PsL Monthly 1993 December/PSL Monthly Shareware CD-ROM (December 1993).iso/pastnews/news9308.vws

Text File | 1993-09-29 | 18.9 KB | 439 lines

=====News & Views:

- PsL Monthly CD ... introduction to PsL's premier monthly CD issue.
- A CD-ROM Drive for Everyone ... cheap, expensive, internal, external
- Programmers Respond to PsL's CD ... no outdated software.
- PsL News Cover Date Moved Up ... where did July go?
- Shareware Copyrights ... what can you do with this software?
- Haunted Computer ... doesn't like user walking away!
- Does Not Compute ... bug reports, fixes, feedback.
- New Retail Product Reviews ... Personal Label Printer ($129.95),
    Pool for Windows ($17.50), Where in Space is Carmen... ($39.95)



-----PsL Monthly CD

How would you like to get every one of the more than 250 new and updated
pd/shareware programs written up in this issue (and more!) for just
$19.95?

Now you can - with one catch: you need a CD-ROM drive. (See following
article.)

In the past, other shareware vendors, BBS sysops, and computer magazine
columnists have paid PsL as much as $1000 per month (or more!) to get
all the new and updated programs we add each month.

They know that PsL offers many times more new programs every month than
any other vendor and that we generally get new programs out fastest.
(Typical programmer response this month from John Shramko: "I would like
to thank you for your rapid publication of my previous submissions. I
have found such professionalism to be all too rare in the shareware
business.")

They also know that our experienced staff of testers and reviewers are
unequalled at picking the best new programs and giving them concise,
honest reviews. And of course, they also know that PsL virus-checks
every program before doing anything with them.

Now you can get all the great new PsL monthly software additions for
just a tiny fraction of the cost these other groups have happily paid.
You can get over 300 programs for less than the cost of just 4 disks at
our regular disk fees.

--We Heard You

Several months ago, we asked readers how PsL should move into the 20th
century in terms of shareware distribution. One option was having a PsL
BBS. Another was to have a CD-ROM. We heard a lot of pro's and con's for
both ideas.

After weighing the input from readers and considering all the factors
involved, we decided to offer a monthly CD-ROM containing all the new
programs written up in PsL News each month (and more!).

--The Costs

The CD is being offered on a subscription basis for $19.95 per month
plus shipping, billed monthly. We will send you an invoice with each
month's CD or you can have it automatically billed to your credit card
each month. Either way, you can cancel the subscription at any time.

Single issues (including back issues) are $29.95 plus shipping.

--Wading Through A CD-ROM?

One objection we frequently heard from people who were opposed to a
CD-ROM was having to wade through all the software to find what they
need. (Or in the case of most CDs, wade through the junk to find the
good stuff.)

With PsL's Monthly CD, the difference is that as you are reading through
the current PsL News and see something you would like to try, you can
just pop in the CD-ROM, bring up PsL's installation program, and try it.

Each month as we update the PsL Review's files (which contain write-ups
of the more than 7000 programs in PsL), we will add a note indicating
which month's CD the program was last on. As you accumulate CDs, you
will be able to easily go back to get programs you read about in the
Reviews.

Since each CD will have a lot of programs that do not make it into our
Reviews/catalog, we will also have an ongoing catalog file on the CD of
the contents of previous month's CDs.

--And More...

The 250+ programs we add every month, while a lot of software, still
leave lots of free space on a 650MB CD.

This extra space will allow us to distribute a lot of things whose
distribution by PsL is not feasible now.

For example, a 4MB animation file that you will only run a couple of
times is not worth the disk fees we would have to charge to provide it
on floppies, but it costs nothing to add it to a CD. Sound files (WAVs)
and graphics files are other disk space eaters that we will include.

We also reject a LOT of programs every month, although they may be of
very high quality. The main reason is that we do not have room to keep
adding programs to PsL which are minor variations of programs already in
our collection. With the CD, we will be able to distribute even those
programs.

