______ _ __ __ / ____/___ ____ ___ ____ __ __/ | / /___ / /____ _____ / / / __ \/ __ `__ \/ __ \/ / / / |/ / __ \/ __/ _ \/ ___/ / /___/ /_/ / / / / / / /_/ / /_/ / /| / /_/ / /_/ __(__ ) \____/\____/_/ /_/ /_/ .___/\__,_/_/ |_/\____/\__/\___/____/ /_/ This Week's Contents: My Notes: 1) Why We've Been Absent . . . 2) My Sister is Getting Married . . . Columnists' Corner: 1) Article on Linux ... Do you want to see more? News: 1) Microsoft Cracks Down on Pirates! Reviews: 1) DacEasy for Windows 95 Reviewed By Dennis Macpherson 2) Civilization II Reviewed By Gail B.C. Marsella (71551.3200@compuserve.com) 3) Kidsnet Reviewed By David Leininger (services@alanrand.com) Web Sites: 1) Microsoft Opens Up StarTrek Web Site Interview: 1) Success Online Creator ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date : July 13, 1996 |CompuNotes is a weekly publication available Issue : 49 |through email and many fine on-line networks. --------------------------|We cover the IBM computing world with CompuNotes is published |software/hardware reviews, news, hot web 4Point, Inc., |sites, cool FTP files and interviews. We also 1315 Woodgate Drive |give away one software package a week to a St. Louis, MO 63122 |lucky winner for just reading our fine (314) 909-1662 voice |publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we (314) 909-1662 fax |are here to bring you the way it is! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Backroom Workers: |We are always looking for Patrick Grote, Managing Editor |people to write honest, (pgrote@inlink.com) |concise reviews for us. Send Doug Reed, Asst. Editor / Writer Liaison |a message to Doug Reed at (dreed@panda.uchc.edu) |dreed@panda.uchc.edu with Judy Litt, Graphics Editor/Web Master |your list of qualifications. (jlitt@aol.com) |If Doug thinks we can count ------------------------------------------|on you to make things happen I am looking for a collection of shareware|you'll receive free software reviews I put out in the 87-88 timeframe |of your choice for review. under my handle of NEVER BEFORE. I think |We like new writers! they started as NB*.ZIP. Can you look |----------------------------- on your local BBS? THANKS! | Go St. Louis Vipers! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every issue of CompuNotes ever published can be found at the following ftp site: ftp.uu.net:/published/compunotes. Thanks to UUNET! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our Web Site is at http://users.aol.com/CompNote/ Please Add Our Link to Your Homepage! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe, send a message to notes@inlink.com with the command subscribe compunotes in the subject. To unsubscribe, send a message to notes@inlink.com with the command unsubscribe compunotes in the subject. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You Can Write for Us! See Masthead! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SYSOPS READ HERE! Wanting to make CompuNotes available on as many BBS as possible, we can't afford to call everyone's BBS every week. What we would like to do is send those interested sysops a UUENCODED version for posting on their BBS. If you can volunteer to receive the UUENCODED version, turn it into a ZIP and upload it to your BBS, we'll list you in our sysops directory. If you are interested, fill out the following lines and send them back to notes@inlink.com with SYSOPS. We'll list your BBS in our SYSOPS LIST which will be included in each version of CompuNotes we ship out. If you have a WWW link we'll throw that up on our page. BBS NAME: BBS SYSOP: BBS NUMBER: URL: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Patrick's News Being The Publisher and Managing Editor Has Its Perks! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What's Been Up ...| ------------------- OK, I'm back from vacation, which went wonderfully! If you are a family and want a great family place to vacation you cannot get more family than Bethany Beach, Delaware. Bethany is devoted to families. There main boardwalk closes at 10:00pm. The town center has no bars. There are no singles nights, etc. The beaches are well patrolled and clean. We had so much fun . . . It started with us encountering the Atlantic for the first time. Egads! Cold water. The second day we were there we encountered the rough seas of the Atlantic. After getting smashed, nearly drowned and plastered face first in the sand three times I gave up. Yes, the Atlantic kicked my ass. The funniest thing that happened to us was dolphin watching. Sounds funny, right? It is pretty funny when your wife drops the camera in the Atlantic while taking pictures. Hundreds of years from now people will find our camera and think of it as an antique. We did get back about two weeks ago, but since then I have been promoted at CompuCom, the computer reseller/integrator I work for. Instead of being the Senior Systems Engineer in charge of Microsoft Solutions I'm now the Systems Engineer Supervisor. This puts me into an almost total management role instead of an almost total technical role. I'm relishing the new challenge and have used the last week or so to get up to speed. CompuNotes will now be published weekly again. Thanks for the break! ------------------------------ My Sis is Getting Married ...