BY: James E. Powell
ABC Graphics Suite 95 not only offers some of the best graphics tools around, but it also features extensive integration with Microsoft Office 95. From diagramming and illustration to managing your clip art, ABC Graphics Suite 95 has something for everybody. In fact, this single package may provide all the graphics tools you'll ever need.
The suite includes full version upgrades of Micrografx Designer 6.0, ABC FlowCharter 6.0, Picture Publisher 6.0 (see First Impressions, September) and a new program, ABC Media Manager. Though many of the pieces were still works in progress in the beta I tested, what I saw showed great promise. The suite's integration with Office's new Binder is especially encouraging. Office's Binder is a window that lets you combine pieces of other applications into a single "master" document that can be printed in its entirety with sequential page numbering. Although not fully functional in the beta version, the suite will add program icons to the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar, and will also add an icon to invoke the Media Manager from within Microsoft Word and Excel. This will allow access to ABC Graphics Suite's 30,000 clip-art, diagramming tools and photo images that are included on its CD-ROM. The suite also shares Microsoft Office's dictionary to help make more efficient use of disk space.
Media Manager is a great cross-application tool. It displays thumbnail images of graphics files in a hierarchical collection that you design. You can assign keywords to images and search through the cataloged images by keyword. Media Manager works with OLE 2.0-compliant applications. For example, when I dragged an image from Word into the Media Manager, a thumbnail was created and Media Manager automatically added connecting points at the corners and other strategic spots. The added connecting points came in handy when I later dragged the image from Media Manager into ABC FlowCharter, which uses these points to connect objects with lines. Media Manager also converts files automatically to any of 50 file types.
Designer 6.0 has dockable custom toolbars and a Microsoft Office 95-compatible interface. The program makes it easy to take a piece of clip art, add a gradient and some text, then drag the new image into a Word document. Designer works with graphics and vector files, and even imports engineering drawings in .DXF and IGES file formats from technical illustration programs such as AutoCAD. You drag an image from Media Manager, add color or make other changes, then drag it back to Media Manager where it will be stored for future use.
FlowCharter has a new integrated data analysis module for Total Quality Management and Business Process Reengineering tasks. Wizards help you create a chart and add data fields from flowchart and spreadsheet files. You create charts--from Pareto charts to histograms--with the help of a wizard that asks for the chart type you want and explains the purpose of each, then pops up a spreadsheet in which you enter your data. You can quickly switch between a chart and the underlying data for data analysis.
FlowCharter now lets you select a shape for your drawing, change the style attributes and have the change apply to all new objects of the same type that are subsequently added to the drawing. FlowCharter uses Media Manager to store its symbols, which now number over 2,000 organized in 60 palettes. You can rotate shapes, and any text contained with the shape rotates accordingly. I particularly like FlowCharter's ability to align and evenly space selected objects, and to adjust selected objects to the same dimension (height, width or both).
Picture Publisher was reviewed last month, so I won't dwell on it here. Of special interest, however, is its special-effects palette. It's terrific fun and you can easily while away the hours experimenting with it. The new Picture Publisher adds support for .GIF files, dockable custom toolboxes and the Kodak Precision Color Management System.
The suite's greatest benefits result from its optimization for 32-bit performance. The applications work faster and take advantage of multithreading. For example, if you want to apply a change to a graphic image, you can do it in the background while you work with another file. Even in beta, the program's performance was impressive when tested on the final beta of Windows 95 running on a 120MHz Pentium with 16MB of RAM (Micrografx recommends 16MB for the suite). Because the applications support OLE 2.0, you can drag any image into another OLE 2.0-compliant application and then use in-place editing to modify the graphic. There's also support for OLE 2.0 automation, so it's possible to integrate images into Visual Basic or C++ applications. ABC FlowCharter alone includes over 400 OLE objects.
The suite adheres to Windows 95 standards, such as support for long filenames and desktop shortcuts. The program is distributed only on CD-ROM and also includes a 16-bit version of ABC SnapGraphics 2.0 (Micrografx said the 32-bit version wasn't ready for inclusion in the suite). SnapGraphics already has a Microsoft Office interface, and is a terrific tool for creating structured business diagrams such as simple project timelines and organizational charts.
ABC Graphics Suite 95 is a true triple threat. It's a comprehensive graphics package, it takes good advantage of the Windows 95 environment and it fits snugly into Office 95.
