PsL Monthly 1994 July/PSL Monthly Shareware CD-ROM (Public Software Library) (July 1994).iso/pastnews/news9311.vws

Text File | 1993-09-27 | 15KB | 393 lines

=====News & Views <psl_logo.pcx>


- CD-ROMs Are Simple
- New Windows Viewer for CD
- Programming Section on Next Month's CD
- CD Drive Offers Continue
- Get Your Keyboard Back
- Windows Apps Outsell DOS Apps
- Software Excitement Bankrupt
- New Retail products
  ... Game Maker - create complex arcade games without programming.
  ... Hole-In-One-Miniature Golf Deluxe - more fun than the real thing.
  ... Pinball Dreams - the most realistic pinball game yet.
  ... Mad Dog McCree CD-ROM - better than the popular arcade game.
  ... Motor Mouse - you can't tell it's a mouse!
- Letters
- Keeping Track of Receipts
- Corel Buys Ventura
- International Vendors of PsL's CD



-----CD-ROMs Are Simple

A long-time member wrote us that he was thinking of dropping his
membership because of our recent emphasis on the Monthly CD-ROM. He
said that for novices, CD-ROMs are too advanced.

We have also received calls from people interested in getting a
CD-ROM, but who also assumed that using a CD-ROM is complicated.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

Once your CD-ROM drive is installed, it looks to the system like
another hard drive, except that you cannot write to it, only read from
it. The driver which is added to your CONFIG.SYS causes DOS to assign
the next available drive letter to it.

If your hard drive is C: and you don't have any other drives except
floppies, the CD-ROM drive will be D:. The CD is made up of
directories and files, just like any other drive. To DOS shells/menus,
Windows File Manager, and other programs, it appears as just another
drive. DOS commands like DIR, COPY, etc., can all be used with the CD.

With the SyDos drive, you can unpack the drive from the box and be
using it in less than five minutes. You just plug the drive into your
printer port (there is a pass-through connector to plug your printer
into) and load the software.

For novices, accessing the CD is no more difficult than reading PsL
News, which is literally what you are doing, just on the screen. To
install a program you are reading about, you just press I and tell it
a drive and directory. What could be easier?

With our special offers starting at $66/month for 3 months to get a
drive and CDs, it's both cheap AND easy.

However, we also want to reassure readers that we are giving a great
amount of space in PsL News to the CD at the present because it is
new. As people become more familiar with the CD, how it works, and
what we are doing with it, the amount of space given to information
about the CD in PsL News will decrease.


-----New Windows Viewer for CD

The PsL Monthly CD for November has a new Windowsbased access program,
PSL_WIN.EXE. It lets you read the PsL News on the CD, view screen
shots, install and run programs, read DOC files, play sounds, view
graphics, etc.

PSL_WIN.EXE is in the root directory of the CD. You can use Program
Manager's File-Run to execute it. It requires VBRUN200.DLL to be in
your Windows directory. If you do not already have it, you can copy it
from the \RUNTIMES directory on the CD.


-----Programming Section on Next Month's CD

Starting with the December CD-ROM, we will attempt to put a different
section of PsL's library on each month's CD.

The December CD will have the section that has received the most
requests so far: Programming. We have over 600 disks of programming
routines, libraries, tutors, compilers and other tools for just about
every language there is.

Files will be arranged into DOS and Windows directories with
subdirectories by language. If you are interested in programming, be
sure to get the December PsL Monthly CD.


-----CD Drive Offers Continue

Readers responded overwhelmingly to our new offer last month which
lets you get a CD-ROM drive for as little as $66 per month for three
months and three months of PsL Monthly CDs for free. (Actual shipping
expense is charged the first month.)

The Mitsumi internal drive is $66 per month for three months, charged
to your credit card. It comes with a proprietary interface card.
Installation is easy. It requires a free slot for the interface card
and a free half-height, 5.25" drive bay for the drive.

The Mitsumi's specs are 350ms access time and 150kb throughput. It
does not use caddies; just drop the CD into the drive.

The SyDos Personal CD is $99 per month for three months, charged to
your credit card. It is an external drive which requires virtually no
installation. Plug it into the parallel port of your PC and plug your
printer into the back of the CD drive's case.

The SyDos specs are 500ms access time and 170kb throughput. It also
does not require caddies. It is not MPC nor Kodak multi-session
compatible without an interface card upgrade.

For those wanting faster drives, we also offer the Texel and Toshiba
drives. See the front inside cover for pricing. We cannot spread
payments over three months for these drives, but we will throw in
three months of free PsL CDs if you ask for them.