| ------------------------------ My baby sister is finally getting married! What makes this even better is that I like who she is getting married to! Do me a favor and send a quick email to her fiancee at jeff@softsolinc.com. His name is Jeff Mullins and he is a WindowsNT/Lotus Notes expert. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Columnists' Corner - We bring you a different person each week! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Linux and Tcl/Tk Harry Baecker (hbaecker@island.net) If there is enough interest (what is the measurement device?) this will blossom into an occasional column on two of the most powerful developments in PC space. Linux is a free Unix clone for the PC available either for downloading on the Internet or Fidonet or on CD-ROM distributions from Infomagic, Walnut Creek, and a host of competitors. It has been certified as a true Unix implementation. Linux was started by Linus Torvalds, then a student at Helsinki, who wanted to run Unix on his PC but could not afford a commercial version. Many people are now involved in the development process, Linus himself is still involved in the development for the Intel PC platform, the ôground zeroö of all the versions, and in the ports to the DEC Alpha. A Linux distribution includes about 500MB of GNU and other free software from the FSF, Free Software Foundation. Thus you get compilers (C, C++, Pascal, Fortran), with Ada and Modula-3 available, a complete Internet/Fidonet communications system, and enough utilities to do just about anything from text editing to file compression to file management. XWindows is included. All FSF software is distributed free, but is not freeware in the normal sense. The copyright is held by FSF, and others, and requires that if you modify the software in any way you publish the new source code and distribute it without charge (except for the cost of distribution). The simplest way to arrange such distribution is to let the FSF do it. In fact Linux implementations are now available for the Intel PC, PowerMac, DEC Alpha, MIPS Machines, Sun SPARC, Motorola PowerPC, and probably more.. All these are discussed in the Internet newsgroups comp.os.linux.* (about 10 0f them) and in the Fidonet echo Linux. There are thousands of apps now available on the Net free, and there is also a fast growing number of commercial apps. Both DEC and Apple have officially adopted Linux and will distribute versions for their hardware, free. So you feel that non-Intel platforms are of no interest to you? Remember that the lifespan of any architecture is limited and that Intel have already begun development, together with H-P, of a successor to the x86 chip. So you will shortly be having to explore new vistas anyway. Linux does not bomb the way MS-Windows does. Certainly individual programs do, but they do not take the whole machine with them. But the biggest advantage of Linux, apart from the cost, is the huge array of support available on the net in the linux newsgroups. If you have a problem there will be someone around who can tell you how to circumvent it, if it is a bug then the original author of the program is probably there to correct it in a matter of days without a wait of months for the next release as is the case with commercial software. (But a word of warning, that programmer spent much time making a program for you to use for free, do not complain about such bugs as remain but give thanks for what you have.) Linux comes with the tools that enable you to install it so that it cohabits on a half disk with MS-DOS/Windows (and OS/2 and......... depending on how much disk space you have) and to boot any of them, and to switch between MS-DOS and Linux when the other is running. So you want to switch from the Megapoop operating system to Linux and there is no software to do so? Write it, or get someone competent to do so to help you. DonÆt whine, its all free, be glad of what there is. If you have an Internet account the chances are good that your Internet Service Provider is running Linux. So are the US Air Force, AT&T (the parents of Unix), the Canadian Coastguard, and many other prominent users. Currently distributors are reporting sales of Linux CD-ROMs at 40,000 a month, estimates of installations are difficult when any CD-ROM can be freely used by many people, a million is a commonly heard estimate. One of the big hurdles prospective Linux users often face is a fear of Unix, a fear that seems to fill the air like allergens. If you are reading this you probably think computers are fun. So, give it a try, it isnÆt difficult, it is no more difficult than MS-DOS is when things donÆt go quite the way the glossy manual says and the help file is empty of relief. And apart from all the FAQs and HOWTOs in every distribution, and the net help, there are a number of good and better books to be had. Our other topic is Tcl/Tk, short for Tool Control Language and Toolkit. Tcl is a scripting language, an interpreted language, based on C. Suppress your immediate shudder at the mention of interpreters, their reputation was blackened in the days of 1MHz machines with little bandwidth on the buss. Today with 32-bit bandwidth at multi-megaherz the story is different. Of course there are many apps for which an interpreted language is unsuitable, controlling a nuclear reactor, say, but there are as many for which it is a solution, particularly in an interactive context. Real time is relative, the real