We want your feedback! Send your letters to: Softdisk, 606 Common St., Shreveport LA 71101-3432, FAX to (318) 221-8870, or E-mail to sdwletters@softdisk.com

Dear Softdisk,

I only have Windows 3.11. Some programs require Windows 95 so I am unable to use them. I do not plan on upgrading as of now. Maybe later. For my needs, I am satisfied with my machine.
Benjamin Cooper
Worcester, MA

John responds:
It's true, as more of the world moves toward 32-bit processing (Windows 95, Windows 98, etc.) we're sometimes faced with putting more Windows 95 programs on the issues. A lot of our program submitters have made the jump to Windows 95 to take advantage of all the benefits of 32-bit processing in their code. The 32-bit code runs faster and is cleaner to work with. All the enhancements (except the Theme Packs, which are Windows 95 specific) still work fine on Windows 3.1 systems, though. If you like jumping back and forth between Windows and DOS, you might consider upgrading to Windows 95/98 even sooner. As an avid DOS user, I find the Windows 95/98 way of switching to DOS better than on Windows 3.1 systems.

Besides... Bill and his crew already have the first versions of Windows 98 out and are furiously working on Windows NT 5.0, which will most likely be labeled the successor of Windows 98 (and Windows NT 4.0) in the next millennium.

Dear Softdisk,

Is there some way to fill out the Report Card before I print it out?
James Kreke
Oklahoma City, OK

John responds:
As you might know by now, we've updated the Report Card starting this issue. Just use your mouse and keyboard to fill out the information on the Report Card page. Then left-click the "Send" button to send it across the Internet to us. If your system is not connected to the Internet and/or your Web Browser's not setup to handle e-mail, simply select "Print" or "Print Frame" from your Web Browser's File menu to print your Report Card.

Dear Softdisk,

It took some getting used to, but now that I have issue #48 I like the new shell. You'll notice I'm using the Report Card from issue #47. That's because I'm just now going back to #47, having finally figured out to use #48.

Plan on renewing? Absolutely.

Paul Bonner
Long Beach, CA

John responds:
Thanks Paul! We figured it would take an issue or so to get used to "surfin" through the content. Being in the teaching profession, you probably have a "first-hand" appreciation for our switch to a HTML shell as you and your students most likely face the Internet on a daily basis. By the way, what subjects do you teach?

Dear Softdisk,

The new format seems OK, but I did not have any problem with the last one. The new format forced me to install Internet Explorer 4.0 which I was trying to avoid. The only thing I don't really like is the Back Issue Browser. I have been using the Back Issue Browser like an index to search for items I remember having seen. Now with the Back Issue Browser going to the Web, it takes forever to load it and is more convenient to just get the disks out and go through them manually.
Emerson Conrad
Virginia Beach, VA

John responds:
OK's still good in my book. :) The requirement for Internet Explorer/Netscape Navigator 4.0 and above was a basic one. The 4.0 versions of these top two browsers act and perform about the same. Both handle Javascript and Frames (special Web page coding features) relatively the same as well. A few of the 3.x versions of these browsers (most notably Internet Explorer) had trouble running some of the issue. But with new bug fixes and patches coming out all the time for Web Browsers, it's best to keep updated to the latest major version of your favorite Web Browser anyway.

We've updated the Back Issue Store starting with this issue and included it right on the CD, too! You should notice a faster load-up time. :) We haven't worked out all the details of providing a search routine on a local CD-ROM yet. We'll be looking into that over the next month or so, though. Meanwhile, our new online version of the Store should also be markedly faster and it features a comprehensive search routine powered by Excite(TM). Needless to say, the online version will always have the most up-to-date information as well.

Dear Softdisk,

We received our newest issue of Softdisk today & there was the new address book!!! We immediately installed it & it is wonderful. I transferred all our records & printed out the variations we use. This is so much easier to use than the older version, plus allows so many more options. I don't know if this was in response to my request, but I wanted to say Thank You for this terrific program.
Wendy Black
(via Internet)

John responds:
Glad you like the program Wendy. If you have any other requests, just send them our way and we'll see what we can do.