD maintained it had the right to use certain Intel technologies and fired off an anti-trust lawsuit. In the end, the companies reached an out-of-court settlement last January under which AMD paid Intel $58 million for damages and Intel paid AMD about $18 million for breach of contract. The five-year deal addresses forward-looking technology advances, allowing the companies to create an industry standard so that software developers can write to that standard, the companies said. ``We're still competing,'' said an AMD spokesman. ``We're sharing the information per this agreement but at the same time we still have to execute and Intel still has to execute.'' Intel recently released speedier versions of its Pentium chip, while AMD is making a Pentium-class K5 that is behind schedule. ------------------------------- LAN Workplace is Updated. . . | ------------------------------- SAN JOSE, Calif. -- December 19, 1995 -- Novell, Inc., the industry-leading supplier of desktop TCP/IP products, today announced version 5 of its popular LAN WorkGroup# for MS Windows and DOS product. Running on NetWare# 4 servers, LAN WorkGroup 5 gives Novell NetWare users centralized access to information on both NetWare and TCP/IP networks, including UNIX# systems and the Internet. New functionality and enhanced host connectivity and Internet applications of LAN WorkGroup 5 include: * Netscape Navigator--provides world-class Internet browser and news reader that lets users retrieve information and communicate on the Internet; users get easy, point-and-click access to text, graphics, sound and video files on the World Wide Web * Windows Mailer--provides an easy-to-use interface for sending and receiving messages and files over TCP/IP networks, including the Internet; supports Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and the Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) * PC-X Server--lets users run X Windows-based applications on remote hosts (over both IP and IPX) right from their desktop * WinSock compliance--now all Windows applications may be run on any WinSock-compliant TCP/IP stack. Similarly, any other WinSock-compliant application may be run on Novell's client TCP/IP stack, which is included along with the NetWare client for DOS and Windows * Online manuals and help for quick answers * Improved terminal emulation using Telnet--Host Presenter now provides drag-and-drop keyboard remapping, enabling keystroke sequences to be simplified * Integrated NFS client--gives users transparent access to files on any host supporting the NFS standard LAN WorkGroup 5 is installed once at the server, giving users access to a comprehensive suite of TCP/IP applications and providing TCP/IP address assignment and administration to reduce the time and cost of system administration. LAN WorkGroup 5 now includes the Netscape Navigator, a world-class Internet browser that extends the reach of users beyond traditional corporate information systems to give them powerful access to the Internet. With over one million nodes installed in more than 30 countries, LAN WorkGroup is the global, industry-leading TCP/IP solution for NetWare. LAN WorkGroup 5 contains all of the applications available through LAN WorkPlace# 5, Novell's premiere desktop TCP/IP solution. In addition, LAN WorkGroup 5 provides identical functionality, look and feel as LAN WorkPlace 5. The difference between the two products is that LAN WorkGroup 5 is centrally installed at the NetWare server, thereby eliminating the need for the administrator to visit all of the network clients for installation and configuration. LAN WorkGroup 5 replaces the popular LAN WorkGroup 4.2. LAN WorkGroup 5 is available immediately through Authorized Novell Channel Partners. Suggested retail pricing is US$1,500 for a five-user version; US$2,495 for a 10-user version; and US$6,995 for a 100-user version. Upgrade prices are also available. For more information, visit Novell's home page at: http://www.novell.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Product: Star Rangers | Reviewed By: Doug Reed (dreed@panda.uchc.edu) | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Star Rangers is the latest release by the upstart new company Interactive Magic founded by Wild Bill Stealey. Although Interactive Magic has released several new games in the last few months, including the incredible helicopter simulation Apache, this is the first product developed "in house". Star Rangers is based on the old game Star Raiders, which was a big hit on the original Atari 2700 home game system. If you can actually remember when Star Raiders was new (as I can), you officially qualify as older than dirt as far as computer games are concerned. To bring this old classic to the PC, Interactive Magic has done a complete overhaul on the old game as well as tossed in all the latest bells and whistles. Star Rangers is a space combat 'simulation'. The term is generally used loosely because no one has actually fought