time of a nuclear reactor is very different from that of a physician examining a patient. Tk is a windows system interface for Tcl, and other languages. Tcl was started by John Ousterhout in 1985 for his graduate students in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, as a simple way of writing scripts to control experimental apparatus. It has grown, and gained vast support when John moved to Sun Microsystems recently. Why bother with it? ItÆs free. And by the end of the year the very selfsame unedited script will run on any Unix system , MS-Windows (3.x, 95, and NT), the Mac, and there is now a move for an OS/2 interpreter. The Unix implementation is rock solid, at this moment the MS-Windows interpreter is in beta test out in the real world, the status of the Mac interpreter remains undefined because the software status of the PowerMac is somewhat fluid. OS/2 is yet but a dream. A large number of contributed apps are archived at: ftp.neosoft.com:/pub/tcl http://www.neosoft.com/tcl The discussion/help newsgroup for Tcl/Tk on the net is comp.lang.tcl. Several books about Tcl/Tk are in print, but I would advise against investing in any of them until 1997 editions are available. The reason is that Tcl/Tk has changed as it has become universal. Originally I/O functions and other system calls were implemented as direct calls to Unix, the diversity of I/O standards, of date/time functions, etc., across several operating systems has made it necessary to abstract the functions and define Tcl/Tk standards, which are implemented in each interpreter so as to provide a uniform cross-platform interface, changes not addressed by the current editions of the books. Of course, if you are going to run Tcl/Tk under Linux, or any other Unix, then there are interpreter versions available that correspond to the available books. Tcl/Tk is a script language which is used raw, the source level script text is fed to the interpreter untranslated. This means that copy protection is almost impossible and most scripts are freely distributed. Yet commercial scripts abound, one must conclude that there are indeed honest users in the world. There are about six different projects to build Tcl/Tk compilers. If you feel that Tcl/Tk lacks some command or facility you need or desire then the chances are you will find it in one of the dozen or so extensions available. Look around. If you cannot satisfy your needs thus then you can extend the interpreter yourself, the rules and outline functions are published in a couple of books, all you need do is to fill in the gaps with C functions crafted according to a few published rules. As Tcl/Tk development proceeds more and more software developers will embrace it, it solves that very expensive problem of maintaining separate versions for different platforms, or, rather, throws the problem back on Sun Microsystems who have promised a free flow of interpreters. A Tcl/Tk interpreter may be in your future too. (Oh yes, you pronounce it tickle-tick). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . . All News (C)opyright Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RED LOBSTER WINS . . . | ------------------------ CHICAGO, June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Lobster Inc., one of the world's largest full-service seafood restaurant chains in North America, has been nominated as a finalist in the Windows World Open technology competition for its innovative use of Stac Inc.'s (Nasdaq: STAC) ReachOut(R), the first Internet-enabled complete remote access software package. A competition designed to award developers and their companies for innovative work in solving business problems using the Microsoft Windows(R) platform, the Windows World Open competition took place at Windows World '96 June 3-6 in Chicago. Red Lobster of Orlando was nominated for the honor in the mobile/remote worker access category - one of eight categories in which only 27 firms were chosen to compete - for its implementation of Stac's ReachOut software. Red Lobster uses the product in its Home Agent program, which allows guest relations workers, of which 75 percent are physically challenged, to field calls from customers and vendors at home, rather than at the office and access Red Lobster's Star2000 database system. "We started the Home Agent program because we recognized the talents of employees with disabilities and wanted to make their lives easier and more productive," said Arlene Marcus, Red Lobster's manager of guest relations. "ReachOut is easy to use and eliminates the time-consuming transportation problems that often face the physically challenged. ReachOut has been great, and Red Lobster has a happier, more motivated staff as a result." The Home Agent program equips guest relations workers with a personal computer, a telephone, a modem, a transcriber and ReachOut. Using ReachOut, employees can transmit their data to a departmental server and retrieve information with the same kind of performance and speed as if they are working in Red Lobster's offices. Bette Salem, a guest relations employee with cerebral palsy, said she's benefited by using ReachOut because it saves her several hours a day in driving and preparing for work in the morning. "ReachOut is my personal highway to the office," she said. In one single package ReachOut provides support for Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and