InfoWorld articles from September 1996

InfoWorld archives from September 1996

AT&T reaches out; telco giant joins Sun for Internet sales. (Sun Microsystems) (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... AT&T is developing an Internet and online transaction system with Sun Microsystems Inc. called Geoplex, according to sources close to AT&T. Due to be launched in 1997, Geoplex will offer companies the capability to buy and sell goods...

Vendors bridging object gap: 'Beans' binds objects. (JavaSoft's Java Beans container technology) (includes related article on JavaSpace APIs) (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... Java Beans is beginning to percolate as prototypes designed to link JavaSoft's container technology to more robust object architectures get up and running. Prototype applications running now include bridges to versions of OpenDoc for...

DCOM links to CORBA. (Microsoft's Distributed Object Component Model) (Vendors Bridging Object Gap) (Industry Trend or Event)
September 30, 1996... The walls dividing the software world are breaking down as CORBA object middleware vendors and Microsoft Corp. prepare a series of initiatives that promise to make rival object standards interoperable. A number of CORBA vendors have licensed...

NT service kit packs power for portables. (lets developers build power-management functions into the OS)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Caught off-guard by a corporate call for Windows NT on notebooks, Microsoft Corp. is responding by releasing a service kit to help PC vendors build crucial power-management features for portable systems into the NT 4.0 OS. The service kit is...

The Domino theory. (Lotus Notes 4.5) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... Lotus Notes 4.5 The next release of Notes promises a lot and will please current customers, but, to date, the beta release appears to leave many holes. Pros: Includes Domino; group scheduling and calendar interface; slick...

IBM boosts AIX routers. (TCP Router for AIX for load-balancing multiple servers) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... IBM plans to announce next week a TCP Router for AIX that will help users intelligently load-balance multiple servers over the Internet. Part of the technology will be integrated into the Lotus Domino server. IBM also expects to ship by the end...

Borland's Gross goes to Microsoft. (former Borland Sr VP Paul Gross) (Company Operations)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Paul Gross, senior vice president of research and development at Borland International Inc. and its chief technology visionary, will be leaving the Scotts Valley, Calif., tools vendor in two weeks to join Microsoft Corp. as a vice president at...

Navigator Gold gets personal. (Netscape's Navigator Gold 3.0 Personal Edition Web authoring software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Netscape Communications Corp. has announced it is shipping Navigator Gold 3.0 Personal Edition. Personal Edition includes an account setup wizard that lets a user set up an account with selected Internet service providers. Navigator Gold 3.0...

Silicon Graphics chips in trouble. (MIPS R10000 microprocessors recalled) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Silicon Graphics Inc. is recalling and replacing MIPS R10000 microprocessors that were manufactured between March and July by main supplier NEC because they can cause its computers to shut down, a company representative said. The company...

Briefly noted. (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Samsung Electronics Corp. will unveil on Oct. 1 a value line of notebooks called the SENS Pro 500. The line will feature several models sporting a 133-MHz Pentium processor. Pricing will start at $1,899. A ship date was unavailable. Twinhead...

Motorola, Intel link PCs, mobiles. (Motorola's Information Systems Group's Software communications initiative, Intel's Narrowband Socket Specification 0.9) (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... Motorola and Intel Corp. are striving to improve links between PCs and mobile computing devices via two separate initiatives. This week, Motorola's Information Systems Group (ISG) will announce its Software Communications Initiative to create...

Could 'JavaDoc' hold an olive branch? (merging of OpenDoc and Java Beans technologies could make OS unimportant) (From the News Desk) (Technology Information)(Column)
September 30, 1996... After watching the desktop OS wars rage for more years than any of us care to remember, I can't help but feel we may actually be nearing the end of this somewhat trite period in the history of the computer industry. Consider the implications of...

Sun, Silicon Graphics ready interconnects. (Sun Microsystems' interconnect technology for Ultra Enterprise servers; Silicon Graphics' Scalable Node 0 MIPS-based server)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Sun Microsystems Inc. will break its code of silence on clustering next week when it announces interconnect technology to build high-availability clusters with its Ultra Enterprise servers. The interconnect is an extension of the Gigaplane...

Industry.Net joins PNC for online commerce. (joins PNC Bank to offer financing and electronic payment services for businesses) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... A deal inked last week between Industry.Net and PNC Bank Corp. will make available next year electronic payment and financing services for complex business-to-business Internet transactions. Until now, Industry.Net's online marketplace acted...