These programs are written up as Quick Looks in each issue. If you do
not wish to get the CD, but want a Quick Look program, you can order it
by name and we will copy it to one or more floppies for you at our
regular disk fees. (Please note that some programs are multiple disks
and our per-disk fee applies.)

With the large number of Quick Look files evident in this issue, readers
will, for the first time, get a feel for the amount of screening and
testing PsL has been doing every month for years.

We will have the latest monthly updated version of PsL's Reviews files
on the CD, unarchived and ready for reading and searching, as well as
the text of the current month's PsL News.

A category which we have begun to distribute on the Monthly CD is electronic
publishing (magazines and books on disk). Much of this material is
time-sensitive and a monthly CD is an ideal way to distribute it.

--File Format

Files will be stored on the disk in ZIP format (with FILE_ID.DIZ files
for BBS use). Many people have asked why we don't store the programs in
separate directories, ready to run, since there is plenty of space.

One reason is that BBS sysops are an important segment of our target
audience, and they need the files to be in ZIP format ready for
downloading.

Another reason is that many programs configure themselves to your
preferences and/or to your system configuration during installation.
Obviously, it would not work to install these on a CD.

Non-sysop users will be able to run a program that lets you read about
the files and install the ones you want to try quickly and easily.
Alternatively, if you read about a program in PsL News and want to
install it even more quickly, a one-line command will find the file for
you on the CD and install it.

One exception to the above is that extremely large programs, in addition
to being on the CD as ZIP files, may also be preinstalled on the CD (if
they will run from CD). For example, the Movies database on this month's
CD takes up 10MB of disk space, so it has been preinstalled on the CD to
save your hard disk space. Japanese I, which takes over 4MB, is also
preinstalled.

(Incidentally, buying the Japanese I set of disks from most vendors on
12+ 360k floppies would cost you as much as the entire PsL CD.)

In contrast, Painless Accounting, which takes 5MB of disk space, was not
preinstalled because it configures to your system during installation.

--Reserve Your CD Now!

If this is your first time to see PsL News, take a look at all the new
pd/shareware programs written up in this issue. (Note: The listing in
the back of PsL News is of most of the 7000+ programs ALREADY in PsL and
are not on the monthly CD.)

Don't miss the updates; they are enhanced versions of programs already in
PsL. Updates are included on the monthly CD.

Once you have seen all the terrific new programs you can get for just
$19.95, we know you will want to call or write to sign up for PsL's Monthly
CD. But please hurry. Supplies of CDs for each month are limited.

--Converting Other Subscriptions

A lot of people have already called with this question, so here's the
answer: Yes, you can convert your existing Monthly Additions Disks
subscription(s) to Monthly CD subscriptions.


-----A CD-ROM Drive For Everyone

If you do not already have a CD-ROM drive, PsL's Monthly CD can
cost-justify one in a hurry.

On the high end, PsL has the Toshiba 3401B, the fastest CDROM drive
available. It has an access time of 200ms and 300kb throughput. It has a
SCSI-2 interface included for just $599 for the internal, $699 for the
external (add 4% for credit card).

For just $225, PsL has the Mitsumi internal drive with proprietary
interface. It has a more typical 350ms access time and 150kb throughput.

Both of these drives are Kodak Photo CD Ready.

If you want an external drive with no installation hassles, it's hard to
beat the Sydos Personal CD. It plugs into any parallel port and has a
pass-thru connector so that you can still plug in a printer. With a
545ms access time and 176kb throughput, it is amazingly zippy for a CD
drive with a parallel interface. An optional interface card is promised
for the near future to make the drive even faster.

Its printer port interface and small, light-weight size makes this unit
ideal for use with laptops. Its $325 price is extremely reasonable for
an external, especially since you don't have to buy an additional
interface card for it.

If you are leaning towards a full multimedia system with sound card, see
the file RE-02 Multimedia Products in PsL's Reviews files.


