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Randys Rumor Rag 1995 02
RAndY's RumOR RaG
February 1995
NEWS IN YER FACE
Under the heading of dumb software comes Microsoft Bob.
I've discussed this stupidware previously in this column, but now
Microsoft is starting to hype it. Let's see, a piece of paper on
a desk represents a word processing application, cartoon
characters like a dog called Rover which give on-line help via
text statements, and Microsoft says that eventually the
characters will have speech capabilities. Who asks for this
crap?
Some industry wonk recently predicted, "I think in five
years some kind of talking head will be the standard way the
computer communicates." Not on my machine, buddy.
After being introduced at CES, few PC manufacturers
expressed an interest in bundling the product with their systems.
Insiders expect it to sell well to the teen crowd and PC
neophytes who are intimidated by current interfaces. Microsoft
is shooting for sales figures in the same range as those for
Works.
In related stupid software news, Novel is testing a product
called Corsair which is similar to Microsoft Bob.
---------------
Rocker Peter Gabriel is planning to build his own
interactive software company, Real World Multimedia. A new CD-
ROM called Xplora combines Gabriel's music with interactive
multimedia images.
---------------
Look for a new technology from Microsoft called Surround
Video. According to a spokesman, "It puts the user in an
environment that is photographically real." Users can view a
still image at 360 degrees by just moving the mouse. It's like
you're standing in one place and turn your head to see a full
panorama. The technology also allows for full-motion video and
sound to be layered on top.
---------------
Two new screensavers you've got to get - The Women of
Playboy and The Beavis and Butthead Multimedia Screen Saver. Uh-
huh-uh-uh-huh-huh-mmmm-huh-huh.
---------------
Sound card makers Aztech have made an 8.3% equity investment
in Reveal, a company loosely related to Packard Bell.
---------------
There's a problem with the replacement Pentium chips being
shipped out. Some chips are overheating if the heat sinks are
not compatible with the replacement chips. Intel offers OEMs a
universal heat sink, but some vendors change the design.
---------------
The beta for OS/2 for PowerPC is late and ISVs are being
told they'll have to wait a few more weeks.
---------------
Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have embarked on a joint
project to develop infrared technology which will be integrated
into Windows 95. This will allow users to work with portables
and printers that have infrared capabilities.
---------------
Intel will soon introduce a new chipset, code-named Triton,
which will allow manufacturers to produce higher performing
systems at a lower cost. The chipset uses a new type of DRAM
called Extended Data Out, EDO, which is currently in short
supply. EDO doubles the bandwidth of regular DRAM and eliminates
the need for expensive SRAM caches while delivering the same
performance.
---------------
If you have a Hewlett-Packard Deskjet 520, 550C, 560C, or
Deskwriter 520 you may be finding that the paper feed rollers are
having trouble picking up paper. It seems that these printers
which were manufactured between June 1993 and March 1994 used a
new material for the rollers which loses its friction properties
over time. Low humidity or temperature, low usage, or excess
paper dust aggravates the condition.
You can call Hewlett-Packard at 1-800-656-2324 for a Paper
Feed Cleaning Kit. Included will be a disk which makes the
rollers turn continuously while spring-loaded abrasive pads
roughen the rollers' surfaces. This takes about 20 minutes and
HP claims it should only be required once or twice during the
lifetime of the printer.
---------------
Lotus and AT&T are reportedly teaming up to buy another
company - possibly Novell.
---------------
GameCop from Analytic Software in San Jose is programmed to
recognize 100 games and will sound an alarm if an employee plays
a game on company time.
---------------
Ten years ago, IBM's 3090 Model 200 mainframe sold for $5.6
million and cranked out 27.9 MIPS. Today, their ES/9000 has 15
times the processor power at just three times the cost.
---------------
WINDOWS 95 NEWS
Microsoft will host some nondisclosure meetings at CES to
explain the delays in getting Windows 95 to the shelf. They'll
also talk about the new idiotware mentioned above, Microsoft Bob.
My spies tell me that the reason for the Windows 95 delay is that
Plug-N-Play is nowhere near ready yet.
I have heard through the grapevine that Windows 95 is not a
completely new rewrite, but an improvement of DOS and Windows,
that it continues to rely on DOS, and that the kernel includes 16-
bit code. Well, it seems that some beta testers are finding out
that some applications will not load because they've run out of
conventional DOS memory.
Even Microsoft admits that there is some 16-bit code around.
Andrew Schulman, author of the Microsoft-sanctioned book
"Unauthorized Windows 95" claims that the use of MS-DOS code is
necessary for compatibility reasons - and to keep the code
smaller. It is claimed that converting to 32-bit code would have
increased the memory requirements by almost 40 percent.
Don't bother trying to suck up to Microsoft to be a Windows
95 beta tester. They've already got 40,000 and aren't looking
for any more.
Microsoft is taking the Microsoft Network off-line until
March to upgrade the infrastructure. Beta testers have been able
to dial in up to this point.
---------------
DOS AIN'T DEAD YET
Even though Microsoft has ceased development of MS-DOS, IBM
thinks there is still a market. Lotus and Novell continue to
develop DOS-based products.
