Australian PC World articles from April 2000

Australian PC World archives from April 2000

Eisa swoops on OzEmail after Telstra stumbles.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 1, 2000... After much huffing and puffing, Telstra has failed in its bid to purchase OzEmail's consumer business, with the company instead falling to eisa Pty Ltd, an ISP spun from the Edge Technologies group in 1996. Damien Brady, CEO of eisa, said...

news briefs.(News Briefs)
April 1, 2000... IBM cash registers come with Web support IBM has unveiled a Web-enabled cash register that will allow in-store employees to gain access to customer data from all of a retailer's channels -- be it a physical store, catalogue or online....

Web attackers, used university PCs.(Technology Information)
April 1, 2000... Several desktop PCs in Californian universities were used in the Denial of Service (DOS) attacks that crippled seven major Web sites in early February. Kevin Schmidt, network programmer at the University of California in Santa Barbara,...

Aiming at Linux, Corel and Inprise to merge.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 1, 2000... Pointing toward opportunities in the growing market for the Linux operating system and related software, Corel and Inprise (formerly Borland International) have announced that they will merge. The combined company plans to offer a one-stop-shop...

Linux grabbed 25 per cent of server OS market.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 1, 2000... Linux cornered 25 per cent of the server operating system market last year, according to preliminary data from IDC. In terms of revenue share, though, Linux remains a tiny fraction of the market. Microsoft's Windows NT system held steady at...

Mutual appreciation.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 1, 2000... WARNING: if this month's alt.net were to appear on TV, it would probably be introduced with "This program is recommended for Mature Audiences only, it contains adult themes and sexual references". If either topic causes discomfort or offence,...

online news.(News Briefs)
April 1, 2000... Nokia creates WAP access from PC Nokia has partnered with IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Nocom AB to develop new technology to simplify access to e-commerce sites using mobile phones, the Finnish mobile comms company has announced. With the...

10x DVD-ROM drives: speed to spare.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... AOPEN DVD-1040 PRO, PIONEER DVD-104 What's the difference between a 10x and a 6x DVD-ROM drive? Well, 4x, of course. With the new 10x DVD-ROM drives, the practical benefits of the higher speed rating are minimal when you're using DVD media...

Eudora Email 4.3.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... E-MAIL PROGRAM To compete with free Web-based e-mail from companies like Hotmail and Yahoo, Qualcomm has revamped the way it offers Eudora Email. Users get one package that they can use in one of three ways: pay nothing for standard Eudora...

Pinnacle DV500.(digital video editor)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... DIGITAL VIDEO EDITOR The Pinnacle DV500 is a real-time, dual-stream, digital video production system based on the industry standard DV (IEEE 1394 or FireWire) format, providing a native DV editing environment. DV material remains...

Dell Dimension XPS B-800r.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... PERSONAL COMPUTER While the standard Dimension B-800r, which comes with Rambus, AGP 4x, 133MHz FSB and ATA66, entered the Test Centre recently (see Best Buys, page 106), we have not previously seen the 64MB GeForce graphics adapter and 12x...

D-Link DSB-R100.(USB PC radio)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... USG PC RADIO At last, PC peripherals are getting fun! Thank you USB, thank you MP3. D-Link's new USB PC radio -- the DSB-R100 -- is the company's first release in a new line of USB-based peripherals for the home and SOHO markets. And I...

NetOp 6.0.(remote access software)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE Telecommuting and the Internet have increased the number of end users working away from an office environment. Delivering support and maintaining remote systems to those at home, in a hotel or at the branch office --...

SpotOn.(Web navigation software)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... BROWSER ADD-ON SpotOn represents an attempt to extract, from the chaos of the Web, a regular and organised stream of information. While it may not revolutionise the way people use the Internet, there's every chance that SpotOn could...

Mouse Phone.(Technology Information)
April 1, 2000... MOUSE Here's a product we've all been waiting for. Untangle your desk, get rid of the phone -- and start talking to your mouse. No kidding -- it's the Mouse Phone. And before you check the date on the cover, this is not -- repeat, not --...

Ricoh MP9060a.(DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... DVD-ROM/CD-RW DRIVE Consider it a minor optical-media miracle: Ricoh has paired 6x/4x/24x CD-Rewritable technology with 4x DVD-ROM capabilities in the same drive. The MP9060a ($699) is an enticing upgrade option; before now, you needed...

