CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing October 24, 1998 Issue 134 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ************************************************* 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 ********************************************************************* 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 Columns: 4=> 24 More Hours in Cyberspace, Opinion by Joe Lavin, mailto:joe@joelavin.com -- http://joelavin.com Reviews: 5=> Product: Symantec's ACT! Contact Manager v1.5 for Lotus Notes v4.0 & v4.5, business Reviewed By: Howard Carson & Proton Research, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com 6=> Product: Global Spider, Search Engine Utility, utility Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com 7=> Product: MechWarrior 2 - The Titanium Trilogy, game Reviewed By: Matthew Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com 8=> Product: Extensis(R) PhotoFrame(TM) 1.0 Volume 1 & 2, graphics Reviewed by: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com 9=> Product: TagMaster for Windows, utility Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net None This Week. 2=> Winner! This week's winner: 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Upgrade to Money 99 and ... Give Everyone Your Personal Information! http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,27917,00.html?st.ne.fd.mdh WordPerfect Will Be Giving Away WordPerfect 8 For Free to Linux Users . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,27915,00.html?st.ne.fd.mdh What To Do When Your Judge is Technically Challenged . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/15795.html Electronic Books by Apple? http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/15808.html What To Do When Hackers Attack Your ISP . . . http://www.zdnet.com/zdtv/cybercrime/chaostheory/story/0,3700,2154128,00.html NT Beta 3.0 ... Will You Try It . . . http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,364099,00.html ... While Steve Balmer Says It Needs More Work . . . http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19981023S0014 Microsoft vs. Netscape -- Round 1 -- Ding Ding http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,364120,00.html Intel Is Going to Cut Prices Again . . . http://www.crn.com/dailies/weekending102398/oct23dig07.asp What Brand Rules the Internet? http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9810/23/brands.idg/index.html How Did Real Networks' Stock Get So High? http://www.fool.com/DDouble/1998/DDouble981022.htm ******************** The Healing Network* ******************************************************************** Shark cartilage has been proven to halt a wide range of cancers dead in their tracks. Here are true-life stories and important information from a leading doctor. And there's much more free information you can request by mail. A Shark Could Save Your Life! FREE Information now! http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/healing.htm ******************************************************************** 4=> 24 More Hours in Cyberspace, Opinion by Joe Lavin, mailto:joe@joelavin.com -- http://joelavin.com Just ten years ago, only researchers and a few others could waste time in cyberspace. Ordinary people were forced to use television or radio to waste time. Some were even forced to spend extra time with their families and friends. It was horrible, but that has all changed as more and more people get wired to the net. People all over the world are now able to take advantage of the Internet to waste time in ways they did not even know existed ten years ago. It is truly a revolution. Recently, we here at Joe Lavin's Humor Column World Headquarters sent several (imaginary) correspondents all over the world to examine this revolution and to record the events of one day in cyberspace. Here is their report. 7:06 a.m. Excited, 57 year old Bob Snyder of Austin, Texas turns on his computer. Today is the day he will finally figure out the Internet. 7:47 a.m. Somewhere deep within the vast cliché that is cyberspace, 11,657 Get Rich Quick messages cross paths with 9,885 Virus Alert Messages and 13,498 chain letters bearing good fortune. Meanwhile, the vitally important message Dr. James T. Cochran of NASA sent his counterpart at the Russian Space Agency is irretrievably lost. 8:27 a.m. Bob Snyder is dismayed when after following all the directions exactly he is still unable to connect to the Internet. He calls his Internet provider, WiseNet, and is placed on hold. 9:07 a.m. A woman from WiseNet technical support talks to Bob Snyder and discovers what the problem was. Bob had mistakenly entered 123.56.82.9 for the IP address when what he should have entered was 123.56.82.8. Feeling relieved yet just a tad embarrassed at his newbie mistake, Bob gets ready again to surf the net. 10:00 a.m. Teri Hughes of Des Moines, Iowa discovers Plump, the coolest new web- zine. Plump is full of witty and informative articles and uses all the most dazzling features the Internet has to offer. She can't wait to see it all. 10:21 a.m. Bob Snyder still cannot make it onto the Internet. The technicians at WiseNet suggest that he change his modem initiation code from AT&F1&M0__F#$%ING# to AT&F@&M0__F@#$ING!. 11:00 a.m. Teri Hughes' 28.8 modem is just about to finish downloading this week's issue of Plump when her Netscape crashes. 