PC-DOS 7 is now in beta testing and will reportedly give
users as much as 70K of extra memory for running drivers and
applications.
Along with better memory management, PC-DOS 7 will detect
more than 2,100 viruses, contain the full Windows version of
Stacker 4.02, feature hyperlinked on-line help, a new interface
for setting up commonly used cards, and File Update, a Laplink-
like utility for synchronizing files on multiple computers. Gone
is the Workplace Shell.
IBM sees two markets for such a product - preloading systems
and the upgrade market. They claim there are about 50 million in
the upgrade market alone. Said an IBM spokesman, "Let's get
real. There was no real reason (for manufacturers to adopt IBM
DOS) before because Windows 95 was going to be available third
quarter of 1994, I mean fourth quarter...I mean August 1995."
---------------
WINDOWS 95 REVISITED
Last month I gave you some of my impressions after working
with a beta of Windows 95 for a few days. In my haste to move on
to more important things, I neglected to mention a few things.
I don't know if this is something Microsoft plans to
implement when it releases Windows 95 and, in fact, any new
software - but they've gone to a new distribution format. The
disks are distributed in a 1.6M DMF format that our disk drives
don't understand. Of course you can read the disks, but you
can't copy the distribution disks. Hmmm, could copy protection
be rearing its ugly head again after all these years?
Another thing I forgot to mention is that you can't delete
the My Computer icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
You can't even rename it to something less stupid. The only
useful purpose this serves is to let you format disks. Believe
it or not, you can't format disks from the much-ballyhooed
Explorer! All other functions contained therein can be found
elsewhere. I don't want it there and I certainly don't want it
to have a stupid name like "My Computer".
---------------
MORE NEWS IN YER FACE
At February's International Solid State Circuits Convention
in San Francisco, Intel will announce some technical details of
their P6 microprocessor. Of course, they're targeting it at
servers and high-end desktops and they're expected to be in
systems by the third quarter of this year. Using RISC
architecture for greater processor speeds, the features will
include speculative execution, multiple-branch execution, and
data-flow analysis.
In other Intel news, the much-awaited P24T is now available.
Price-wise it's positioned between the DX2 and DX4 Overdrives at
$449 list. They claim a 50%-80% performance increase but I don't
think the bang for the buck is there. Why go this route when a
DS4-100 costs $100 less for the same performance?
---------------
Novell's PerfectOffice 3.0 which shipped in December has an
installation bug which prevents it from installing on a machine
that has GroupWise already loaded. The problem was quickly
fixed, but it's still an embarrassment.
Another bug that's in about 100,000 copies will display an
error message "Old Theta being updated" when users attempt some
applications. Resellers have the choice of returning the
packages or pasting them with a sticker that urges users to call
Novell's hotline.
---------------
By the end of the year, look for motherboard manufacturers
to integrate sound on the board.. FM sound cards will then be in
the upgrade market.
---------------
Kelly Micro has developed a SIMM with a DIP switch which
will allow resellers to adjust resisters to one of four common
settings.
---------------
Opinion is divided over the impact the earthquake in Japan
may have on DRAM prices. The consensus is that if there are
price increases, they will be short-lived.
---------------
Defense contractor McDonnell Douglas and Microsoft are
getting together to create an action game.
---------------
Time-Warner's Woodstock CD had a 90% return rate. I thought
it was groovy, man.
---------------
Although Novell no longer sells WordPerfect for OS/2, for $4
they'll send you a disk that improves the program's performance
under Warp and will also register files as objects in the
Workplace Shell.
---------------
Sunguard Data Systems sent out some disks that contained a
virus that their own anti-virus software couldn't detect. The
disks contained a program which helped businesses recover data
after a disaster such as a flood or other loss-inducing incident.
Says president Bruce Battjer "Shame on me for getting bit once,
but shoot me if I get bit twice."
---------------
When commenting on Mac clones which are soon to hit the
market, Apple CEO Michael Spindler said, "If anybody makes a Mac
cheaper than we do, we should be shot."
---------------
O.J. Judge Lance Ito was deluged by offers of freebies by
computer companies who wanted their products used during this
famous trial. IBM's ThinkPad won and Ito's model carries an IBM
logo that's twice the normal size (so the cameras can see it).
---------------
Some info-dorks are going on a three-month trek through
Central America starting February 1 and their itinerary will be
determined by people who communicate with them via laptop
computers. You can join in by contacting
MayaQuest@Info.MNs.k12.mn.us.
---------------
Intel is about to release their third-generation PCI chipset
for the Pentium called Triton. It will feature bus mastering for
IDE and a Plug-and-Play port.
In other Intel news, they plan to disclose any flaws in
their chips under a more open policy.
---------------
Patrick Duffy, VP of sales for Pionex America, made note of
his company's anticipation of price cuts by Packard Bell on
processors his company no longer sells by saying, "We've never
been caught with our pants down. Maybe unbuckled a few times,
but never down."
---------------
NEXT MONTH
I hope to do a hands-on review of Intel's DX4-100. That
should be hot! And I might even have a line on a Microsoft
keyboard (finally).
=================================
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RAndY's RumOR RaG is published on a monthly basis by RANDALL
AINSWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY and is available on various local BBS's,
GEnie, and in Modem News.
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