Lukewarm support reveals crack in NIA union. (Network Interoperability Alliance) (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... IBM this month began shipping a combined routing and switching solution that competes with technologies that come from vendors including 3Com Corp. and Bay Networks Inc. But some observers say competition in this market is casting a shadow over...

Users mull DOJ inquiry: Microsoft under scrutiny once again. (Department of Justice) (Government Activity)
September 30, 1996... Users expressed mixed reactions to the latest request by the U.S. Department of Justice for documents from Microsoft Corp. concerning its competitive practices. The Justice Department told Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft that it would be...

Intel devises plan to cut PC operating costs. (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... Intel Corp., unwilling to cede its dominance in the PC desktop arena to the network computer (NC), last week launched an initiative to lower the ownership cost of PCs by 15 percent within a year. Taking the stage at New York's Madison Square...

Oracle to outline distributed plan. (network Computing Architecture connects Oracle applications to other operating environments) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Looking to become the premier network computing company, Oracle Corp. will this week announce a software architecture that will tie Oracle applications to other operating environments. Oracle's cross-platform object framework, called the...

GEMMS sparkles for Oracle. (acquires Datalogix, distributes Global Enterprise Manufacturing Management System manufacturing software) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Oracle Corp. made a bid to boost its presence in the process-manufacturing market last week by acquiring Datalogix Inc., a manufacturing software vendor that sells an enterprise resource planning system. The Redwood Shores, Calif.-based...

Tivoli offers further integration. (Tivoli Systems' TME 10 NetView systems and network management software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Taking another step toward the Shangrila of a single enterprise-management console, Tivoli Systems Inc. is now combining network and systems management in the latest version of its software. TME 10 NetView integrates network and systems...

For the record.(Correction Notice)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... The Sept. 23 article "Xionics challenges Adobe's PostScript 3 with combined PDL" (page 34) incorrectly stated that Xionics Document Technologies Inc.'s Intelligent Peripheral Systems 2000 will bundle PCL6 and PostScript Level 2 capabilities....

Office 97 matches tools to your needs. (Microsoft's Office 97 Professional integrated software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... Microsoft Office 97 Professional, beta Microsoft Corp.'s sweeping remake of its flagship suite combines wide-ranging usability enhancements, a comprehensive (almost exhaustive) feature set, and a host of nice touches designed to make time at...

Apps back OS/2 Warp 4. (Citrix Systems' WinFrame/Enterprise 1.6 application server software, Adobe's Acrobat 3.0 Reader portable document software, J.Stream's J.Press publishing engine support IBM's operating system)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... At last week's launch of OS/2 Warp 4, IBM became the first OS supplier to support the Java Virtual Machine. On hand to display applications that take advantage of IBM's new open, network-centric operating system were Citrix Systems Inc., Adobe...

Microsoft to cash in on Web with Money 97: OFC spec will allow seamless 'net banking transactions. (Open Financial Connectivity in personal finance and banking package)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Microsoft Corp. will lend a personal touch to Internet commerce with this week's announcement of Money 97, a personal finance and banking application with an updated Open Financial Connectivity (OFC) specification to enable brokerage...

Wintel threatens Unix workstation dominance. (Pentium Pro-based Windows NT systems replacing low-end Unix boxes) (Industry Trend or Event)
September 30, 1996... The combination of Windows NT and Intel Corp.'s increasingly powerful Pentium Pro line is creating a shift in the workstation market as users increasingly consider that platform as a replacement for low- and midrange Unix workstations....

Netra to bundle Web servers. (Sun Microsystems Netra Internet server, Netscape SuiteSpot software) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Sun Microsystems Inc. is expanding its Netra Internet server line with three models that bundle Netscape Communications Corp.'s SuiteSpot Web server software. Sun's move reflects an industry trend in which hardware vendors package software...

Notes 4.5 users praise NT, Web integration. (Lotus Notes 4.5) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Early users of Lotus Notes 4.5 like its snug integration with Windows NT and its capability to handle Web pages. The strongest feature of Lotus Development Corp.'s Lotus Notes 4.5 is its high level of integration with Microsoft Corp.'s NT....

Messaging rivals show interoperability. (Microsoft, Lotus, Netscape) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Messaging rivals Microsoft Corp., Lotus Development Corp., and Netscape Communications Corp. made nice last week by demonstrating interoperability between their products on a messaging backbone that is based on SMTP and Multipurpose Internet...