-----Programmers Respond to PsL's CD

We were delighted with the (unsolicited) response we got from
programmers to the announcement of our monthly CD:

"This is a brilliant idea...a way to finally introduce shareware into
Fortune 500 companies with the latest shareware on a regular basis
from a reputable source and virtually guaranteed to be virus free." -
Chris Thornton

"I really like the monthly approach. Normally, I don't like distributing on
CD-ROMs, but in the case of PsL, I'll certainly make an exception. You may
take this letter as full permission to include any (of these) OsoSoft
programs on your CD. It's always been a great pleasure to work with PsL,
and I hope we all continue to grow and prosper." - George Campbell

"All of our newer shareware products expressly forbid CDROM distribution
without written permission. This gives you permission to distribute any of
our products on your CD-ROM." - Gary Elfring

We also received software from a number of other programmers who took the
trouble to mention that they were sending their materials only to PsL or
that we were the only vendors authorized to distribute their software on
CD.

Many programmers expressed concerns about other CDs which continue to be
sold for a long time with outdated versions of their programs, and they
were happy to see a monthly CD that would have only all-new software on it
each month.


-----PsL News Cover Date Moved Up

Unlike other publications, PsL News has always been shipped the month of
the cover date.

To accommodate some additional methods of distribution of PsL News and
the new Monthly CD, we have to move the cover date up a month, so we
have skipped July and labeled this month's issue as August.

Subscriptions have been adjusted to allow for the missing month. (Check
your mailing label.)


-----Shareware Copyrights

We frequently get letters asking about PsL's copyrights on shareware
programs. Most of these are from individuals asking about redistributing
disks purchased from PsL.

Even a shareware author assumed he had given up his rights to his
programs by sending them to PsL and asked us for permission to upload
his files to a BBS.

PsL does NOT have ANY rights to the individual programs other than the
right to distribute them. The authors of the programs have sole rights
to how programs are distributed and used.

Anyone who gets a program from PsL and wants to redistribute it simply
has to do what we do - check the documentation for distribution/usage
restrictions and if necessary, write to the author for permission.

PsL does have rights to the use of our trademarks and copyrighted
program reviews (see Contents page). We also have rights to our specific
compilations of programs on a disk or CD, but not to the individual
programs that make up those compilations.


-----Haunted Computer

Here is one for the Time-Life books on the Occult: my computer reboots
itself when (and only when) I walk away from my desk! It doesn't do it
every time, but a large percentage of the time (6-8 times a day). It
NEVER reboots while I'm at my desk, whether I'm working on the computer
or not.

My computer is in a disassembled tower case on a table to the right of
my desk with just the keyboard and monitor on my desk. There is
absolutely no physical contact, such as nudging loose wires, bumping
into components, etc.

The best the folks on the IBM Hardware forum on CIS could come up with
was to suggest a weak power supply, but that does not explain why it
would reboot only when I walk away. It sounds more like my body is
setting up some kind of capacitance with the computer, but that goes
beyond the scope of my electronics background.

Any of you technical whizzes out there ever heard of anything like this?



-----Does Not Compute

Bug reports and fixes. PsL does not warrant programs to work on any particular
system. We do offer a two-disk credit to anyone reporting a program which we
decide, based on the report, to remove from PsL because of the program being
too buggy, outdated, etc. We also welcome general comments. All letters to PsL
become the property of PsL and may be edited for clarity.


--Installing PsL Disks

John Wallan, Oakland, CA: "In many respects, PsL is the best of the
shareware dealers, but your disks vary greatly in the provisions made
for reviewing and installing the programs. Some make it very easy, some
not so easy, and some devilishly difficult. Consider developing more
consistency in this matter, as other shareware distributors have done."

PsL: We have two types of disks those containing a number of small
programs and those where one program takes up one or more disks by
itself.

For the small programs disks, we have a GO installation program on each
disk with descriptions of each program and a push-button installation
procedure.

On the large program disks, the programs usually have an installation
program written by the author of the program. As you say, some of the
installation programs are good and some are not. However, because the
installation programs frequently configure the programs for the user's
system, install files in specific directories, and even change files, it
is not feasible for us to bypass the author's installation, and doing so
could be a violation of the author's copyright and terms of
distribution.

