CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing April 5, 1999 Issue 147 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PC Week - Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A complimentary one-year subscription to the print edition of PC Week will be sent to applicants who qualify. Be one of the first 10,000 people to submit this subscription form and we'll reserve a copy of PC WEEK's 15th Anniversary Issue for you! Please click Below to reserve your copy. Click On Me: http://www.pub-serv.com/sf/zp/add/default.asp?url=zpa083 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Notes, , mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Columns: 4=> The Well-Tempered Palm: Hardware Assets by Alex Lane -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE NEWSLETTERS!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Get Free Newsletters delivered to your inbox. Check out this FREE service NOW! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/nl.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Reviews: 5=> Product: Field and Stream Trophy Buck, game Reviewed By: Pam Bianco, mailto:TapestryWM@aol.com 6=> Product: Sierra Pro Pilot 99, game Reviewed By: Jerry Eichelberger, mailto:ike@mslawyer2.com 7=> Products: Expert 3D Font Creator, released by Expert Software, Inc. Reviewed By: Songmuh Jong, mailto:songmuh@bitsmart.com 8=> Product: TIFNY (the image factory new york) v2, graphics Reviewed By: Howard Carson & Proton Research, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE! Internet World Magazine| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Internet World Magazine is The only source you'll need for your Internet business and enterprise activities...sign up for FREE right here! Internet World puts all the news into perspective -- and that saves you valuable time and gives you an edge on breaking trends and technologies. Regular features include: E-Commerce, Infrastructure, Web Development, and Industry, Plus columns from leading reporters and journalists. Don't miss it...sign up today! It's FREE for EVERYONE!!! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/iw.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net None this week. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Real Coupons from the Internet - Cool Savings| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Print real coupons from your own computer. Free Membership Today! CLICK below to enroll for BIG savings from your favorite stores, restaurants, and travel companies. It's FREE and your privacy is guaranteed! Join over a million other smart shoppers and print real coupons from your own computer. New companies and new offers show up all the time. Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/cool.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2=> Winner! This week's winner: rgoudie@UNISERVE.COM. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Get Paid to Surf the Net!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= THE MOST REWARDING PAGE ON THE WEB. LITERALLY. Prolaunch launches you to a different web site which matches your interests PLUS you can earn "Launch Points" which are redeemable for frequent flyer miles, gift certificates and many other rewards. It's free. It's easy. It's private. And it pays...you! Sign up today at.... Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/plaunch.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com CompUSA Getting into the Cheap PC Business . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,34668,00.html "Yep, I Named the Virus after a Stripper . . ." http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,34650,00.html?st.ne.fd.mdh Amazon's First Failure? Auctions . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/18956.html More and Even More Memory for your Palm . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/18937.html Finally, Kevin Mitnick Gets to Speak . . . http://www.forbes.com/tool/html/99/apr/0405/feat.htm The Truth about Internet Bandwidth . . . http://www.upside.com/David_Futrelle/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WorldPrints - Free Wallpaper!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Register Now and get one year of FREE Wallpaper for your Computer. We'll e-mail you Weekly with New Images. Choose From... o National Geographic o Life Magazine o Museum Collections and Much More!! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/wprints.