Vol.21 n°1 january 1996

Cover story

p.44 The World's Fastest Computers

[author Tom Thompson]

p.47 Convex : Hypernode Power

p.52 Cray: Faster than a Bottleneck Bullet

p.54 IBM: The Blue Flash

p.58 SGI: Powerfull Secret Identity

p.62 The World's Fastest Computers (fot Now)

p.64 Super Vision

Network Project

p.107 Server Management

[author Jon Udell]

A look at OS and server combinations that can ease Web-site management.

Features

p.80NA 2 Installations: Unix Takes Off

[author Cate T. Corcoran]

Boeing incorporates commercial code in the maintenance system on its new 777.

p.67 AMD K6 Takes On Intel P6

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

AMD new K6 (formerly the NextGen Nx686) is the first x86 chip with special multimedia instructions.

p.77 Wired on the Web

[author Andrew Singleton]

Cooler than iced capuccino, Sun's HotJava browser technology brings interactive applications and other deluxe stuff to the web. It could also become a universal OS.

State of the Art

p.81 Killer Components

[author Alan Joch] [theme Componentware]

Today standards define common interface to make components interoperable. Do they go far enough?

p.83 Integration, Not Perspiration

[author David S. Linthicum] [theme Componentware]

p.99 Components Everywhere

[author Tom R. Halfhill and Salvatore Salamone] [theme Componentware]

A look at two competing technologies for distributing components on your network: Microsoft's Network OLE and the OMG's CORBA.

News & Views

p.24 How the Web Will Change Computing

[theme Internet Web Browsers]

Businesses will increasingly use Web browsers and interpreted languages like Java for cross-platform applications.

p.25 Intel Beats the Clock... Again

[theme Processors]

The Pentium gets even faster, hitting a new peak of 200 MHz.

p.26 Better Tools Reduce Clutter

[theme Personal Scanners]

Okay, here's another story about the paperless office. But this time, it's personal.

p.30 Higher Data Speeds Coming for Plain Phone Lines

[theme Communications]

ADSL is more than just another acronym. It's technology that will bring high-speed communications over ordinary phone lines.

p.34 PDA Vendors Improve PC Links

[theme Personal Digital Assistants]

BYTE readers said they want better links between their personal computers and PDAs. Seems like PDA vendors are finally starting to deliver what you asked for.

p.36 Coming: Thousands of Internet On-Ramps

[theme Internet Access]

Soon, you might use a phone to write home.

p.38 Code Talk: A Programmer Needs a Maid

[theme Programming]

With apologies to Neil Young, Rick Grehan writes this month about a new tool that automates that age-old hassle: garbage collection.

p.40 The Best of Comdex

[theme Hot Products]

We're too tired to say anything more than: Turn to this page to see what really sparkled at the latest Vegas extravaganza.

p.168 What's New

Gateway's Solo V120 is a zippy little Win 95 notebook: Lotus Approach 96 makes database work a breeze; plus more.

Reviews

p.113 New Media Is the Message

[author Rick Grehan] [theme Multimedia Machine]

The latest Power Macs come equiped with sound, video, telephony, conferencing, fax and speech recognition.

p.129 Sumo Graphics Giants Weigh In

[author Stanford Diehl and G. Armour Van Horn] [theme Graphics Software]

Two new graphics suites for Windows 95 from Corel and Micrografx.

p.133 Self-Serve Information

[author David Essex and Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols] [theme Fax-Back Software]

Fax-on-demand programs are demanding, but they'll serve your customers well.

p.137 3-D without RISC

[author Dave Rowell] [theme Graphics Workstations]

The first Pentium Pro (P6) system—Intergraph's TDZ-400—deliver 3-D graphics performance so strinking it'll make you feel good about not taking a RISC.

p.139 Ultrafast UltraSPARCs

[author Ben Smith] [theme Graphics Workstations]

A new processor, an innovative bus design, and a specialized instruction set make Sun Ultra I a high-performance workstation for graphics.

p.141 Best Low-Cost Printer on the LAN

[author Dave Rowell] [theme Network Printers]

