InfoWorld articles from December 1996

InfoWorld archives from December 1996

Java Beans builds bridges. (Microsoft, Sun Microsystems cooperate on Java, ActiveX support) (Company Business and Marketing)
December 23, 1996... While Microsoft and Sun Microsystems continue to spar over Java, the two companies are cooperating on integrating their respective ActiveX and Java component models, with Microsoft leaning toward supporting Java Beans. Microsoft will add...

Web presence is the point. (survey of Internet use) (includes related article on intranet growth) (Third Annual Iway Poll) (Industry Trend or Event)
December 23, 1996... Sometimes the wrapping paper is just as exciting as the toy, and kids end up using the paper or box for games that are far more fun. So, too, with the Internet. While pundits describe online commerce through the Internet and the World Wide...

Vendors make the move to MMX systems. (NEC Computer Systems' PowerMate P220M Pentium-based system, Texas Instruments' TravelMate Pentium-based notebook, IBM's ThinkPad 760 Pentium-based notebook and Dell's OptiPlex and Dimension Pentium-based systems) (includes related article on next-generation MMX processors)(Product Announcement)
December 23, 1996... System vendors will ring in the new year Jan. 8 with MMX-enabled desktop and notebook PCs. Among the many companies supporting the new Intel multimedia-chip technology are NEC Computer Systems, Texas Instruments, Dell, Digital, Gateway 2000,...

Oracle ups NC ante; server products should ship midyear. (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Oracle is stepping up its Network Computer plans with a suite of server software to create and manage a small network of thin clients and a road map to extend the Network Computing Architecture into the corporate enterprise by the middle of...

WebCom is latest Syn flood victim. (Web Communications suffers hacker attack) (Industry Trend or Event)
December 23, 1996... Hacker attacks on a major Internet service provider (ISP) once again highlight the danger of not acting immediately when Internet security holes are exposed. Web Communications, a large ISP in Santa Cruz, Calif., suffered an attack on its...

What if Santa ran his workshop like this? (distribution of Intel's Pentium MMX microprocessor) (From the News Desk) (Company Business and Marketing)(Column)
December 23, 1996... Christmas appears to be coming a few days late this year, as PC vendors finally gear up to ship the first systems using a new generation of Pentium MMX processors that have been optimized for multimedia applications. As noted in the Page One...

NeXT CEO Steve Jobs may return to Apple. (NeXT Software) (Company Operations)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Apple Computer was expected to announce Dec. 20 that it would enter a formal relationship with Next Software and might even re-hire Next Chairman and CEO -- and former Apple Chairman -- Steve Jobs to help Apple navigate the course for its new...

Titans pump up browser offerings. (Netscape Communications' Communicator 4.0 workgroup software, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.0 Web browser) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... A public beta version of Communicator 4.0 will be posted to Netscape's Web site this week. Netscape reportedly has added an advanced searching function to the beta version. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced last week a version of its Internet Mail...

CSS1 spec momentum building. (World Wide Web Consortium's Cascading Style Sheets level 1) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... The World Wide Web Consortium has released a recommendation for approval of the Cascading Style Sheets level 1(CSS1) specification. CSS1 allows for more options in design and layout -- such as overlays, font controls, and margins -- not...

Microsoft kicks off 97 releases. (Microsoft Office 97 integrated software, FrontPage 97 Web authoring software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... On Jan. 16, 1997, Microsoft Office 97 and FrontPage 97 will be available on store shelves, and Microsoft will officially launch the products in New York, according to a Microsoft representative. Office 97 was shown at Comdex and released to...

Briefly noted. (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Sony will unveil one of the first digital video disc players at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on Jan. 8, according to an industry source. INTEL has confirmed a Jan. 8 introduction in San Francisco of its Pentium Processor with...

Netscape, Sun boosting WebNFS. (Netscape Communications to incorporate Sun Microsystems' technology) (includes related article on Netscape's SuiteSpot Internet server software development) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Despite reported squabbles over some Internet standards, Sun and Netscape will jointly push Sun's WebNFS as a speedier alternative to the HTTP 'net file-access protocol. Netscape will incorporate WebNFS in future versions of its Communicator...

Apple strikes chord with Harmony; rumors abound of Apple alliances as OS upgrade nears. (System 7.6 operating system)(Product Announcement)
December 23, 1996... Apple's Harmony MacOS upgrade will make its debut at Macworld in San Francisco next month, amid a spate of new rumors that Apple is now courting OS alliances with Next Software and Sun Microsystems. The Harmony OS upgrade, which will...