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4=> The Well-Tempered Palm: Hardware Assets by Alex Lane As you'd expect, Palm devices come complete with everything you need to use them. However, as you might also expect, there are a number of add-on hardware products you can buy to make the Palm computing experience more pleasant, convenient, and rewarding. In the must-have category, in my opinion (especially if you travel a lot), is the Palm HotSync cable ($20 SRP). This accessory largely duplicates the function of the Palm cradle, but without the bulk. Since this cable attaches to both Palm III and previous Palm models, it can be used in situations where different Palm models must HotSync to a single PC (recall that cradles are not cross-compatible). The only functional difference between the cable and the cradle is the absence of a HotSync button on the cable. This isn't a problem, though, as a HotSync can be initiated via the Palm's HotSync screen. By the way, the cable will NOT work with the recently released Palm V, which features a different hardware interface. For Palm road warriors who expect stay in touch by phone using Palm III or prior units, 3Com sells a compact 9600 bps modem ($129 SRP) that attaches to the bottom of the unit (avoiding the need for a modem cable) and is held in place by spring-loaded clips. The modem is powered by its own pair of AAA batteries, or you can buy an external AC power supply ($20 SRP). Theoretically, the modem clips will engage any Palm or Palm III (but not Palm V, which uses a different modem that accommodates its redesigned interface), but practice shows this not to be the case for some Palm IIIs. There's no need to worry if this happens, though, since 3Com provides a free fix for any users experiencing this problem. Other modems can, of course, be connected to Palm devices at speeds of up to 57.6 Kbps via an appropriate cable, although this may involve some fiddling with AT commands for proper initialization. I use the 3Com modem, primarily because of its compact size. I use it primarily to retrieve e-mail over a TCP/IP connection with my ISP. I've tested the HotSync capability via modem, and while it works, I much prefer to connect to my laptop or another local machine. I would consider doing a modem HotSync only as a last resort, to restore lost data. Since acquiring the modem over a year ago, I've replaced the batteries only once, as I tend to use the modem sporadically for a few days at a time. Although I would have welcomed a faster device, it does the job it's designed to do and is otherwise rather unremarkable in its operation. An implicit assumption in the design of Palm computing devices is that you don't need a keyboard to jot down someone's phone number or the details of an appointment. On the other hand, there are times when the volume of data that must be input into a Palm - such as might occur when writing a weekly column - demands a keyboard. Soon after the introduction of the early PalmPilots, some enterprising soul figured out a way to connect them to keyboards originally manufactured for Apple's Newton PDA. Other alternatives were also developed, including setups that allowed old TRS-80 Model 100 laptops to be used for Pilot input. While these approaches worked, they were... well... awkward. Recently, however, a company called LandWare released a compact, portable keyboard for the Palm called GoType! ($80 SRP). Closed, the keyboard measures about 1.5 x 4.5 x 10 inches, or about the size of two Palm units placed end to end. The keyboard opens like a clamshell to reveal a connector that snaps onto the Palm's HotSync interface (for all models but - you guessed it - the Palm V), a 61-key QWERTY keyboard (a Dvorak layout is supported in software), and six function keys. A stiff insert may be extended from under the rear of the unit to provide additional stability. Software must be loaded on the Palm to make it work with the GoType! keyboard, and two versions are provided by LandWare. The first version works on Palms that have Hackmaster installed; the other version is intended for Palms that do not run Hackmaster. Once installed, the software lets you type just about anywhere you can input text and permits you to define (or redefine) the function keys to access up to 24 programs or functions. What the software does not support is non-English keyboard layouts (I'm out of luck as far as Russian is concerned, for example, as are French, German, etc. users). I also noticed - and this is not LandWare's fault - that the GoType! software does not port seamlessly to the new Palm IIIx (for example, the 'ShortCut' key does not work). What might be considered LandWare's fault, however, was a slight bowing of the keyboard case that caused it to rock ever so slightly on a flat surface. A dab or two of rubber cement applied to a set of rubber washers quickly fixed the problem. A second problem with the unit I bought was the disk, which turned out to be unreadable. Fortunately, LandWare makes the drivers available via its Web site, so I experienced only a short additional delay in getting to work with the keyboard. Overall, these were not big problems to overcome, yet considering the rather hefty price, one might presume such gyrations on the customer's part should not be necessary. Installing the Hackmaster version of the GoType! software required some juggling when it came to enabling hacks on my Palm, which is one of the risks