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Lockergnome
01.11.1999 - GnomeREPORT

Manny III is running wonderfully (thanks for asking). I ran into a couple of snags with the Psion PCMCIA modem (connection speeds were way low), but a flash to V.90 fixed that in a jiffy. The other quirks I ran into were sidestepped by reading Dell's Laptop WebTalk forum, Lila's I7K pages, and reading the comp.sys.laptops newsgroup. During my first adventures with Manny III, I noticed the DVD-ROM drive acting a bit quirky. Now, I realize that DVD drives are still in their infancy (and I knew the risk I was taking when I ordered one), but I wanted to be able to plug it into my TV so that I didn't have to purchase a separate player. It's disappointing when you get a new computer and the software and/or drivers don't work quite like they should.

I had trouble (in particular) with my TRON DVD (ya know, that classic Disney movie about computer life on the other side). When I inserted the disc, the audio and video would initially skip on the default Windows 98 DVD player (which is horrible, though a new version is coming). When the movie started, all I heard was a loud "BADADADADADADADADA..." -- I assumed that it wasn't a hardware problem because when I muted the DVD audio, the noise stopped, too. So, I was off to find new DVD software...

Throughout my travels, I discovered that there was a "hidden" DVD player on the "Lost in Space" DVD! While the player's UI was infinitely better than the default Windows 98 one, it still had the same problems with TRON. But I didn't give up yet--and I'm glad I didn't. A few hours later, I read a post where someone mentioned a player called PowerDVD. I was off to download the 30-day demo (keeping my fingers crossed). At this time, they can't sell it to the public (because of legal issues), but I believe they'll be able to do so VERY soon.

When I first launched PowerDVD, I was flabbergasted. The interface was to DIE for (which means it rocks)! Now, to give it the true test... I popped in the TRON DVD and gave PowerDVD a whirl. AND IT WORKED!!! My guess is that it bypasses the hardware drivers--something the other players didn't do. So, not only was the user interface close to perfection, but it actually WORKED with all the DVDs I had. I'm hoping that companies who bundle DVD-ROMs with their systems will use PowerDVD in the future--I'm sure their DVD-related complaints will decrease by 50% after doing so. Of course, that's just a guess--judge for yourself. I love DVDs!

-- Chris Pirillo        


GnomePROGRAM

Cacheman v3.51 [424k] W9x FREE

http://members.xoom.com/ultimatum/cacheman.zip
http://members.xoom.com/ultimatum/

I believe it's been a while since I last mentioned this utility (although it is listed on Lockergnome's cool stuff page). If you wonder why your computer is running slowly (or not as fast as it should be), understand that Windows 98 didn't "come" pre-optimized. You have to do a lot of tweaking on your own. The latest version of Cacheman takes out the guesswork. You can tweak the disk cache, name cache, and file cache settings--essentially making your system behave the way you want it to. I discovered a noticeable speed increase after using it. There are also presets for 'novices' and everything is undoable--never fear. You want this.


GnomeSYSTEM

STB Velocity 4400 v1.52 AGP/PCI [1.1M] W9x

http://www.stb.com/drivers/velocity/vl4400.html

"This new driver addresses issues involving screen overlay, high resolution AVI, DOS box, and DVD playback. In addition, these drivers solve issues involving blue screen errors and lockups in "Quakeworld"." There are two different driver sets available here: one for the card with TV out, and another for the Special Retail card with no TV out. Over and out!


GnomeCANDY

The Layout-o-Matik v1.0.1 [2.9M] W9x/NT US$10
Found by theNOIZ

http://www.web-o-tron.com/filelib/Web-o-Tron1w.zip
http://www.web-o-tron.com/layoutomatik.html

Run, don't walk, and download this program! It's the MOST incredible thing I've ever seen for simple web page generation. If you don't have the time (or don't know how) to design a decent layout for a web page, get The Layout-o-Matik. I don't care if you're a novice or a pro, you'll want this program on your hard drive--and you'll want to show it to every one of your friends, too. I'm not sure, but I believe it requires the Macromedia Shockwave & Director files installed... and is well worth it. Point, click, generate... then edit the HTML file in your preferred HTML editor. WOW!


GnomeFAVORITE

GeekFactory Publicity

http://geekfactory.com/

One thing that's difficult to get when you're "small" is press. It seems that only the big boys (and girls) get all the attention. If you're a marketing or public relations genius, getting people's attention is no problem. But, if you're involved in the computer industry (and a hard core geek), you're probably not going to have an easy time getting others to notice you. Enter the man who helps geeks balance their PR stuff. Perhaps he could help you and your small company? It's the year of the geek...


GnomeDESKTOP

FONT: Budmo Jiggler [28k]

http://swankarmy.net/larabiefonts/arc/budmo.zip
http://swankarmy.net/larabiefonts/arc/budmo.htm

Yes, after months of begging and pleading, I've finally added font previews to the HTML Daily newsletter for you guys (and gals). Of course, if you're reading this review in the Text weekly, you're seeing the same old stuff. Ah, just download the font anyway. I'm not going to throw junk in your direction. At least, I hope not. Oh, and by the way, this font is very circusy looking--I feel like swinging on a trapeze when I use it. Where would this world be without Ray Larabie?


GnomeTIP

Lockergnomie Galah Nuga (from Indonesia) has solved a long-time annoyance of mine! If you use Microsoft Word 97, you may have noticed that when you peruse a document using the scroll bar, the visible page doesn't "change" until you let go of the scroll bar button. Well, if you apply this registry tweak, you can click & hold the scroll bar button and get "live updating" in the document window! WARNING: Registry hacking is NOT for novices (proceed with caution). Open Regedit, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Office > 8.0 > Word > Options. Create a new String value and name it "LiveScrolling" (without the quotes or any spaces). Then, modify it and enter "1" (without the quotes) as a value. The next time you use Word 97, it should work!