CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing August 23, 1997 Issue 93 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> My Motherboard Saga . . ., mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! Articles: 3=> Airlines Take Flight in Cyberspace, Authored By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Reviews: 4=> Product: POD - games/action Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 5=> Product: Apache: The Definitive Guide - book/networking Reviewed By: Judy Litt, mailto:jlitt@qualitty.com --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> My Motherboard Saga . . ., mailto:pgrote@i1.net Those who work with me in a professional capacity well understand that the software/analysis side of my skills outshine my hardware/technician side. (Roger, quit laughing) This isn't to say that I don't know hardware, I do. It is to say that my skills at hardware as compared to software are like Michael Jordan's golf game to his basketball game. So it is with a somber attitude I approach upgrading my own PCs. My network at home is comprised of my workstation (Pentium 100), my wife's workstation (486/133), my primary NT Server (486/66), my secondary NT Server (486/66) and my jack of all trades workstation for testing (486/80). You can see I am about two years behind the cutting edge when it comes to hardware. And I am very comfortable being that far behind. Sure, I used to be Mr. Cut My Knuckles on razor like new hardware and software, but somewhere along the way I got tired of reinstalling my machine over and over and over and over again. I settled into a comfortable configuration that worked for me. So, what they heck was I thinking when I bid on two motherboards through Ebay. (Ebay is the world's best online auction at http://www.ebay.com/aw) I "won" an AMD P75 CPU with motherboard and a Cyrix 200 CPU and Motherboard. I was happy I would have the speed coming into my life, but I was fearful of the upgrades. I hate them. Can't stand them. Last Sunday night I decided to upgrade the primary NT Server to the P75. It would be nice to have the speed and I would then feel comfortable moving my ISDN line onto the box and installing a gateway for the rest of the network. In addition, I could move my WinFax Pro over there. My wife remembers previous upgrade experiences and cautioned me. I scoffed. I carefully disconnected the old motherboard, popped the new memory on the new motherboard and CPU and made that critical mistake we all make when dealing with hardware. I put all the cards back on and closed the case. Of course, it didn't work. Nothing. Nada. No beeps. No flicker of the monitor. Nothing. After three hours of troubleshooting I declared it dead and contacted the person who sold it to me. The person replied he had bought a motherboard and CPU from a company. The motherboard was bad. They shipped him another. He never tested it and then sold it to me. Gee, great. I've worked a deal out with him to keep the CPU and he'll refund my money on the motherboard. My primary NT Server is still in pieces. The next night I decided to try to tackle my main workstation. Followed all the installation steps and whammo! It worked! Sorta. Windows 95 had fits loading and unloading new devices. Seems it hadn't deleted the Triton drivers from my old installation, so they were causing problems with the new drivers. I deleted all the hardware from Device Manager and was up and running in 30 minutes. Wow! I did it. Just when I was congratulating myself my machine rebooted. Sort of like someone hit the reset button. Hmmm, funny, I didn't connect that wire . . . Through the next two days the machine would spontaneously reboot or if I disabled the external cache, just plain lock up. By the second day it was only recognizing my ISDN adaptor every now and then and had completely lost my sound card. At the end of the second day I FDISKed the drive and started from scratch. It is not a good sign when WRITE causes your PC to reboot. I was without email for three days. I nearly went insane . . . I decided to rebuild my PC using the original motherboard. It was a long process reinstalling Windows 95, etc. I am now using my original Pentium 100 and love it! I didn't compress the drive this time and it is much faster. I told my wife if the original board worked well I would never ever touch my main computer again. When I wanted to upgrade I would just buy a whole new PC. Through email I contacted the person who sold me the 200MHz motherboard. He wouldn't give me my money back, but he would swap the board and CPU out for me. I agreed only if he would send me the new motherboard and CPU first as to avoid the situation the other seller go into! I am awaiting his reply. I also told my wife this upgrade shouldn't be too bad . . . :-) 2=> Winner! This week's winner: cjayjr@HOTMAIL.COM. 3=> Airlines Take Flight in Cyberspace, Authored By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com By the year 2000, predictions indicate that as many as 250 million people will have Internet access. With those massive numbers, it's easy to see why the major airlines are scrambling for the lion's share. But how are they snaring the Internet users? What programs do the airlines offer to get you to purchase your airline tickets