you face when using Hackmaster. The GoType! driver apparently competes with another installed hack upon unit powerup (TealGlance, from Tealpoint Software), causing a reset if care is not taken to enable the hacks in a particular order. This type of problem isn't anyone's fault, and if TealGlance wasn't so valuable, I'd have disabled it in favor of GoType! In use, the keyboard's real estate is a little cramped, but even with my gargantuan front paws, I can still manage to touch type. And while the keyboard does not require any batteries, I have noticed a somewhat shorter lifetime for the batteries inside my Palm, especially with heavy use of the keyboard. In the final analysis, the GoType! keyboard allows me to do a broader range of things with my Palm, without forcing me to carry a keyboard around with me everywhere. It works for me. Of the three items I've mentioned, the HotSync cable gives me the ability to conveniently connect my Palm to a computer while on the road, or to other devices. The other two - the modem and the GoType! keyboard - give me the freedom to perform keyboard intensive tasks (such as writing lengthy articles and reports) and then send the fruit of my labor along its merry way, without requiring me to pack a laptop or find a desktop. 3Com Palm Web site: http://www.palm.com LandWare Web site: http://www.landware.com Connecting a PalmPilot to a TRS-80 Model 100 laptop: http://www.galexi.com/alex/pilot100.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Catholic Digest - Family Magazine| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Want a close family? Plenty of good friends? Good health? Happiness? Laughter? Joy? Inspiration? Catholic Digest will enrich your life. Try a FREE ISSUE of Catholic Digest, plus reserve your FREE gift, "All About Angels". Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catholic.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5=> Product: Field and Stream Trophy Buck, game Reviewed By: Pam Bianco, mailto:TapestryWM@aol.com Requires: Pentium 166 or higher, 32 MB RAM, 200 MB Hard Disk Space, 6X CD, 2MB+ Video Memory, 28.8kbs modem for on-line (tournament) play Reviewed on Pentium 166, 32 MB RAM, 8X CD, Windows95 and Pentium II 350, 96 MB RAM, DVD, Windows 98 MSRP: $24.99 OK, here's the thing - I'm not a hunter in any sense of the word. So, after installation of this game, I turned it over to those in my home who are - my 14 year old son and my husband. Both are avid real-life hunters with both bow and rifle, so I imagined they'd be able to appreciate the finer details of the program more than I would. Jumping right in and getting started was easy. The graphics and the sounds are realistic and fun. The play can choose from a large list of weapon types, weapons, hunting locations and various tools -- such as deer antlers, elk scent and more. Using muzzle loaders, modern rifles, shotguns and bows and by throwing in the variables each weapon allows, made the game interesting before my son even got out in the field. Aiming accurately took some time, I imagine if he had spent some time at the shooting range, he'd have done better. As I mentioned, the sounds made it very realistic. For example, when I was playing my hunter spent a lot of time chasing the deer and running. After a short time, he was out of breath and panting heavily. I honestly expected my player to have a heart attack right there onscreen! He didn't and we eventually caught up to the deer. I never did hit my target and the admonitions of the offscreen guide such as "You're wasting ammunition" just added to my frustration. However, even my 11 year old daughter was able to "bag" a deer. She enjoyed watching the video clips enclosed about deer more than the hunt, though. While we enjoyed this game, there were a few difficulties with it for us. The game's "Quick Sheet" located at sierra.com indicated that the program would run on a minimum Pentium 133, 16 MB RAM, 4 MB Video RAM and 4X CD. We had that covered and it ran painfully slow. The sound dragged behind the video in an almost comic way. Then, on further investigation at the web site for the specific product, we found that this game had the minimum requirements listed above, so we were just barely there. However, while those are the minimum, the PREFERRED requirements are a Pentium 200 and 4+ Video memory. After installing it on a Pentium II 350 machine, it was incredibly more fun and it kept up with itself very well. I have no way of knowing what kind of machine the average Trophy Buck player will have, but it seems to be pretty high requirements for a simple hunting game. We didn't play any on-line, multiplayer tournaments, but if a player had a higher end machine, it would likely be an excellent addition to the game. Another problem we had -- and who would know about the anticipated difficulties this would cause -- it is extremely hard for a color-blind man to play this game. My husband, who is color-blind and