11:16 a.m. Bob Snyder's modem finally works, but this time he gets a busy signal. He calls up technical support, and they tell him to try again in a few minutes. 12:23 p.m. The On-line Female Nymphomaniacs Club is forced to disband when it is discovered that 1,146 of its 1,147 members are actually men. The only woman in the club is Ida Barry, a 93 year old great grandmother from Abilene, Maryland. 1:15 p.m. Bob Snyder's modem is able to connect for fifteen seconds before disconnecting. He calls technical support again. They are baffled. "Maybe it's a problem with your modem." One person suggests. 2:11 p.m. While sitting in his father's den, 13 year old Nate Reed of Columbus, Ohio suddenly discovers that right on his Dad's computer he can actually look at pictures of completely naked women. It is the high point of his life so far. 3:00 p.m. In San Jose, California, Crusade Internet, the company behind the hottest new data encryption software, holds the first meeting of its Board of Directors. The founder of the company, Chairman of the Board, and inventor of CrusadeNet software, Teddy Miller, age five, calls the meeting to order. Teddy begins by announcing that they have to move quickly to update their software because Billy, his friend from daycare, is developing a radical new encryption package that could possibly threaten Crusade's market share in the future. Unfortunately, before any decisions can be reached, the meeting ends when Teddy's mother announces that it's nap time. "But, Mommy, we have to plan out our upcoming IPO." Teddy complains, but to no avail. 4:13 p.m. Bob Snyder enters the offices of WiseNet. Bob takes out an AK-47 and demands that someone figure out how to connect him to "this whole stupid Internet thing" or else he will start shooting. 5:45 p.m. Mildred Reed, mother of 15 year old Nate Reed, announces that dinner is ready. Nate says he'll "be right there" just as soon as he finishes the last question on his geometry homework. 6:37 p.m. Bob Snyder starts shooting. 7:17 p.m. Nate Reed arrives at the dinner table, claiming that "it was a really difficult question." Mildred Reed notices her son's flushed expression and worries that he might be coming down with a cold. 9:01 p.m. A new episode of The X Files is just beginning. Internet usage drops by 37 percent. At the same time, James Dooligan sends a message to alt.x-files.conpiracy claiming that The X Files is actually part of a CIA conspiracy. "The government," he writes, "must be doing something between nine and ten o'clock that they don't want us to know about. We're all too busy watching The X Files, so they know they can get away with anything then." 11:06 p.m. 24 year old Byron McCormack of Trenton, New Jersey discovers that the 19 year old woman he has been cyberdating for the past year is not really a fashion model as she had claimed. Instead, she is an ostrich. "Well, yeah, it was a shock." Byron says. "I mean, I don't know what to do. I still care for her and all, but this whole different species thing is just really confusing." He admits that there were some clues. "Well, yeah, that naked picture she sent me looked a lot like the chick on Singled Out, but I just figured it was a coincidence. Plus, she was always going on and on about sand, but I figured fashion models can like sand too. "How was I supposed to know that meant she was an ostrich? Still, I guess it's kinda cool. I mean, I didn't even know ostriches could type." _________ Copyright 1998 by Joe Lavin Joe Lavin's Humor Column is published every Tuesday at: http://joelavin.com For a free subscription, send a message to: humor-list-request@joelavin.com In the body of the message, please type: subscribe humor-list your e-mail address For unsubscriptions, type: unsubscribe humor-list your e-mail address This column is free. As long as you keep everything intact, feel free to forward this column to your friends or (even your enemies). And if you enjoy my column and want to show your appreciation, you can always ask a friend to subscribe. Comments? Subscription problems? Just want to say hi? E-mail me at joe@joelavin.com. ***************** Win a FREE iMAC!