in space yet (Computer Gaming World classifies space combat simulations such as X-Wing and Wing Commander as action games). In the game, you are a member of the Star Rangers Border Patrol, assigned to protect the residents of the frontier from Taureg pirates. You and your trusty wingman patrol the border in your trusty RG-10 spacecraft, protecting bases and civilian ships from alien attack. Some of you are probably thinking that this is just another game where you hop into your ship and blow the bad guys away. You're wrong. You have to carefully watch your energy levels, refuelling when necessary, and making crucial decisions about whom to protect and how. More than any game of this genre, Star Rangers forces you to make the decisions about how to proceed; there is no correct 'solution' to the dilemmas posed to you. There are no set missions; the number and skill of the pirates generated during each mission is determined by the skill level you set at the beginning of the campaign. Star Rangers probably offers the broadest reach yet in terms of replayability. But the story on Star Rangers does not end there. In addition to endless gameplay, Star Rangers offers fantastic SVGA graphics. The cut-scenes are terrific, from the launching of your RG-10 to the fiery destruction of one of your bases. The actual combat screens also look terrific. Depending on your computer and your speed capabilities, you are offered either a large 'low-res' cockpit or a smaller 'high-res' cockpit. If at all possible, I suggest you go with the high res cockpit and HUD; it is less obtrusive and easier on the eyes. What about the action? One word sums it up: Terrific. The ships and bases all look incredible, and you will drop your jaw in wonder at the flashing of your target's shields when you score a hit. Even better, once you destroy said enemy you had better duck or you will be hit by the debris! You will find yourself facing not only pirate fighters but also much bigger cruisers and light carriers. To deal with these, you have a variety of weapons including your plasma guns and autocannon, as well as a large selection of missiles (including tactical nukes!). To get around the large patrol area, you can engage your warp drive, which although energy consuming moves you quickly from one edge to another. In fact, the only quibble I have with the game is the warp drive, in which you must pilot your way through a twisting, turning warp tunnel in order to make it to your destination. Resources management is the key to winning at Star Rangers. One nice feature of Star Rangers is that it has a practice mode which allows you to quickly get into the action and hone your skills. Practice is essential before starting a campaign, especially at the higher skill levels. Once your combat skills are ready, you are ready for the tougher tasks of resources management and that tricky old warp drive. On the technical side, Star Rangers installs easily and quickly. The box recommends a minimum 486/33 with 8 megs of RAM; the game ran just fine on my 486/50. Those of you with Windows 95 will be happy to note that as long as you have the resources you can run the game in Windows 95 (i.e, not in MS-DOS mode). If not, the installation guide tells you how to set up Star Rangers to run in MS-DOS mode. I have as yet encountered no bugs in the game, a tribute to the quality testers at Interactive Magic. If you love space combat and/or love a infinitely replayable game, Star Rangers is definitely the game for you. Although many people are waiting for that soon-to-be-released $12 million magnum opus from Origin, it should be noted that Star Rangers does not require the latest and fastest in Pentium computers to run, but still manages to look just as good and play just as well. Star Rangers is a blast to play, providing plenty of excitement and thrills. Interactive Magic definitely has another winner with Star Rangers. Interactive Magic P.O. Box 13491 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (919)461-0722 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: WarCraft II | Reviewed By: William Frazier | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- When I reviewed Warcraft: Orcs versus Humans, I predicted that it would be a top seller in 1995. Since that review, Warcraft has consistently appeared in the Top 10 and 20 lists of CD-ROMs sold throughout 1995. Warcraft is one of the few games I played from beginning to end, so it was with great anticipation that I awaited the release of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. Finally, in late November, Warcraft II hit the market, just in time for the Christmas rush. In it's first week Warcraft II became the number-one selling PC entertainment title. Warcraft II is a continuation of the fantasy-strategy drama set in the original Warcraft saga. Human and Orc civilizations continue their bloody clash of domination, seeking control of the world. In Warcraft II, many new elements are