yet an avid real-life hunter, couldn't determine where the deer were located in the deer finder -- the colors red and green are colors most color-blind men can't see. In addition, the deer were a medium-gray color and often blended into the background. While I'm sure this happens in real-life hunting situations, deer aren't generally gray and my husband can pick them out with uncanny accuracy. He was very frustrated with the game and will likely never wish to play again. My son loved the game - despite the problems - but he's of the Nintendo generation where every game is fun no matter what! Overall, this game was a lot of fun and the ability to customize it to a favorite hunting type, weapon or hunting area allows this game to remain fresh. Adding the multiplayer, on-line function adds to the endless combinations of hunts. My opinion, though, is that the minimum requirements should be bumped up to the PREFERRED requirements and then some. Otherwise, you might wonder why you spent the $25 bucks to chase these bucks! Sierra Field and Stream Trophy Buck Product Info: http://www.sierra.com/sierrasports -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lands' End Gift Certificate Sweepstakes| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Enter to Win a $500 Lands' End Gift Certificate and get ready to shop on-line! Over 1000 items are in THE STORE, so there's something for everyone. Enter to Win today! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/landend.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6=> Product: Sierra Pro Pilot 99, game Reviewed By: Jerry Eichelberger, mailto:ike@mslawyer2.com Review on: Pentium 450, 128 MB RAM, Windows 98, DVD CDROM Requires: Windows 95/98, Pentium 133 MHz, 4X CD-ROM drive, 100 MB hard drive space, 32 MB RAM, SVGA 640x480 @ 256 colors, DirectSound-compatible soundcard, mouse. Recommended: Windows 95/98, Pentium II 233 MHz, 8X CD-ROM drive, 550 MB hard drive space, 64 MB RAM, 3Dfx Glide compatible 3D accelerator card, rudder pedals, and a yoke or joystick. MSRP: $59.95 When Sierra made its initial entry into the civilian flight simulator market, Pro Pilot '98, was a far cry from being the replacement of the king of the civilian simulator market, Microsoft Flight Simulator. Released in a bug infested, unfinished state, the program's problems far outweighed its technical achievements. Flawed by poor terrain graphics and many quirks, some of which were later fixed through a series of patches, the original Pro Pilot showed some promise but never really got off the ground. As a real-life FAA licensed Single and Multi-Engine rated pilot, I was very disappointed at the lack-luster performance and lack of realism in the first release of Pro Pilot. The good news is that Pro Pilot '99 is a dramatic improvement over that first release, building on the features of that initial release and filling many of the holes. Enhancements such as support for 3Dfx graphics cards, better flight models, more complete air traffic control (ATC), and more thorough documentation make Pro Pilot '99 the program that the first version should have been. There's still plenty of room for improvement, though. In addition to accurately height-mapped terrain for the US, Canada, and Western Europe, Pro Pilot 99 includes over 3,500 airports and all the appropriate navigation aids - VORs, NDBs, and ILS equipment - for the areas modeled. There's also a very well-modeled Global Positioning System display, which is tied to the autopilot. An excellent flight-planning interface lets you create cross-country flights, complete with ATC vectoring. There's some modeling of other air traffic around airports, but for the most part you're alone in the skies. The experience here is closer to Flight Sim 98's dynamic scenery than Flight Unlimited II's crowded airspace. So even landing at Chicago O'Hare, you'll encounter only light traffic - and it's all general aviation craft, with nary a DC-9 in sight. Like the original version, Pro Pilot allows you to fly the Cessna Skyhawk 172P and the newer 172R models; the Beechcraft Bonanza V35 (my favorite plane in real life), a low wing high performance single prop engine aircraft; the Beechcraft Baron B58, a twin prop engine aircraft; the Beechcraft King Air B200, a high-performance twin prop engine aircraft; and the Cessna CitationJet 525, a luxury private jet aircraft. The use of a flight planning wizard makes it easy to plan your flight by choosing your departure and destination airport, the aircraft and weather. There is a copilot feature you can select to handle the radio communications, set all the NAV radios, and offer advice on your flight. Pro Pilot '99 features more than 4300 airports, many of which have taxiways and control towers. All types of navigational aides are modeled, including a Global Positioning System (GPS), Non Directional Beacons (NDB), and Instrument Landing System (ILS), to name a few. To add some challenge, there is a