CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing November 7, 1998 Issue 136 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= *~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~* F I T N E S S *~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~* Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, M.S., publishes a FREE email newsletter, "Fitness, Health, and Weight Loss"! It's packed with insider info and inspiration! To start your free subscription, send any email message... mailto:Fitness-on@mail-list.com or visit his web site... http://www.Landry.com *~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~* CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Notes, None This Issue, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net ******************************** TV Like You Have Never Seen It!* ******************************************************************** Flat TV Sweeps Enter Now to win a 36" Superflat TV From Panasonic! Bring TV to life! Be the first in your neighborhood to enjoy this amazing technological marvel! http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/flattv.htm ******************************************************************** Reviews: 4=> Product: The Definitive XML Series from Charles F. Goldfarb, book Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 5=> Product: Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro, hardware Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 6=> Product: Multimedia Recipe Workshop, home Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com 7=> Product: SpellCatcher, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com 8=> Product: Virtua Squad By Sega, game Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net None This Week. 2=> Winner! This week's winner: *************** Low-Fat Living* ********************************************************************** You've tried everything in the past - painful starvation diets, all- day workout sessions, and nothing seems to work. Why? You've been trying too hard. Starving yourself isn't natural; instead, work with your body to fight fat. You'll have more energy, fit into your favorite jeans, and feel healthier! Simply tell your body to "Stop Making Fat" and "Start Burning Fat Like Never Before", and watch as the unwanted pounds melt away. We'll show you how...click below to see the De-FAT-inator! and we'll send you the secrets of automatic fat control right away! Click On: http://www.get-it-for-free.com//lowfat.htm ********************************************************************** 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com WebTV isn't Real . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,28463,00.html?st.ne.fd.gif.j AOL Stars in a Movie . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,28358,00.html?st.ne.1.head Mr. Bond, We Have Your Laptop . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,28483,00.html?st.ne.2.head What a Shock! Office 2000 to be Delayed . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,28410,00.html?st.ne.3.head Netscape Hoardes IE Users ... Those Shifty Guys . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/16105.html HEY! Linux Has Made it Mainstream ... Of Course it's in that Technology Hotbed of Mexico . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/16107.html Hey Buddy, Can You Spare One One-Thousandth of a Cent? Digicash goes Belly-Up . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/16113.html **************** Catholic Digest* ******************************************************************** Want a close family? Plenty of good friends? Good health? Happiness? Laughter? Joy? Inspiration? Catholic Digestr will enrich your life. Try a FREE ISSUE...plus reserve your FREE gift, "All About Angels". Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catholic.htm ******************************************************************** 4=> Product: The Definitive XML Series from Charles F. Goldfarb, book Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: extensive knowledge of HTML and/or SGML MSRP: Four books @ $44.95 US/$63.00 CAN each For years now we've been hearing about the newest, latest, greatest technology that will transform the Internet. First there was Java, then Shockwave, and lately Dynamic HTML and Stylesheets. While all of the above have had an effect on what we see, nothing has truly transformed the Internet. Now comes a new claimant: XML, the potential successor to HTML. What XML is and how to use it are the two main points behind "The Definitive XML Series", a series of four books written by various experts on the development of XML and edited by Charles F. Goldfarb. Never heard of Charles Goldfarb? He is credited as the inventor of SGML (Standardized General Markup Language) on which both XML and HTML are based. "The XML Handbook" by Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod. ISBN: 0-13-081152-1. 640 pages and CDROM. The first book in "The Definitive XML Series" is written by the series editor in addition to Paul Prescod, and is meant to serve as an introduction to XML and how to use it. The authors go into great detail about the creation of SGML and the derivation of XML for the web. Lots of examples of how XML can be used are provided, as well as in depth examinations of how to use the software that is included on the accompanying CDROM. This book was a tough one to get through. While the information is certainly all there and it does go into great depth, I kept finding excuses to go read something else. The writing is very dense and acronym-filled, meaning that you'll likely have to read a substantial portion of the book a couple of times to make sense of it. For a guy who invented such a terrific means of communicating effectively, Dr. Goldfarb's own writing is a bit lacking! But as you slog through it the message does get across, albeit slowly. "Designing XML Internet Applications" by Michael Leventhal, David Lewis, and Matthew Fuchs. ISBN: 0-13-616822-1. 