GEnie Livewire e-zine/LW9411MM.ZIP/IBM.TXT

Text File | 1994-10-31 | 10.4 KB | 249 lines

Once again, the Yuletide season will soon be upon
us. In the rush and bustle of holiday cheer, it's
easy to forget that computers actually do make our
lives easier, more productive and enjoyable. I think
you'll find merry confirmation of that right here in
this story as you read about a personal information
manager, cookbook, Windows cleaner, nagger program,
model racing car game, and a chance to win a
Pentium-based system.

Speaking of winners, we've got one for you.

Windows RoundTable

GEnie's Windows RoundTable recently sponsored an
upload contest. Prizes, including several copies of
Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0, Microsoft Excel 5.0,
and a Microsoft Mouse, were awarded to the three
RoundTable members who uploaded the highest volume
of files to the Windows RoundTable Library during
September.

The contest was a smashing success, according to
sysop Rick Ruhl; everyone had a great time and
hundreds of new files were added to the Library.
Final tallies and prize determinations were not
available at press time, but Rick confirmed that
RoundTable member Keith Clark was the overall
winner. Congratulations, Keith!

Among dozens of terrific files Keith uploaded is an
evaluation copy of Telix for Windows, a new Windows
version of the popular DOS shareware communications
program. Complete with a FAST RIP terminal, reliable
Zmodem transfers, and powerful scripting languages,
Telix fits the bill for power and moderate modem
users alike.

Telix for Windows includes support for over 450
modems including many v.34 and v.FC models; cost
calculation and phone bill estimates; VT-220,
WYSE-75, and full ANSI X3.64 terminal emulation in
fully resizable windows; color scrollback; a script
recorder; built-in text editor, and much more. This
time-limited evaluation version is available in two
parts: File 2958 TFW100-1.ZIP and File 2961
TFW100-2.ZIP.

If you install and remove lots of software as you
evaluate shareware, or if simply want to free up
space on your ever-crowded hard drive, consider
adding a couple of "cleaners" to your Windows
toolkit. File 2853 UNSTAL.ZIP is Rosenthal UnInstall
v1 which safely removes unwanted DOS and Windows
programs. All new files, directories and system
changes may be kept or automatically removed and the
system restored. UnInstall supports single and
networked DOS and Windows systems.

Available in File 2836 DLLMAN14.ZIP, this program
displays the relationships among the executable
(EXE) files and Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) on
your disk. DLLMAN will show you the set of Dynamic
Link Libraries referenced by an EXE or DLL, and the
set of DLLs and EXEs that reference them. It's easy
to use, and is just the thing to help you identify
unnecessary files. What's more, it's freeware.

To help you get the most out of all that new
hardware you're expecting for Christmas (you were
good this year, weren't you?), check out File 2785
WINTUNE.ZIP. Wintune 1.0 from Windows Magazine is a
system information and testing utility. Use it to
evaluate system configuration options. Wintune
excels at real-world benchmarks. It will help you
diagnose and straighten out a multitude of PC
problems.

The Windows RoundTable is at GEnie Page 1335,
keyword WINDOWS. Check the RoundTable banner for
announcements of special events like the upload
contest, guest speakers, and the latest schedule for
Windows Real-Time Conference Help Desks, where you
can get on-the-spot advice from a friendly and
knowledgeable staff.

OS/2 RoundTable

In our July issue, we reported on the burgeoning
plans for Jasmine/2, an OS/2-based communications
front end being developed by OS/2 RoundTable
assistant sysop, Kimberly Bobrow. A non-functional
demonstration version of Jasmine/2, uploaded to
encourage feedback on the general feel of the
program, is now available in the OS/2 RoundTable
Library as File 3081 JASM-A01.LZH. Check it out and
send your impressions to KIMBERLEY or BOBROW.

Itty-Bitty Black Book/2 (File 3123 IBB124.ZIP) is a
personal information manager that can be used to
store and manipulate names, addresses, phone
numbers, and other pertinent information about
groups of individuals. It is capable of storing up
to five different groups of people in each phone
book. These groups can include business contacts,
friends, relatives, Christmas card lists and so
forth, determined solely by you. Itty-Bitty Black
Book/2 will also dial your phone and print mailing
labels and cardfiles. Download it now to whip this
year's holiday greeting card list into shape.

For pure enjoyment of the OS/2 variety, check out
File 3126 TRITRI.ZIP, an excellent three-dimensional
version of Tetris with great wireframe graphics. And
get File 3049 TRICKLE.ZIP, an attractive, fun and
tough-to-beat game played against the computer or a
human opponent.

You'll find GEnie's OS/2 RoundTable at Page 1400 (or
by using the keyword OS/2). Regularly scheduled
Real-Time Conferences, where you can meet and chat
with sysops and fellow OS/2 users, take place
Tuesdays starting at 10:00 PM and Wednesdays at 9:30
PM, both Eastern time.