Systems Reliability setting that allows you to set the chances of a random failure to one or more of the aircraft's major systems. Time of day or night, multiple wind and cloud layers, and visibility in fog can all either be randomly generated or preset by the player. The flight models are extremely accurate, but not perfect. This is most apparent when pushing the different aircraft to their limits: there is no damage model. You can lower your gear and flaps regardless of your airspeed without having to worry about them ripping off. You can also land extremely hard without causing any type of damage. Also, flying through buildings and other manmade structures is possible without even a scratch. There is a mission where you are challenged to fly under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but there is not much challenge since there is no way to crash into it! It would be wrong for me to not say anything about about the clouds. The clouds in Pro Pilot '99 have to be seen to be believed! That is, ONLY if you have a 3Dfx card. All the atmospheric effects are gorgeous. 35 major metropolitan areas are modeled in actual photorealistic terrain and all of the USA and Europe are accurately modeled with more than 38 million elevation points. All of this translates into a very real and believable graphical environment. The only downside is that the terrain graphics are sometimes a little too dull and gray. Learning to fly is actually quite simple, thanks to the many aids included in Pro Pilot '99. The pop-up operator's handbook will take you step by step through everything from the engine start sequence and pre-takeoff checks to landing and shutdown procedures. Included in the documentation is a handy 25-page Quick Reference booklet showing keyboard commands, dashboard layouts, and every type of situational checklist you can think of. There is a 64-page Getting Started guide and a very well-done 270-page Flight Companion book thoroughly explaining everything from NAV radios to differences between Class A through Class E airports. Also included on the Europe CD-ROM are 31 training videos that will go over the controls, gauges, NAV radios, proper turns, etc. I think that Pro-Pilot '99 is worth looking at for flight simmers, but real life pilots will probably not be impressed. I am hopeful that Sierra will continue to develop this program and make it even more realistic. Sierra On-Line, Inc. Product Info: http://wwwpropilot99.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Money Magazine for Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Worried about the markets? Concerned about your retirement? Why not listen to the experts? Why not secure professional advice for free? FREE TRIAL ISSUE of Money Magazine! Your personal guide to a great future of Financial Success! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/money.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 7=> Products: Expert 3D Font Creator, released by Expert Software, Inc. Reviewed By: Songmuh Jong, mailto:songmuh@bitsmart.com Requires: Windows 3.1 or 95, 386DX or higher PC, SVGA display, mouse, 4MB RAM or more, a CD-ROM drive, 2MB or more hard disk space (Texture available for Windows95 only) Reviewed On: Windows 95 running on PC with Pentium 166MMX, 64MB RAM, SVGA 4MB, 16X CD-ROM, OkiLaser OL410e/ps, and Epson Stylus Color inkjet printers. MSRP: US$12.99 3D software used to be high-priced and the choice was very limited. The first few packages that made this kind of software within reach (i.e., below $100) included My Home and Micrografix suites. I haven't tried Micrografix package, but My Home was a disappointment when I tried it several years ago. Of course there are 3D DesignCAD and some others, but for people who are interested in creating an animated web site, a small, quick and easy package will be the most welcome. 3D Font Creator falls into that category, although its scope is limited to texts. With this program, I found endless possibilities of using it for any graphics. With the price so low, anyone can afford it. Installation of 3D Font Creator was a breeze. Using the default options, I could quickly install the program in less than a minute. The only problem that I encountered was the option to register on-line during installation (which is the default). I got the "Fax file creation" error and "Error setting property at index #8". It's not clear what the error was, but clicking the "Continue" button allowed me to move along without a problem. My fax/modem is a standard V.90 56K one and it faxes out documents properly. It also connects to Internet pretty well every day. Therefore, I don't think the problem lied in my fax/modem. User interface of this program is pretty straightforward. All of the options are reachable from the main window as menu options or toolbar icons. Most of the toolbar icons have the pop-up help text, although they are displayed on top of the screen instead of on the