online? Most of the airlines have Web sites that offer certain features such as online flight and fare schedules, frequent flyer plans, and travel planning. Some of the airlines zero in on providing programs for their frequent flyers, while others target the general users. But that's where the line is drawn and the true innovators jump in to offer certain incentives to make it worth your while to order tickets through them. American Airlines has really charged into the Internet scene with incentives such as offering Net SAAver fares and awarding Bonus AAdvantage Miles for booking flights online. Members of their AAdvantage plan for frequent flyers can review their miles online, and visitors to the Web site can check real-time tracking of flights. Sandy Herndon, manager of Distribution Planning, said American's Web site is targeted toward their frequent flyers, and their eventual goal is for the site to be the best place for AAdvantage members to do business. Within the next six to eighteen months, every AAdvantage program service that is provided via the telephone will be made available at their Web site. The company also plans on tailoring the information to the individual traveler's specific needs and interests and weeding out any information that isn't of interest to that particular traveler. Visitors to American's Web site can subscribe to their Net SAAver e-mail list where unreserved seats are offered at terrific savings for that coming weekend. Herndon said that since the inception of the e-mail list in May of 1996, the number of subscribers has sky rocketed from 20,000 to 780,000 as of May of 1997. Certainly within the scope of a company the size of American, the revenues they receive from their Net SAAver plans are small, but they've reached six figures monthly, with every indication they'll continue to grow. In addition, American offers a continual lineup of different contests, such as a Summer Festival Spree contest where visitors build a dream itinerary of four festivals, then enter for a chance to win, or participate in an Internet Silent Auction. They recently sponsored a Tell Your Favorite Net SAAver Story contest, and the winners' names have been posted at their Web site. A very unique incentive offered by American is their free Personal AAccess Software, which can be downloaded from their site. Personal AAccess is a Windows-based software program that links the user's computer to American Airlines without the need for an Internet connection. With this program, users can access flight schedules, search for special rates, choose ticketless travel, pick their own seats, or even make rental car or hotel reservations. So what's American's secret to success? Tim Smith of Corporate Communications feels it's their personal approach, which they plan on expanding even more in the future. One day, they hope to greet you personally when you step onto their Web page, ask about a recent trip, remind you of the status of your AAdvantage miles, and all with a friendly, personal smile. An airline that offers a unique approach into their Web site is Trans World Airlines (TWA) . On the first visit to the site, new users are encouraged to create customized user profiles, after which they are automatically entered into a contest to win up to 20,000 frequent flyer bonus miles. The airline recently awarded a 50,000-mile prize to a previous contest winner. Users can sign up to receive Trans World Specials, an e-mail program where last minute, low cost, weekend travel specials are offered each week. According to Craig Johnson, supervisor of Internet Marketing for TWA, an average of 60,000 users have subscribed to this e-mail list. These special fares are also posted on the Hot Fares page at their Web site. Hilton Hotels/Resorts and Alamo rental car have weekend bargains that are also available in TWA's Trans World Specials. TWA's comprehensive Web site provides information on their Appreciation Miles program, destination information, route maps, senior and youth travel paks, and much more, all geared toward the general as well as the frequent traveler. When asked about future plans for TWA's Web site, Johnson said, "our online booking engine is scheduled to launch by the end of June. Then users will be able to price and purchase tickets directly on our site. This will include booking cars and hotels. In addition to our booking engine, we will also release Frequent Flyer interaction so users can check their account status and redeem awards. "Real time flight information for departures and arrivals will be launched also at the end of June," Johnson added. "When our booking engine is launched (in June) we will offer incentive FFB miles for all reservations that are booked on our Web site." Northwest Airlines offers their own CyberSaver Fares, geared toward Net customers, and they even offer discounted rates at certain hotels. According to Jon Austin, managing director of Northwest's Corporate Communications division, the CyberSaver program started off very popular then leveled off more in line with the growth figures for site usage in general. "As of now, more than 10,000 CyberSaver fares have been sold," he added. The Travel Center World Guide has information on over 200 destinations, so visitors can access city maps and