--Slim vs. Stacker?

Stanley Wong, Palos Verdes, CA: "In May's PsL News, you state that there
are no shareware programs similar to Stacker and DoubleSpace. What about
Slim on your disk #4053?"

PsL: Slim is not really the same type of program as Stacker and DS. With
Slim, you must manually compress files. Then, with Slim in memory (72k),
any/every time you run or open a compressed file, Slim creates an
uncompressed copy of the file on the disk which is then run or accessed.

In comparison to Stacker and DS, which compress and decompress
EVERYTHING on the fly, Slim is slower and requires more disk space. Slim
is still useful for some specific situations, but for general use,
Stacker and DS are superior.

--TSR's Noted

Dave Petterson, Etna, CA: "(1) Please print the version number of
programs in the listing. (2) Please state if a program can be used as a
TSR and how much memory it takes."

PsL: (1) Because of the large number of disks and limited space, we do
not always have room to show version numbers. Our practice now is to
show the version numbers in the Reviews files.

(2) Our policy is always to state if a program can be used as a TSR and
the amount of memory used. Let us know specifics if you find otherwise,
and we will correct the Reviews.

--Bugs In Shareware

A reader reported some design flaws in a couple of programs and
continued: "I wanted to point out these problems to you. When I see
things like this, I get discouraged with the whole shareware concept
because of inexperienced or borderline programmers."

PsL: We agree that design flaws, program bugs, poor documentation and
poor support are frustrating and discouraging, but these are just as
rampant, if not more so, in non-shareware software and hardware.

We could besiege you with examples, but we suspect that it is a rare
individual who has not had their own share of bad experiences with
retail products, so we'll just ask you to keep those in mind when you're
feeling down on shareware.


-----New Retail Product Bargains

This month we are happy to pass along to you "show special" priced new
products from the Computer Electronics Show. Quantities of the following
items are limited at these prices.

--Personal Label Printer - #30387 $129.95

The Avery Label Printer is another of those dedicated label printers
about the size of a tape dispenser. What makes this one special is the
price ($129.95), plus the fact that it is from Avery.

Whether you have a laser printer through which you have to run a full
sheet of labels to print a single one*, or a dot matrix printer which
requires five minutes to swap between paper and labels, almost everyone
can make good use of a dedicated label printer.

(* Feeding a sheet of laser labels back through with labels missing can
melt the wax paper where the labels are missing and cause serious damage
to the drum.)

The PLP comes with about $100 worth of software. The PLP software lets
you grab and print addresses (or any other text) right from the screen
while in your word processor, database, etc. The famous Avery LabelPro
Software (list price:$99) lets you design professional looking labels
with graphics (import PCX files) and fonts.

Although you get some labels with the PLP, you'll also want to stock up
while we have them at "show special" prices too:
     #30388 White $6.99 per roll       #30389 Clear $6.99 per roll


--Pool For Windows - #30386 $17.50   <pool.pcx>

This is the slickest PC pool game we have seen. Other games make you set
menu options for cue force, english, etc.

This game is more like a real pool game. The force of the shot is
determined by how far you draw the cue away from the ball. The aiming
linecan be turned off when you think you are good enough.

Other features include sounds, saving games, displaying the ball's path,
and your choice of several popular pool games, including 3-ball
billiards.

--Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego? - #30390 $39.95

The latest in the educational and entertaining "Where ... is Carmen?"
series, this Deluxe Edition takes 10MB of hard disk space and features
breathtaking NASA photographs (VGA required), video clips of planetary
flybys, digitized sound effects, and hundreds of different cases. A 386
or better is required to manage this feature-filled program.

Your VAL-9000 computer contains a wealth of information about the
geography and science of space. You must plot your course through the
stars, interview witnesses, and interpret clues as you hunt for the
infamous Carmen Sandiego. Also included is a 128-page guide to the stars
and planets.