* ******************************************************************** iMac Sweepstakes Enter now to win your own Apple iMac! The Apple has Landed! Why buy the hottest machine when you can win one! http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/imac2.htm ******************************************************************** 5=> Product: Symantec's ACT! Contact Manager v1.5 for Lotus Notes v4.0 & v4.5, business Reviewed By: Howard Carson & Proton Research, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: Network running Lotus Notes v4.0 or v4.5 MSRP: US$199.95 Symantec's ACT! v1.5 for Notes is a full-featured contact manager for use with Lotus Notes to maintain a database of professional and personal contacts. ACT! for Notes combines many of the features of ACT! with Lotus Notes groupware so that users can access, organize, and share contact information. Since Lotus Notes is very restrictive to end users, it stands to reason that ACT! for Notes is somewhat restrictive in its applications (compared to ACT! 4.0 for example, a stand-alone Windows product previously reviewed for CompuNotes.) You cannot get up and running quickly (as you can with ACT! 4.0), because you have to first set up a Notes database. The database process is not automatic and transparent as it is with ACT! 4.0. At all times, the Lotus Notes underpinnings of this product cause deviations from intuitive use. To build a database, you first need to create a detailed profile of each contact and company you want in your ACT! for Notes database. In order to define a contact profile, you create a document for each contact. It is these database document subsets which are used to keep track of basic information about a contact (name, address, phone number, etc.) Another document is required for each company, in order to record, maintain and access information such as address, phone number, alternate shipping and billing addresses and so on. Lotus Notes itself is oriented towards viewing different combinations of data culled from a document-based database (or from several document-based databases.) ACT! for Notes works primarily as a front end for Lotus Notes-style functionality. From time to time it will be unclear to you whether you're using Notes or ACT!. One of the better features of Notes which you can use via ACT! for Notes, is the category view feature. Any database data sets can be assembled and viewed by any number of public views (available to the entire workgroup) or private views (available only to you.) In addition, associated notes and records attached to particular documents can also be viewed. About the most important aspect of any Lotus Notes application is the help system associated with it. Symantec has made sure that ACT! for Notes is equipped with reasonably extensive help. If you find yourself in a Notes environment and ACT! for Notes is available, we recommend you use the help system as well as following the ACT! for Notes User's Guide to create all your basic documents. Cons: The main problem is the fact that this product runs on top of Lotus Notes. We're convinced that Lotus Notes (despite its widespread use) is now really obsolete. It's limited, slow, and can't compare to robust databases like SQL/ODBC or Oracle. What's more, Lotus Notes is mostly unintuitive in use and requires a tremendous amount of applications management and maintenance. Lotus Notes is dumb too; when you close ACT! for Notes, you must first close all open documents and views. The most glaring feature omission is a distinct lack of deep calendar integration for two-way synchronization of events with the Lotus Mail File. The biggest 'wanna-have' is Web-based access. Pros: ACT! v1.5 for Lotus Notes is a much better contact manager than anything that can be cobbled together in Lotus Notes itself. ACT! for Notes v2.0 is nearly here and adds full calendar integration (view schedule data in an ACT! calendar or Lotus Mail File) and reasonably good web-based access, as well as some much needed improvements in the user interface. Symantec ACT! v1.5 for Lotus Notes v4.0 & v4.5 Product Web site: http://www.symantec.com/act/ ********************************************** 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 ******************************************************************** 6=> Product: Global Spider, Search Engine Utility, utility Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Requires: Win 95/98/NT; 6 MB hard disk space; 8 MB RAM; 486 PC or better MSRP: $49.95 standard edition; $99.95 professional edition If you have a website, you know the importance of submitting it to the search engines to be indexed. While it's certainly simple enough to submit to the major engines individually, what about the hundreds of smaller engines, indexes, and lists that could add an enormous amount of traffic to your website, as well as build website popularity? Global Spider is a search engine utility program designed to submit your website to over 900 search engines, directories, link pages, award sites, and more. So how does it work? You simply enter in information about your website, including contact information, relevant keywords (up to 16 total), and your website's title and description. After entering the information about your website, you'll go to a screen that contains over 900 different search engines and directories. You can choose to submit to them all, or you can pick and choose. Some of the sites are for specific areas, such as those for a particular geographic location, or those for a certain topic. Next, you'll visit the category section, where you're able to choose in which category your site best fits. If you don't