-----Get Your Keyboard Back

When testing programs, we sometimes run into those which speed up the
keyboard's typeomatic rate so that barely touching a key results in a
string of letters.

If that happens in DOS, about all you can do is reboot. But if you
have Windows, you can load (or get back into) Windows, bring up the
Control Panel, select the Keyboard, and adjust the typeomatic rate up
and then back down.

This causes Windows to reset the keyboard rate back to where you
originally had it.


-----Windows Apps Outsell DOS Apps

Sales of Windows-based programs for the first quarter of 1993 jumped
114% over last year while sales of DOS programs decreased 20% during
the same period.

Sales of Windows apps reached $669 million and DOS sales dropped to
$502 million. These numbers are based on retail sales and are compiled
by the Software Publisher's Association.

In shareware, new and updated programs come in at the rate of about
two DOS programs for one Windows one. Seems like DOS is not dead yet.


-----Software Excitement Bankrupt

Another major shareware vendor has filed bankruptcy - Software
Excitement.

SE's new shareware magazine ("Shareware Update") and mall store on
CompuServe reportedly created too large a drain. SE had also recently
gotten into rack distribution of software in stores.

SE was the first, and for a while the most successful, shareware
vendor to operate by distributing by direct mail and through magazine
ads a massive number of catalogs featuring only a few hundred
programs.


-----New Retail products

---Game Maker    (#30410)   $59.95

You can create your own arcade games and adventure games without doing
any programming. You can easily make characters and monsters which can
fly, walk, run, jump, and make sounds. Characters can shoot or throw
any type of object to kill monsters.

Creating scenes for your game is just as easy as creating the
characters. Among the many features is the ability to import graphics.
Several templates are included which can be modified to give you a
head start on making your own games.

Requires VGA graphics, hard drive, and a mouse. Joysticks and Sound
Blaster compatible sound cards are also supported.


---Hole-In-One-Miniature Golf Deluxe   (#30408)   $29.95

The windmills and cinder blocks of real miniature golf are nothing
compared to many of the obstacles you'll face while playing this game.

There is unusual gravity, magnets, and even golf balls that are moved
telepathically. Attempt a hole in one while navigating through busy
city traffic or dodging machine gun fire.

Hole-in-One has eight different golf courses. Digitized sound brings
the action to life, and sharp realistic graphics add to the enjoyment.
Up to 4 people can play.


---Pinball Dreams    (#30409)   $34.95

Pinball Dreams is a very realistic pinball machine simulation game.
There are four games to play, each with it's own set of digitized
sounds, images and pinball action.

You'll find all the usual pinball game gadgets such as balltraps,
ramps, bumpers, tunnels and more. You can even "bump" the machine, but
be careful not to tilt.

You can choose from four different playing field themes, each with
corresponding digitized sounds. Choose the Western theme and you'll
hear gunshots, for example.

Each playing field is three times the height of the screen. As the
ball moves up and down the playing field, the screen scrolls up and
down. Pictured is only part of one of the playing fields.

Requires 3 meg of hard disk space, 570k of free RAM and a VGA monitor.


---Mad Dog McCree CD-ROM   (#30407)   $39.95

Mad Dog McCree is one of the most popular video arcade games in the
world. This PC version is so true to life that it takes a CD-ROM to
store all the live action video and digitized sounds.

To save the town from Mad Dog's gang, you will have to survive a
shoot-out in a saloon full of outlaws, stop a bank robbery, out-draw
vicious gunfighters, watch out for ambushes, and stand up to Mad Dog
himself.


---Motor Mouse    (#30411)   $39.95

The Motor Mouse works like a standard serial mouse, but looks like a
fire-red Lamborghini Countach sports card. This car/mouse comes fully
loaded with features: a Lamborghini for a cursor, front fender panels
for mouse buttons (which you can hardly tell by looking), horn
honking, and the ability to change the size and color of the cursor.

Load the "Cruise Control" software (Windows required) for additional
features. Motor Mouse works with DOS, Windows, and OS/2. In Windows,
various characters pop out now and then.

When Motor Mouse arrived at PsL, everyone around here loved it. We
would have expected to have to pay a big premium for such a
well-designed, super-cool mouse, but it is very reasonably priced.

Motor Mouse would make a great gift for your favorite computer nut
(it's ok if that's YOU), young or old. We guarantee they will love it!
<MMOUSE1.PCX>


-----Letters

---Registration Fees Include Shipping
   Carma Y. Dougherty, CPA, Englewood, OH:

"We are quite pleased to see our Bond Calculator program added to your
library. This is a great opportunity for users to get access to
top-notch professional quality software at a very reasonable price.
Minor correction: PsL News shows the price as $52; it is actually $49
plus $3 shipping."