--Info File--
ABC Graphics Suite for Windows 95
Price: $299 (street); upgrade from any Micrografx product, competitive product or Microsoft Office, $149
In Brief: ABC Graphics Suite is a full-featured collection of illustration and graphics creation and editing tools, with extensive support for Microsoft Office for Windows 95.
Micrografx
800-676-3110, 214-234-1769
by James E. Powell,
Statistics show that most people don't use 80 percent of an application's features. WordPerfect Works and ClarisWorks are good news for the 20-percenters who need a word processor, spreadsheet and database but don't want to wade through the fusillade of features found in full-size applications.
These two "mini-suites'' trim the fat by paring extraneous features. They take less of your precious hard-disk space, while shedding such capabilities as adding watermarks to documents or connecting a database to eight types of files simultaneously. What these integrated packages don't sacrifice is power.
WordPerfect Works and ClarisWorks each include a word processor, database and spreadsheet module, plus drawing tools. For everyday business productivity, or for a perfect set of applications for your home PC without a high price, you'll find more than enough features in either product to keep you satisfied for some time to come. They're also ideal for notebooks where disk space may be limited. But best of all, they're excellent performers.
Functionally, the programs are very similar, but their graphical environments do differ. WordPerfect uses several rows of buttons at the top of the screen, changing the icons depending on what you select. Claris uses a floating palette of icons for shortcuts that changes based on the object selected. It's a subtle distinction, as are many of the other differences.
Beyond their look and feel, there are scores of features common to both programs. The word processors let you create new documents, embed spreadsheets or drawings within the documents and wrap text around graphics. You can add footnotes, adjust columns by dragging markers on the ruler bar and create reusable document styles. Both have a spell checker, thesaurus and find-and-replace--features which you can also use with their spreadsheet and database modules. All modules in both packages have undo and redo options.
The WordPerfect Works word processor has smart quotes and lets you move text around using drag-and-drop, but it can't import a graphic into a document directly as ClarisWorks can. Claris' Assistants help you quickly create special-purpose documents, such as certificates, fax cover pages, promotional fliers and so on. ClarisWorks also offers an outline view. Not to be outdone, WordPerfect lets you embed notes in documents and quickly add the date and time, which can be set to remain the same or to update each time you open the document.
The flat-file databases in both products have everything you need to keep lists of customers, property, products or whatever else you need to keep track of. I found the database in WordPerfect Works easier to use, thanks in part to its easy-to-understand interface. For example, it is far simpler to create selection criteria with WordPerfect Works than with the cryptic symbols used by Claris. You can create your own forms, grids (tables) or labels using forms designers in both, but WordPerfect's grid looks and acts just like a spreadsheet, while Claris uses a slightly different format. Both databases have utilitarian built-in functions, such as text concatenation and date calculations.
The databases in the two Works let you create numeric, text, date and time fields. Both let you define a calculated field and a summary field for reporting. WordPerfect also offers a picture field for storing graphic images, such as .PCX or .BMP files. Surprisingly, neither offers memo fields, but both make it easy to create auto-entry fields for default values, serial numbers, pick lists of predefined values or verification fields that check for missing or non-unique entries.
From a design perspective, WordPerfect Works is the easier to use when it comes to changing the backgrounds and styles of database fields. In fact, ClarisWorks won't let you change fields' background colors at all. The two programs' naming conventions are suspiciously similar, too. In both you can select the "Part'' command ("Add Part'' in WordPerfect; "Insert Part'' in Claris) to add a header, summary or footer to a report. With either database, you can place subtotals on a report; in WordPerfect Works you can choose to place that subtotal at either the beginning or end of the group it summarizes. WordPerfect has the advantage for label printing, with support for 123 Avery labels formats to ClarisWorks' 50.
The charting and spreadsheet modules run neck and neck, though I give a slight nod to ClarisWorks' because its features are easier to find in dialog boxes. For example, it was easier to figure out how to add the percentage amounts to a Claris pie chart than one in WordPerfect Works, though WordPerfect let me select the distance each slice was exploded from the whole. And WordPerfect's dialog boxes are more straightforward for changing bar colors in a chart.
For pure number crunching, the spreadsheets offer automatic summation and a host of cell formats. In both products, you can toggle off automatic calculation for formula-laden spreadsheets. But there are several differences. WordPerfect can put negative values in red; ClarisWorks can't. ClarisWorks is slightly faster at sorting data. And when a descending sort resulted in incorrect references for total calculations, ClarisWorks restored the value by sorting the list in ascending order, while WordPerfect required the undo command. WordPerfect offers more help for building complex functions. With Claris you can see headers and footers on screen, but WordPerfect makes you use Print Preview.