information about attractions, hotels, and restaurants. When asked about any plans to implement an e-mail list for announcing special fares, Austin responded, "we do not use list server technology at present, but we will almost certainly add it by end of year. Additionally, booking and ticketing can be done via our site or other online booking providers." Of course, as Austin pointed out, netizens benefit by the convenience of ordering tickets at any time, anywhere, with no outside assistance. "The whole on line experience is quite rare for us as we are witnessing the birth of a new distribution channel," Austin said. "That simply doesn't happen often. Thus, everything we are doing via the site is an experiment." At Continental Airlines , users can sign up to receive Continental On-Line (CO.O.L) Travel Specials for airline tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars by e-mail. When asked about the success of their e-mail list, Gene Higley, Continental's Webmaster, exclaimed: "We've grown, and continue to grow beyond our expectations." Continental's comprehensive site attracts frequent flyers as well as general travelers by outlining the various programs offered by the airline, such as senior citizens programs; group, vacation and meeting plans; and special features such as traveling with children, information for the disabled, international travel, and business planning. By purchasing a ticket online, users can earn up to 1,000 bonus miles. Higley said, "We've targeted online leisure and business travelers who personally handle their travel needs when it's convenient for them." Regarding plans for the future at the Web site, Higley added, "We plan to expand the features available to our online users and add true value to their shopping and travel experience." Delta Airlines offers what you'd expect to find at an airline's informative Web site: fares, flight schedules, information about their frequent flyers program, and extensive help in planning your trip. The site contains destination maps, arrival/departure information, the layout of various airports, and even weather and sports information for your destination. Delta is currently offering a SkyMiles bonus of 500 miles for tickets booked online. Ken Boyle, manager of Electronic Commerce at Delta, indicated that due to the success of the program, Delta will probably be increasing that number to 1,000 within the next month. Boyle added that Delta does not have a special e-mail program that offers reduced fares, because those fares are often the result of an excess inventory, of which Delta is fortunate enough not to have. However, as people book their flights online, Delta is warehousing their e-mail addresses, so an e-mail program can easily be implemented in the future as needed. A no-nonsense site that spells out its low priced fares is ValuJet . The airline offers a ValuNet Insider Club where users are notified by e-mail of special fares, car rentals, and hotel values. Net users can call a toll free number to make reservations, as online ordering is not available. Lori Green, communications coordinator with ValuJet, said that any new announcements immediately go up on their Web site to keep the Net users up to date with the latest information. Dave Castelveter, director of public relations with US Airways , said that their E-Savers list, which announces discounts by e-mail for last minute travel, is the most widely used feature of their Web site. Currently, over 500,000 subscribers receive the weekly e-mail. The airline offers discounted fares for seniors and military personnel, group rates, first class service for the price of a coach on many routes, and vacation packages. Thanks to the unique setup of the Internet, US Airways is able to announce these popular programs at their Web site to remind visitors to utilize them. The airline is currently offering a 4th of July holiday sale and special fares to Florida. By the end of the year, users will be able to make their flight reservations online. According to Castelveter, US Airways was the first airline to establish a computerized booking system, still in place today called Priority TravelWorks. This program is an incentive for their frequent flyers who have reached Chairman's Preferred status. The software program hooks directly to Apollo Reservation Systems which serves 70,000 members. US Airways is continually updating their Web site to make it more efficient and user-friendly. They've placed press releases and a Company Profile online so visitors can find out more about the company and its history. Castelveter said that in the future, they'd like to develop a page for students, offering student programs and research information which can be used in research reports for high school and college students. United Airlines offers United Connection software free to download at their site. Matt Myers, Web site manager of United, said this software enables users to make travel arrangements with over 500 airlines, 30,000 hotels, and 45 rental car companies, plus they can earn Mileage Plus bonus miles with each flight booked. Mileage Plus members receive a monthly newsletter which is also posted on the Web site. United's in-depth site offers assistance in every aspect of travel, such as planning a