Umax will release 225-MHz Mac clone. (Umax Technologies)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Macintosh clone manufacturer Umax Computer Corp. reversed course last week and announced a 225-MHz PowerPC 604e-based system just a few weeks after indicating it would bypass the chip entirely. Initially, Umax was worried that there wouldn't...

Pipeline. (Client) (News Briefs)
September 30, 1996... SHIPPING FUJITSU PERSONAL SYSTEMS INC. announced the availability of its Stylistic 1000 RF, a Windows 95-compatible tablet PC featuring Proxim Inc.'s built-in 2.4-GHz wireless LAN radio. Fujitsu is targeting vertical markets where users in...

HP's Vectra line draws on need for speed. (company introduces six new Vectra XU PCs)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Hewlett-Packard Co. last week packed more punch into its line of Vectra XU PCs, unveiling six models that sport greater memory and storage capacity, faster CD-ROM drives, and improved LAN connectivity. The flagship model, the Vectra XU...

OpenDoc OS support expands. (IBM releases new beta version with improved cross-platform development capabilities) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... IBM has released another beta version of OpenDoc with improved cross-platform development support for Windows 95 and Windows NT -- a key capability if the IBM-backed component architecture is to succeed with corporate accounts, some believe....

Latitude reaches 150MHz: latest XPi makes midrange showing. (Dell Computer)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Dell Computer Corp. this week beefed up its latest version of the Latitude XPi notebook, while AST Computer Inc. unveiled a line of multimedia laptops with an eye toward the consumer market. Available now, Dell's Latitude XPi CD notebook,...

Flatbed color scanners. (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Chg. 24-bit color from model Resolution(1) Low High Avg. July Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 4p 300 by 600 ...

Phoenix, AMI upgrade BIOS for new floppies. (American Megatrends Inc, Phoenix Technologies Ltd support bootable high-capacity removable-media drives) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Basic input/output system (BIOS) suppliers American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) and Phoenix Technologies Ltd. have taken steps toward replacing the standard floppy disk drive. Their latest BIOS ROMs make high-capacity removable media drives, such as...

Help desks become more proactive with BIOS support. (Phoenix Technologies Ltd, CyberMedia Inc announce joint development of new automated PC repair systems) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Phoenix Technologies Ltd. and CyberMedia Inc. last week announced the joint development of automated PC repair technology at Intel Corp.'s user conference in New York. ActiveHelp will be a turnkey system for tracking PC system operations and...

Slide apps away from the Taskbar with freeware. (ShoveIt)(Window Manager) (Product Information)(Column)
September 30, 1996... The Taskbar in Windows 95 has always been a bit awkward to use. Microsoft Corp. wanted to place it at the top of the screen -- like, ahem, the Macintosh -- but it could never figure out a way to keep the title bars of applications from getting...

Pipeline. (Server) (News Briefs)
September 30, 1996... SHIPPING PILOT SOFTWARE INC. announced the availability of the Pilot Decision Support Suite, Version 5, the next generation of Pilot's LightShip Suite, which combines online analytical processing (OLAP), predictive modeling, and...

Viper strikes at transactions: Windows NT tool, part of server framework, enters beta. (Microsoft Transaction Server) (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... As Microsoft Corp. prepares to hand over its core object-based technologies for industry standardization this week, the company is readying its object-oriented, distributed application framework for release in the first quarter of 1997. A...

IBM to adorn Java with back-end features. (enhancing API) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... IBM is accelerating its commitment to Java with a raft of Java API enhancements aimed at extending the language to run on IBM's server operating systems and to access enterprise data and security for electronic commerce. The Armonk, N.Y.,...

The bug report. (News Briefs)
September 30, 1996... FrontPage/Netscape Web server. If you install Microsoft Corp.'s Microsoft FrontPage 1.1 server extensions on Netscape Communications Corp.'s Netscape Commerce Server 1.12, it will disable encoding of network traffic between FrontPage and the...

Meta data standards vie for spotlight. (Microsoft, IBM, Meta Data Council working on new technologies) (includes related article on two main competing standards) (Technology Information)
September 30, 1996... As data warehouses and data marts proliferate, Microsoft Corp., IBM, and the Meta Data Council are looking to set up standards for meta data -- information that describes data -- to simplify the process of cleansing and consolidating disparate...