Visual Cafe takes Java to next level of development. (Symantec's application development software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: EXCELLENT Visual Cafe 1.0 Visual Cafe's design tools, speed, debugging environment, and ease of use give Java development a terrific boost. If you're serious about Java, don't overlook it. Pros: Intuitive, graphical...

Coda offers Java intranet development. (RandomNoise's Web authoring software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... RandomNoise will soon make available to intranet developers a multiple-function Java tool for constructing interactive Web pages. The company's Coda product is written entirely in Sun Microsystems' Java language, and it allows a broad array...

Bay acquisition could drive switch prices down. (Bay Networks acquires NetICs) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Bay Networks' acquisition of a Fast Ethernet technology company last week is expected to bring swift response from other major networking vendors and take 100Mbps switch prices to a new low. Bay Networks said it will use ASIC technology from...

Newbridge purchases UB Networks in LAN bid. (Newbridge Networks acquires Tandem Computers division) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Newbridge Networks, a pioneer of wide-area Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) products, last week announced plans to expand its LAN offerings by buying UB Networks from Tandem Computers. The companies said financial terms of the deal will be...

For the record.(Correction Notice)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... The Dec. 2 article "Prism Solutions spins out targeted data warehouses" (page 21) incorrectly listed the company's phone number. Prism can be reached at (800) 995-2928. An incorrect screen shot accompanied the Oct. 14 article "WebCal and...

Sybase goes it alone on R/3 support issue; row-level locking due in third quarter. (Sybase System 11 DBMS) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Sybase is reworking its namesake database so that it will run with SAP AG's R/3 business-management application by next September, but it's not getting any help from SAP. Sybase expects to add row-level locking capabilities that will allow...

Oracle to expand data warehousing tools. (Oracle8 DBMS) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Oracle plans to broaden its data mart offerings early in 1997 with a Windows NT-based solution featuring data access and transformation tools focused on line-of-business applications, an Oracle executive said. The Oracle7.3-based offering...

Microsoft improves browser-database link. (Advanced Data Connector database access software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Microsoft last week shipped software that allows for client-side caching of database records on Web browsers, making it easier to browse and update data. But the current solution is closely linked to Microsoft products, requiring the...

Vendors build tight security for Internet mail, other apps. (GlobalKey Internet security service, McAfee Associates'PCCrypto E-mail)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Vendors such as GlobalKey and McAfee are pushing ahead with schemes for securing Internet e-mail and desktop applications. A secure Internet e-mail system with 256-bit encryption will become available from GlobalKey in early January, and Bell...

ALR to break ground with six-way Pentium Pro server. (Advanced Logic Research) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Advanced Logic Research will announce the industry's first six-processor Pentium Pro server next month. Analysts said the higher powered systems, slated to ship in February, could boost Intel-based servers into traditional Unix platform...

Compaq, Cheyenne plan to boost NT backup. (Cheyenne Software, Compaq agreement) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Compaq and Cheyenne last week unveiled technology aimed at giving Windows NT servers the capability to back up terabytes of data quickly and simplify management of storage subsystems. Although neither Compaq nor Cheyenne said what specific...

Java gathering steam as future IS platform; but critics say enthusiasm is premature until more tools are in place. (Industry Trend or Event)
December 23, 1996... "It's a floor cleaner and a dessert topping" is a phrase that has worked its way into the American lexicon, a sarcastic homage to the idea that the do-everything gadget is the lineal descendant of the proverbial snake-oil salesman. But fairy...

Standards questions linger for JavaSoft. (Company Business and Marketing)
December 23, 1996... Little more than 18 months after its debut, Java is at a critical juncture. In some ways a victim of its own meteoric rise, Sun Microsystems' JavaSoft division is struggling to rapidly evolve the technology -- both the language and platform --...

Market Maker drives electronic commerce. (Trade'ex Electronic Commerce Systems' electronic commerce software) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Trade'ex, a company that began its corporate life representing European companies in the United States in 1989, has become one of the first organizations to deploy a commercial Java client interface. Two years ago, the company created an...