Claris and WordPerfect provide graphics tools for adding rectangles, circles and freehand drawing. The draw modules support multiple layers, grouping and alignment options, and rotate and flip commands. The paint modules (for bitmap images) work like the Windows' Paintbrush, but with much more power, and with features such as image enhancement options, and flip and rotate commands.
Both products lacked some features. You cannot set the border thickness in a spreadsheet cell, for example. Both claim to have communications capabilities, but don't. ClarisWorks calls Windows' Terminal, while WordPerfect Works lets you launch any communications package you already own.
If you plan to do all your work with new files, you'll be happiest. Both programs had problems importing or exporting data in other formats, with Claris being the weaker by far. Claris couldn't import an Excel 5.0 file at all. WordPerfect did okay, including picking up the formatting, but its single-dimension spreadsheet couldn't handle data from Excel's second sheet, so it tacked it on the end of the first. WordPerfect Works wasn't able to open even the simplest file from Word 6.0; Claris could import the text but couldn't handle the table that was in the Word document. WordPerfect, on the other hand, was better at converting an existing tab-delimited file into its database and importing a standard dBASE file.
WordPerfect Work's layout is pleasing. I liked ClarisWorks' tool palette of shortcuts, as well as its Assistants for building new documents. ClarisWorks also lets you create a slide show with any type of document, though you can't mix a page from a spreadsheet with one from a word processing document.
ClarisWorks topped WordPerfect Works in one important category: documentation. WordPerfect's manual was little more than a glorified list of help topics that you can read on-line. Claris shows you the basics of each module with application suggestions. Both programs have a guided tour to get you started, complemented by plenty of on-line help. WordPerfect ships with dozens of sample documents and a special edition of Quicken. Claris includes a copy of FaxWorks 3.0.
The differences between ClarisWorks and WordPerfect Works are so subtle that you're likely to make your choice based on a specific feature that one has and the other lacks. Either way, you can't go wrong. With both you get ample power without investing heavily in time, money or hardware.
INFO FILE
ClarisWorks 3.0
Price: $99; upgrades, $49 (includes Borland Sidekick through Jan. 31)
In Brief: Slim and spry, this integrated suite shows great improvement from its previous version.
Disk Space Required: 9MB (full installation)
System Resources: 9%
RAM: 4MB (8MB recommended)
Claris Corp.
800-3CLARIS, 408-727-8227
WordPerfect Works 2.0
Price: $109
In Brief: WordPerfect's suite has an excellent mix of features with a strong word processor and a good spreadsheet.
Disk Space Required: 13.5MB (full installation)
System Resources: 23%
RAM: 4MB
WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group
800-451-5151, 801-225-5000
by Christopher O'Malley
A contact management program is often little more than a database with a phone dialer. Modatech's Maximizer has always aspired to be more than that, with advanced scheduling, reporting and word processing features. With the Maximizer Sales Suite for Windows, Modatech pushes the envelope again, offering even more help for professionals whose business is people.
Sales Suite combines the Maximizer contact manager with three natural allies: MapLinx Corp.'s MapLinx database mapping program, Crystal Services' Crystal Reports report writer, and SofNet's FaxWorks fax program. The latter two augment Maximizer's limited reporting and faxing features. MapLinx adds an entirely new dimension.
Though Modatech touts the Maximizer Sales Suite as a "seamlessly integrated'' concoction of four previously separate programs, it's far from that. For starters, the four distinct manuals are evidence to the contrary. Sales Suite is more like a quartet of applications united by a common icon bar and a few strategic data links. That's not necessarily bad, but the seams are hardly invisible.
One downside to the bundle approach is that installing the equivalent of four programs takes a little patience and a lot of disk space. Sales Suite consumes about 30MB of disk space if you opt for all its features. Support, should you need it, is scattered, too. Modatech supports Maximizer and FaxWorks, but MapLinx and Crystal Reports are supported by their respective publishers.
Still, the four programs complement each other well. The anchor of the foursome is Maximizer, a well-rounded contact manager that keeps things simple with its list-oriented approach to tracking contacts, notes, appointments and to-do reminders. Beneath this facile facade is a database with powerful searching features that uses Novell's Btrieve engine. It also has a very capable word processor, with spell checking, thesaurus and mail merge. Naturally, there are phone dialing and call logging functions as well.