585 pages and CDROM. The remaining four books do not come in any particular order, so I'll just list them by title. "Designing XML Internet Applications" is geared toward webmasters and programmers who want to learn how to use XML on their website and the advantages in doing so. The first few chapters serve as an introduction to the web and how it works, and why XML is needed. In this sense, the book covers much the same ground as the first book, although from a different perspective. From there the book provides a number of examples of what XML can do, including a bulletin board and contact database. In addition the book covers how to use Perl and Java in working with XML, and what the future holds in the use of Agents for intelligent searching. This book was much better written than the first, and the one book I would recommend to webmasters looking to find out more about XML. "Structuring XML Documents" by David Megginson. ISBN: 0-13-642299-3. 420 pages and CDROM. This third book provides the most in depth coverage of how to implement XML. In particular the book focuses on the creation of DTD's - the document type declaration, which is critical for understanding how to create your own XML documents. Unlike HTML which has only one DTD, XML is a means of describing your "own" markup language for publishing your own documents. But in order for the XML parser (the web browser) to understand what the markup means, you may have to create your own DTD. This book is for people who already understand XML, so pick up something else first and then come get this book when you're truly ready to create your own XML language. "XML by Example" by Sean McGrath. ISBN: 0-13-960162-7. 475 pages and CDROM. The final book in the series covers how to use XML in commercial applications. It is also the only book that seems to be misnamed. You'd think a book named "XML by Example" would be written around several core examples of how to use XML in electronic commerce. Wrong! This book instead covers all of the various aspects of electronic commerce and how XML can be used to improve things. This book is best left to those in business looking to apply XML to their commercial websites. If you count it up there is about 2000 pages in all four books, a hefty sum to cover one subject! Especially when you consider the first book I got on HTML was about 200 pages and it provided all the information I ever needed to know about how to use HTML. On the other hand, these four books provide complete coverage of how to use XML and what it means for the future of the Internet. If you're looking to find out more about XML and how to use it on your website, I heartily recommend that you pop on down to your favorite bookstore (or click on over if you prefer shopping via the Internet) and check out "The Definitive XML Series". "The Definitive XML Series" Prentice Hall http://www.phptr.com ********************************************** Free Catalogs! Search over 300 FREE Catalogs!* ******************************************************************** Do you shop by mail? Looking for that hard to find item? Just like unique products? Then you need the Catalog Request Center! You'll find over 300 FREE catalogs! Use this FREE service to quickly locate the catalogs that have the products you want. Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catalogs.htm ******************************************************************** 5=> Product: Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro, hardware Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Pentium-90, Windows 95/98, sound card w/game port, 16 MB RAM, 25 MB Hard drive space, 4x CDROM, SVGA graphics. USB port requires Windows 98. Motocross Madness requires 3D accelerated graphics card, Pentium-133 Reviewed on: Pentium-166, Windows 95, 48 MB RAM, Intense 3D Voodoo graphics card. MSRP: $74.95 In the last few years Microsoft has made quite a name for itself in the area of computer peripherals, including mice, joysticks, and gamepads. In joysticks, Microsoft has led the way in the release of force-feedback joysticks. Now Microsoft is prepared to do the same thing for gamepads. Meet the Freestyle Pro, a revolution in gamepad design. What's so special about the Freestyle Pro? The Freestyle Pro contains solid-state motion sensors so that the motion of the gamepad is translated into movement in the game. For example, say you're playing a driving game. Dip the Freestyle Pro to the right and the car turns to the right. Tip it forward and the car accelerates, tip it backward and you hit the brakes. Get the picture? It is funny how now a days joysticks & gamepads seem to try more to fill special niches than they try to be all-encompassing. This is a good thing - there is no such thing as a joystick/gamepad that can do it all. Take the Assassin 3D, which I reviewed some time ago - great for first person games, but no better than a joystick when it comes to flight simulators or driving games. Wheels are great, but they are expensive and space consuming, a huge problem when you are cramped for space already. The Freestyle Pro can be either plugged into a gameport on a sound card or into a USB port, should your computer come so equipped. However, to use the USB port you also must have Windows 98. I tried mine with Windows 95 OSR2 (which includes USB support) and couldn't get it to work. From the gameport, however, the Freestyle Pro worked just fine. Included with the Freestyle Pro is a CD containing the necessary "Sidewinder" drivers and the full version of Motocross Madness. The Sidewinder drivers install quickly and require about 25 MB of hard drive space. Beyond