Intelligent agents arrive for data management; Verity, Firefly, and Amulet lead charge to develop information agents. (Firefly Network) (Industry Trend or Event)
December 23, 1996... Intelligent agents that help users make sense of the barrage of information available to them are stepping closer to becoming a workplace tool. Vendors this month unveiled scores of agent-based products that aim to help people spend less...

SRI distributed agents promise flexibility. (SRI International Open Agent Architecture) (Company Business and Marketing)
December 23, 1996... Science-fiction dreams of natural interaction between computers and humans are coming closer to reality. SRI International is celebrating 50 years of "inventing in the future" by demonstrating several innovative technologies, including Open...

Brewer HOPS onto 'net for planning. (Heineken USA's Heineken Operational Planning System) (Company Operations)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... By pouring the power of the Internet into software so common that it had long ceased to yield a competitive advantage, Heineken USA, a subsidiary of Heineken NV, the world's second-largest brewer, is giving its key distributors an exciting new...

Netcom to scrap low, flat-rate fees. (NETCOM On-line Communications Services) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Internet service provider Netcom plans to do away with its $19.95 flat-rate monthly pricing for dial-up access services and will focus instead on business customers who will pay more for higher quality access and services, company officials...

NT weakness could cause service outages. (Open Systems Resources detects programming flaw) (Technology Information)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... A Windows NT expert has discovered an OS vulnerability that IS managers should know about. A mere five-line Windows program can throw an NT system into an infinite loop that can be fixed only with a hard reset, according to Mark Russinovich,...

IBM's NCs breathe new life into PowerPCs. (Network Station) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Rebuffing reports that the death knell has sounded for the beleaguered PowerPC processor, IBM plans to feature an embedded version of the RISC-based chip in its forthcoming version of the network computer. Company officials, reiterating...

CIAC lists virus hoaxes; agency to help discern real from fake. (Computer Incident Advisory Capability) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... IS managers can save time chasing down bogus e-mail virus warnings by checking out a new Web site that lists virus hoaxes and debunks some myths. E-mail inboxes have been increasingly cluttered with virus warnings that cost IS valuable time...

Pipeline. (Client) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... ANNOUNCED SONY will introduce early next year a 650MB version of its MiniDisc (MD) data-storage technology, which is being developed now. The unit has four times the capacity of Sony's current MD data disks. Sony expects to bring the...

Office for Java adds groupware; Corel will put E-mail, discussion databases, scheduling into next release. (Sanga International licensing agreement for Corel System's Corel OfficeJV integrated software) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Corel last week announced a licensing agreement with Sanga International to integrate the Sanga Pages technology into the upcoming Corel Office for Java suite. As a result of the agreement, Corel plans to add groupware functionality from...

Smart card standards group releases reader specifications. (PC/SC Workgroup) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... The PC/SC (smart card) Workgroup, set up in September by PC, software, and smart-card manufacturers to work on interoperability between smart cards and PCs, has released specifications for application programming interfaces that the group hopes...

ALR's OptimaPro line expands with midpriced desktops. (Advanced Logic Research's Pentium Pro-based system)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Advanced Logic Research, convinced that the mainstream corporate tide is flowing toward Pentium Pro processors, last week broadened its product offerings and unveiled a line of mid-priced desktops based on Intel's fastest chip. The core of...

LCD performance needs regulation; viewing angle, other issues lack standard testing methods. (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... As LCD monitors hit the market next year, vendors will still be haggling over exactly how to characterize their performance. Monitor OEMs are getting inconsistent test methods from LCD screen suppliers and may be giving inconsistent...

Multifunction printers. (price table) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Printer Model(1) dpi ppm(2) Low High Avg. Brother MFC-1950MC Plus(3) 400 2 $422 $546 $491 Brother MFC-4500 600 6 $665 ...

Program shares Win95 with eight users. (Concurrent Controls' Applica Workgroup)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Concurrent Controls last week unveiled a hardware and software package that allows users to convert a single desktop with Windows 95 into a multiuser system. The Applica WorkGroup software and adapter card enable users to turn one Pentium PC...

Let's wrap up the year with more on DLL conflicts and Windows 95B. (Windows Manager)(Column)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... In this, my last column of 1996, I'd like to update two subjects that have caused a lot of reaction from readers during the past few months: conflicting versions of DLL files and Microsoft's policy of not selling Windows 95B directly to the...