MapLinx does a nice job of bringing Maximizer's data to life. MapLinx can plot selected contact data from Maximizer onto a map that covers as much as the United States, or as little as a city's zip codes and major byways. This sort of geographic visualization not only gives you a snapshot of where your customers are; it can also help you do things like plan mailings, advertisements, territories and even business trips.
Crystal Reports doesn't have quite the same visual pizzazz, but it also can cast your Maximizer contact data in a new light. This report writer uses templates that let you create polished, customized reports from your Maximizer data, complete with arithmetic functions so you can render totals, averages and the like. You can also add graphics to your reports and maps from MapLinx. While there's really nothing new here from a database perspective, the pairing of a data extractor like Crystal Reports with a contact manager can help you squeeze some new intelligence out of a rarely leveraged repository of information.
FaxWorks has a straightforward mission: to send, receive and view faxes. Its principal tie-in with Maximizer is that you can easily send faxes to anyone in your contact database, because FaxWorks creates a phone book for each contact list, with each fax logged in Maximizer just as a letter would be.
In addition to these data links, Sales Suite uses a small, movable icon bar to sew its four pieces together. That makes it easy to jump from one app to another, or from other Windows programs to your contact data. Maximizer supports DDE linking, but it does not support OLE.
Maximizer Sales Suite could be better integrated, and it would probably be a whole lot leaner if it were designed from the ground up as one program. But its meshing of contact management with analytical and communications tools is a clear step in the right direction.
INFO FILE
Maximizer Sales Suite
Price: $379; upgrade, $129
In Brief: Maximizer Sales Suite adds mapping, report-writing and faxing capabilities to its core set of contact-management tools. It could be leaner and better integrated, however.
Disk Space Required: 30MB
System Resources: 6% to 9%
RAM: 4MB, 8MB recommended
Modatech Systems
800-804-6299, 214-929-7111
By: John D. Ruley and William Gee
For years, Microsoft's Office suite has set the standard for Windows-based desktop applications. Now Microsoft is attempting to extend this franchise to the server closet and data center with Back Office. Except for the MS Mail module, Back Office Microsoft is close to setting a new standard for server-side applications.
NT Server 3.5 is a state-of-the-art server for network services and applications. It is portable to both Intel x86 and several RISC architectures, scalable to multi-processor platforms, highly secure and reliable. Performance is excellent, and NT Server sets a new standard for how server-based software should look and feel.
You may encounter some flaws while operating NT Server in extremely large installations, however. The built-in directory replication service replicates only user accounts and selected read-only data such as log-in scripts. Scalability is limited to a maximum of 16 CPUs per server, and NT Server lacks support for clustering.
SQL Server for Windows NT is a full 32-bit relational database capable of astonishing performance. Our tests revealed performance in excess of 90 transactions-per-second (tps) with SQL Server 4.21 on an Intel 486DX2-66 platform, and more than 200 tps on a Digital AlphaServer 1000 RISC-based server. The latter figure is comparable to smaller VAX mainframe computers.
As for connectivity, SQL Server for Windows NT supports simultaneous access over multiple protocols--including both TCP/IP and Microsoft's own NetWare-compatible NWLink protocol stack. When SQL Server for Windows NT running on Windows NT is dropped into a NetWare LAN, it is immediately available to NetWare clients without modification.
SQL Server 4.21 lacks a true database replication capability. Combined with NT's lack of clustering support, this imposes a practical limit on support for very large, distributed corporate databases. Microsoft's planned follow-on product, SQL 95, will address the replication issue and provide a completely new administrator's interface that makes it possible to use Visual Basic as a scripting language.
Systems Management Server (SMS) is Microsoft's solution to managing large numbers of PCs in corporate sites. SMS stores management information in an SQL Server database accessed by using a specialized SMS administrator's program. SMS automatically collects data for the database through client software executed in conjunction with system log-in scripts. This data constitutes basic configuration information on all SMS-managed clients and servers, inventory data on software installed on the clients and audits of specified software packages.
Each SMS site must contain a "site server" as well as an SQL Server. Clients execute the SMS client software as part of their normal network server log-on. SMS stores inventory/audit data from the clients in Management Information File (MIF) files that propagate back to the site server through the log-on.
SMS automatically collects basic inventory data on clients and servers. You can also search for specific files by name, size and/or modification date. Once this data is collected, you can query against it to generate a list of workstations that need software upgrades. SMS also allows automatic installation and upgrade of both locally installed applications and server-based network applications. It supports shared network through the creation of program manager groups and icons that access applications installed in and shared by a file server. After you create a package, just drag it to the query results and drop it. SMS will automatically propagate the package to the clients designated by the query. Oddly, remote package installation isn't compatible with Setup programs built using Microsoft's own Visual Basic setup toolkit.