the actual driver, the software installs the Sidewinder control panel which allows you to select which Sidewinder device you are using (Freestyle Pro, gamepad, Sidewinder 3D, Force Feedback joystick, Force Feedback wheel). One really nice feature of Microsoft's joysticks and gamepads is the ability to create "profiles" for various games. This allows you to designate the various triggers on the Freestyle Pro to corresponding keyboard commands that go with whatever game you want. Just before you start the game you activate that profile, load the game, and off you go! In theory this sounds terrific, and the amazing thing is that it actually works in real life as well. Besides the included profiles, I quickly set up profiles for Need for Speed III and Shogo. Both profiles worked perfectly. The Freestyle Pro does take some getting used to - because you have to physically move the gamepad with your hands it is different from anything else you've ever used before. I tried several first-person shooters including Hexen II and Shogo, and found that while the Freestyle Pro works with these games it is probably not an ideal device for these games. Why? Because these games require moving and aiming at the same time, which on the Freestyle Pro requires moving the gamepad at the same time as using the D-pad on the gamepad to aim with. This takes a lot - and I mean a lot - of practice to be able to do well. ON the other hand, the Freestyle Pro is the ultimate controller for driving & flying games. In these types of games the emphasis is on motion and not so much on precise aiming. I'm a big fan of arcade style driving games - Need for Speed, Test Drive, and Carmageddon are all favorites of mine. But I've never had the perfect controller these games. Now I do. Nothing, and I mean nothing, as conveyed such an immersive driving experience as playing these games using the Freestyle Pro. I can only say - WOW! As I mentioned above, Microsoft includes the full version of Motocross Madness for you to play with. The hardware requirements are steeper than what is required for the Freestyle Pro - a Pentium-133 is required as is a 3D accelerated graphics card. The 3D enhanced graphics are gorgeous, and the game is a blast to play. It is also an indication from Microsoft that they also know what kind of games the Freestyle Pro works best with. Here is the bottom line. If you like driving/flying simulations (arcade or realistic), the Freestyle Pro is the perfect controller for you. For other games, the Freestyle Pro is serviceable (you can even turn off the motion sensors and use it as a regular gamepad, if you want) but does take some getting used to. Microsoft strikes again, and this strike is hot! Sidewinder Freestyle Pro Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/products/prodref/697_ov.htm ******************************** Free Small Business Newsletter!* ****************************************************************** SMARTBIZ NEWS E-Mail Newsletter - - What Is It? It's a newsletter filled with a wealth of valuable info to help you in every aspect of your job. Whether you own the company or just started working for it, SMARTBIZ.COM NEWS has something for you. You may not use everything but you're sure to find lots of valuable information in every issue. Subscribe now! It's FREE! Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/smartbiz.htm ****************************************************************** 6=> Product: Multimedia Recipe Workshop, home Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Requires: CD-ROM, MS Windows 3.x, 95 or NT, 8 MB Ram, 8 MB available hard disk space, mouse. MSRP: $39.95 If you're like most folks who enjoy cooking, you may have 25 or more cookbooks, each containing several recipes that you like. Stuffed in a drawer somewhere are recipes you've clipped from magazine or newspaper articles. When it's time to retrieve one of those recipes, however, you end up spending hours digging around trying to find it. With Multimedia Recipe Workshop, you can store all of your favorite recipes in one easy-to-retrieve location: your computer. You can set up your own electronic cookbook, then continue saving recipes with the knowledge that you'll always be able to find what you're looking for. I had a few problems installing the program, in that my system crashed a couple of times, and it took quite a while for the program to install itself, for some reason. But once I got past installation, the program worked beautifully. When the program first opens, you're presented with a Welcome screen. >From that screen, you can create a new cookbook or add recipes, access the help file, or open a cookbook stored in the program. When you add recipes to a cookbook, you simply type in the name of the recipe, the ingredients, and the instructions. The program will automatically fill in other categories such as food group, meal, course, temperature, etc. Then, you can use the Nutrition Wizard to calculate various nutritional facts, such as calories, carbohydrates, fat grams, protein, etc. The program even offers a diabetic exchange plan. One feature I particularly like is the ability to find a recipe you want very quickly. The program comes with the Best-of-the-Web Cookbook, which you can search by key ingredient, cuisine, food group, meal, and more. I searched for shrimp and was presented with numerous recipes containing shrimp, along with the preparation time, number of calories, type of cuisine, etc., all in a very easy-to-read format. Another helpful feature is the ability to resize recipes depending on the number of people you want to serve. If you're giving a dinner party for 20 people, simply find the recipes, then resize them to serve that many people. You can plan your menus for a week in advance, even utilizing the program to create