MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER 5.5 PREVIEW
December 4, 1999 |
| If you're feeling lucky, there's a preview release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, the next release. Click here for the setup program (500K) that leads to the full download. Netscape has been plagued by delays and buggy releases this year, while Internet Explorer has become as polished and solid as anything ever is these days. The changes in the new version are mostly under the hood, supporting emerging Internet technologies. |
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NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2000 - FREE TRIAL
December 4, 1999 |
| Lots of new viruses turning up, including a few that are more than just hype. Norton Antivirus 2000 is essential. If you're using an antivirus program, go check and make sure it's been brought up to date in the last month or so! In Norton, that's the big Live Update button. Although you can get a free 30-day trial of Norton Antivirus from Symantec, a better offer comes from Microsoft thru December 31 - a free 90-day trial of antivirus software from most of the major vendors, including Symantec. Click here for details. |
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FREE AGENT 1.2
November 18, 1999 |
| Outlook Express does a perfectly nice job handling newsgroups, but there are still a few shortcomings - particularly with decoding and saving binaries. Free Agent has been around forever, and it's a fine choice. Version 1.2 can be downloaded by clicking here - no big changes, but it's Y2K compliant and has lots of bug fixes. |
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MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER 5.01
November 18, 1999 |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook Express have been updated to version 5.01. You can manually update from this page, or wait for it to turn up on Windows Update in a few days. Or better yet, wait for it to turn up on a nearby CD, since it apparently thinks all browser components have to be installed again - 15 or 20Mb worth. Lots of bug fixes and security updates, but no word yet on whether there are any new features. |
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ADOBE ACROBAT READER 4.05
November 17, 1999 |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.05 is a modest update to the 4.0 release. Click here to download (5.5Mb). If you're still using Acrobat 3.0, this is a vastly improved product. But there's one incomprehensible installation issue: you have to manually remove Acrobat 3.0 before you install 4.0 or bad things happen. Don't ignore the warning message! |
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BUBBLEBOY VIRUS
November 10, 1999 |
| The BubbleBoy virus is getting a lot of attention in the press. It infects your computer in a non-destructive way under certain conditions if you simply open an e-mail message. Some things that aren't being widely reported: - It has never been sent in the real world. It was sent once to an antivirus company to evaluate.
- It only works under Windows 95/98. It does not affect Windows NT.
- It only works in Microsoft Outlook if you open the message by double-clicking it. In Outlook Express, it works if it appears in the Preview window.
- Most important: Microsoft has had a patch available for months that fixes the problem and prevents this kind of virus from working. If you're using Windows 95 or 98, go to Windows Update and download the updates! For this virus, the "scriptlet.typelib/Eyedog" patch prevents these attacks. More info about the security issue here.
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REALJUKEBOX PRIVACY UPDATE
November 6, 1999 |
| Another privacy issue got a lot of press when the story broke that RealJukebox transmits some information to RealNetworks about you and your music collection. My guess is that a lot of the claims were untrue, but you can turn off any transmissions anyway by clicking here for automatic installation of the privacy patch. You can read more about the issue here. |
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WINDOWS NT SERVICE PACK 6
October 28, 1999 |
| Windows NT Service Pack 6 was released today, a bit unexpectedly. Lots of little fixes and last minute Y2K updates. More information here. |
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STAMPS.COM
October 28, 1999 |
| Stamps.com is up and running, but apparently the rollout is being done at a measured pace. If you pre-register, you'll be notified when it's your turn in line. Several different services are available to print postage from your PC, but Stamps.com is the only one that works entirely thru software, with no additional doodad to hang on the back of the computer. It only works while you're connected to the Internet, though. Integrates with Word and Outlook quite nicely, and the price is reasonable. Worth a look! |
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ANTIVIRUS REMINDER
October 26, 1999 |
| Norton Antivirus 2000 is a perfectly nice upgrade if you're presently using NAV. If you're not, a gentle reminder - Get an antivirus program and figure out how to keep it up to date! It's kind of like a toaster - it's a basic tool that we're all required to have these days. |
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NAPSTER
October 26, 1999 |
| Napster is a fast-growing program to locate .MP3s on the Internet. You can find out more and download it here. Everyone running Napster makes their .MP3 collection available for anyone else to search and download. So while you're surfing, someone might be downloading a file from your system - but so what? As a result, enormous numbers of songs are available this way. Worth a try, especially if you have a fast connection. |
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COREL WORDPERFECT 2000 SERVICE PACK 1
October 19, 1999 |
| Corel has released Service Pack 1 for Corel WordPerfect 2000. It's a whopping 44Mb download! I have yet to meet a single person who has upgraded to WordPerfect 2000, by the way - Microsoft's domination of the office suite market is nearly complete |
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COREL WORDPERFECT 2000
October 19, 1999 |
| I took a few minutes to cruise the newsgroups to see what people's experiences have been with Corel WordPerfect 2000. Sadly, it's another disastrous first release for WordPerfect, horribly broken and buggy. People are comparing it to the first release of WordPerfect 6 for Windows, a complete disaster. The first service pack fixes some of the problems, but a number of people - a large number of people - report that they've left WordPerfect 8 on their systems so that they always have a working word processor. |
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MICROSOFT INTELLIMOUSE WITH INTELLIEYE
October 4, 1999 |