IBM, Oracle keep grinding out Java tools. (IBM's Visual Age for Java application development software, Oracle's Developer/2000 DBMS, Designer/2000 CASE software) (Product Development)
December 23, 1996... As the increasingly contentious Java market hurtles toward standardization, enterprise software heavyweights IBM and Oracle are maintaining their full-throttle development of new Java tools and are Java-enabling their existing lines. Both...

Pipeline. (Server) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... SHIPPING LAWSON SOFTWARE is now shipping the Lawson Insight Business Management System, which is an object-based upgrade to its client/server line of applications. The Lawson Insight Business Management System features applications designed...

The bug report. (server bugs)(Directory)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Netscape Enterprise Server 2.0. If you are running the Unix version of Netscape Enterprise Server 2.0, and it is being accessed by a client using Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0 that accesses a WINCGI script, the server may sometimes hang up or...

IBM rolls out building blocks for San Francisco Project apps. (object-oriented programming service) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... IBM hopes to deliver on the long-held promise of object-oriented programming with its San Francisco Project, a set of server-based application frameworks that the company started shipping last month. The San Francisco Project, which is in the...

Vendors focus on database tools; InfoSpace, XDB, Persistence offer data warehousing wares. (InfoSpace's WebSequel 1.5, WebCharts 2.0 database access software; XDB Systems JetExpress DBMS utility; Persistence Software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Although talk of object-relational databases grabbed the headlines at DB Expo earlier this month in New York, several vendors addressed the less glamorous need for data warehousing and host database access tools. InfoSpace rolled out...

Segue tool tests load balancing. (Segue Software's QA Performer)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Testing tools vendor Segue Software is shipping its first load-testing tool, targeting developers of client/server applications. QA Performer, which runs on Windows NT and Unix servers and Windows and OS/2 clients, lets developers model and...

Motorola, Bull, and IBM drop NT on PowerPC systems. (PowerPC Alliance) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Windows NT's days beyond the Intel platform appear to be numbered, because key members of the PowerPC Alliance -- IBM, Motorola Computer Group, and Groupe Bull -- have scrapped plans to build PowerPC-based systems running Windows NT. All...

Netscape Navigator tool helps keep you up to date on the World Wide Web. (Help Desk) (Question and Answer)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Q: Do you know of a product that will poll a list of Web sites and detect the ones that have changed? Dave Wineman A: At first, I thought it would be necessary to search the Internet for a special utility to do this -- or write one. But,...

'Push' tools come to intranets. (Data Channels' Channel Manager Internet/Web server software)(Product Announcement)
December 23, 1996... Software that gives IS managers more control over Web users' desktops for intranet applications is en route from a start-up company headed by Spry's founder. Data Channels, founded in October and run by former Spry CEO Dave Pool, is...

Key players' browser plans are diverging. (Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, Netscape Communications' Navigator 4.0) (Company Business and Marketing)
December 23, 1996... As Microsoft and Netscape bring their rival, next-generation Web-client plans into focus, significant divisions in their strategies are beginning to crystallize. At the recent Internet World show in New York, Microsoft demonstrated new...

Pipeline. (Internet) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... ANNOUNCED FREEMAIL last week announced a Web page that companies can use to transmit files and printing instructions to print shops with e-mail accounts. Web FreePrint for the Internet uses file-upload technology that is standard in...

Apps prevent bad downloads. (Finjan Software's SurfinGate, SurfinShield anti-virus software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... IS managers who have come to grips with the problems of viruses are now facing a whole new world of potential problems in the form of miniapplications downloaded from sites on the World Wide Web. As technologies such as ActiveX and Java gain...

The Web Hotlist: Web sites worth checking out.(Directory)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Megasoft.com -- http://www.megasoft.com Megasoft presents information on its electronic distribution software and services. Learn about Web Transporter, client/server technology for delivering documents and files over the Internet and...

I'll eat my columns, but I was prophetic with 1996 'net collapse predictions. (review of predictions for 1996) (From the Ethernet) (Industry Trend or Event)(Column)
December 23, 1996... Let's go back to my infamous column here on Dec. 4, 1995. Was I right about the Internet collapsing this year? And in particular, was I right that CD-ROMs sent through Federal Express -- instead of the bogging Internet -- would be this year's...

SGI will soon deliver virtual-store tools; company plans 3-D development kit for first quarter. (Silicon Graphics' WebForce Commerce Toolkit electronic commerce software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Facing a potential onslaught of consumer-oriented Web services, such as WebTV, graphics guru Silicon Graphics plans to ship tools next year that let businesses create interactive 3-D virtual stores. Announced at the recent Internet World show...