SAS combines tools behind one GUI. (SAS Institute Inc introduces SAS Warehouse Administrator)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... As data warehouses proliferate, users are finding that they need more tools to manage the process of creating and maintaining them. Following recent announcements by Microsoft Corp. and IBM, SAS Institute Inc. has introduced SAS Warehouse...

I2O spec to speed network servers. (Intel working on faster I/O technology) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Intel Corp. is revving up plans to integrate I2O technology into its quad-processor Pentium Pro motherboard next year as the I2O Special Interest Group nears a vote on the specification's latest version. With device, networking, and software...

Vision brings modeling to development tools. (Vision Software Tools Inc introduces Vision Builder 2.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Vision Software Tools Inc. has released a revised version of its Vision Builder development tool, expanding its deployment options and application-modeling capabilities as well as adding a series of client application templates. The Vision...

Making progress on WebSpeed tools. (Progress Software Corp ships WebSpeed 2.0 development tool) (Product Spotlight)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Progress Software Corp. is shipping its WebSpeed 1.0 development tool for transaction-oriented Internet and intranet applications. The development and deployment package comprises WebSpeed Workshop, a toolset based on the Progress...

HP clusters Convex Exemplar to compete with IBM SP parallel servers. (repositiones Exemplar server line) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to blanket the price-performance ratio range with new systems based on its PA-RISC processor. HP announced last week the repositioning of the Exemplar server line, from its Convex Technology Center subsidiary, to...

56Kbps modems will cost you in ISDN service, equipment.(Help Desk) (Question and Answer)(Column)
September 30, 1996... Q: In a recent column, you indicated that 33.6Kbps was about the fastest that modems would ever go. But a co-worker says that folks at NetWorld+Interop were discussing modems that could run as fast as 56Kbps. Is this just a rumor, or did the...

Pipeline. (Internet) (News Briefs)
September 30, 1996... ANNOUNCED Last week INLINE INFORMATION SERVERS INC. announced iHTML Web Server Extension Tools, Version 2.0, an extension of HTML. iHTML provides ODBC database connectivity to Web pages, hit counting, advertisement management, and more....

ISPs face scrutiny of business users: breadth of the Internet forcing competition among service providers. (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Corporate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may have been capable of providing basic Internet connectivity in the past, but IS managers today are asking: What have you done for me lately? In the very highly competitive market for corporate...

Internet Explorer continues to gain momentum over Navigator. (Microsoft Web browser eroding dominance of Netscape Navigator) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Netscape Communications Corp.'s Netscape Navigator is the primary browser of 83 percent of users, but, although Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer's share is only 8 percent, that figure has doubled from last quarter, according to new research...

WebSuite2 earmarked as companion to HTML editors. (Digitalstyle Corp to announce new Java-based graphics tool for designing Web sites)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... DigitalStyle Corp. will this week announce WebSuite2, a Java-based graphics tool that provides pre-built templates and icons for creating quick and stylistically consistent Web site designs. Positioned as a companion tool to Microsoft Corp.'s...

The Web hotlist: Web sites worth checking out.(Brief Article)(Directory)
September 30, 1996... Siemens Nixdorf -- http://www.sni.de International IT giant Siemens Nixdorf AG offers a trove of product and technical information on this comprehensive site. The Competence Center contains useful data on network structures and systems...

The numbers show how slowly the Internet runs today.(From the Ether) (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Column)
September 30, 1996... My formula for Internet packet delay is D=H*Q* (R+P/C). This formula helps clarify how various forms of Internet "switching," as we discussed last week, will improve Internet reliability and performance. IP routers forward packets toward...

Supporthelp.com gives links to help desks. (new Web site) (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... IS managers pulling their hair out trying to locate a support desk for one of the hundreds of software or hardware products on their network can now go to a Web site that will point them to the help they need. Supporthelp.com is a Web site...

Pipeline. (Networking) (News Briefs)
September 30, 1996... ANNOUNCED HEWLETT-PACKARD CO. and MICROSOFT CORP. announced last week they will offer integration between HP OpenView and Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) to help companies manage mixed Unix and Windows NT platforms. For the first...

FTP to deliver Virtual IP Networks; Java-based agents will manage clients based on profiles. (FTP Software Inc working on new technology for managing virtual private networks) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... FTP Software Inc. will soon begin rolling out a series of products designed to allow IS managers to centrally create and manage virtual private networks based on user profiles, rather than network addresses. The company will deliver the...

