Media Share 9/MEDIASHARE_09.ISO/mag&info/kgl_9401.zip/LINENOIS.COL

Text File | 1994-02-03 | 8KB | 169 lines

LINE NOISE
(An Award-Winning Column)
by Karen Rockow

The Buck Starts Here

In the last issue we reported on the coming trend of charging for
software tech support.  Now, WordPerfect has leapt on the bandwagon
and has started charging corporate customers for support.  And a few
weeks ago, they decided that customers of their new low-priced Main
Street line (which includes the former LetterPerfect and Grammatik,
among other programs) could also pay for support.  They insist that
civilian users of WordPerfect will continue to receive free tech
support.  And if you believe that, I have this bridge I'd like to
sell you....

The fine folks in Orem, who recently anointed a new Leader, are
probably thinking that they're a bit too popular this season.  Seems
that WP for Windows 6.0 is just a tad buggy, and they're logging
several hundred messages a day on their CompuServe forum.  Customers
can be so unreasonable.  They actually expect a program that requires
6 Mb of RAM and uses 33 Mb of disk space to work, too?

Over in Gatesland, similar Awful Things are happening with Word for
Windows 6.0.  Matter of fact, 10,000 of the early packages of the
program that shipped inadvertently contained a file indicating that
the program belonged to a Microsoft test engineer named Dave
Ferguson.  That's Quality Control.  Many users now report difficulty
installing the program or printing from it.  Microsoft suggests that
they should look at the Read Me file shipped with new packages, but
they're shipping a new maintenance release this month.  (Ed. Note:
this is entitled WFW 6.0C.  Accept no substitutes.)


Staples

I don't know about you, but I've been a bit manic about glancing
through the Boston Blob every Sunday for the last few months, looking
for a Staples $10-off coupons.  I haven't seen one since October,
when I used it to buy a new toner cartridge for my copier.  I've just
about given up on recharges, I'm afraid.  All summer long, I had no
need for humidity readings.  Whenever it was humid -- which was most
of the summer -- my copier delivered gloriously blank copies, on the
contrast setting of my choice.  Even when it wasn't humid, my copies
were still strangely light.  The minute I changed the toner
cartridge, the problem disappeared.

Anyway, I haven't checked with Staples, but I think you can remove
the Ad Watch over your local newspaper.  Instead, head for the
check-out counter and plunk down your 99 cents for a copy of the 1994
Staples calendar, which must be the ugliest calendar every to see the
light of day.  At the bottom right corner of each month, you'll find
a coupon.  January's gives $10 off any purchase of $40 or more (as do
the May and September coupons).  February's coupon gives you $25 off
any furniture purchase, also available in August.  March and November
give $25 off a fax; April and October give you 100 free photo-copies;
other months offer $25 off computers and copiers.  And, just think of
all the newspapers you won't have to buy searching for those blasted
coupons.


Shortage of the Month

Last year, we had 200 meg hard drive and super VGA monitor shortages.
Now, we have a RAM shortage, and, coming soon to your area, shortages
in all but the least expensive CD-ROM drives.  In addition, COMPUTER
RESELLER NEWS reports that the shortage of active matrix displays for
high-end notebook computers continues.  Probably, just as that
shortage abates, everyone will be switching over to a new color
display developed by NECT, which is said to be 20% brighter than
standard active matrix screens.  And then we can have a shortage of
*those.*


What's in an Acronym?

To the Real World, PDA may mean "public displays of affection" (as
reported by William Safire in his Sept. 19 NYT Magazine column, "On
Language"), but in computerland, it's a "personal digital assistant"
and the public would seem to be less than wildly enthusiastic about
them.  The main problem seems to be a lack of applications.  It isn't
time to give up on these things, just a good time to hold onto your
pocketbook.

If you still aren't convinced, you might take a look at the article
by Emerson Andrew Torgan in the January HOME OFFICE COMPUTING.  He
handwrote the first two stanzas of "Tiger, Tiger, burning bright/In
the forests of the night," with some interesting results.  The Newton
coughed back "Tiger, I go burning bridge/Fri pro forest 5 of to
night." The Tandy/Casio was even wilder: "Tigr Tigv bol
jnrbrisht/lyIE Fonm45 OFRU4ht."

Might be an improvement over Blake, but it probably isn't quite what
you're looking for.


Argus

The other night I logged on ARGUS to see what was happening over at
one of the larger BBSes in the state.  Except for the information
that they have a $50 introductory special, which gives some sort of
Internet access, I didn't learn much, for the simple reason that the
doc file for newcomers is 342,012 bytes long.  Ah, you say; must have
loads of material about the Internet!  All I can tell you is that the
Internet section contains a single line: "Coming to ARGUS soon!"


April 15th is Just Around the Corner

If you've ever purchased any software from Parsons Technology, you've
been snowed with a constant stream of offers in the mail from them.
I was just filling out the coupon for their free tax prep program
(free except for shipping, that is), when I noticed that it didn't
include either a Schedule C or E.  Better to spend $9.95 (for
shipping) and get CA-Simply Tax from Computer Associates.  It's
available in both DOS (the old SoftKey Easy Tax program) and Windows
versions and includes over 90 forms.  For an additional $5, they'll
throw in their CA-Simply Money software package.

   Or, you can pick up the tax program for $9.95 at Lechmere or a bit
more at Staples (but show them the Lechmere ad and they should come
down to $9.95).  Remember -- none of the tax packages currently on
the market (in early January) are final versions.  You'll have to
send for the final version, which won't be available until the end of
the month.  The one from Computer Associates is $3.95.


Who's Doing What to Whom

OK, let's see now: Dell recalled 17,000 subnotebook computers at the
beginning of October because of the possibility of overheating.  (On
the other hand, no other computer company can boast a member of its
board as a nominee for Secretary of Defense, even if he did withdraw
his name.)  WordPerfect has a new president, Adrian Rietveld.  Nathan
Morton, who built CompUSA into a $1.3 billion superstore chain,
resigned suddenly in late December and isn't talking.

Anyone still doubt that multimedia has arrived big time? The
newest industry on the block now has a Shortage (see above) and
it now has a Contested Lawsuit.  What more could anyone want?
Seems the Commerce Dept. is going to take a second look at the
patent it recently awarded to Compton's New Media Inc. that
covers some vital techniques for searching and retrieving CD ROM
data.  Many other companies are afraid that Compton's will try to
get a piece of the action on every CD ROM sold, something like
Tandy threatened years back when it let notebook manufacturers
know that it had invented the hinge that they were all using for
their LCD screens.


Plus Ca Change

Remember when one of the prime considerations in selecting a clone
was how much noise the fan made? That hasn't been an issue for a few
years now.  It's never been an issue with notebook computers because
they've never had fans.  Until now.  If notebooks are ever going to
be able to use the new Pentium chip, that will have to change.  Fans
are too large, as are heatsinks, both used in desktop models.  Aavid
Engineering Co., in Laconia, NH, has plans to introduce a cooling
system based on a 3M coolant called Florinert, developed for the
medical industry for use in blood bags.

Won't be long before we're pulling up to the pump to have our
notebook's antifreeze checked.

--------------------------------------------------
(Karen Rockow really needs no introduction.)

                   -thirty-