IBMPC RoundTable

Entertaining friends and family over the holidays?
What are you going to feed them? MicroCook 1.37 is a
fully-functional recipe collection database for DOS
with full mouse support. The number of databases is
limited only by disk space. Recipes may be imported
and exported in ASCII format or MicroCook will
import Meal-Master(TM) ASCII recipes. It features
easy to use pull-down menus and powerful searches in
its index and disk database. Recipes may be printed
on any printer. 250 tasty ideas are included and t
here's an option to purchase over 3000 more for only
$5.00. You'll find MicroCook in File 36121
MCOOK137.ZIP in the IBMPC RoundTable Library.

Ever forgotten someone's birthday, anniversary or
other special occasion? Well, put your brain to
rest. PC-Nag v1.2 by Progressive Products (File
36188 PCNAG1_2.ZIP) has come to the rescue. This
program lets you save reminder messages on your
computer. Every morning when you turn on your
computer you'll be reminded of the things you
entered. PC-Nag works just like a spouse, but it
costs less and doesn't come equipped with in-laws.

You probably won't need this for the average holiday
greeting card list, but if you work with larger
mailing lists, try ZIPCode Finder, available in four
Files: 36231 ZIP21A.ZIP, 36232 ZIP21B.ZIP, 36233
ZIP21C.ZIP and 36234 ZIP21D.ZIP. ZIPCode Finder can
find locations in the United States and its
territories by searching by ZIP code or city. Single
or multiuser, ZIPCode Finder runs on any DOS-based
network.

Finally, in place of the old model racing set you
used to wish for every Christmas, try Skunny Kart.
Nothing beats the pulse-pounding excitement of high
speed 3-D racing, and Skunny Kart puts you right in
the thick of it. You can play against your computer,
or you and your friends can play at the same
computer in split-screen mode. Choose from any of
eight drivers (animals), each with its own colorful
antics, animations, and level of driving skills.
Skunny Kart is in File 36182 SKUNNYK.ZIP.

The IBM PC RoundTable is located at GEnie Page 615,
keyword IBMPC.

Multimedia/Cyberspace RoundTable

How would you like a chance to win one of four
Pentium-based systems with a guarantee of some zany
fun in the process? To celebrate the release of
"Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time" -- a
commercial Windows CD-ROM multimedia "thingie" based
directly on the BBS TV Series -- 7th Level Software
is awarding four Pentium-based systems and other
prizes to Python fans who manage to beat a
fiendishly difficult little game included on the
CD-ROM. They're providing official game hints in the
Cyberspace Bulletin Board (Category 20, Topic 2) and
hosting Real-Time Conferences and Python Trivia
games with admittedly less flashy prizes. Check the
Cyberspace banner on GEnie Page 2000, keyword
CYBERSPACE, for dates and times. If you'd like to
peek at "Complete Waste of Time," a GIF showing five
humorous thumbnail screen shots is available in File
1315 PYTHON.GIF in the Cyberspace Library on GEnie
Page 2000.

A slick DOS-based graphics display and conversion
shareware utility was recently uploaded to the
Cyberspace Library. Among other things, you can use
it to effortlessly create reduced-sized thumbnail
screens like those I just mentioned. File 1302
GDS310A.EXE uses point-and-click technology in DOS
to display images, create catalogs (screens of
reduced-sized images), and convert between formats
such as BMP, GIF, LBM, PCX, RIX, TGA, TIF, and even
JPG. And you won't believe the speed and the
superior quality of the images it delivers.

If the holiday season has you wondering about new
IBM-compatible commercial products, check out the
Cyberspace Report Weekly, produced each Friday in
the Multimedia, Desktop Video & Virtual Reality
RoundTable. CyPort describes new multimedia-type DOS
and Windows products (along with Mac and Amiga)
complete with prices and system requirements, and
requires less than five minutes to download. The
latest version is always available from Menu Option
7 on GEnie Page 2000. An Aladdin script for getting
CyPort unattended is available in Library File 1203
CYPRTSCR.ZIP.

While you're there, grab File 1270 MMRTPRES.ZIP, a
free-standing DOS presentation that explores the
Mutlimedia RoundTable in its native mode,
multimedia. It incorporates graphics, optional
background music, and information about the subjects
addressed in that RoundTable with tips on
interesting Bulletin Board topics and Library picks.
The presentation was made with NeoBookPro, a popular
and truly easy-to-use DOS multimedia authoring
program; the latest fully-functional version (2.0b)
is available in Library File 1289 NEOBKPRO.ZIP. For
tips on making your own presentations, use
NeoBookPro to learn how the Multimedia RoundTable
presentation was put together.

GEnie's IBM-compatible computing RoundTables should
be on every PC owner's holiday shopping list --
whether you're looking for the latest in shareware
and public domain applications and utilities,
top-notch advice on hardware, software and every
possible combination of the two, or simply want to
shoot the breeze with the friendliest PC users
online. Wherever your holiday travels take you this
year -- on real or virtual highways -- drive safely
and make time to visit to your favorite computing
RoundTable.