3Com spells out high-speed product plans. (TokenLInk Velocity ISA adapter; Fast IP, Gigabit Ethernet products to be introduced in 1997)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... A series of announcements by 3Com Corp. at NetWorld+Interop in Atlanta earlier this month laid out product strategies for the next 18 months aimed at boosting performance and eliminating bottlenecks in enterprise networks. The company...

Corridor to the Web. (Tubner and Associates CEO Russ Teubner discusses Web-to-mainframe connectivity market, Corridor terminal access product) (Product Information)(Interview)
September 30, 1996... Russ Teubner is CEO of Teubner & Associates Inc., in Stillwater, Okla. Nearly 15 years ago he devised a way for IBM 3270 terminals to access Digital Equipment Corp. hosts with technology that has became a de facto standard and is now resold by...

Jetform acquires electronic forms division of Delrina. (JetForm Corp purchases part of Delrina Group) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 30, 1996... Jetform Corp. has purchased the electronic forms division of Delrina Group, a subsidiary of Symantec Corp., in Cupertino, Calif, in a deal that should make Jetform products more attractive to high-volume customers. Under the terms of the...

Multi-Tech unveils modem bank managed remotely by Web. (MultiModemManager)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Multi-Tech Systems Inc. has announced MultiModemManager, the first modem system that can be managed remotely over the Internet via a Web browser. Launched at the recent NetWorld+Interop show in Atlanta, MultiModemManager is a high-density...

Shiva beefs up remote access line. (Shiva Corp introduces Universal Accessmanager software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Shiva Corp. last week added products to its remote access line designed to simplify the administration of its remote access products and enable ISDN connectivity for small office/home office (SOHO) users and corporate branch offices. Shiva...

Shopping around for a good ISP? Take heart, there are some out there (The Gripe Line) (Technology Information) (Column)
September 30, 1996... Does anybody know a good ISP? That's a question I began asking a few weeks ago when it occurred to me that, to judge by the Gripe Line, it would be hard to say that there are any good Internet service providers (ISPs). Basically, if they have...

Intranets are changing the landscape for IS, and the world is taking note.(From the Editor in Chief) (Industry Trend or Event)(Editorial)
September 30, 1996... A year ago, the word intranet was just entering the IS lexicon. Today, the word and the concepts behind it are as important to corporate America as the Internet that spawned them. I got a close-up lesson in how important intranets are when I...

Whither Novell? (includes related article on interview with Pres Joe Marengi)(Enterprise Computing) (Company Business and Marketing)
September 30, 1996... There are few second acts for American technology companies. The short history of the industry hasn't been kind to comebacks. Look at stripped-down Borland International Inc., which continues its long hunt for a profitable quarter. Or take...

Fanning the flame of hate mail makes everybody feel burned.(IS Survival Guide) (Industry Trend or Event)(Column)
September 30, 1996... MANAGEMENT SPEAK: You needed to be more proactive. TRANSLATION: You should have protected me from myself. -- Thanks to reader Brian Redine I Just received my first flame. Getting real hate mail is pretty exciting. Plenty of readers...

Manager's bulletin board. (News Briefs)
September 30, 1996... MONOPOLY NO MORE. According to a recent study by Forrester Research Inc., large corporations no longer consider Novell Inc. a major strategic vendor in the networking marketplace. The report, Novell at the Crossroads, finds that users are...

Data mirroring keeps Seneca Falls Savings up and running. (Enterprise Computing: Management) (Case Study) (includes related article on Octopus Technologies' new security software) (Technology Information)
September 30, 1996... A little more than 100 years ago, the town of Seneca Falls in upstate New York kicked off the American feminism movement with a famous suffrage convention. Today, some of the issues being discussed in the bucolic town are a little more on the...

Tinkering with tools can improve software process. (Developers' Advocate)(Enterprise Computing) (Technology Information)(Column)
September 30, 1996... My friend Barry always makes a point of telling me when I've oversimplified an issue or just plain gotten it wrong. He told me my Aug. 26 column ("Don't tinker with new toys, improve the process," page 77) was an oversimplification to the point...

Put words in your mouth. (three speech-recognition packages reviewed) (includes related article on summary of results) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... COMPARED: DragonDictate Classic Edition for Windows 2.5 Dragon Systems Inc. IBM VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95 IBM Kurzweil Voice for Windows, Release 2.0 Kurzweil Applied Intelligence Inc. Current users...