DOS, with modem, network, host and viewer components all included. A free 30-day timed evaluation of ReachOut is also available on Stac's home page at http://www.stac.com. ReachOut for Windows 95, Windows and DOS retails for approximately $99. ------------------------------------ STAR TREK WEARABLE COMPUTERS . . . | ------------------------------------ WASHINGTON, June 5 /PRNewswire/ - Today, Computing Devices International formally launched its new product THE WEARABLE(TM) Computer, which provides the user with information on demand - anytime, anywhere. A press briefing and product demonstration were hosted in conjunction with AFCEA's Technet '96. This innovative technology is now available across a broad spectrum of defense and aviation-related applications to provide hands-free digital and voice communications. This 2-pound-computer provides the digital processing power of today's PC, yet is so compact it can be worn as a belt or in a vest. THE WEARABLE consists of four major components: THE WEARABLE Computer, configurable peripherals, the support environment and application software. The processor board is an Intel 486 DX4 with 75 MHz. Memory can range from 8-24 MB RAM, and included is 16-bit stereo sound on board. The operating system uses Microsoft DOS and Microsoft Windows to support software applications. IBM's Voice Type Applications Factory software or other COTS speech recognition packages are used for the voice recognition and recorded voice applications. Product functionality is supported by up to four PCMCIA Type II or III card slot peripherals and built-in capabilities on the mother board for keyboard, mouse, VGA display, LCD display and voice processing. The applications are vast for THE WEARABLE. A few of these include: intelligence data and imagery gathering, combat medical diagnosis and treatment, maintenance, logistics, training and dictation/language translation. Currently, the U.S. Army is using a prototype of THE WEARABLE in Bosnia for language translation by NATO peace keepers. This technology is being used to interview local Serbs and Croatians to obtain information on location of mine fields. THE WEARABLE translates the English phrase into the local language using voice recognition technology and broadcasts the phrase via a body-mounted speaker to the person being interviewed. Computing Devices International, a division of Ceridian Corporation, has a track record of success that spans more than 45 years over hundreds of programs and thousands of platforms. Computing Devices International is dedicated to developing and integrating reliable, affordable electronic information solutions for defense and civil government customers worldwide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Product: DacEasy Accounting & Payroll 95 Reviewed By: Dennis MacPherson Reviewed on: 486DX2/66, 16MB RAM, Windows 95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DacEasy Accounting & Payroll 95 (hereafter referred to as DacEasy) was specifically designed to run in Windows95. It is a feature-rich accounting package for small to medium size businesses wishing to keep their books on a PC in the Windows environment. If you already know how to set up and maintain a general ledger and you know how to do payroll, working with the program is easy. If you don't, you will need to learn the basic principles of accounting before attempting to run your business with this software e. Features In addition to payroll and general ledger, DacEasy offers the following features: * Billing for Services * Tracking Backorders * Selling Products not in Stock * Contact Management * Customer, vendor, and Products Lists * Financial Reports The nature of your business will dictate which features, also called modules, you will use. It is recommended that all modules be installed during setup so that each module is configured properly. The default setup automatically installs every module. A powerful feature of most PC-related accounting programs is the automatic posting of entries from subsidiary ledgers (e.g. accounts receivable) to the general ledger. DacEasy automatically posts all transactions when you save, with the exception of Invoicing and Purchase Orders. You must use the Update Ledgers option and do a "batch update" in order to post invoices and purchase orders. Setup DacEasy comes on nine 31/2 inch diskettes and is very easy to install. A series of Windows95-style welcome screens guide you through the process of inserting the correct disks. Once installed, access to the program is automatically set up in the Programs folder of the Start menu. Disk three during installation was unreadable for me, but the program allowed me to continue with the installation anyway. The final message said setup was completed successfully and I did not encounter any problems while testing t he software. I'm not sure if I need the contents of disk three or not!?! Anxious to set up a brand new company with the software, I decided to refer to the small 132-page Quick Start Guide for assistance. I went to Chapter 3, entitled Getting Started, and had no difficulty following the directions. After starting the software, I clicked on the word File on the menu and selected New Company. Since I was a new user (vis-…-vis an owner of a previous version) I had to register the software before I could use