Terratec M3P0.(MP3 player)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... MP3 PLAYER The Terratec M3PO has the ability to bring the revolutionary MP3 music format into your living room via a component that can be easily connected to your existing hi-fi stereo system. The silver retro-look unit can play back MP3...

Xeenon MP Shuttle II.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... MP3 PLAYER Looking for a chance to jump ahead in the high-tech bragging stakes? The Xeenon MP Shuttle II is like nothing I have tested before, a self-contained car or home stereo MP3 player. The MP Shuttle II features its own processor...

Gateway Micro Server.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... NETWORK SERVER Recently, Gateway released two inexpensive network packages, which provide a budget solution for small workgroups and incorporate Internet, e-mail, Web publishing, file sharing and newsgroup facilities. The $2999 Gateway...

WinZip 8.0.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... COMPRESSION UTILITY WinZip, the popular compression program from Nico Mak Computing, is getting a major overhaul. New changes in the beta version of WinZip 8.0 are mostly cosmetic, but some add real convenience. For anyone intimidated...

CyberLink MediaShow.(multimedia presentation software)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... PRESENTATION SOFTWARE Slide presentations used to turn a business meeting into an excuse to sleep on the job. Impressing jaded audiences has become far easier with the advent of multimedia presentation software that enables users to...

Terratec SoundSystem DMX.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... SOUND CARD Recent advances in sound cards have brought new levels in quality, features and affordability. Among other applications, sound cards have helped transform home computers into musical instruments, recording studios or home...

RedHat 6.2 beta.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... OPERATING SYSTEM By releasing a new version of its popular distribution every six months or so, RedHat makes it easy to ensure that your upgrade or fresh install is the most current. The beta of the pending 6.2 release (code named Piglet)...

Web drives keep your data everywhere.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 1, 2000... X:DRIVE, I-DRIVE Every means of transporting data comes with its own particular headaches. Standard 1.44MB floppies are too small to store anything more than text files these days; you won't always find a drive to read higher-capacity...

A computing paradise.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 1, 2000... The Web site for Transmeta's family of Crusoe microprocessors tantalises with footprints tracking along a tropical beach. Clearly, the only way ! to bring computing into this picture of paradise is to attach a battery; this is no time to be...

The Linux `Tivolution' has arrived.(Product Information)(Column)
April 1, 2000... There's a saying among some pastors that if you don't have a substantial portion of your congregation complaining about the content of your sermons each week, you must not be preaching the truth. I try to remember that when I sift through my...

Often irrelevant and proud of it.(Technology Information)
April 1, 2000... From Bangkok to Barcelona, Darwin to Dublin, I have 1728 photos from my world travels to show you, if you want to come round to my place with a case of beer. (If you can't make it, just send the beer.) Yes, I am back on Terra Australis and...

Stale sites make a statement, too.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
April 1, 2000... Your Web site needs a refresh. Trust me on this. Just like those socks in your gym bag, if you never wash them, things are going to get a tad woofy. Web sites get on the nose after a while, too. Anyone who visits your Web site wants to know...

Readers forum.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2000... MP3s -- use and abuse Although I agree with the majority of the points raised by the author of the MP3 letter (February 2000), there are a few points that this person needs to realise. There is a big difference in getting an illegal...

OUTSOURCING WEB DESIGN.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
April 1, 2000... DEVELOPING AND DESIGNING A WEB SITE IS MORE THAN A DIY PROJECT, ESPECIALLY WEN YOUR BUSINESS'S BOTTOM LINE IS INVOLVED. DAVID HAGUE DISPELS THE MYTHS SURROUNDING OUTSOURCING AND LOOKS AT HOW TO OBTAIN AN INTERNET PRESENCE -- WITHOUT IT COSTING...

WINDOWS 2000 tuning the new OS.(Product Information)
April 1, 2000... ONCE YOU'VE UPGRADED, YOU'LL FIND THAT WINDOWS 2000 IS A LAND OF OPPORTUNITY. HERE'S HOW TO CUSTOMISE YOUR DESKTOP, MANAGE FILES, MAINTAIN SECURITY, ACCESS THE INTERNET -- AND MORE. What is it with Windows 2000? At first glance, it looks...