introduced, including battle on the seas and in the air. You are still required to produce gold and lumber to provision your armies, but you are now required to also drill for oil (offshore naturally and environmentally incorrect, but a challenge none the less). My initial impression of Warcraft II was one of "hmm, this is easy". The same old strategies used in Warcraft I made winning easy. I was afraid that the new version would be a rote repeat of Warcraft I. By the time I reached mission 5 my concerns were dispelled. The computer was the master. Game play was again a challenge, and fun. One factor that soon became apparent is the reduced effectiveness of archers. In Warcraft I you could create eight to ten archers and repel most attacks. This doesn't work in Warcraft II. Another change I liked is the role of the clergy. In Warcraft I, clerics were a separate entity. In Warcraft II, the role of the cleric is combined in the Paladin/Knight character. This character is both an effective fighter and a healer. Warcraft II begins with the Human forces establishing civilization in a new mid-evil world. Unfortunately the Orcs desire to continue the war, begun in Warcraft I, in hot pursuit of human civilization. The initial single player scenarios teach you the basics of survival; how to produce the raw materials, multiply your forces, and prosper. As game play progresses, survival become problematic. Enemy forces become more aggressive and intelligent. In Warcraft I, once you explored an area, all enemy movement within that area was visible. "Fog of War", a new element in Warcraft II, allows the enemy to maneuver without direct observation, even when you have already explored the area. Although you can see the type of terrain explored, enemy movement is invisible when "Fog of War" is enabled, other than the area within your units direct line of sight. Surprise attacks are frequent and devastating. I guess what I like most about the Warcraft series is the combination o f strategy with real time, on screen combat. Your perspective is an overhead view of the battle ground. You build and organize your forces, and when battle occurs you get to observe and direct it with a god like omnipotence. Like Warcraft I, Warcraft II allows many opportunities for multi-player gaming. You can play directly with another person via modem or direct connect null-modem. Only one copy of the CD is required. On a LAN, up to eight players can engage in head to head combat, again with just one copy of the CD. Warcraft comes with a scenario editor for those who wish to customize their own games. If you plan to purchase just one game in 1996, this is the one you want . As a stand alone game it provides many hours of entertainment. If you can play on a LAN or with your friends via modem, the entertainment value is limitless. WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness Blizzard Entertainment P O Box 18979 Irvine, CA 92713 (714)-955-1380 WWW: http://www.blizzard.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEBSITES OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to cool WebSites . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SuperBowl Super Site!| ---------------------- NEW YORK and REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- With the completion of the NFL regular season, pro football fans are getting ready for the playoffs and the ultimate season finale: Super Bowl XXX (Jan. 28, 1996, Tempe, Ariz.). For the first time, the NFL, in conjunction with NBC Sports and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), will bring all of the excitement and activities surrounding the biggest one-day sports event to cyberspace with the launch of a new Web site -- http://superbowl.com. Throughout the next month, superbowl.com will provide fans worldwide with previews and up-to-the-minute news on all the playoff games; team and game analysis from NBC Sports talent; information on past Super Bowls, including video and audio clips of the game's most memorable moments; as well as fan message boards, chat areas and a Super Bowl cybershop. Once the AFC and NFC championship teams are determined (mid-January), superbowl.com will report live from Tempe on the two teams playing in Super Bowl XXX and the events surrounding the game. Superbowl.com will provide background information on the teams plus continuous updates and coverage of the events of the week prior to the Super Bowl. Fans will be able to chat with NFL stars and NBC Sports talent, and get all the latest news and photos from events and news conferences in Tempe. During the Super Bowl game, superbowl.com will feature online commentary and analysis from NFL and NBC experts, live play-by-play and statistics. Microsoft is the key technology partner and has been instrumental in the creation and management of superbowl.com. The site combines state-of-the-art technologies such as interactive chats and multimedia images and sound, to give users a highly-interactive experience. While the Web site is accessible to any user connected to the Internet, users of the new Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer version 2.0 will have exclusive access to additional features such as inline sound and inline video. The site resides on the Microsoft Internet Information Server, a Web server that runs on the Windows NT(TM) operating system, to help ensure reliability, speed of access and ease of use. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Super Bowl, the site's home page will feature a different Super Bowl multimedia flashback each day. The site also will feature an area where fans will have a unique opportunity to contribute to the content of the television special "Behind the Scenes: Super Bowl XXX," to be telecast by NBC on Saturday, Jan. 27 (5-6 p.m.). Users of superbowl.com will be able to suggest features for inclusion in the special. "With the help of NBC and Microsoft, we are bringing the excitement of the NFL playoffs and one of the world's premier sporting events to cyberspace for the first time, providing fans worldwide with an upclose look at this special anniversary of the Super Bowl," said Ann Kirschner, vice president of programming and media development for NFL Enterprises. "If you can't actually be there in Tempe, superbowl.com will provide an unparalleled interactive sporting experience for NFL fans in January." "Superbowl.com is one of the most dynamic sites on the Web," said Mike Conte, group manager in the personal systems division at Microsoft. "We think it really shows off our innovative Internet technologies such as sound, video and graphics. It offers users, particularly those using Internet Explorer, an advanced interactive experience." "We are excited about this innovative opportunity to expand our relationship with the NFL and Microsoft," said Jon Miller, senior vice president, NBC Sports programming. "It is hard to believe that the Super Bowl, the biggest annual sports event, could get even bigger. But NBC, the NFL and Microsoft are making that happen." Superbowl.com was created by NFL Enterprises, NBC Sports Online and their technology partner Microsoft. The site will reside at http://superbowl.com on the Microsoft Internet Information Server. ----------------------- Black Star Pics . . . | ----------------------- NEW YORK, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Star Publishing Co., Inc. (New York, NY) announces a year-long 60th Anniversary Exhibit photo gallery on the World Wide Web, partially sponsored by Professional and Printing Imaging at Eastman Kodak. This fascinating exhibition involves nearly 600 photos and almost 20,000 words of narrative, all involving world trends, events and phenomena over the past 60 years. Each of the hundreds of stories being presented involves one to four photos, plus narrative. The exhibit groups these individual stories into thematic sections, all indexed and cross-referenced. There is much more here than any casual Web browser can encounter in any small number of visits. Black Star VP John Chapnick is clear about the company's motivations for creating this landmark Web site. "This is a great way to showcase some remarkable photography, all of which comes from our own archives, reflecting six decades of fulfilling photographic assignments for both business and the media. It's also a good way to demonstrate how our Black Star Link group can create a Web site that offers a continuing draw without requiring continuing upkeep. But commercial motivations aside, it's a wonder erful showcase for some absolutely fascinating photography." The scholarly Donald Jenner (who is an author, a writer and who teaches at the City University of New York) curated the exhibit and prepared its easy-reading social/historical narrative. "The Black Star exhibit is an extended experiment in moving photojournalism from print media to the Internet," Jenner says, "capturing essential moments of the last 60 years. It chronicles facets of those times as trivial as a 60s fad for motor scooters in New York or a Rogues' Gallery of notable crooks -- or as momen tous as the Civil Rights movement in the U.S., the rise and fall of Apartheid in South Africa or the Second World War." This Black Star 60th Anniversary Exhibit Web site is open to all, at http://exhibit.blackstar.com; it's also linked, though more indirectly, from the Black Star home page at http://www.blackstar.com. Black Star Publishing Co., Inc. (founded 1935) has an outstanding 60- year reputation for providing news and feature photography to print media. Today, its Black Star On Assignment division organizes a global network of 350 photographers. Its Black Star Picture Collection maintains a library of more than three million stock images, plus a million additional black & white prints. Black Star Worldwide provides news and feature photography for leading print media. And its new Black Star Link division p rovides Internet consulting and World Wide Web design and implementation support for large corporations. For further information contact Black Star Publishing Co., Inc., 116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016; 212-679-3288; fax 212-889-2052; World Wide Web URL http://www.blackstar.