status bar at the bottom as most of other software do. The three color/texture icons do not have any help text displayed when they get focus. After a few minutes' search of the on-line help, I got the answer to their functions. Notice that the texture files are not installed by default. They remain on the CD. Each time you start the program, it will warn you that texture file not found unless you have the CD in the CD-ROM drive. Fortunately, the texture will be auto-detected if you later insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. You don't have to exit and re-enter the program. What can you do with text as 3D objects? You can rotate in any direction, although the flexibility leaves something for desire. I'd hope I could grab the object and rotate freely, but often I found the text change to an angle that I did not expect. You can move the objects, but the text remains fixed at one side and change the size as you drag along. So that's another thing you have to learn to live with. You can change the light source, but the options are limited to the center or from one of the four sides for now. Perhaps future version will allow us to shine the light from any angle. You can change the color of either the front or the side of the text object, and of course you can change the background color of the whole picture. You can increase or decrease the font depth as 3D objects, which is nicely implemented. With a scrollbar, you have total control of the depth of the text. You can change the text display style to either wire-frame, solid color, solid gray, or textured. Printing the 3D text turned out to be a subtle process. When you select the print option, the whole graph seems to be broken into many pieces. You can choose the quality of printing to be low, average or high. For an average quality print, the screen indicated 49 files, although the final printout was only one page. The contrast between the colors chosen for the front and the side could also determine the quality of the output. I got some pretty good outputs after some experiments with the color combinations. The output from a black-and-white laser was more impressive if the texts were transformed into gray instead of in colors. Overall, the program does a good job in printing the 3D text that you create on the screen. The only thing you have to watch out is the quick consumption of inkjet colors from your experiments with colors. The program has an annoying habit of asking whether you want to save the change upon exit even though you might have done nothing at all. You can save the file as the proprietary XCF file format, or you can export the file as a BMP or a WMF file. When you export as a BMP file, the whole page is saved as the picture. With the WMF file format, however, you can export only the selected portion. I was very impressed when the resulting files were viewed with my own shareware program Picture Browser. (A note to users of my program: I have removed the WMF file viewing capability in the most recent version. I can add it back if there is a demand for that.) Here is the wish list for the future version of this program: First, allow undo for text rotation. No, you cannot undo any rotation movement. The only thing you can undo is the straightforward move. If you had rotated the picture, you are out of luck to get it back. Trying to rotate it back? It is not that easy. That leads to the second wish: allow more freedom in rotation. For example, you cannot rotate more than 180 degrees using the freeform option. I hope this restriction will be removed in the next version. The last wish: allow real move of the selected area. As I said, the current implementation resizes against one edge when you use the move tool for a left to right movement. This is not the "move" expected by Windows users. In summary, 3D Font Creator is a very attractive package. It provides a quick and easy interface for creating graphs composed of texts in any depth and angle. That alone opens up all kinds of potentials in creating artistic work. Don't be fooled by the low price, it is a worthy package. Expert Software, Inc. Expert 3D Font Creator Product Info: http://www.expertsoftware.com/3D_font_creator.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= All Kinds of Catalogs for You! Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catalogs.