shopping lists organized by keywords and grocery store departments. You can print recipes out on paper or index cards, or you can print out your entire cookbook. If you enjoy giving homemade food items for the holidays, the program can print labels for you to put on your packages. As you plan your meals in advance, the program will keep track of the nutritional information for your meals and estimate how much weight you'll gain or lose if you stick to the diet. Whoa. That's a scary thought! If you want to compare a couple of recipes, the program will display then side by side, indicating the best aspects of each. If you want to get fancy with your electronic cookbooks, the program even allows you to add multimedia files to each recipe, including slide shows showing the various steps involved in the preparation of the food. As if all of this wasn't enough, the Multimedia Recipe Workshop will also keep track of your dinner parties, including what you served and who came, so you can be sure not to serve the same thing to the same folks at your next party. The program is self-explanatory and fairly easy to navigate. It takes the drudgery out of meal planning with its easy-to-use search facilities and nutritional guides. If you like to cook, this program is definitely worth a look! Craftsbury Software Multimedia Recipe Workshop http://www.recipeswinetravel.com/MRWMain.htm ************************ Rebates for Eating Out!* ******************************************************************** Dining A la Card - - Join Now For 60 Days Free And Start Earning 20% Cash Back Right Away! It doesn't cost you a penny to try Dining à la Card now. And the cash rebates are yours to keep without any obligation! Join Now for 60 DAYS FREE and earn 20% Cash Back when you visit any of our participating establishments nationwide! Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/dining.htm ******************************************************************** 7=> Product: SpellCatcher, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: Windows 95, 98 or NT, 486 or higher CPU. Also available in Mac version (English only). MSRP: US$39.95 SpellCatcher is a utility which adds an interactive spelling checker, a full-featured thesaurus and shorthand or abbreviation expansion capability to almost any application. The software includes a full set of reference files including the dictionaries, thesaurus, glossaries and other references needed to get started. SpellCatcher was put through a battery of tests on large documents while running on a P166MMX machine (128MB RAM.) The software performed flawlessly, although the audible error alert had to be disabled. Comparisons between other spell checkers were made (MS Office, INSO, and TextPad's proprietary utility.) The software was tested under Windows 95 and Windows 98. After installation, you'll find a large yellow check mark in your system tray. A single, left mouse click on the check mark will call the SpellCatcher menu, from which the interactive spell checking settings, option settings, thesaurus, and exit controls can be accessed. The options settings dialog is extensive and well laid out, with tab sheets containing logically grouped function sets. SpellCatcher refers to libraries of abbreviations as glossaries. Enter abbreviations and expansions for frequently used words into the glossary, then simply type the abbreviation into a document and it will expand automatically. Adding new words to the dictionary? You'll find a wealth of options including the ability to add the word along with all its variants. For example, add the word 'balustrade' and you'll be presented with a dialog that contains more than a dozen possible suffixes (s, ed, ing, ent, er, etc.) Clicking on the appropriate tickboxes will automatically add 'balustrade' along with 'balustrades', 'balustraded', and any other suffix variant you've chosen to the dictionary of your choice. This is a wonderful design touch, and a terrific time-saver. SpellCatcher saves its custom dictionaries in separate files, rather than adding new sections to the main dictionary file (a terrible design flaw in INSO's spell checker.) This sort of customization control is also extended to the manner in which SpellCatcher addresses different programs on your system. Specifically, SpellCatcher can retain custom settings for individual applications. For example, you can create custom setups for TextPad, NotePad, and Word, each of which contains settings and preferences which reflect the different ways these three word processors and text editors are used. It's another thoughtful and productive design feature. The settings dialog provides all of the features familiar to Word and WordPerfect users including: auto capitalization, conversion of typed fractions to the proper ANSI characters, smart quotes, double dash to em dash, and so on. Error detection levels or sensitivities can also be set. The thesaurus and advanced tab sheets both contain progressive settings levels. There's even a setting for checking text sitting in the Windows clipboard. SpellCatcher is a highly useful utility. If you're tired of the limitations posed by traditional spell checkers, SpellCatcher is a nice change of pace that may improve your productivity. Cons: The default audible alert for misspelled words is startling and irritating. It can also be disabled, so before you learn to hate SpellCatcher because of it, turn it off. SpellCatcher slows down on large texts; we threw 120,000 word novel at it. Although the actual spell checking proceeded fairly quickly, there was a distinct lag in the error display dialog window (the replacement word selections often took several seconds to load.) Because SpellCatcher can't deal directly with an application's document structure, you've got to highlight text (mark a block) in order to spell check it, unless you use SpellCatcher in 'interactive mode'. Pros: You can actually specify a custom setting for each application in which spell checking is required. Different levels of error-checking sensitivity. Ridiculously easy to use, accurate, feature filled, fast, and highly recommended. Casady & Greene Software Products and Publishing SpellCatcher for Windows Product Web site: http://www.casadyg.com ************************************* The Best Business Magazine for Free!