WINDOWS 2000 test driving the new OS.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... IT'S BIG, IT'S BRAWNY AND IT'S SURPRISINGLY SWIFT. BETTER YET, YOU'LL NEED JUST 64MB OF MEMORY TO LIFT MICROSOFT'S NEW OS OFF THE GROUND. THIS MONTH WE PUT WINDOWS 2000 THROUGH ITS PACES TO SEE HOW IT MEASURES UP TO IT PREDECESSORS. ...

The future of online gaming.(Sony introduces the PlayStation 2 game console)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Sony finally lifted the lid on its long-awaited PlayStation 2. David Hellaby visited Tokyo for the unveiling of the game console -- and was more than impressed by the promise of PlayStation. One year and two days after it was first...

1000MHz.(KryoTech Super G Plus offers 1000MHz performance)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... Supercool computer or world's smartest fridge? 1000MHz Kryotech Super G PLUS 850MHz AMD Athlons from Gateway and Peripherals Plus EXCLUSIVE: in the PC World Test Centre this month is the Kryotech Super O. Hitting the ground running at...

Web site toolkit.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
April 1, 2000... Do you want to drive people to your Web site? Does it frustrate you when dead links mysteriously appear or you can't say which are the most popular pages on your site? We review over 30 tools to weed out problems, speed up maintenance and allow...

HOME & BUSINESS PCS.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... HOME PCs 1 Gateway Performance 700xl Gateway's new Performance 700xl machine can be considered a great graphics workstation, suitable for people who specialise in graphic art or CAD work, for it comes equipped with a massive 21in...

NOTEBOOKS.(Hardware Review)
April 1, 2000... 1 Gateway Solo 9300xl Deluxe NEW This 650MHz Pentium III SpeedStep notebook offers a strong set of features as well as blistering performance. The system includes a massive 15.7in active TFT SXGA display, driven by an excellent ATI Rage...

REMOVABLE STORAGE.(Technology Information)
April 1, 2000... A major part of personal computing concerns the transfer of information from one place to another. The ubiquitous floppy disk handled this famously for many years both in 5.25in and 3.5in formats, and peaked at a capacity of 1.44MB. As...

here's how The nuts and bolts of switching to Windows 2000.(Product Information)
April 1, 2000... COST: Upgrade from Windows 95/98: $379; Upgrade from Windows NT: $259 TIME REQUIRED: 60-90 minutes MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium-133 or above running Windows 95, 98, or NT; 32MB of RAM (64MB recommended); 2GB hard drive...

Discover hidden tools.(Microsoft Windows)(Technology Tutorial)(Tutorial)
April 1, 2000... When you look at the sheer number of applications that Windows installs under your Accessories menu and its submenus, you may think you're seeing all the Windows utilities installed on your system. Not so. In addition to the items listed on...

Read your users their rights.(Product Information)
April 1, 2000... There may come a time when you will have to share your Windows 2000 computer with other users, be it flatmates, family or co-workers. Giving them full privileges may compromise the security of your system and allow them to make wholesale...

A graphical interface to the power of Linux: Enlightenment.(Technology Tutorial)(Tutorial)
April 1, 2000... Linux does not just offer power at the shell and networking level, it also supports and is a major development operating system for graphical interfacing. Nowhere is this more obvious than in a system running the X windows system, using...

Setting up multiple user accounts.(Mac OS 9.0)(Technology Tutorial)(Tutorial)
April 1, 2000... One of the very cool things about the Mac early on was that its operating system was designed from the ground up for individual tastes. Your Mac was distinctly your own, and worked the way you worked. The problem with this is that some Mac...

WINDOWS 9x.(Questions and Answers)
April 1, 2000... Share your computer, but keep it private Q I share my PC with two people but don't want them to access my programs and files. How can I lock them out of selected parts of my system? - Name withheld at reader's request A Because...

INTERNET.(guidelines for building a Web site)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
April 1, 2000... Weaving your first Web site Haven't jumped aboard the runaway Web train yet? Not everyone needs a site, but if you maintain a private Internet account with an ISP such as BigPond, OzEmail or Zip World, it probably permits you to post a Web...

WORD PROCESSING.(adding voice comments, creating side-by-side bulleted lists in Word and WordPerfect)(Product Information)
April 1, 2000... Sometimes you need to say something striking in a document to get the readers' attention. Why not dictate a voice comment directly into what you are writing, so readers will really prick up their ears? It's easy to do, as long as you have a...

