1993 19.09 1995

Vol.19 n°9 september 1994

Vol.19 n°9 september 1994

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p.4 Contents

p.4 Contents

News & Views

News & Views

p.24 Into the Enterprise

p.24 Into the Enterprise

New software releases by Lotus and announcements by Microsoft and WordPerfect reflect the companies' different strengths and philosophies.

[theme : WINDOWS SUITE]

p.25 Color Laser Moves Toward Mainstream

p.25 Color Laser Moves Toward Mainstream

Color laser printers for under $5000 may be appearing in offices soon.

[theme : LASER PRINTING]

p.30 Photoshop and Picture Publisher Get a Face-Life

p.30 Photoshop and Picture Publisher Get a Face-Life

The top vendors of image-processing software are unleashing new versions of their high-end programs.

[theme : IMAGE EDITING]

p.32 Businesses Turn to BBSes

p.32 Businesses Turn to BBSes

Amid all the information-highway headlines, business and government agencies are turning to an information-sharing technology that's existed since the early days of personal computing: the electronic bulletin board system.

[theme : COMMUNICATIONS]

p.38 Getting CISC into RISC

p.38 Getting CISC into RISC

The RISC-CISC debate is taking some interesting turns that could have a profound effect on the future of the personal computer industry.

[theme : PROCESSOR TRENDS]

p.40 Bigger and Better

p.40 Bigger and Better

Reality is setting in: Small too often translated into flimsy and underpowered products. Subnotebook vendors' renewed efforts will hit the market this summer and fall.

[theme : PORTABLE COMPUTERS]

p.40 Inexpensive, Fast, and Slow to Acceptance

p.40 Inexpensive, Fast, and Slow to Acceptance

When looked at from a technological viewpoint, Windows printers ought to be big sellers. But analysts don't expect the category to take off for a couple of years. Here's why.

[theme : WINDOWS PRINTERS]

p.220 What's New

p.220 What's New

PCMCIA connects notebooks to Ethernet, Macs become multimedia-ready, open architecture brings visual development to C++, and more.

[theme : NEW PRODUCTS]

Cover Story

Cover Story

[theme : SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE]

p.78 Transforming the PC: Plug and Play

p.78 Transforming the PC: Plug and Play

For over a decade, users have struggled with the arcana of expanding a PC system. Plug and Play promises to make system configuration - and reconfiguration - a simple and painless affair. Getting from here to there, however, won't be nearly as simple or painless.

[author : Tom R. Halfhill]

p.80 Plug and Play with DMI

p.80 Plug and Play with DMI

p.82 Tips for Plug and Play

p.82 Tips for Plug and Play

p.86 What They're Saying About Plug and Play

p.86 What They're Saying About Plug and Play

p.92 Building a Better BIOS

p.92 Building a Better BIOS

Features

Features

p.47 The Last Bastion

p.47 The Last Bastion

"Computer on a chip" is old hat; are you ready for a "supercomputer on a chip"?

[theme : SUPERCOMPUTING] [author : Dick Pountain]

p.59 Data over Cellular

p.59 Data over Cellular

Support builds for AT&T Paradyne's Enhanced Throughput Cellular.

[theme : WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS] [author : John Bryan]

p.67 Processors Proliferate

p.67 Processors Proliferate

While most CPU designers seek bigger processors with more power, others are looking for less. Small is a strategy that's working remarkably well in niche markets.

[theme : EMBEDDED PROCESSORS] [author : Rick Grehan]

p.68 The Taming Power of the Small

p.68 The Taming Power of the Small

State of the Art

State of the Art

p.98 Connecting Networks

p.98 Connecting Networks

Linking up multiple, far-flung networks for an enterprise calls for high-bandwidth digital connections.

[theme : INTERNETWORKING]

p.103 On the Road to ATM

p.103 On the Road to ATM

ATM is a strong contender for connecting enterprise networks cost-effectively. Among the first to adopt ATM will be small workgroups that need to move large blocks of data.

[author : Peter Wayner]

p.113 LANs Make the Switch

p.113 LANs Make the Switch

Three types of packet-switching hardware - shared-memory systems, shared-bus designs, and multistage switch matrix units - make it easier to maintain high-speed connections among an organization's LANs.

[author : John Bryan]

p.114 What's on the Market

p.114 What's on the Market

p.125 Digital Remote Access

p.125 Digital Remote Access

No longer an expensive and hard-to-justify luxury, high-speed remote access to networks is now possible using ISDN and other digital services available from the phone companies.

[author : Jeffrey Fritz]

p.126 The Analog Alternative

p.126 The Analog Alternative

Reviews

Reviews

p.137 Software Roundup: Remote-Control Windows

p.137 Software Roundup: Remote-Control Windows

With remote-control software, you can access all the resources of your desktop computer system from just about anywhere. BYTE evaluates the six remote-control programs most widely used for running Windows applications. We test the programs for performance, features, usability and versatility.