it. A window opened up asking me to dial an 800 number to receive an activation key. I simply needed to provide the serial number stamped on the inside of the Quick Start Guide. Seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, it took about thirty minutes to get the correct activation key. The first call to the 800 number returned an activation key that did not work; the serial number in the guide was "incorrect." A second toll-free call confirmed the problem but they said they were unable to help. They referred me to Technical Support, which I had to call and which was not toll-free, and I was given a new serial number and an activation key to match. It was a frustrating half hour to say the least. Once activated, I then entered the company's name and address, the first month of the financial year, and the year the business would start. Next, I chose my type of business (consulting) from a scrollable list which includes a bakery, dressmaking, construction, dentistry, and many others. The selection sets up a chart of accounts specific to the business selected. There's also the option of creating a chart of accounts from scratch. The final screen asked for a data directory pathname and a password. The New Company Wizard displayed a summary of my new company and I clicked on the Finish button. DacEasy then set up all the appropriate company files in less than a minute. After setting up the chart of accounts, the Guide describes the process of setting up payroll. It is at this point that you need to know accounting; in particular, how payroll affects the chart of accounts. The first time you access the Payroll module, the Company Preferences dialog box is displayed. Here is where you tell DacEasy which accounts you want to affect when it updates payroll entries to the general ledger. For example, which account is affected by FUTA and which by FICA-OASDI? If you don't know the answers to questions like these, you really shouldn't continue. Working with DacEasy The main screen consists of a menu and the following thirteen buttons for quick access to the programs main modules: * Customers * Vendors * Products * General Ledger * Bank * Purchase Orders * Invoices * Fixed Assets * Financial * Report Generator * Payroll * Assistant (to-do) * Layout Design Selecting any button from this main button bar opens the appropriate window, and each new window opens with an additional button bar for that module. For example, when you click on Financial, the Financial window opens with buttons for an Audit Trail, Trial Balance, Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Budget Analysis, and Prior Year Analysis. The hierarchy of button bars is logical and well laid out. I was moderately disappointed by the lack of use of the right mouse button. In view of the fact that DacEasy is promoted as a Windows95 application, I expected more '95' bells and whistles. Getting Help I liked the online help tools DacEasy provides for working with the program. Tool tips identify the function of buttons when the mouse passes over them; Field Facts give a short description of the information you're suppose to enter when the cursor lands in a data entry field; Flash cards explain the purpose of each main screen in a module; and F1 Online Help and Wizards provide detailed steps of complex procedures if you need them. Off-line and telephone assistance includes 30 days free support to new users (sans a toll free number, however); free automated support; 900 line support at $3 per minute; and credit card support with a $30 minimum. The Quick Start Guide offers a feeble attempt at introducing the basic principles of accounting. One chart, for example, is presented to show the user when to issue a debit versus a credit to increase or decrease the balance on a particular type of account. Unfortunately, the credit-debit system in accounting is not that simple. Summary Overall, I liked DacEasy, but I don't believe it is the easiest accounting software for small companies in the Windows environment. It certainly doesn't take advantage of the many shortcuts Windows95 has to offer as does other 32-bit applications. In my opinion, it's probably easier than Peach Tree but more difficult than QuickBooks. Bottom line: talk to your accountant before buying any software you believe will help you run your business. DacEasy, Inc. 1750 Preston Road Suite 800 Dallas, Texas 75252 (214)-248-0205 WWW: CompuServe: PCVenB America Online: Keywords, DacEasy ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Product: Civilization II Reviewed By: Gail B.C. Marsella 71551.3200@compuserve.com Requirements: 486, Windows 3.1, 8 MB RAM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The game designers have been staying up late. Remember those old text role-playing games where you read scene descriptions off the screen and worked out an environment in your mind as you moved around, picked up things, and fended off enemies? Here's one of the highly evolved descendants: Civilization II, an elaborate scenario design, exploration and manipulation program, kind of a cross between Adventure, SimCity, and the board game Diplomacy, with some world history thrown in for good measure. Those of you who are familiar with advanced games have probably already played the original Civilization, but I have not, so this review takes the point of view of a beginner. Let's