Pipeline. (Networking) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... ANNOUNCED 3COM last week announced a module for its SuperStack II Switch 2000 TR that allows users to transport Token Ring frames over Fast Ethernet backbones and server links. The Token Ring-in-Fast Ethernet module adds Fast Ethernet header...

IP switching battle heats up; Cisco, others lobby IETF in attempt to usurp Ipsilon. (Cisco lobbies Internet Engineering Task Force; Ipsilon Networks) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... A session at an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) meeting earlier this month kicked off a battle among internetworking vendors that could stall IS purchase decisions on combined routing/switching technology. The session, held in San...

Oracle courts NCs with free InterOffice trial. (InterOffice 4.0 workgroup software, HatTrick integrated software) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... In a bid to boost InterOffice's prospects as the messaging/groupware platform of choice for thin clients, Oracle will offer users a free taste of the product over the World Wide Web and is honing its HatTrick suite of Java applets. Oracle...

Vendors coalesce on encryption. (Key Recovery Alliance) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... An industry alliance building standardized "key recovery" systems for decoding encrypted data has grown by 29 members in an apparent effort to influence federal policies on exporting encryption systems. Alongside encryption companies such as...

Customized inventory and change reports forecast needs. (Kaspia Systems' Kaspia Monitoring System 1.1 network performance analysis software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Kaspia Systems is now providing IS with a daily picture of the corporate network via customized inventory and change reports that have made their way into the Kaspia Monitoring System. The product delivers, every morning, a list of the...

Vendors set up 'Net access for small shops and branches. (Apexx Technology's Team Internet, Whistle Communications' InterJet communications servers)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Two companies, Apexx Technology and Whistle Communications, have recently introduced remote access products for small and branch offices. Apexx has launched Team Internet, and Whistle is selling InterJet, targeted primarily at affordable...

Manager's bulletin board. (includes calendar of events) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... GAUGING THE WORLD WIDE WAIT. If time is money, then virtual fortunes have been spent by Internet users waiting for Web pages to download. Recognizing this, IS management consulting company Positive Support Review (PSR) is issuing a series of...

SaberTools SMS adds small value to Microsoft SMS; no anti-virus capabilities and poor integration make alternatives look better. (McAfee Associates' SaberTools SMS 6.1.1 network management software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: OKAY McAfee SaberTools SMS 6.1.1 For system managers with an extensive investment in Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS) package, McAfee's SaberTools SMS can be useful, but it's pricey. Pros: Very flexible and...

Easy configuration makes DirectRoute RO-1 supreme for small offices. (Symplex Communications' ISDN router) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: GOOD DirectRoute RO-1 For connecting any two networks together via a standard ISDN line, DirectRoute RO-1 is a solid solution. It allows speeds as fast as 128Kbps. The router works with IPX, TCP/IP, and Ethernet equally...

No ideal one-stop solution yet for integrating internal, Internet e-mail. (LAN Talk) (Technology Information)(Column)
December 23, 1996... OK, I've about had it with e-mail systems and packages. Sure, internal e-mail is great, and lots of us live on it. It's cool, just like Internet mail. The problem comes when you have to integrate them and keep track of office mail, personal...

AOL's victory in court against Cyber Promotions is a victory for us all. (America Online) (The Gripe Line) (Industry Trend or Event)(Column)
December 23, 1996... Call me a Pollyanna, but the junk e-mail situation just may be getting better. This is saying something, because I'm not usually given to flights of unfettered optimism. If you say things could be worse, I'll say they soon will be. If you say...

Real-world focus and editorial independence mean we tell it like it is. (From the Editor in Chief)(Editorial)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... InfoWorld's editorial mission has two major objectives: to cut through the overload of information, delivering the timely news and analysis you need to do your job better; and to represent you as we gather that information, speaking with your...

Selling security. (IS managers must sell CEOs on importance) (includes related article on encryption technology) (Industry Trend or Event)
December 23, 1996... Even in light of growing reports about information security breaches, recent studies indicate that CEOs and other executives of many companies are still sitting on their hands -- and their wallets -- when it comes to implementing comprehensive...