* ******************************************************************** Fast Company Magazine - - A special, exceptional Internet offer from the magazine that gives you the resources to help you work: more creatively, productively and profitably. Get a FREE trial issue of Fast Company! Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/fastco.htm ******************************************************************** 8=> Product: Virtua Squad By Sega, game Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com System Requirements: Windows 95, Pentium 75 or higher CPU, 16 Meg of ram memory, 2X or higher CD-ROM 15 Mb of hard drive space (min install), Sound Blaster compatible sound card, optional game-pad /joystick/modem. Reviewed On: Pentium 166 MMX, 64 MB Ram memory, Sound Blaster Aw64 ATI 3DXpression graphics card, Mouse & Game pad. MSRP: $14.99 US (price source Expert's Web Site on-line catalog) Installation of Virtua Squad is extremely easy, and about five minuets to complete. Once the game is installed, you are ready for fast paced shoot-em up action. You can select one person or two-person play, and you can play the game with another user over a modem, or on a network. Expert Software states playing Virtua Squad is: To serve, honor and protect. Virtua City- an urban killing zone overrun by criminals packing, heavy heat and holding hostages. The law and weapons are on your side . . . the odds will never be. Unsurpassed fast-twitch response dynamic 3-D scenarios and rapid-fire game play will electrify in an unyielding onslaught of polygon thugs. Virtua Squad is a fast passed arcade style game, with good graphics, sound, and plenty of action. However, the game moves the player around the different playing fields, and does not allow free movement of the player. Moreover, there is no game save function in this program so you cannot save the game at various points, and once a game is over, you have to start from the beginning. The player does have control over the movement of the gun sight although the play restricts this control. The game has three different levels play, Beginner, Medium and expert. Included is a training level where one can practice target shooting as an exercise or in competition with another player. Once a section is completed, it disappears and you see the remaining levels. Nevertheless, you cannot save the game, so if you fail to complete the next level, all three sections return on the screen and you are back to square one. The scarcity of user controls for the player's movement is disappointing, and not being able to save games is frustrating. Also, there is no key function to allow you to view the high score's names. With my minor criticism aside, Virtua Squad is excellent value for the money. The game will give an end user many hours of enjoyment, and unlimited fun. During testing my brother-in-law dropped in with his two teenage boys (thirteen & fifteen) and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to give Virtua Squad a road test with younger players. The two boys took to Virtua Squad like fish to water, and their parents almost had to pry them off the computer when it was time to go home. In no time they engrossed them into the game's arcade style shoot-em-up action and thoroughly enjoying playing the game. Usually during a visit they will play several computer games, changing from one to the other as they get bored or frustrated with the game. This was not so with Virtua Squad as the fast paced action and multiple enemies that literally jump out at the player defiantly held their attention for hours. If you are looking for a Christmas gift for the gamers in your life, then check out Virtua Squad from Expert Software. No doubt Virtua Squad lacks a few bells and whistles, but it is one of the best game values for the money I have seen in years. Virtua Squad http://www.expertsoftware.com/sega.htm ************************************************* Get Your Piece of The Million Dollar Job Market!* ********************************************************************* Cleveland Institute of Electronics is the World Leader in Electronics Education and we want to send you a FREE Electronics Symbols Handbook and Course Catalog. Request our Free Handbook Now! Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/cleveland.htm ********************************************************************* +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net Assistant Editor: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Assistant Editor: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Archives: ftp://ftp.compunotes.com/pub/archive Website: e-mail: mailto:notes@compunotes.com Want to Write for Us?: mailto:writers@compunotes.com fax: (314) 909-1662 voice: (314) 909-1662 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CompuNotes is: Available weekly via e-mail and on-line. We cover the PC computing world with comprehensive reviews, news, hot web sites, great columns and interviews. We also give away one software package a week to a lucky winner for just reading our fine publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we are here to bring you the computing world the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us! CompuNotes B440 1315 Woodgate Drive St. Louis, MO 63122 notes@compunotes.com (C)1998 Patrick Grote