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 8=> Product: TIFNY (the image factory new york) v2, graphics Reviewed By: Howard Carson & Proton Research, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: Windows 95, 98 or NT4, CD-ROM drive, modem, Internet access to an NNTP server (included with most Internet connections) MSRP: US$35 (advertiser supported version is free) TIFNY is a USENET robot image browser and interactive database. It provides a visual, automated interface to USENET Newsgroups which feature images, graphics, photos, and programs as part of their content. This sort of content is encoded and TIFNY is a powerful tool which lets you search for, download, decode and view/use data from thousands of newsgroups. TIFNY can be configured to download audio and video files as well as images, programs, and ZIP files. TIFNY was installed on a PII/350MHz machine running Windows 98, 128MB RAM and a 56K modem. The first installation did not work properly - the problem was traced to the McAfee anti-virus software that was left running during installation. The second attempt at installation (sans McAfee) was successful. The Freeware version was also installed and tested, but it's something you might want to avoid because it contains targeted advertisements. The first time this type of software is run by a user, a dialog box appears asking the user for some information about themselves (the questions are optional). This information lets advertisers select an appropriate advertisement to display. Although TIFNY displays the ads in a lower corner, we believe this sort of targeted advertising should be nipped in the bud. Some or all of the costs associated with the development and distribution of some freeware products are recovered through the use of advertisements displayed in the software product. TIFNY uses Aureate's AdSoftware System to deliver ads to you. The advertisements are delivered via the Internet, downloaded from the servers of Aureate Media or their subcontractors, partners, or other authorized parties. Setting up TIFNY is a bit of chore. While there's nothing horribly wrong with being forced to read a help system because an interface is unintuitive, there is something horribly wrong about being forced to read a help system that is just as difficult as the unintuitive interface. The TIFNY on-line help suffers from overcrowding, creating a situation in which the software usage instructions seem overly complex. The instructions move off on tangents, rather than providing unadorned, step-by-step information. There are many examples of non-standard and otherwise unintuitive interfaces which are well-served by good help systems and straightforward tutorials. TIFNY should take the hint. Once you've read and re-read the help system and configured TIFNY on-line (downloaded the latest list of Newsgroups and made your selections), TIFNY will prove to be quick and effective. You logon to your ISP and sit back while TIFNY browses selected newsgroups for images, programs, and postings. You can organize, sort, search, rearrange, resize, hide, copy, and move your downloaded image data around, including deleting single files or selected thumbnails. The simple posting function even allows you to upload files to selected newsgroups. TIFNY displays newsgroup images in real-time. It also allows you to scroll up and down through your images. The thumbnail gallery creates thumbnail versions of pictures by directory, allowing view sorting by newsgroup, date, author, organization, width, height, size, or custom selection. Images can be flipped, rotated, enlarged, shrunk, turned to gray scale, saved, and deleted. Cons: Unintuitive interface - you MUST read the on-line help in order to use this software effectively. TIFNY provides access to an enormous storehouse of on-line images, many of which carry a copyright and/or trademark, and hacked/pirated software being illegally distributed. The makers of TIFNY are likely to state that TIFNY is not at fault with respect to copyright violations; it's the unethical users of TIFNY who should be chastened. You can't minimize the freeware TIFNY window during a search. GIF images are not be displayed in the free version. We couldn't tell whether or not unencoded user information was being sent across the Internet by the freeware version (for targeted advertising purposes). There are ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of TIFNY, mainly because it is impossible to know in advance whether TIFNY is downloading something illegal. Pros: TIFNY works properly (once you learn it), and provides access to an enormous storehouse of on-line data. It provides reasonably versatile slide show viewing of selected image directories - the extra features make viewing a lot of fun. Considering how TIFNY can be used, don't be surprised to see someone using the freeware version of TIFNY to download a pirated copy of the full version of TIFNY! TIFNY (TM) Phonetics International, Inc. Product Info: http://www.tifny.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Exciting New Career!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ELECTRONICS IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST CAREERS TODAY! GET A FREE COURSE CATALOG AND HANDBOOK FROM CIE! If you like electronics, now's the best time to think about establishing an electronics career. Cleveland Institute of Electronics -- the leader -- has a FREE electronic symbols handbook, just to introduce you to their career courses. 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