An impressive set of troubleshooting tools complements SMS' inventory and installation features. SMS also ships with an NT-based Network Monitor that has most features of a network "sniffer." It records network traffic, decodes it and lets you search captured packets in a variety of ways. SMS lacks true software metering, but its inventory and audit features do give you a list of which clients are capable of running applications or have application components installed. Our experience with a small SMS test site (three servers, less than a dozen clients) showed that once the complicated installation is complete, it's easy to use.
Many mainframes use Systems Network Architecture (SNA) to communicate with terminals and other mainframes. SNA Server 2.1 provides an SNA gateway between LAN-based PCs and IBM-compatible mainframe systems. SNA Server 2.1 supports IBM-standard 5250, 3270 and TN3270 terminal emulation, all necessary LAN protocols and SNA PU/LU protocols including DSSPU and LU 6.2. Basic 3270 and 5250 terminal applets for evaluation and support services are included.
SNA Server works as a Windows NT service. It integrates well with Windows NT's security and management systems and provides graphical management tools. Version 2.1 supports as many as 2,000 clients and up to 10,000 host sessions per server. You can configure 50 SNA Servers for load balancing and hot backup within a domain. Other Back Office components such as SMS can find another use for SNA Server as a communications service.
Third-party support for SNA Server is excellent. Most vendors of IBM 3270 terminal emulators support it, and there are a variety of database gateways and WAN connectivity options.
We had little trouble installing SNA server and getting connected to AS/400 and ES-9000 computers. We also found that SNA Server can be configured to reestablish connection to a mainframe after a server crash. It's a two-step process: First, you set SNA Server Service to Automatic from Control Panel; and then you cofigure the SNA connection's activation by choosing "On Server Startup."
At press time, Microsoft expected to ship a complete Back Office 1.0 suite by midyear. This will include all of the above components, plus a new NT-based version of MS Mail. The full suite release will also include Power PC support.
Several server manufacturers are bundling Back Office on high-end NT Server systems. They will soon find out if the economics of selling software suites are as compelling on servers as on desktop systems.
Info File
Microsoft Back Office 1.0
Price: Server, $409 to $999, depending on module; complete package, $2,199; per client, $39.95 to $149, depending on module; complete package, single user, $239 (all street prices)
In Brief: Microsoft's bundle for NT Server sets a new standard for server-side applications except where electronic mail is concerned.
Disk Space Required: 11MB to 100MB, depending on module; complete package, 231MB
System Resources: N/A
RAM: 16MB to 28MB, depending on module; Complete package, 32MB
Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080
by: James E. Powell, and Hailey Lynne McKeefry
It's hard to zoom into a brand-new operating system without a few good applications to drive. Well, the folks in Redmond aren't asleep at the wheel. Office 95--the all 32-bit version of Microsoft's suite--will follow hard on the heels of Windows 95.
The beta of Office 95 that we examined scrupulously maintains a common look and feel among its member apps. A shortcut bar provides one-click access to any of the applications. You can move the bar anywhere on the screen and customize it to include other applications, documents and folders.
Office adds a new file type, the Office Binder. Binders contain workbooks that include files created with any Office 95 or Windows 95 application supporting the feature. With the Binder open, you'll see an icon for each file identifying its application. Documents in the Binder are treated as a single unit so that they're opened and saved together. Binder documents can be printed together with cross-document page numbering, and they stay together when copied to another location. It's possible to uncouple any Binder component by removing it from the Binder.
Across all Office applications, you are able to query the Answer Wizard in plain language. It interprets the question and then displays the basic topic along with others that might apply. To test this, we typed in the query, "How do I print my document sideways?" The program pointed us to the landscape printing topic. Another help feature, Interactive
Answers, guides you through a process using your own document as the example.
The AutoCorrect feature and the spell checker, previously available only in Word, are now in Excel, PowerPoint and Access as well. (A beta of Access 95 was not available at press time. It will be reviewed in our October issue.)
All the Office programs support tool tips, right mouse button commands and long filenames. Any Office application file that you save will, by default, be placed in the "My Documents" folder created by Windows 95.
