[  ] [ Jan ] [ Feb ] [ Mar ] [ Apr ] [ May ] [ Jun ] [ Jul ] [ Aug ] [ Sep ] [ Oct ] [ Nov ] [ Dec ] [  ] Recent Developments .. by Roger Davies June 1997 SSDirect Home Page Roger Davies @ Soft Serve Direct Box 389, Magrath, Alberta, Canada T0K 1JO voice (403) 388-4332 fax (403) 758-3505 Please address comments to rdavies@ssdirect.com. Thanks!

Look before you Weep

Buying New Now or Better Later. We consumers, you and I, are being inundated by a tidal wave of advertising telling us that the next greatest thing on earth is about to drop onto our desktop. We have been dazzled in the past. We expect more. The problem is that these announcements are almost always heavy on the 'what' but light on the 'how' and 'when'.

You have heard me rant against great vaporware or almost-there software and hardware deals of the past. MMX is coming, X2 is here, Version XYZ makes all your software obsolete. It matters little whether these products eventually do live up to their claims. The problem is that they have to fly the flag before the ship is built. Even my favorite software providers do it to us. For example, let's talk Corel. The new version 8 Word Perfect Suite was released this month. Most of it is there in the box. But the PIM program to replace the old Sidekick program is missing. A lovely coupon is provided for us to hold until that piece of software is finished (sometime in September as per last information). The other kicker is that the OEM version that can be sold with new systems won't be released until September. Does anybody not see the vapor in the where?

On the brighter side, the rest of the WordPerfect Suite 8 is a welcome improvement over the already good value found in the former Suite 7 software. More (and different) graphics, better integration of features, improved interface. Great. The problem with this and all other software out there is that they are works in progress. The unfortunate truth is that we pay to become unsuspecting beta testers of their new program on our brand of hardware.

I've been there, and there too. For years as a system programmer, I have relied on good fortune and the patience of my unsuspecting users, in addition to my formidable skills, to produce a working system. Weeding out and resolving system bugs and unexpected 'features' is an ongoing process. No program ever written is, ever has been, or even can be complete, finished and perfected. The best we can hope for is that the big, bad problems have been resolved and corrected. On the other hand, as a program user, I need software that will perform as specified on the package. How can we protect ourselves? First, deal with reputable software developers. They put a lot of money and time (hopefully) into fixing, re-fixing, and re-re-fixing programs (called patches, incremental version upgrades, or new improved versions). Second, hold your horses. Unless you have an overwhelming need to be the first on the block with the new box on your shelf, why not wait a bit till the magazines and other users have time to review and evaluate them? And finally, be realistic, be wise. Don't plunk down your money because the box is real pretty and new. Caveat emptor - Buyer beware - still applies regardless of that guarantee on the box. Once you have opened it, often you are married to that program and any problems hiding in there. If you look first and still decide you love him/her in spite of his/her failings, you still have a chance to find happiness. Go in with your eyes open and good luck!

Make your Computer Sing

Realaudio is really cool. Realaudio players have hit the net in a big way. Radio stations and news broadcasters are learning that the Internet is a great way to get the message across. No longer limited by time and space, a listener can sit down to his multimedia equipped computer and dial up live radio broadcasts from around the world in several languages or listen to previously recorded events stored on the net in real audio digital format anytime in the past.

See http://www.rcinet.ca/realaude.htm for a just one example of multi-lingual capabilities in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian. The basic Realplayer program is available for free download and evaluation from http://www.real.com/products/player.html. The commercial Realplayer Plus version is also available for a modest $30 US fee. As a bonus, these programs also handle broadcast video as well. Live or saved TV like images and sound can be broadcast in the same way as the radio sounds. However, until higher transmission/access speeds are achieved this application is an interesting preview of what may be on the way.

-- Last revised June 1997 --  

[ May 97 ] [ SSDirect Home ]

Please address comments to rdavies@ssdirect.com. Thanks!

Revised: June 23, 2001 Design Copyright 1996-2000 by Roger Davies for Soft Serve Direct (SSDirect - Computer Consulting, PC Sales, and Service). Permission is granted for individual use and reproduction provided that this document remains intact, with this copyright message clearly visible.

[]