IntelliSync for Pilot 1.0. (Puma Technologies Inc) (Quick Byte) (Software Review)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... Until now, there was one serious flaw with U.S. Robotics Inc.'s Pilot hand-held organizer. (See Product Reviews, May 13, page 118.) Out of the box, the Pilot exchanges information only with its own personal information manager (PIM) software,...

Office 97's Word, Excel keep their top spots, add Web applications; Word boosts graphics, tables. (Microsoft Word 97) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... Microsoft Word 97, beta The leading word processor gets a boost from better suite integration, fine new features, and useful enhancements. Pros: Improved interfaces; more wizards and assistants; easier table editing; better graphics...

Excel gains groupware tools. (Office 97's Word, Excel keep their top spots, add Web applications) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... Microsoft Excel 97, beta The latest release of the world's leading spreadsheet program, Microsoft Excel 97, includes a range of impressive enhancements to previous versions. Pros: Full-featured and easy-to-use Web tools; mature groupware...

OS/2 Warp 4 launch takes a back seat to IBM's love for anything called Java.(Down to the Wire)(Column)(Product Announcement)
September 30, 1996... Last week, on Sept. 25, IBM launched one of its most important strategic products: Java. I went to San Francisco to attend the launch. And I have to say, it was the most inspiring IBM event I've ever attended -- well, that is, I was very...

Pammy learns the fine art of dumpster diving, sniffs out Microsoft tidbits.(Notes from the Field) (Humor)(Column)
September 30, 1996... You would think, with my years of journalistic experience, I'd use full disclosure when training malleable minds to the fine art of reporting. Not so when my own Pammy is the student. A budding Jimmy Olsen she is, but lacking the stomach for...

WebObjects forges links to data. (Next Software WebObjects Enterprise 2.0)(Intranet World supplement) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD WebObjects Enterprise 2.0 Next's flagship Web development system is an object-oriented environment that delivers real-time access to information stored in back-end databases, transforming static HTML pages into...

Intranets expand to customers, others. (testing of intranet products)(Intranet World supplement) (News Briefs)(Editorial)
September 30, 1996... It's funny what you'll do only when a consultant tells you to. I'm feeling a little bit like a kid who's been told to stop fighting with her brother -- in this case our IS department. Somehow I was more willing to make peace because a...

Frontier's tools suite stakes a claim on intranets. (Frontier Technologies Intranet Genie 1.1)(Intranet World supplement) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: GOOD Intranet Genie 1.1 Geared toward small and medium-size businesses, Intranet Genie provides a modular suite of Internet-style tools for publishing documents to an internal Web site, exchanging e-mail, and conducting...

IntraBuilder easily assembles database applications. (Borland International)(Intranet World supplement) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... IntraBuilder, beta Although this beta has rough edges, IntraBuilder is a unique development environment for Webmasters looking to build Web-based database applications that go beyond simple forms. Pros: Easy-to-use designer for creating...

Database access for the Web finally gets simpler. (BulletProof Corp JDesigner Pro)(Intranet World supplement) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD JDesignerPro 1.0 This product provides a wizard approach to developing and deploying Java-based database applications. Pros: Easy-to-use interface; full-featured applet security; ODBC database access;...

Central structure, guidelines make information useful. (Inside the Firewall)(Intranet World supplement) (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Column)
September 30, 1996... There are many exciting aspects to creating an intranet, but few are as important as maintaining consistency with respect to information organization as well as underlying purpose. This sense of common purpose is lacking from many companies'...

DFS brings shares together but still needs work. (Distributed File System for Windows NT Server 4.0) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... Distributed File System for Windows NT Server 4.0, beta Distributed File System will allow Windows NT Server clients to view a distributed network file structure as a single hierarchical resource. Pros: Works with disparate file systems...

SMS 1.2 is best at managing shops with Windows NT LANs and WANs. (Microsoft Systems Management Server) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: GOOD Systems Management Server 1.2 A serious product for serious networks, SMS is well-suited for managing Windows NT Server-based LANs and WANs, but less so for managing other networks. Pros: Provides enterprise system...

EcoNet pinpoints apps, users consuming bandwidth. (Compuware Corp performance-monitoring tool) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
September 30, 1996... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD EcoNet 2.0 EcoNet, a distributed software-based tool, discovers, monitors, and reports network application-level traffic on complex enterprise networks. Pros: Graphically discovers and renders an...