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COOL FTP FILE OF THE WEEK | You may need this file . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Virus Simulator Ver 2C -Audit and demonstrate anti-virus protection. Rosenthal Engineering's absolute necessity for anyone serious about virus defense, security and training. "Unreservedly recommended!" by Computer Virus Developments Quarterly. Used in tests conducted by National Software Testing Labs. for Software Digest and PC Digest. Written about in Computerworld, Virus Bulletin, Virus News Int., Telecomputing etc. You can find this as VIRSIM2C.ZIP on the following FTP site: ftp.crl.com/users/su/supportu/virsim2c.zip ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK | Interesting people you should know about . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Web Rambler, Ray Hines, Editor| ------------------------------- (Note from Ray Hines: I've been unable to reliably access web sites for the past week due to problems with my ISP connection. So, in lieu of web reviews, I've ponied up with software reviews of two shareware programs that are for use in tandem with the Internet. My apologies to those of you that were expecting web reviews; you can expect them in the next issue.) iChat (beta) Programmers: ichat, inc. http://www.ichat.com Price: $? (shareware) iChat is really a fancy IRC (Internet Relay Chat) front-end program that integrates with the world wide web. What's nice about it is that it also supports MUD, TELNET, and connecting to BBSes via BBS Direct (a national network of BBSes that are accessible locally). Even nicer is the fact that the folks at iChat took a bit of time to create some "phone" book entries for you so that whenever you want to go to, say an IRC server, you can select which IRC server from a list that they've created. The same goes for MUDs, TELNETable systems, and the BBS Direct systems. While the lists aren't complete, it's still very nice for us lazy folk, and for some of you who don't have a list of sites handy. When you are using iChat, you get a black screen with colored text, which is pretty much the standard in the Internet world when TELNETing, IRCing, or MUDing. So far, from what we've put iChat through, it seems to support the ANSI set very well. That's quite a rarity in most TELNET clients. iChat also supports Zmodem transfers, so you'd be inclined to configure iChat as your primary TELNET client, especially if you're into web publishing. You can configure your browser to launch iChat whenever you click on a telnet link on a web page. In fact, iChat will do this automatically for you during installation if you agree to it. When using iChat as an IRC client, it's pretty spiffy, although not as nice as mIRC. When in IRC mode, you will get a screen with icons from which you can choose an IRC to connect to, a listing of channels, and a list of the folks in the channel you are in. You'll also have a separate text entry box below the action where you type in what you're saying without fear of interruption from the masses yakkin'. It's pretty much a basic, no frills IRC chat thingamagic with a notable exception, and that exception could be either positive or negative depending on your view. The exception we're talking about is an advertisement that's displayed at the top of your iChat session screen. It's a real billboard that changes every few minutes and we admit we thought it was rather neat. You can click on the current advertisement and be yanked to that advertiser's WWW site if your browser was activated. We just don't know if we'd get used to a billboard flashing in our faces while we're engaging in intimate chat with a loved one... Kinda like being at the old drive-in movie joint, eh? By the way, if you really want to get personal, you can select a person's name from the list of folks in your channel and retreive information about them using iChat's interface. While we're not MUD nuts, we did check out a few MUD sites that were listed in iChat's directory to see how it fared as a MUD client. iChat certainly made navigating a MUD easier, thanks to it's MUD interface. They call it their "Mud Control Area," and it contains several tools that "facilitate movement and communication with other users in a MUD." By that, they mean that they have a nifty visual compass with arrows pointing in all manner of directions (N,W,S,E,NE,SE, etc.) You just click on the particular arrow in which direction you want to go and the compass will issue the appropriate command to move you if it's valid. There's also a "Say Field" where you can type stuff and iChat will issue a "Say" command, saying you the trouble of typing those three letters. Another common MUD action is "Tell"ing