Dialog Tips provide up to 256 characters of text explaining the feature you're currently using. All Office apps now have a Proportional Scrollbar, too. These scroll-bar sliders resize to cover just the document area you have open and provide prompts to pinpoint your location.
At first, you'll probably just want to wander around Microsoft's spacious new Office 95. But once you get comfortable with your surroundings, you'll likely spend more time with Word than any other app.
There aren't a lot of new features in Microsoft Word for Windows 95, but there are plenty of changes. Most modifications were made to bring Word into compliance with Office 95 and Windows 95 standards, such as long filenames, the new File dialog box and more extensive screen tips. On the other hand, some Windows 95 features aren't fully exploited. For example, Word 95 uses multithreading only to improve background printing.
Some changes are designed to fill in gaps in your feature set. If your touch typing trips up and you press the Caps Lock key instead of the Shift key, Word will sense the error in the next sentence when your typed text has the upper- and lowercase letters reversed. Word will correct the mistakes and turn off Caps Lock. This feature does have a significant limitation: It doesn't work on a paragraph's first sentence.
Word 6.0's AutoCorrect has gotten smarter in Word 95. Instead of assuming that two capital letters in a row is a mistake, it now keeps it hands off legitimate occurrences such as pluralized acronyms like PCs. AutoCorrect can expand user-defined abbreviations, including possessives. So it could, for example, substitute WM's readers with WINDOWS Magazine's readers. If you backspace over an AutoCorrect correction to refuse Word's suggestion, Word will add it to its exception list. AutoCorrect has added a few more tricks to its repertoire. It's smart enough to turn a series of equal signs into a double solid line across the page and it can change 1st into 1st.
Word 95 analyzes what you type and makes intelligent substitutions. If you type a number followed by a period and some text, Word 95 automatically switches into numbering mode and neatly formats your typing as a numbered list. Similarly, it switches into bulleted list format when you type a few dashes followed by some text. It's now also easier to exit either list format --just press backspace.
The new spell checker is a little more aggressive, too. It scrutinizes spelling as you type and underlines mistakes with a squiggly red line. Right-click on the word and a list of suggested replacements pops up, along with menu options to add the word to your dictionary or to open the regular spell check dialog. You can turn this feature off, but if you let it do its thing, when you run the standard spell checker, it'll rocket through your text because it already knows where the errors are. One caveat about Word 95's spell checking: It won't spot errors as you type if the words are all uppercase.
If your Word 95 work goes to colleagues who use other word processors, you'll appreciate the new filters for exporting to Ami Pro (through version 3.0) and WordPerfect 6.x. And like the latest version of WordPerfect, Word 95's find-and- replace feature now handles word forms, so if you're replacing "view" with "see," the word "viewed" will change to "saw." In the print dialog box, you can select a printer for the current document without changing Windows 95's default printer. Word 95 also supports the Answer Wizard and has proportional scroll bars with page number prompts.
You won't have to spend much time learning these new Word 95 features. They're logical enhancements that take good advantage of the Windows 95 environment.
Microsoft Excel never wore a dunce cap in our book, but its Windows 95 version is packed with improvements that push the program's IQ well into genius territory.
Our hands-down favorite new feature in Microsoft Excel for Windows 95 is AutoCalculate. You can highlight cells anywhere on your spreadsheet--they don't have to be in the same row or column--and AutoCalculate will display the average, count, minimum, maximum, numeric selection or sum of those numbers in a box at the bottom of the screen. It may not be the most revolutionary feature to appear in a spreadsheet program, but it's certainly handy and will definitely put our desktop calculator out to pasture for good.
The AutoComplete feature speeds up data entry by keeping track of the cell entries you make and, based on those entries, makes a well-educated guess at what you want to enter next in the column. For example, if the word "Sales" has already appeared a few times in a column, the next time you type an "s" in a blank cell in the column, AutoComplete will anticipate "Sales" and finish the entry for you. If you don't like AutoComplete's suggestion, you can easily override it by continuing to type the preferred entry. You can also fill cells by right-clicking on an empty cell and picking one of the previous column entries from a pop-up pick list.
The program is also more clever about filtering data. AutoFilter let us filter by any entry, and also provided a "Top Ten" filtering option. The Top Ten filter will automatically list the top 10 values in a list. Top Ten can be customized to filter the top or bottom elements in the list and to filter by items or percent. In addition, there's a spin box where you can raise or lower the number of elements in the filtering criteria.
Cell Notes, which were added in Excel 2.0, have been enhanced. Notes, which can be comments, old values or even sounds, now will pop up in the same manner as Screen Tips.