trip, vacation programs, airports, and information about various destinations. Visitors can check the real-time status of flights, flight schedules, availabilities, and prices. An interactive e-mail section allows users to ask questions or make comments to customer service and receive answers. Myers added that in the future, visitors will be able to check Mileage Plus balances and make reservations online as they continue to provide more functionality at their site. Users to Virgin Atlantic's Web site , will find online offers such as round-trip tickets to Johannesburg or the option of purchasing a ticket to London and being able to take in the British Isles or even Europe free. The Web site outlines their Virgin Freeway frequent flyer program and offers a toll free number for making airline reservations As you can see, each airline offers something a little different at their Web site. The type of traveling you do, whether you're a frequent business traveler or only make a trip every year or two, will determine which sites will be of benefit to you. Robin Nobles is a Mississippi-based free-lance writer. She has recently launched a Web site of her own called Robin's Nest . Readers comments and suggestions are welcome. Copyright 1997 Tabor Griffin Communications. 4=> Product: POD - games/action Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Pentium, 16MB RAM, 4x CDROM, 16bit SVGA, Windows 95, sound card Tested on: Pentium-166, Nitro 3D, 16x CDROM, 16 MB RAM, Windows 95, sound card MSRP: $44.95 Synopsis: Simple but extremely fun and enjoyable racing game POD's place in history was sealed when it was released as the first computer game designed for Pentium MMX computers (the MMX version was released in March, the Pentium version just recently). Traditionally games that take advantage of new technologies so quickly are, to put it politely, not very good, as the sole reason for the existence of the game is the new technology. POD is the exception to the rule. At a time when I was busy reviewing games like Mechwarrior II: Mercenaries and Quake:Dissolution of Eternity, I found myself constantly drawn back to one game: POD. That alone should speak volumes about the game! Let me put it another way: I like POD so much that I think it is a worthy contender with Quake for game of the year. You're probably wondering what could possibly make a driving game so great. After all, in this particular game there are no weapons to blast anybody with or any powerups to pick up while you play: all you do is race. By following the old K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple Stupid), Ubisoft's designers created an incredible game. You don't play with the mouse and you don't even need a joystick; the arrow keys are the only keys that you will need to learn. Simple, eh? While POD is simple to understand, the AI of the competing cars is very good; they have the advantage of knowing the tracks better than you do (at least initially) and they exploit it. However, each AI is unique, and you eventually learn how to pass and beat each one of them. In addition, you can play opponents via modem, LAN, or the Internet. Unlike most current games that you play via the Internet, POD doesn't require a special server to log on to or place to meet; one player is the server and the other players call the server's computer. Ubisoft has even helped make it simple by including a simple tool to find your IP address so that the other players can log on. Once everyone is set up and ready to go -prepare to race! Graphically POD is absolutely mind-blowing. The game takes place on the terraformed moon of Io, at a time when the planet is slowly degenerating and falling apart. Most of the tracks are intricate, with lots of turns and traps, as well with above ground and below ground portions to add to the thrills. The backdrops are gorgeous, that is, what you get to see of them: in most cases the game goes so fast you don't have much time for sight-seeing! Everything looks futuristic and incredibly detailed; every time I play POD I see something new and incredible. The frame rate even on a standard Pentium is more than acceptable, with cars whizzing past you at what feels like over one hundred miles an hour. The Nitro 3D card that I reviewed POD with came just after I installed POD; the game does include enhancements for 3D graphics cards (I had to rerun the install menu and select upgrade to 3D for S3 Virge chip). Although the graphics were sharper, I think the most notable increase I saw was an incredible increase in frame rate. Before cars had seemed to move along pretty good, but with the Nitro 3D installed the cars absolutely flew! It took a little while to adjust to the new frame rate, but now I wouldn't have it any other way - I'm addicted to speed! If the 16 tracks & 8 cars aren't enough, Ubisoft is constantly putting more up on its website; at last count there were six new tracks and six new cars. Connecting and downloading the new tracks and cars is very easy and accomplished through the game itself. You simply click on the UBI ONLINE button and POD loads your browser and directs it to the POD website. Now if only they'd put out a track editor! The cars can be adjusted for several characteristics, including acceleration, handling, grip, top