As industry groups seek to standardize software programming interfaces, DSPs may hold the key to bringing voice video, and telephony to low-cost PCs.

[theme : DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING]

Peer LANs have evolved from limited-function packages to full-featured systems that integrate into enterprise LANs.

[theme : NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEMS]

A number of companies are releasing software designed to make accessing the Internet easier.

[theme : INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS]

The widespread adoption of graphical applications adds a whole new set of challenges for applications developers and visually impaired users.

[theme : ADAPTIVE COMPUTING]

Despite initial disappointing results in the area of PDAs, companies continue to develop hand-held, communications-centric computing devices.

[theme : PDAS]

CAD software vendors are beginning to exploit new technologies such as object-oriented programming and OLE 2.0.

[theme : PROGRAMMING TRENDS]

Apple recently divulged new information on plans for its Mac operating system.

[theme : OPERATING SYSTEMS]

Sparcbook 3 ships with the Solaris OS; Face to Face provides real-time cross-platform document conferencing for PCs and Macs; and more.

[theme : NEW PRODUCTS]

Component software, as exemplified by Visual Basic's custom controls, is succeeding where object-oriented computing has failed.

[theme : PROGRAMMING] [author : Jon Udell]

New programming tools are needed to develop software systems tha can be easily extended with new modules.

[theme : SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT] [author : Dick Pountain and Clemens Szyperski]

Computerized patient records will improve health care and reduce costs.

[theme : INFORMATION PROCESSING] [author : Scott Wallace]

A new breed of multifunction DSP-based peripherals makes data conferencing inevitable and lays the groundwork for personal videoconferencing.

[theme : MULTIMEDIA] [author : Andrew W. Davis]

Buoyed by new products, services, and access standards, wide-area wireless communications is ready for prime time.

[theme : WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS] [author : David A. Harvey and Richard Santalesa]

The IEEE brings order to the chaotic world of wireless LANs by agreeing upon a foundation protocol for media access.

[author : Cees Links and Wim Diepstraten and Vic Hayes]

Telescript provides the glue that lets personal communicators access the world. It could change the way you talk to the world.

[author : Peter Wayner]

Lotus cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail provide the necessary E-mail tools for communicating with offices in far-flung locations. We liked both user interfaces, but cc:Mail is easier on the administrator.

[theme : COMMUNICATIONS] [author : Howard Eglowstein and Ben Smith]

Zenith Data Systems' new $999 Z-Stor Personal Server is a dedicated file server that makes sense for small workgroups. Bundled with Novell's Personal Netware, it almost installs itself on Ethernet LANs.

[theme : NETWORKS] [author : Barry Nance]

Poet 2.1 is a true object-oriented database that also includes all the features of a full-blown multiuser database: compound indexes, locks, even multilevel transactions. Grehan explains how programmers can use the same structures of C++ code to support the database.

[theme : PROGRAMMING]

The IBM Personal Dictation System brings computer-based dictation services to a mainstream corporate audience. With its support of voice input of system commands and its sophisticated dictation application, the system can support text entry in a fully "hands free" environment. Its accuracy and ease of use make the system viable for general business correspondence.

[theme : VOICE RECOGNITION] [author : Stanford Diehl]

The First At Work laser printer. Lexmark's WinWriter 600 provides good performance and an excellent user interface.

[theme : PRINTERS] [author : Ed Perratore]

Capable 21-inch monitors from Nanao and Nokia push resolution to a flicker-free 1600 by 1200 pixels. Both can support an 80-HZ refresh rate if you've got the right graphics card.

[theme : DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY] [author : Steve Apiki]

Apple Events support is one reason Thompson finds Aladdin Systems' SITcomm a standout among Mac communications packages.

[theme : COMMUNICATIONS] [author : Tom Thompson]

We use our PC and Mac printer tests to choose the best of today's laser, ink-jet, dot-matrix, and color printers for six important business applications.

[theme : PRINTERS] [author : Scott Higgs and Chandrika Mysore]

A look at a font-matching system based on visual characteristics.

[theme : FONT MAPPING] [author : Scott Boggan and Michael De Laurentis]

Icon does string and structure processing and numerical computation.

[theme : PROGRAMMING] [author : Ralph E. Griswold]

Over-the-wire message passing with NetBIOS and IPX in an OS/2 environment.

[theme : NETWORKING] [author : Barry Nance]

Jerry survives an earthquake, installs a LAN server, and gives out more User's Choice Awards.

[author : Jerry Pournelle]

Mathematical modeling, CD-ROM databases, computer ethics, and 3-D graphics libraries.

[author : Rick Cook and Lamont Wood and Dave Vislosky and Ben Smith]

Are virtual communities on the Internet taking the place of neighborhood communities?

[author : Tom R. Halfhill]

[author : Dennis Allen]

The data superhighway, the "real" reasons for technical-support calls, and environmental concern

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