a user something -- it's where you can speak privately to a specific user. There's a field for that as well, where you can type in what you want to say as well as select the user you want your whispers transmitted to. We didn't try the BBS Direct option since we're not members of the BBS Direct network, but we suspect it would work as well as any basic terminal used to connect to BBSes since it supported ANSI well enough and provided the capacity to engage in file transfers with the zmodem protocol. iChat supports macros where you can edit up a string of commands to be issued with one keystroke that you define. This is very nice if you're prone to repeating yourself like a parrot, or want to execute certain MUD commands repeatedly. You can also log all your sessions to your harddrive with iChat so you can start padding your novel with those hot and bothered chat sessions you've been having on IRC. ;) In short, iChat is a nice program that attempts to be an end-all-be-all and replace your IRC, MUD, and TELNET clients at once. The problem is, with these individual programs, such as mIRC, you can probably get better features as well as more power since they're tailored specifically to a specific application. However, if you're not inclined to having several different programs on your limited hard drive space when iChat will do the job, you'd be happy with iChat. Plus, iChat can be launched from a web page easily, making it seem to be a part of the web environment, which certainly is much better than that lousy excuse of "chat" that we see on some web pages where folks basically reload pages every few seconds to talk with others. Such poppycock! You can grab the latest copy of iChat at ichat, inc.'s homepage: http://www.ichat.com. Enjoy! ----- InfoMagnet v1.22 Programmers: Walter Shelby Group Ltd. http://www.shelby.com/pub/shelby/ Price: $39.00 (shareware) Those of you that are bona fide nuts when it comes to joining electronic mailing lists can further enhance your nuttiness with a great new tool called InfoMagnet. The name's quite appropriate as it suggests that it's a magnet for information (nuts). How can joining mailing lists be made any easier than sending a simple email with the word "Subscribe" in it? Well, the hardest part is finding a mailing list that matches your interests. The second part is maintaining your account on it. What about those times that you have to go away on vacation and need to temporarily stop your participation on the mailing list without unsubscribing from it? What about those missed messages that you need to read and retrieve? How about receiving a digest version of the mailing list you are on, instead? How the heck do you remember all the arcane commands to be able to do all this?? First, the details: There's over 6,000 mailing lists with well over 2 million participants in thousands of topics such as "How to Farm Sheep", "Personal Finance", and last, but not least, "The African Global Experience." For those of you that aren't familiar what a mailing list is, it's an electronic mail exchange of discussions on a certain topic. It's not much different from a USENET newsgroup, really, but it's all done in Email. Every time someone posts a message to the mailing list, a copy is bounced to every member of that mailing list. The nice thing about mailing lists is that it cuts out the chaff that's plaguing the newsgroups these days. You can be pretty sure that when you join a mailing list about shoes, that it'll be all you talk about. A mailing list also helps foster the "community" feeling by letting folks share their experiences, ideas, and tips pertaining to their topic. It's often the best way to get the best information about whatever you wanted, as many experts join these mailing lists and are often too pleased to share their expertise with you. Now, with InfoMagnet, you can display a list of mailing lists that's provided with the program (the shareware version uses a slightly out of date list -- if you pay the shareware fee, you can update your list of lists as much as you want for free, by FTP). It's all categorized to make searching for mailing lists much easier -- for example, if all you're interested in is Technology, you can click on that category and InfoMagnet will present you with an extensive list of mailing lists that are related to technology (with our shareware version, when we clicked on the technology category, it gave us a list of 114 mailing lists to choose from!). Or, if you're particularly ambitious, you can just enter a few keywords for the program to search through the entire mailing list database with. Since we have a few nifty Amiga computers sitting around, we gave InfoMagnet the keyword "Amiga" to search. After 5 seconds, it popped up a box listing 14 mailing lists pertaining to the Amiga computer. Very nice and fast. Another nifty and powerful feature is the ability to search the archives of the mailing list you are interested in or are a member of. This