The program has also been greatly enhanced in terms of usability. This version has animated screen actions to give precise visual feedback illustrating what action has been taken. For example, when we deleted a column, we could see the column beside it slide into its new position. Scroll Tips show the topmost row that will appear on the display whenever you slide the proportional scroll bar.
Formatting numbers on your spreadsheet is easier, too. Excel has done away with the sometimes cryptic formatting codes, such as ,0.00, and replaced them with simple examples that use real numbers, like "1,200.00." All the choices in the new Format Cell dialog are displayed as real-world examples.
Individually, Excel's new features aren't earthshaking, but together they make Excel more intelligent and user-friendly than ever.
Although a popular presentation package, PowerPoint has never been known for exciting slides. But the jazzed-up Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95 may turn a few heads.
Now you can pep up presentations with animation, for effects like words flying in from several different directions with associated sound effects. There's no way to control the timing and you can't set exact paths for objects, but the animation effects should be adequate for most presentations.
PowerPoint 95 is more colorful, too. You can pick from multiple color schemes and add textured fills and backgrounds. Twelve textures are built in and you can define your own. There are also multicolored gradient fills, semitransparent fills, more arrowhead connectors and easier incorporation of multimedia objects, such as .AVI movies.
The new Meeting Minder feature adds a degree of interactivity. You can add notes during your presentation and add Action Items in a small text window. At the end of your presentation, PowerPoint converts your Action Items into slides with each item shown on a bulleted list.
If you've ever rushed out the door only to leave behind part of your presentation, you'll appreciate the Pack and Go Wizard. It examines your presentation, figures out what files it uses and then assembles a package of compressed files. It lets you copy the presentation across multiple diskettes, including all linked and multimedia files.
The AutoClipArt feature aids the artistically challenged by scanning a presentation and suggesting places where adding clip art may be appropriate according to the way your clip art has been categorized.
A new style checker peruses presentations for grammar, the number of fonts used and the number of bullets per slide. A slide view presents miniature color and black-and-white versions simultaneously, although this feature wasn't fully implemented in the beta.
PowerPoint 95 supports AutoCorrect, Multiple Undo, the Answer Wizard and OLE automation.
PowerPoint 95 has a new file format, but a filter for PowerPoint 4.0 is promised.
Version 1.0 of Schedule+ was a comparatively puny organizer that still managed to outmuscle much of its competition by dint of its integration with Microsoft Mail and its networking features. Microsoft Schedule+ for Windows 95 packs more punch--so much that it may even persuade you to put away your PIM.
Schedule+ 95 has a tabbed interface to help you navigate the program's modules, a monthly calendar and a to-do list. It offers enough customizability for you to adapt it to your style in minutes. You can drag and resize any of the screen elements and display several days simultaneously, something version 1.0 couldn't do.
The Custom Tabs dialog box let me add, subtract and arrange Schedule+ tabs. There are 14 tabs to choose from, including various types of calendars, contact views and to-do lists.
Manipulating appointments is a lot easier, too. You can drag and drop appointments between days, and right-mouse click to edit, move or delete appointments.
The Task list is also noticeably richer. You can check off finished projects, assign priorities and due dates to items, indicate the percent of completion for a project and designate durations. A drop-down menu lets you associate a contact with a particular task. If a task isn't checked off during the course of the day, it's carried over to the following day.
Schedule+ 95's final piece is its contact manager. In this view, the left portion of the screen lists your contacts, with the information you choose to include (company, phone number and so forth). You can store up to eight phone numbers and two addresses for each contact. A "business card" view shows the details for the highlighted contact. As you type a name in the Go To field, it takes you to the closest match in the database.
Schedule+ 95 still isn't as full-featured as similar standalone products, but it remedies many of version 1.0's shortcomings and is an effective complement to the rest of the Office 95 suite.
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Microsoft Office for Windows 95
Price: $499; Professional (includes Access), $599; upgrade, through Dec. 31, $249; Professional upgrade, through Dec. 31, $349.
In Brief: All the Office 95 applications take advantage of Windows 95's new features, and each adds its own usability enhancements.
Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080
by: James E. Powell
The first integrated software package for Windows 95 is out of the gate and--surprise--it's from Microsoft. Works for Windows 95 has been worked over. The beta we saw has a few new must-have features added, but the majority of the effort was focused on improving what was already there.
For example, when you create a letter with the Letter TaskWizard, you can choose from an available format and then type in a single entry or use a Works database for the mailing list. There are over 100 sample business and personal letters to choose from.