speed, and braking. Adjusting is done by adding or subtracting points for a total of 300 hundred points. So you can pick a car with the look you want and adjust its handling characteristics to suit your driving needs. For me, I prefer a slightly slower car with superior grip and handling. You have essentially two options: you can compete in a single race or in a championship. In the championship competition you race on all 16 original tracks; points are scored for each race depending on where you finish, and the driver with the most points at the end of the competition wins. You can save the game but only after every fourth race (i.e., 4, 8, & 12). Why this is I don't know, but it makes it more of a hassle to cheat and continually replay races to get the score you wanted. These same options also apply for Internet games, making for some interesting possibilities if you have some friends and a fair amount of time. So far I've only competed in single races online and I've not fared well - guess I need more practice! The only area where POD is lacking is in the sound track. The sounds of the car engines revving and tires squealing is very good; what is lacking is the music. There is music in the background during the races, and at first it is very good but eventually gets repetitious. Can't wish for everything I guess! To sum it up: POD is very simple but wonderful to play. This is no super- realistic simulation or strategy game; it is simple, addicting gameplay with gorgeous graphics. I keep finding myself drawn back to it; even now I just want to get this review completed as soon as possible and get back to the race! Drivers, start your engines! Ubisoft Corp. 80 East Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Suite 3E Larkspur, CA 94939 Telephone:1-800-UBI-SOFT Installation: Gold User-friendliness: Gold Quality: Gold User: Any and all looking for a quick, easy and fun game to play. 5=> Product: Apache: The Definitive Guide - book/networking Reviewed By: Judy Litt, mailto:jlitt@qualitty.com 255 pages, Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.; ISBN: 1-56592-2506 MSRP: $34.95; Authors: Ben & Peter Laurie Apache, a freeware program, is one of the most popular server software used on the UNIX platform. The aim of this book is to show web administrators how to properly set up the Apache server The first three chapters are a tutorial on how to set up web sites - using virtual hosting & Apache. The rest of the book covers the following subjects Common Gateway Interface (CGI) Authentication Content & Language Arbitration Indexing Redirection Proxy Servers Server-Side Includes Logs The Apache API Writing Apache Modules Security Also included with the book is a cd-rom. The cd includes Apache, versions 1.1.1 & 1.2b; the HTTP/1.0 & 1.1 specs; the CGI/1.1 specs; gzip version 1.24; and the sites referred to in the book. However, the authors suggest that you download Apache form www.apache.org, as it's likely to be a more current version than the one included with the book. But you can compile and install Apache from the included cd-rom. It's obvious that the authors know Apache very well. In fact, Ben Laurie is a member of the core Apache group. The authors state that they expect most people who read this book to have used the World Wide Web and to understand how it works. I qualify for that part! Then they go on to say they expect readers are now thinking about running their own server. I'm not thinking about running my own server - especially after reading this book. However, I rent space on two servers - one locally for my own site & one for the purpose of reselling web space. Both servers are powered by Apache. So it couldn't hurt to learn a little about the software & what it can do. The Lauries take you from installing Apache through running secure, virtual host web sites. There are demonstrations you can duplicate using your own equipment. Along the way, they also try to alert you to all the dangers inherent in running a server and what you can do to avoid or bypass them. Where this book really shines is in the details. Apache is controlled through roughly 150 directives. As far as I can tell, they're all covered in minute detail. For each directive, the syntax, where it is used, & an explanation is provided. This is, in fact, the bulk of the book. Conclusion Although this book is highly informative & well written, I could not set up a web server after reading it. So if you know a little about the web, and think you'll just read this book to set up your own server, think again. On the other hand, if you're more familiar with the requirements of running a server - how to connect to the Internet, security questions, how domain hosting works, etc - and you want free software to set up your server - this book is for you. O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. 101 Morris Street Sebastopol, CA 95472-9902 800-998-9938 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net Assistant Editor: Writer Liaison: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Archives: ftp://ftp.uu.net/published/compunotes/ Website: e-mail: mailto:notes@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)1997 Patrick Grote +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= END OF ISSUE .