get the problems and requirements out of the way first. Do you have enough hard disk space for this monster? It takes up over 40 megs, depending on the cluster size of the hard disk partitions, and requires at least a 486-33MHz computer with 8 megs of RAM and Windows 95 or 3.1. Civ2 also requires the very latest video drivers, and appears to be pretty picky about which ones it will tolerate. Finally, it's a little unstable. It doesn't close properly (the music stays on even after the program exits), and I've had a couple spectacular GPFs when running it, even under Windows 95. If you've got the hardware and the time to get hooked, however, try it. This is a fascinating product. The object is to start with a small band of wandering settlers on a particular terrain, and build a lasting civilization by making scientific, military, and political decisions. Your first job is to begin building a permanent settlement, and then to start exploring the world. You meet various other tribes - some friendly, some hostile - make discoveries, and encounter various problems. An excellent tutorial takes you through several centuries of an example civilization and then you can build your own. (You don't have to run the tutorial, of course, but I recommend it - I got lost building my own civilization cold, and ended up exiting the game with the ignominious title "Diana the Worthless.") What makes this game so interesting is the level of detail built into it. You not only build cities, you must also manage them, right down to monitoring happiness and quelling civil disorder. Each city has an elaborate summary screen that you can call up to see how much food is in storage, what technology has been discovered, and so on. You collect taxes, build roads, and monitor pollution. You not only meet other tribes and civilizations, you also negotiate with them, establish trade routes with them, and spy on them. One of the ways to win the game is to advance your technology to the point where you can build and launch a spaceship. The software manual is 200 pages long, but contains a wealth of information on the background concepts that went into creating the game, and the strategies that can be used to play it. (It also has an excellent index, rare for computer manuals.) Unlike the original adventure games, of course, you see a picture of your surroundings on-screen, with background music. I did find the music a distraction and turned it off after awhile; unlike Myst, for example, where the sound effects depend on the surroundings, the music in Civ2 is just for show. That's a minor point, though. This is an excellent, thought- provoking - not to mention addictive - program. Microprose Software, Inc. 180 Lakefront Drive Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2245 410-771-1151 http://www.microprose.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Product: Kidnet: The Kid's Guide to Surfing Through Cyberspace Reviewed By: David Leininger, services@alanrand.com, http://www.alanrand.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kidnet is a book of 14 chapters and 286 pages to guide parents of 9-14 year old children through the wonders of Cyberspace. It was published in 1995 and, like any publication on Cyberspace, is somewhat dated in several areas. The book covers sites and services on the Internet, America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, and the secondary tier of ImagiNation Networks, Delphi, GEnie and eWorld. The book starts with 35 pages of very brief narratives on the commercial services, including sections describing their strengths, weaknesses, and what's ahead for each of them. Pricing options are mentioned in passing. The computer components necessary to get online are mentioned, along with such gems as "... be sure to bargain for the best price. It is possible to do this." I suppose this kind of advice, peppered throughout the book, is valuable to the most novice computer owner. Yet, it seems rather condescending to anyone who's had a machine for more than six months. Two valuable elements of the book are the Ten Rules for Staying Safe Online and Netiquette for Kids. Both sections should be required reading before anyone attempts online communications. The balance of the book references addresses on each service and the Internet for general resource categories , including help with homework, TV and movies, music, hobbies, sports, ecology, pets, international cultures, humor, and games. Brief mentions are made of the major search engines and starting places. Due to the state of the Internet at the time the book was written, key search engines such as Infoseek, Alta Vista, and Excite are unlisted. Yahoo is the only starting point in the book. With the ever increasing content coming on the Internet, a deeper discussion of how to find new sites related to topics would be valuable. A World Wide Web site supporting the book seems to have been forgotten. The Internet address listed in the book is a CompuServe address. With the kind of exposure HarperCollins is able to give a book, it is a shame that a KIDNET.COM site was not created. KIDNET.COM has been a registered domain name since 1994, but is not an operational site at this writing (3/1/96). The book is worth $14.00 to parents whose children will be making their first electronic forays this year. If you've been online with for even a month with any of the commercial services or the Internet, put the money toward your next month's billing. Kidnet: The Kid's Guide to Surfing Through Cyberspace By Debra and Brad Schepp Published by HarperCollins Publishers ISBN 0-06-273380-X $14.