is a great way to get information without having bug everyone on the mailing list if you're shy. To test this out, we had InfoMagnet search the archives of the FOODWINE mailing list for our favorite liquor: Kahlua. Within a few minutes, we had an email waiting for us in our mailbox. We opened it up and found it to be rather large, containing all the messages that had the keyword kahlua in it. It was great, because we found recipes for homemade Kahlua, how to make rice pudding with it, and chocolate Kahlua cake! Yowsers! We almost got really hungry and left without finishing this review. All said and done, there was a total of 142 hits on messages containing the word kahlua since last year. If you're really nuts about the ability to search archives of mailing lists, you can set InfoMagnet to search whatever you want on a periodic basis, set by you. It's sort of like getting a periodic magazine containing your favorite topics. Naturally, with InfoMagnet, you can join mailing lists. It's really easy, too, when using their lists of mailing lists -- just zero in on a list you're looking for and highlight it, then click "JOIN." If you're more of an advanced user, you can change the default settings upon joining (by clicking CHANGE) and have the option to change whether you want the mailing list mailed to you as a digest, index of topics, all messages, or just get nothing but be a member. You can also toggle it to not receive any files that are sent out to the group as well as elect to hide your name from the available list of subscribers. As you could probably tell by now, InfoMagnet has the ability to directly send commands out via SMTP or however your system is connected to the Internet, so you get instantaneous service. You can tell it to queue your commands, send them out immediately, or put it on demo mode to play around with so nothing is actually sent out regardless of what you do. Once you've joined a mailing list, InfoMagnet keeps track of it in a special folder named, "Discussion Groups You Have Joined." This is where InfoMagnet shines -- you can maintain your presence on the mailing lists you're a member of. For example, if you're getting ready to go on vacation, you can simply click on the vacation icon and have it tell your mailing list that you're going on vacation. When you get back, you simply click the vacation icon again and this time tell it that you've returned from vacation and whether you want to retrieve your missed messages. You can also change your settings on any mailing list that you've joined by clicking on the SETTINGS icon. You can change it to a digest format, etc. You can also, of course, quit a mailing list by clicking the LEAVE icon. This is all very easy where you just point and click instead of digging up your old print-out of how to leave a mailing list or having to embarrass yourself and asking the folks on the mailing list how you can unsubscribe. Better yet, it helps keeps those countless "UNSUBSCRIBE" messages from being bounced to every member on the mailing list. If you just want to check out a mailing list rather than go through the hassle of joining them, InfoMagnet has a "PEEK" icon that you can press. It'll provide the particulars on a mailing list such as: title, description, number of participants, whether it has archives or not, whether it lets you join automatically or needs approval, what country it is in, the organization hosting the list, the computerized administrator, the human administrator, the email address to send to post your messages, and other miscellaneous information. You can also toggle the advanced peek option and get: a list of recent topics, a list of documents and files available, technical information, a list of the group members, give information about your settings for that mailing list, and give you confirmation as to whether you are subscribed to the list or not. The only fault I could find with InfoMagnet is the fact that it is programmed to only work with ListServ mailing list processors. This means it probably won't work with majordomo, another popular listserver processor. I suspect it would be relatively easy to for the folks at the Shelby Group to modify InfoMagnet to work with majordomo. The problem is, however, there's no reliable database of mailing lists using majordomo while ListServ boasts of such a beast and that database represents the core of InfoMagnet's value as a tool. InfoMagnet is a powerful, valuable, and easy to use Internet tool that you shouldn't do without if you're a member of several mailing lists. Just whip out your copy of InfoMagnet and let it do all the power work for you and it'll make it seem as if you're a seasoned professional that knew how to harness the power of mailing list servers at will. You can find shareware copies of InfoMagnet at: http://www.shelby.com/pub/shelby/ That's all folks! I'll be sure to have reviews of some web sites for your rambling pleasure in the next issue. -Ray --END OF ISSUE--