Over-hype and sci-fi stories can save us from real computing disasters. (computer viruses) (IS Survival Guide) (Industry Trend or Event)(Column)
December 23, 1996... "Nature abhors a schedule." -- My friend and retired colleague Bill Williams What do computer viruses and science fiction have in common? Answer: My recent columns on these two topics generated lively forum discussions on InfoWorld...

BRS Search saves player of the name game some money. (Thomson & Thomson uses Dataware Technologies text search engine) (includes relate article on BRS Search's application) (Company Operations)
December 23, 1996... The executives at Thomson & Thomson didn't need Time magazine to run "Jesus Online" as its cover story this month to realize that the Internet's reach is a force to be reckoned with. In fact, the 70-year-old company has had its collective...

Built It tools can change site, except for the heavy lifting. (Wallop Software's Build It Web development software) (Developers' Advocate) (Product Information)(Column)
December 23, 1996... Last week's column talked about Wallop Build It as a very reasonable backbone for a Web development process. (See "The workbench approach to site tools works best," Dec. 16, page 69.) A big advantage of Build It over integrated environments...

Notes, Domino; robust solution. (Lotus Notes 4.5 workgroup software, Lotus Domino 4.5 Internet/Web server software) (includes related article on Notes vs Microsoft Exchange workgroup software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD Notes and Domino 4.5 As a true cross-platform intranet and groupware development environment, Notes and Domino 4.5's robust functionality makes it hard to beat as a full-service Internet or intranet solution....

Primavera expands resource models. (Primavera Systems Primavera Project Planner 2.0 project management software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD Primavera Project Planner 2.0 This high-end professional project management package is appropriate for large or complex IT, engineering, telecommunications, and utility projects. Pros: More precise scheduling...

UnInstaller 4 shows improvement, but it's still slow. (MicroHelp's de-installation software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD UnInstaller 4 UnInstaller has been given a new look and improved features, but the product's still slower than other utilities in this niche. Pros: Capability to delete entire folders at once; much improved...

Microsoft Publisher 97. (DTP software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... Wannabe Web publishers will like the new Microsoft Publisher, because it helps you create Web pages with the same strong wizard support as business and personal documents. The deservedly popular nonprofessional page-layout program has also...

FlightCheck 2.63. (Markzware Software's DTP extension) (Software Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... There are a handful of must-have utilities in every field. Markzware's FlightCheck 2.63 is one of them, especially if you're a service bureau or an in-house publishing manager. FlightCheck analyzes jobs in PageMaker, QuarkXPress, FreeHand,...

ViewSonic P815 Mega Monitor. (21-inch color monitor) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... The name for ViewSonic's 21-inch high-resolution monitor may be an understatement. Designed for CAD/CAM, document imaging, desktop publishing, and pre-press graphic design, the P815 Mega Monitor supports 250-MHz video input bandwidth and...

Ibid. (MicroTouch Systems' electronic whiteboard) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
December 23, 1996... MicroTouch's Ibid is the first low-cost electronic whiteboard to hit a market predominately controlled by high-end solutions. Unlike competitors, the 2-by-3-foot Ibid whiteboard uses low-cost resistive-touch technology rather than infrared...

Small companies cash in on opportunities to patch Linux for mainstream use. (Down to the Wire) (Technology Information)(Column)
December 23, 1996... The brain works in very mysterious ways. For example, when I recently had the flu that was making the rounds at InfoWorld, the fever it gave me kept me up all night, with the Beach Boys' song "Kokomo" (as sung by Kermit the Frog, no less)...

After several glasses of eggnog, creatures stir and see the writing on the wall. (rumor) (Notes from the Field)(Column)
December 23, 1996... As any narc can tell you, eggnog is a mighty powerful drug. It can compel the unsuspecting corporate consumer to whisper intriguing confessions and propel the meek to pontificate on most any topic. It is eggnog, then, that makes my holidays so...

InterDev makes app design easy. (Microsoft's Visual InterDev Web authoring software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
December 23, 1996... Visual InterDev 1.0, beta This feature-rich Web toolbox contains an integrated development environment (IDE), server-side framework, database tools, and site-management and content-editing features -- all the tools you'll need to build Web...

Define processes before setting specs. (testing methodology) (Charlotte's Web)(Column)
December 23, 1996... Tell me, why is it that every time I think we're making progress on our intranet, I also find out how much more we need to do to get where we want to be? Last week, for instance, we had our first interdepartmental meeting to start discussing...