want to take the time to individually choose the categories, especially if you're submitting to over 900 search engines, you can let the program's Smart Check feature do it for you. However, if a site dose not have a category close to the 16 keywords you've chosen, the submission will fail. For something as important as search engine submissions, it's worth your while to take the time By clicking on the Adult box, you'll tell the program not to submit your site to any of the adult search engines or directories. Once you've finished entering in the information about your website, you're ready to submit it to all of the engines. While the program is working hard to submit your site, you can work on something else, or take a nap, whatever--but *your* work is done. The program comes in both standard and professional versions. Both versions have a database of over 900 sites. The professional version also has the Deep Submission and Batch features. With the Batch feature, you're able to submit multiple URLs at the same time, which will drastically reduce your submission times. The Deep Submission feature will connect to your site and study your page, finding important link information. The feature will then present you with the results, and you can choose which links you want to include in the submission process. The program will submit those additional pages to the search engines as well as your main page. The program is available for download as shareware, so you can try it before buying. After registering and purchasing the program, you're eligible for free program updates for the life of the program. The updates will increase the number of submission sites as well as fix any problems with the program itself. One thing to keep in mind: if you are using a cable modem or proxy server, you may experience difficulties in running Global Spider. So, before you purchase it, you may want to look further into this area. I found Global Spider easy to use and fairly self-explanatory. Most questions I had were answered in the program's help file. So if you have a website and are looking for a way to submit it to hundreds of search engines in the easiest possible way, consider Global Spider. It'll make your job a lot simpler! Global Spider, Inc. Global Spider Product Website: http://globalspider.net/ ************************************* 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 ******************************************************************** 7=> Product: MechWarrior 2 - The Titanium Trilogy, game Reviewed By: Matthew Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: Windows 95, Pentium 133Mhz or higher CPU, CD-ROM drive, VGA video, 3Dfx or Rendition based video card for full effects, 16MB RAM. MSRP: US$41.95 MechWarrior 2 - The Titanium Trilogy is an action simulation (sim) game which is built around Activision's beautiful 3D graphics engine. The game play revolves around battles using self-directed, computer directed and player directed mechanized warriors. It is the ultimate expression of the MechWarrior 2 PC series, delivering a comprehensive combat experience for both novices and honorable MechWarriors. Battle for the honor of your Clan in the Inner Sphere, on Terra, in space, under water, in the heat of the desert and on the frozen tundra. Ahh, the MechWarrior 2 Titanium Trilogy. Years of work, all put together in this one, powerful package. The original MechWarrior and MechWarrior 2 were two of the greatest action sim games of their time(s) and the Titanium Trilogy only adds to the excitement of the originals. The first thing I noticed was the sign on the box: "Hardware acceleration. Supports 3Dfx and Rendition based video cards." To my delight, when I opened the box and installed the game, I was not disappointed. The improvement in detail and graphics quality over the older versions was evident in every part of the game, from the movies to the mission briefings, to the missions themselves with their texture mapping, shading, and multiple light sources. It takes a mean machine to run the accelerated version (see the minimum hardware requirement above - no 486s allowed here. But if you have it all, man is it gorgeous. There is a huge selection of mechs to choose from. Altogether, MechWarrior 2 Ghost Bear's Legacy and MechWarrior 2 Mercenaries, provide over 40 mechs to choose from, lending tons of variables to the game. The ability to fully customize any of the mechs doesn't hurt either. The repertoire of weapons is also huge; there are 35 different weapons systems which can be mounted on your mech. All of this can be combined in over 170 different missions. Another thing I found interesting about all of the games was the 'trainer'. In each training mission, the trainer has a different and distinct voice and even a bit of a personality. The yells across my com link of "Hey, kid!" or "Alright maggot, listen up!" were also well-timed and I could not detect any skipping in the voices. The storylines were all very interesting as well. In MechWarrior 2, you play as a warrior for the Wolf clan or the Jade