PsL: Shipping charged by shareware authors ranges from $0 to $10 (or
more). To make costs comparable between programs, we have always made
it a practice to show the total cost of registering, which is the
nominal fee plus shipping, if any.


---Yes, We Have No Disney
   R. W. Lyne, Via CompuServe:

"Congratulations on the splendid monthly CD-ROMs. We have received the
third one now and they are excellent!

"I heard a rumor that Disney is going to sue some shareware CD-ROM
publishers over copyright infringement. I hope that you are all clear
and that it doesn't affect your operation."

PsL: To the best of our knowledge, we do not have any Disney materials
in PsL nor would we knowingly add any materials to which we believe
the author of the program does not have rights to distribute.

Readers sometimes express concern when they see a program
documentation file which says that the program may not be copied or
may not be put on a CD-ROM

It is a virtual certainty in such cases that the authors have made an
exception for PsL.A typical example is "Capture theFlag" in this
month's Games section. The LICENSE.DOC file says the program may not
be put on CDs, but the author gave PsL permission to do so.


---Missing Shareware Authors

The following authors are no longer listed at the address in their
documentation: The Nag (Garry Forbes), Kwan Mail (John Kwan) TVColor
Dialog (Michael Newton), Jiang Controls (Jeng Long Jiang), Startup
(Kevin Bachus), Get the Girl, JAB Software and HiMove (Chris Sitte).


---Travel Manager (#12118)
   Steven Young, East Point, GA:

"I can't get the Log Sold Travel to save nor the Records and Reports
to interact as indicated in the instructions."

PsL: We set the program up using a few PsL employees as clients and
made up the pricing and flights as we went along. We were able to save
all entries (even turned the machine off overnight) and produce
reports the following day on who was currently traveling, about to
leave or just returned.


---Keeping Track of Receipts

Can you quickly and easily lay your hands on the receipt and manual
for each piece of equipment you have, right down to interface cards
added over time? If your home or office has a lot of equipment
purchased over a span of many years, the answer is probably no. This
can be a real problem if the equipment needs service - particularly if
you must show that it is under warranty.

You can answer yes if you follow a simple procedure. Most hardware
comes with a small manual in a plastic bag. Put a copy of the receipt
in the bag with the manual and tape it to the equipment. You are
assured of being able to find them that way, no matter how much
equipment you have or to whom it is given in your home or office.

Another step to take with new equipment is to etch your name and
driver's license number onto it twice - once in a place visible to
potential thieves, to ward them off, and once in a place where they
won't find it if they decide to steal the equipment anyway.

If the police recover your stolen equipment, your driver's license
number will let them easily locate you. Electric metal/plastic etching
tools are available at hardware stores.

Be sure to send in your equipment's warranty registration card too.
Most of these have the serial number on them, which could also be
useful in case of theft.


---Corel Buys Ventura

Corel is buying Ventura Publishing from Ventura Software, Inc. (We
wonder what that leaves VSI to sell?)

In general, we like Ventura a lot better than FrameMaker, which we are
now using to produce PsL News, but Ventura has a known problem in that
it can take HOURS to print a single page in PostScript when the page
has several screen shots on it. FrameMaker prints the same page in
minutes.

Corel Draw can also print similar pages in minutes, so there is hope
that Corel can at last fix Ventura's problems, in which case we will
go back to Ventura again.


---International Vendors of PsL's CD

For the benefit of our overseas readers, here are the names of
international dealers from whom PsL's Monthly CD is available:

Australia:
   George Margelis, 227 Denison St., Newtown, NSW 2042

Belgium:
   Adverbo, Lakensestraat 142, B-1853 Grimbergen

Denmark:
   Jens Rex, Benloese Skel 4 G, DK-4100 Ringsted

Germany:
   CDV Software, Neureuter Str. 37b, 76185 Karlsruhe
   Elcomp Publishing, Tegernseer Str. 18, D-8150 Holzkirchen

The Netherlands:
   BorCo Software, P.O.Box 446, 3760 AK Soest

Spain:
   J.V.Montaner, Plaza Bonanova 6 5-2a, 08022 Barcelona

Sweden:
   K.Palmquist, Engelholmsvegen 76, 26937 Bastad, Buller Data

Switzerland:
   C.Feer, Tanatek AG, Rainweidstrasse 9, 6330 Cham

United Kingdom:
   D.Valls, 19 Carshalton, Camberley, Surry, UK GU15 4AQ