[theme : REMOTE-CONTROL SOFTWARE]

p.151 Big, Fast IDE Drives

p.151 Big, Fast IDE Drives

New IDE drives provide performance suitable for local-bus systems and capacities that exceed a gigabyte. We test eight of the latest.

[theme : HARD DRIVES] [author : David Essex]

p.157 Access 2.0: The Best of Both Worlds

p.157 Access 2.0: The Best of Both Worlds

With new ease-of-use features and enhanced development tools, Microsoft Access 2.0 aims at database dabblers and developers. Reviewer Jim Carls evaluates Access as both an end-user tool and a development environment.

[theme : DATABASES] [author : Jim Carls]

p.161 SparcStation Overhaul

p.161 SparcStation Overhaul

Sun has updated its graphics workstation lineup. BYTE looks at the inexpensive SparcStation 5, powered by Sun's new MicroSparc II processor, and the SparcStation 20, which holds up to four SuperSparc processors.

[author : Eric Garland]

p.162 Dual SuperSparcs

p.162 Dual SuperSparcs

p.167 Power of Cooperation

p.167 Power of Cooperation

Linux is a freely available version of Unix, developed by individuals from all over the world. But it isn't a bare-bones Unix clone. It is full of the features you would expect to find only in a commercial implementation of Unix.

[author : J. Bruce Dawson]

p.171 Low-Cost Simulation

p.171 Low-Cost Simulation

A circuit simulator lets you try before you fry.

[author : Dany Dion]

p.176 Lab Report: 24 CD-ROM Drives: Double-Speed Rules

p.176 Lab Report: 24 CD-ROM Drives: Double-Speed Rules

We test 24 double-speed and faster CD-ROM drives to identify the price/performance leaders.

p.178 The Best Double-Speed CD-ROM Drives

p.178 The Best Double-Speed CD-ROM Drives

p.178 Do You Need Quad Speed?

p.178 Do You Need Quad Speed?

p.180 How We Tested

p.180 How We Tested

p.182 Fast Access to Multiple CDs

p.182 Fast Access to Multiple CDs

p.182 CD-ROM for the Road

p.182 CD-ROM for the Road

p.184 Honorable Mentions

p.184 Honorable Mentions

p.184 Dubious Achievements

p.184 Dubious Achievements

[author : Core Technologies]

p.191 Silicon for 3-D

p.191 Silicon for 3-D

Inexpensive 3-D hardware is coming to a PC near you, and games, slide presentations, virtual reality - even spreadsheets - will never be the same.

[theme : CPUS] [author : Peter Wayner]

p.193 The Fix Is In for Chicago

p.193 The Fix Is In for Chicago

Chicago will be the most radical Windows upgrade ever. Here's what's important and improved in Microsoft's newest operating system.

[theme : OPERATING SYSTEMS] [author : Jon Udell]

p.197 Object-Oriented COBOL

p.197 Object-Oriented COBOL

Object-oriented - hold on to your hat - COBOL is in the works. How could such a thing remain true to the spirit of the language - and what would it look like?

[theme : PROGRAMMING] [author : Rick Grehan]

p.201 Optimizing Notes Replication

p.201 Optimizing Notes Replication

The issue of replication scheduling is moving to the forefront. Buyers and vendors of distributed data systems should raise their level of awareness about this potentially critical issue.

[theme : NETWORKS] [author : David Yavin]

Opinions

Opinions

p.205 Pournelle: Don't Blink

p.205 Pournelle: Don't Blink

Jerry tackles the trinity of SCSI, video cards, and sound cards; as usual, he wins.

[author : Jerry Pournelle]

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: PowerPC: Cultural and Technological Perspective

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: PowerPC: Cultural and Technological Perspective

A chronicle of the PowerPC revolution, college selection via CD-ROM, and an encyclopedia of computer cracking via a network.

[author : Jon Udell and Rich Friedman and Rick Cook]

p.278 Commentary: Why IBM Should License Win32

p.278 Commentary: Why IBM Should License Win32

To survive as an operating-system vendor, IBM will need a credible Win32 strategy.

[author : Jon Udell]

p.14 Editorial

p.14 Editorial

[author : Dennis Allen]

p.18 Letters

p.18 Letters

Computing in a global environment, computing and U.S. politics, and a few clarifications.

p.229 Reader Survey

p.229 Reader Survey

READER SERVICE

READER SERVICE

p.276 Editorial Index by Company

p.276 Editorial Index by Company

p.272 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.272 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.274 Index to Advertisers by Product Category

p.274 Index to Advertisers by Product Category

Inquiry Reply Cards: 272A

Inquiry Reply Cards: 272A

p.231 BUYER'S GUIDE

p.231 BUYER'S GUIDE

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buyer's Mart

PROGRAM LISTINGS

PROGRAM LISTINGS

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