Falcon clan, who are battling each other in an civil war to determine the future of the Inner Sphere. In Ghost Bear's Legacy, you play as a warrior for (you guessed it!) a revived clan Ghost Bear, that is trying to regain lost honor. In Mercenaries, you play as a (surprise, surprise!) Mercenary, and fight for the many Houses of the Inner Sphere (or whoever pays the most). The multi-player support in the originals was somewhat lacking; there was no Internet support, and you could only play over LAN or IPX network. In the Titanium pack however, there is full Internet support, as well as the other options from the originals. Pros: While all the different game modes and challenges were fun, I found that Mercenaries was the most personally interesting. The fact that you must buy all of your mechs and materials adds the fun and challenging management aspect to an already great action sim. All in all, this is a highly playable game, with challenges, action, decent audio, a healthy level of eye-candy, and excellent value for the reasonable price. Windows 95 multi-player, LAN and Internet support right out of the box. Cons: Although it is not required, you'll have a lot more fun using a joystick to play this one. A keyboard simply does not offer enough fine control over mech movement, and the mouse controls only the Mech's torso. Those of you who've been getting by without a joystick should definitely purchase and install one before playing MechWarrior 2. Activision MechWarrior 2 - The Titanium Trilogy Product Web site: http://www4.activision.com/games/mechseries/ *************************** Money Magazine Free Offer!* ******************************************************************** 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! This offer good only in U.S. and Canada. Click Here: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/money.htm ******************************************************************** 8=> Product: Extensis(R) PhotoFrame(TM) 1.0 Volume 1 & 2, graphics Reviewed by: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: Windows 95, 98 or NT4 and Pentium or higher CPU; MacOS System 7.5(R) or higher with 68040-25MHz including PowerMac, CD-ROM drive, SVGA video, Adobe PhotoShop(R)v3.0.4 or later (Mac), Adobe PhotoShop v3.0.5 or later (Windows). MSRP: US$199.95 Extensis PhotoFrame v1.0 for Mac and Windows is a powerful plug-in for Adobe PhotoShop(R) that allows you to quickly create an enormous number of beautifully rendered image frames and border effects. The plug-in is supplied with several hundred frames which can be adjusted to create an enormous number of different edge effects for virtually any image, graphic or photo. There are controls for opacity, color, blend and blur for manipulating the background and the border. There are additional controls for rotating, flipping, re-sizing and adjusting the frames. Test materials consisted of stock photography images from Rubberball(R), Stockbyte(R), Image Club(R) and family photographs (1970-1990 typically average quality) scanned on an HP ScanJet 6200Cxi (1200 dpi optical x 36-bit color.) We ran the tests on a plain old (Intel) P166MMX machine, equipped with 128MB of RAM, and an ATI PC2TV ProTurbo 8MB graphics card. As with all Extensis plug-ins, the installation searches for a PhotoShop version and then places the appropriate files in the PlugIns directory. PhotoFrame accesses its frame/border content directly from the supplied CDs or from any JPEG file sources. You can also copy the frame/border content to your hard drive. Operation is simplicity itself: launch PhotoShop, load an image, and launch the PhotoFrame plug-in. Thereafter, there is no limit on the number of frames you can add to the image (except the one imposed when you run out of RAM). Individual frame visibility can be turned on or off and frames can be added or deleted at will. There are also primary slider controls for Background and Border settings. The Background tab provides size, blur, and opacity sliders as well as a blend mode selector. The Border tab provides slider controls for width, blur and opacity, as well as a blend mode selector. Both tabs share a popup color selector which features background and foreground color settings, a color picker and a transparency switch. The global controls in the PhotoFrame dialog include a click & drag rotation control (and a field in which you can enter specific angles), as well as horizontal and vertical toggle switches. Although we express a few 'Cons' below, Extensis PhotoFrame is still highly recommended. Whether you're doing professional output jobs or handling the odd bit of framing in your sideline graphics business, PhotoFrame is a worthwhile addition to the PhotoShop plug-in arsenal and is compatible with PhotoShop v5. Cons: The usual complaint with this type of creative utility is that there just isn't enough variety. Everybody wants to choose from several thousand frames and we're no different. This software costs a lot of money and is of little use to anyone but PC photography professionals and enthusiasts (which is probably why it costs so much.) The preview thumbnail is too small and we preferred a combination of 'Apply' (in PhotoFrame) and 'Undo/Redo' (in PhotoShop). The rotation click & drag control works perfectly but the entry field is buggy with most frames. Pros: The number of supplied frames is greatly enhanced by the nice selection of controls which can be used to create the variety you need with either supplied frames or JPEGs of your own. Fast operation - even when using a dozen frames and JPEGs to achieve special effects, the P166MMX didn't bog down. Lots of controls and reasonably good real-time previews. Extensis Corporation PhotoFrame v1.0 for Windows 95/98/NT, and Mac system 7.5 or higher Product Web site: http://www.extensis.com/products/PhotoFrame/ ********************************** Never Write Another Letter Again!* ******************************************************************** If you spend too much time writing letters and memos, then the "Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters" is just what you need. Ever struggled to find the right words for making an apology, writing a resume cover letter, sending a sympathy note or answering a complaint? No problem. With this book you'll quickly and easily find the letter to suit the exact message you want to convey. Free for 15 Days! http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/letters.htm ******************************************************************** 9=> Product: TagMaster for Windows, utility Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Requires: 486 PC or better; 8 MB RAM; 6 MB hard disk space; Windows 95, 98, or NT MSRP: $19.95 If you have a website, you probably know how important META tags are when it comes to your ranking in the search engines. Visitors to your website won't know your META tags are in place and working, but the search engines sure will. And they're who ultimately send you the business, based on your META tags. Here's how it all works: Search engines like AltaVista and Lycos send their "spiders" or "crawlers" all over the web indexing the millions of websites. Those spiders read the META tags in your source code, and they index your site based on those tags. And that's where TagMaster comes in. TagMaster makes sure that your META tags are in good shape so that the spider engines can find your site, index it appropriately, and send you traffic to your website. TagMaster will automatically update your existing web pages with correct META tags, based on the information you supply. You don't even have to have prior knowledge of source codes in order to utilize the features of this program. The program is simple to use. From the main screen, you select the drive where your html files are stored, the directory, then the file itself. The program automatically tells you the description, keywords, and document title as they appear on your page. You can edit your existing tags, or write new tags for those pages that have none. If you need to check the spelling of your description, click on Check Description Tag Spelling and you're off and running. If you're stuck and can't think of any more keywords for your site, click on Suggest Alternate Keyword and the programs' 100,000 keyword library will offer suggestions. You can indicate items such as copyright, distribution, author, and generator, and the program will generate appropriate META tags for you. If you have pages that you don't want the engines to index, click on NoIndex in the Robots box, and if you want to give your website a ranking, you have that option as well. After you've made your changes, click on "Save Changes" and the program will modify your source code. If you want the program to modify the source code for your whole website, save your changes on the first page, then select "Set Default." Click on the next file you want to modify, choose "Apply Default," and the program will enter your default settings. Save those settings, then select another file to continue the process. When I worked on the program with my website, I found that it didn't recognize META tags on some of my pages. After checking into this, I found that if there is anything off in the META tags of a page, TagMaster will not pull the information up to edit. In my case, there was a drop in the META tag line. After making the correction, the program was able to pull up the information with no further problems. If you want a program that will do your META tag "dirty work" for you, especially if you're not familiar with source codes and are too busy to learn, TagMaster will work well for you. It will help you get your source codes in order so that the search engine spiders will properly index your site. Global Spider TagMaster for Windows Product Website: http://globalspider.net/meta-tag-software.htm ******************************** 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 ******************************************************************** +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= 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