Works 95 is even more appealing if you get the version that includes Bookshelf 95. Adding Bookshelf 95 ups the price to $79.95 (through the end of the year, $99.95 thereafter), but it's still a good deal. Among its references, Bookshelf 95 includes a zip code database. For no apparent reason, however, Bookshelf is only available from Works 95's word processor.
Microsoft estimates about 65 percent of current Works users manage their small businesses with the program. To better serve them, Works 95 offers more predefined text, more layouts for reports, letters and faxes, and more useful help.
From its opening screen, Works 95's improvements are obvious. The new Task Launcher asks what category you want to work in--Correspondence, Business Management, Household Management, Employment or Common Tasks. These include letters, address book entries and creating letterheads. Click on a category and a TaskWizard starts. The wizards are arranged logically and are easy to find.
The word processor displays the font names in the drop-down list using the actual fonts. A new page layout view shows headers and footers on screen as they would appear in your document. You can also customize bullets, page and paragraph borders, and shading.
The Works 95 database has added a separate design view so you can't accidentally alter a screen form when entering data. The new ReportCreator uses a tabbed dialog box to offer Format, Group, Sort, Filter and Summary options. You can print only marked records or merge them with standard letters. The ReportCreator falls a little short. You can use a TaskWizard to quickly create a report, but editing the results is tricky. And you can associate only eight reports with a database.
Works' spreadsheet has some new features, too. Easy Calc walks you through any of 76 formulas. With only a little input, it made an intelligent guess about what I wanted to sum up and automatically created the =SUM formula. Autofill, which extends a series of entries across a range of cells, is also new. The spreadsheet's automatic formatting and charting functions have been improved, too.
Works 95's common address book can be used alone to store names and phone numbers or used in conjunction with mail merge. You can choose from several address book formats predefined for handling suppliers, clients, employees, or your personal or business contacts.
The program supports Windows 95 long filenames and OLE 2.0. With OLE, you can, for example, drag an Excel spreadsheet into your document and even edit it from within Works. Works 95 bears a strong familial resemblance to big brother Microsoft Office. The programs read each other's files, but don't share the same file format.
You'll need 6MB of RAM to run Works 95, but you'll be happier with the recommended 8MB. Works 95 treads lightly on your hard disk with a small footprint of only 20MB for the full package.
If the improved interface isn't enough to get you going, tap some of Works 95's other help options. There are quick tours that explain features using mini-movies and a task-oriented getting started guide. Right-button menus are everywhere.
With Works 95, the small improvements add up to a big winner.
--Info File--
Microsoft Works for Windows 95
Price: $54.95 (street); with Bookshelf 95, $79.95; $10 in-box rebate for upgrades
In Brief: The first integrated package for Windows 95 has plenty of help and default text, and samples to manage your home or business daily correspondence, spreadsheet and database needs.
Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080
BY: James E. Powell
Help is on the way. The WinHelp Office suite offers a battery of tools centered on RoboHelp, an easy-to-use help-authoring system that works within Microsoft Word.
The WinHelp Video Kit lets you add multimedia elements to a help system by integrating video (.AVI) and sound (.WAV) into your help application. The kit also includes a tool--similar to Lotus ScreenCam--for capturing screen activity and turning it into a video file.
WinHelp HyperViewer lets you do full-text searches, then displays the matching topics and highlights the search term within the text. You can use HyperViewer to print multiple topics. There's also a tool for creating a hierarchical outline of your help file.
If you don't have the source for a help file, use WinHelp's decompiler to create a source document from a .HLP file. A BugHunter helps you find broken or incorrect context-sensitive help-file links. The Inspector tool lets you snoop around a help system and displays information such as a help file's topics and keywords.
The Moving to WinHelp '95 Kit is really a book that prepares you for the transition to Windows 95. However, it does not include a Windows 95 help compiler.
The only sour note in this suite is that the tools aren't integrated. It's more of a money-saving software bundle than a set of linked tools. Separate installation programs create two separate program groups or smooth, menu-option transfers from one tool to another.
The sweet side of the deal is that WinHelp's tools are among the best you'll find and are well supported by good documentation. A generous helping of samples will get you started, and you can learn all about help systems while using one to create your own.
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WinHelp Office 1.5
Price: $599
Disk Space: 9MB
System Resources: Varies (15% maximum)
RAM: 8MB
Blue Sky Software Corp.
800-459-2356, 619-459-6365