| Microsoft will have the new Intellimouse in the stores soon, presumably with a burst of publicity. There's no ball and no moving parts in this mouse. Instead an optical sensor keeps track of mouse movement on any surface - which means no more mouse pad! There's two versions, a "consumer" version styled similarly to the existing Microsoft mouse (about $55) and an "Explorer" version (about $75) that has a high-tech design with a red flashing tail light and two thumb buttons, set by default as forward and back on your Internet browser. For more info, click here. |
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WINDOWS 2000 LIES
September 29, 1999 |
| If you're curious about Windows 2000, I ran across an article that does a pretty good job cutting through the hype. PC Computing ran an article called Windows 2000 Lies that deals with Microsoft's hype and with the overheated rhetoric from Microsoft detractors. Well worth reading! |
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QUICKTIME 4.0.3
September 27, 1999 |
| There's an updated version of QuickTime 4.0.3. You can get info and download it here. Is it just me, or is QuickTime incredibly annoying? The new versions do not completely remove prior versions - but even worse, QuickTime-based programs frequently stop working after a new version of QuickTime is installed. RealPlayer and Microsoft Media Player seem a lot easier to work with. |
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REALJUKEBOX 1.0 FINAL
September 24, 1999 |
| RealJukebox has its "Official Release" of version 1.0 today. (You can download it here. If you're using RealJukebox already, use the Update feature on the Help menu.) There's also an update of RealPlayer G2 today - included with the full download of RealJukebox, or by using the Update feature in RealPlayer. |
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DIRECTX 7.0 FINAL
September 23, 1999 |
| Microsoft released DirectX 7.0 today. It should be available in a few days on Windows Update for Windows 98 users, but in the meantime you can download it directly from this page. (DirectX 7.0 is required for the upcoming release of the Unreal Tournament demo, for you gamers.) This is only for Windows 95/98 - it will be included in Windows 2000, but Microsoft apparently does not plan to improve its support for DirectX on Windows NT 4. |
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VISIONEER PAPERPORT 6.1
September 20, 1999 |
| Most people got their copy of Visioneer Paperport bundled with their scanners - probably version 5.1. I started to have more and more crashes with Paperport 5.1 as other programs were upgraded. I finally had to buy the new version of Paperport when I learned that Paperport 5.1 is pretty helpless with Microsoft Office 2000 - can't link to it, pretty much crashes on contact. Paperport 6.1 is a worthwhile upgrade. Not very many new features that matter, but it's been rock-solid so far. Links to Microsoft Office 2000 have to be set up manually (Visioneer is working on a patch), but they work once they're in place. |
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PCANYWHERE 9.0
September 15, 1999 |
| PCAnywhere 9.0 looks very similar to version 8. The file transfer windows have been redesigned so they're easier to use, and they load extremely quickly. Overall, the program is quicker and some buttons have been removed, so it's a bit cleaner onscreen. On the whole, it's a modest upgrade - well worth it if you're using an earlier version, but I haven't seen any compelling reason to upgrade from version 8. |
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WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER 6.4 FINAL
September 15, 1999 |
| Did I mention that Microsoft's Windows Media Player 6.4 is now final? If you're running Windows 98, you should be able to find it on your Windows Update page, but you can also read about it and download it from its home page. |
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RIO AUDIO MANAGER
September 1, 1999 |
| Diamond's Rio division has released Rio Audio Manager, an all-in-one easy-to-use program for managing CDs and files in MP3 and Windows Media Audio formats. It's intended to compete with the popular RealJukebox program. It converts CDs into MP3 files at up to 256Kps, much higher than RealJukebox, and integrates seamlessly with the portable Rios. The free download will convert up to 50 songs, but buying the full version is only $9.95. You can download it here. |
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WINDOWS 98 SECOND EDITION SHUTDOWN SUPPLEMENT
September 1, 1999 |
| After installing Windows 98 Second Edition, some systems restart when selecting shutdown and some systems hang on shutdown. If you have this problem, Microsoft has posted some steps to follow and a patch to install if necessary. |
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STAMPS.COM PREREGISTRATION
August 15, 1999 |
| Stamps.com obtained approval from the Post Office to sell postage online. For a modest monthly fee, you can print postage onto envelopes or labels using your PC and any printer. The service will roll out in September. If you pre-register, you'll be given $10-25 worth of free postage when you sign up for one of the plans. |
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SPINNER 3.0
August 15, 1999 |
| Spinner has upgraded its software for listening to continuous music from the Internet. Sound quality is vastly improved, and it's not as intrusive as the old software. Spinner offers over a hundred channels of music, in every category you can think of and a few you wouldn't have imagined. Click here and download Spinner Plus to give it a try. |
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MSN MESSENGER SERVICE
August 1, 1999 |
| Microsoft finally released its instant messaging program, MSN Messenger Service. You can get information and download it here. It is conceptually similar to ICQ, America Online Instant Messenger, and Yahoo Pager. It requires signing up for a free HotMail account, but you don't have to use that account for e-mail. The wrinkle is that it is specifically designed to link to America Online's service, so you can use MSN Messenger to reach AOL users in addition to MSN Messenger users. America Online is going crazy, of course, and the fur is flying. Here's an article about the first couple of days of corporate namecalling. There's more to come. This one should be fun to watch! |
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OFFICE 2000 OPTIONS
August 1, 1999 |
| Why is it so quiet? Windows 98 Second Edition and Office 2000 are both out the door. Microsoft is going to stay focused on Windows 2000. A lot of manufacturers assume companies will be distracted by Y2K issues for the rest of the year. It's possible that this lull will continue until next year. Here's a mildly amusing look at options in Office 2000 that you always suspected were turned on, but you couldn't prove it. (Courtesy of Todd Christ.) |
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