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEBSITES OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to cool WebSites . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Microsoft Opens New StarTrek Web| --------------------------------- LOS ANGELES/REDMOND, Wash. - July 10, 1996 - Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE), a unit of Viacom Inc., and Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of STAR TREK: CONTINUUM, the official interactive site dedicated to all "Star Trek" incarnations, to be hosted exclusively on MSN™, The Microsoft® Network, Microsoft's Internet online service. STAR TREK: CONTINUUM features comprehensive archives and activities surrounding all "Star Trek" properties and is designed to be the place where people can exp lore strange new worlds and engage new life forms online. STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is the most extensive online source of information about "Star Trek." It is available to MSN members at http://startrek.msn.com/ and is based on the open standards of the Internet. "STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is a prime example of our goal to extend our entertainment properties to the digital medium and deliver them in an engaging way," said David Wertheimer, president of PDE. "Microsoft has provided us with the platform to showcase one of our most valuable franchises." "We're very excited to be working closely with Paramount in delivering the official 'Star Trek' interactive site and creating new experiences exclusively for our MSN members," said Jeff Sanderson, director of marketing for The Microsoft Network division at Microsoft. "We hope to attract and engage the franchise's many loyal fans by offering content under the 'Star Trek' brand that is interactive and compelling." STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is designed to take users into a new dimension online where they can find out everything they want to know about "Star Trek." STAR TREK: CONTINUUM includes episodic, character and behind-the-scenes information on the seven Paramount motion pictures and the four Paramount TV series: "Star Trek," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager." Other services include interactive multimedia content that immerses subscribers in the "Star Trek" experie nce; the Klingon Compendium, a comprehensive source of information on the Klingon Empire; forums for "Star Trek" fans to gather and interact; detailed historical information on "Star Trek" episodes, characters, actors, aliens, technology and other exciting material; and advance information on television shows and motion pictures. In addition, fans can participate in 3-D chats in which they can choose to become a "Star Trek" avatar in Quark's Bar, an environment created from "Deep Space Nine." Here they may also chat with other costumed "Trek" visitors. Also incorporated in the engaging environment of STAR TREK: CONTINUUM are full-screen graphical menus, audio clips, video clips, animation and multiple chat rooms. The site was designed and developed by PDE with the assistance of The Digital Foundry Inc. of Tiburon, Calif. "Star Trek" is one of the entertainment industry's most enduring and broad-based properties. The original 79 "Star Trek" episodes aired on television between 1966 and 1969, making this September the 30-year anniversary of "Star Trek." Since then, other "Star Trek" series have appeared on television, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager." In addition, seven hit "Star Trek" motion pictures have been released, all of which went on to become enormously successful in the home video market. The eighth "Star Trek" motion picture is in development. A powerhouse in the publishing, toy, collectible gift and consumer electronic areas, "Star Trek" merchandise has totaled nearly $2 billion in retail sales since its television debut. Currently, there are more than 250 official licensees worldwide. In June, PDE and Microsoft launched ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT ONLINE (http://et.msn.com/), the official Web site companion to America's most popular entertainment news series. The dynamic online show incorporates the energy and excitement of the daily broadcasts with the unique interactive opportunities of the Internet. Formed in May 1995, Paramount Digital Entertainment draws upon Paramount's rich history in motion pictures and television programming by channeling Paramount's creative resources into the promotion of Paramount properties, the creation of original online products, and the development of a new breed of promotional vehicles for its advertising partners. With direct access to the Paramount Television Group, PDE is able to carry the studio's 83-year tradition of entertainment excellence into cyberspace. PDE is headquartered in Hollywood. MSN offers a variety of services that include access to hundreds of special-interest bulletin boards; offerings from more than 200 content providers; multimedia reference information; full Internet access including e-mail accounts, thousands of newsgroups and the World Wide Web (Web access where available); and up-to-date news and information from the service's news package, MSN News. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERVIEW WITH ????? | Weekly Interviews with the Movers and Shakers! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Interviews will be back next week! Instead, I decided to run a piece on the history of the Internet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you know, the Internet offers many wonderful mailing lists you can subscribe to. CompuNotes is one of just thousands of lists you have access to! Patrick Lavelle has come up with a list you need to subscribe to called Success Online. Success Online sends you a success building thought or anecdote every week. The following is our conversation with Patrick: 1) Success Online is, well, a success. Where did the idea come from to do this? Success Online grew out of Rob Gilbert's daily phone message called "Success Hotline". I was (and still am) a daily caller and one day he gave out his email address, so I wrote him a letter and suggested that we start the on-line service. He thought it was a great idea so we started doing it. 2) Where do you find the information you pass on? How do you decide what to send out and what to keep? About half the messages are stories/idea's that we've complied from our personal readings and life experiences. However, the other half, and most of the time the better half, are submitted to us by our subscribers. Although we don't have a "formal" policy on message content, we tend to send out stories based on what is going on in the United States or based on the time of year. We have some super stories coming up with the 96 Olympics! 3) What are some comments or feedback you have gotten from users? Any weird or unique stories? We have gotten feedback from teachers(grade school through college) who use our messages to start out their classes. One subscribers starting sharing the messages with his ex-wife and they got back together. The most touching story was from a subscriber in Bosnia who told us that our messages gave her the courage to believe that peace was possible. 4) What do you do for a living? How does that mesh with Success Online? As I mentioned, Rob Gilbert is a Ph.D. at Montclair State University and teaches sports psychology. I'm a Operations Manager for Waste Management of Northeast Pa. (Yes, I run a refuse and recycling company!) But regardless if your profession is teaching or trash, it's important to remember that your dealing with people and people need to be motivated, need leadership and need to be treated fairly. Much of success online is dedicated to helping our subscribers develop and rekindle these ideals in their life. 5) What is your personal computer setup? What piece of equipment or software would you add if you could? I use a Compaq Presario 9549. If I had to do it over, I'd jack up the RAM a little more from the 8 meg that it has to 16 or 24. In terms of the list server, we use a commercial firm called Cuenet. (support@cue.com) The cost is nominal (15.00/month) and the system and support is tremendous. If I had to add something to my personal set up, I'd add a photo/ document scanner. I'm in the process of writing my first book and it would come in handy. 6) Explain why you think having a positive outlook on life is so important . . . It has been said that "We're not what we think we are, but what we think....we are." I've met people undergoing chemotherapy treatment who consider themselves the luckiest people alive. I've also met perfectly healthy people who consider their life to be in ruins because the car isn't the latest model or can't buy a new suit. It's all in one's attitude and perspective in life. Life isn't a dress rehearsal, this is the real thing. Having a positive attitude, people will find the best that life has to offer and not was time on the non productive things. 7) What do you do for fun when you aren't working? I pretend to be a good golfer, I enjoy reading biography's, I'm writing a book on the history of minor league baseball in Scranton Pa and enjoy swimming/working out. 8) Where do you see the future of Success Online going? One of the goals that Rob and I have set is to one day meet each other. It's interesting that we have created such an impact on people's lives and that we never have meet. After that, at some point in time we see ourselves running "mini seminar's" on line on what ever subject's the subscribers would like to cover. But most importantly, Success On Line will NEVER become a commercial site and NEVER try to sell the subscribers ANYTHING. We are dedicated to providing these messages to our subscribers with absolutely no strings attached. 9) What other mailing lists are you a member of? I'm a member of CNET's Digital Dispatch. Yahoo's Pick of the Week (yahoo-picks-request@yahoo.com) George Osners Quote of the Day (gosner@ainet.com) Success Express Journal (sej@success.ie) If anyone is interested, send a email with "subscribe" in the body of the letter to join. 10) Who's going to win the presidential election in November? I'm a dedicated Republican, so Bob Dole will be our next presidnet. To subscribe, send an email to patlav@epix.net and in the body of the letter type "subscribe success" The archives can be found at http://www.bae.uga.edu/other/david/david.html --END OF ISSUE--