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Bits and Bytes Volume 10, No. 02 (1988-10)(Apple Computing Enjoyment Society)(Side A).zip
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Bits and Bytes Volume 10, No. 02 (1988-10)(Apple Computing Enjoyment Society)(Side A).po
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ACES.1.10.txt
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1996-12-24
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84 lines
APPLELINK - PERSONAL EDITION
======================================
A review by Oscar Kraehenbuehl..
By now, most of you have probably seen
several magazine articles (or read my
comments in the last ACES bulletin)
describing this new online service that
is designed especially for Apple users
(II and MAC). By the time you read this
the Apple dealers should have the
subscription packets available, or you
may have received one of the special
mail offers. In any case, I would like
to share my latest experiences and
thoughts on this subject.
I have been using this service since
April, as a Beta Tester. During that
time it was new, exciting, helpful...
and free. Now it costs $6 per hour (non
prime time) and the novelty has worn
off, so perhaps I can be a bit more
objective in my evaluation.
I find the service provides a source of
Apple experience and info that is quite
broad, and accessible. It is also my
primary source of new public domain
software for our library. Other
services may have some of the same
things, but you have to root it out
from the 'other' computer info. I also
find it nice to see the Apple news
releases on the day of their issue and
have a direct line to Apple (Cupertino)
for technical info I can't find
elsewhere. I have gotten answers to
questions sooner than the 2-days they
promise. There are a slew of software
and hardware vendors on the "Industry
Connection" that can give you a
straight answer on their products. I
once found the forums useful and fun
(lectures and open questions), but they
have become repetitive. They cover lots
of subjects, and the monthly magazine
lets you know when something that
interests you is scheduled.
There is much more offered, but I
personally haven't found adequate value
or entertainment to attend:
- general chat in the Lobby, LAPUB
- quizzes, trivia, auctions
- clubs (Liars, Sci Fi, comedy ++)
These offerings, and the Financial,
News, Reference and Education sections
may be attractive to some, but I don't
think they are the most cost effective
place to get this info.
I have concluded this service fills an
important nook in my needs, but suggest
you should check it out with a
subscriber friend before plunking down
your $35 annual subscription fee.
Calling the service is a local call and
no extra charges are made except for
the Buying Service and the University
courses. If you decide to sign up, it
would be a good idea to see if the
system has finally activated its new
library files. They have been promising
for months to provide new uploads and
summaries of the forums, but most of
the files have been unchanged for
months. I'd wait till they are in full
business before signing up.
Check it out..........
~~~