SPREADSHEETS.(Questions and Answers)
April 1, 2000... Excel users frequently ask me, "How can I insert my company's logo into the page header?" The simple answer: you can't. Despite thousands of user requests, Microsoft hasn't made this feature available. But there are a few ways to fake it. ...

HARDWARE.(Questions and Answers)
April 1, 2000... Keep your PC clean to keep it running It doesn't need petrol, oil or new tyres. But without regular maintenance, your PC may flail, sputter or even grind to a halt, leaving you on the soft shoulder of the information highway. Dust,...

bugs & fixes.(Questions and Answers)
April 1, 2000... Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation Patch If you have stuck with Tomb Raider to its fourth adventure, then you may have been surprised to find that such a mature product still has its fair share of bugs. At the hardcore gamer end, Tomb...

Wallace did it his way.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 1, 2000... A computer science degree was not the way to get into the Information Technology industry for one student. With a background that included working in the burger industry and being a DJ, Michael Wallace enjoyed playing around with computers but...

Break into IT.(Questions and Answers)
April 1, 2000... Expert tips Are you thinking about a career in Information Technology? Here is some advice from the experts. Steve Ross, marketing director, Com Tech Education Services, said, "If you don't like technology or have no inkling what it is...

Windows 2000 training.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 1, 2000... Most training organisations have been offering Windows 2000 courses since late 1999, and they have been surprised by the huge demand. Demand has been up to 50 per cent higher than anticipated. The following three organisations are just a sample...

The Virgin Guide to the Internet.(Review)
April 1, 2000... The Virgin Guide to the Internet BY SIMON COLLIN The best guide to the Internet is the Internet itself, but that's a bit too recursive for comfort and does not help much if you're an Internet novice. The second-best introduction could well...

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional At a Glance.(Review)
April 1, 2000... Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional At a Glance BY JERRY JOYCE AND MARIANNE MOON This book is aimed at users who already have Windows 2000 Professional installed on their PC, with an emphasis on those working within a corporate network. It...

MCSE Training Kit--Upgrading to Microsoft Windows 2000.(Review)
April 1, 2000... MCSE Training Kit--Upgrading to Microsoft Windows 2000 BY MICROSOFT CORP This seriously techno book is aimed at experienced Windows NT system administrators who are upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 network to Windows 2000 and/or those wishing to...

User Friendly and After Y2K!(News Briefs)
April 1, 2000... www.userfriendly.org www.nitrozac.org If you're a highly intelligent computer geek, what's the most productive thing to do with your mind? Read comics, of course! User Friendly follows the adventures of the technical support team at a...

Copy your pet on the Internet!(Genetic Savings & Clone's online service)(Company Business and Marketing)
April 1, 2000... www.savingsandclone.com In a great step forward for the brave new world of e-commerce, Genetic Savings & Clone has opened the first online animal genetic sampling, storage and restoration service. So if Rover gets run over, you'll be able...

The Easter Egg Archive.(News Briefs)
April 1, 2000... www.eeggs.com No I am not talking about those foil-covered chocolates the kiddies will be scoffing this month; the term "Easter Egg" means any amusing titbit that creators hide in their creations. This site covers a wealth of them, found...

The Open Diary.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
April 1, 2000... www.opendiary.com Some say the Internet is a dehumanising place, that Net users end up spending all their time interacting with machines and neglect real people. They're wrong, of course -- the Internet is made up of the people who use it...

gadgets.(Hardware Review)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2000... Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical Following on its excellent IntelliMouse Explorer -- the first mouse I've seen that literally never jams up -- Microsoft has done a favour for lefties. The IntelliMouse Optical is an ambidextrous version of...

Rising Sun.(TalonSoft's war game)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... Following the success of its popular turn-based World War II simulations, East Front and West Front, TalonSoft is releasing a third instalment that brings the action to the Pacific Theatre. In Rising Sun, players command American, British and...

SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle.(Sierra's action game)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
April 1, 2000... Sierra has finally got SWAT right. As a single-player game, SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle stands proudly alongside Thief as one of a very few unconventional 3D shooters -- one that rewards caution, patience, teamwork... and respect for life....

bytesback.(News Briefs)(Column)
April 1, 2000... More captivating than Musak? And just when you thought you could get away from the Internet... Trials in the US have so far been successful in introducing news and information kiosks in lifts. About two dozen buildings in Boston,...