Our tests show that HP's new LaserJet 5Si MX is the best in its class.

p.143 Power Tools for Data Drilling

[author David S. Linthicum] [theme Analysis Software]

IQ/Objects and PowerPlay take different approaches to finding answers in complex databases.

p.147 Software Roundup: Tame the Network

[author Tadesse W. Giorgis] [theme Network Managers]

A comparison of five programs for managing all those connected devices.

p.116 Lab Report: 20 Big-Picture Monitors

[author Chandrika Mysore] [theme High-Res Minotors]

We test tubes with 1600 by 1200 resolution and other addictive characteristics, then pick the best pictures and the best deals.

p.118 Pivot 1700: A Moving Alternative

p.123 Access.bus Technology

p.123 Honorable Mentions

p.124 How We Tested

Core Technologies

p.153 StrongARM Tactics

[author Dick Pountain] [theme CPUS]

p.155 Is Your Network Secure?

[author Dan Thomsen and Winn Schwartau] [theme Operating Systems]

Internet security requires a good foundation. Using the least-privilege approach to secure the underlying OS helps type enforcement provide this foundation.

p.157 Clean Up: C++ Garbage Collection

[author Justin Miller] [theme Programming]

Here's a tool that can make programmers more productive by helping them take out the trash.

p.159 More Control, Fewer Headaches

[author Salvatore Salamone] [theme Networks]

Integrating configuration management with the NOS and systems management tools reduces LAN supports costs and problems.

Opinions

p.161 Pournelle: Dead Chickens and Portable Data

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry looks at transportable data, using everything from drugstore composition books to a database builder and a radio-linked portable.

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: Pentium Pin-Out Signals and More

[author Tom R. Halfhill, Rick Cook, and Jeff Macclay]

A great big book on the Pentium, a smaller book about technological evolution and two CDs for children.

p.218 Commentary: The Real Software Crisis

[author Bruce F. Webster]

There's a serious shortage of really good programmers.

p.10 Editorial: Web Sites: Don't Blink

[author Raphael Needleman]

p.18 Letters

Reader service

p.212 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.216 Editorial Index by Company

Index to Advertisers by

p.214 Product Category

Inquiry Reply Cards: 212A-B

p.175 Buyer's guide

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buyer's Mart

Program listings

FTP: ftp to ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "jan96").

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

THE BYTE WEB SITE

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°2 february 1996

Cover Story

p.50 Toss Your TV

[author Edmund X. Dejesus]

Tune in tomorrow when the internet takes over audio and video broadcasting.

p.53 Get Real-time

p.54 We Don't Need No Stinking Computers

p.56 Playing MIME Games

p.60 Anyone Connected to the MBone?

p.60 AT&T Paradyne's Bandwidth Revolution

p.62 Tour the Sites and Sounds

Unix Special Report

Begins on page 97

p.101 Net Programming for the Masses

p.105 Stack Attack

p.109 Windows without Walls

p.117 SunSoft's Object Lesson

p.123 Linux matters

Features

p.43 1995 Editors' Choice Awards

Kudos to the technically superior products that bring new ways to solve critical problems.

p.69 Agents and Avatars

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

Controversial characters are going on-line, showing up in virtual office, and chatting on the web.

p.72NA 2 Installations: DMV Hits Pothole

[author Christine White]

Fifty-million dollars later, Califonia's Departement of Motor Vehicules scraps its computer upgrade and starts reengineering.

Network Project

p.137 Damn Lies

[author Jon Udell]

Web statistics can be downright misleading. Here's how to analyse the traffic to your website.

State of the Art

p.73 Merging Voice and Data

[author Salvatore Salamone] [theme Voice/Data Integration]

New technologies let voice traffic share data lines.

p.75 ISDN: Give Up and Go?

[author Salvatore Salamone]

Tired of waiting for ISDN? New modern and line-sharing technologies use existing wires to deliver voice and data to your office or home.

p.83 Dial 1-800-Internet

[author Nathan Muller]

Phoneware and a Net connection will let you talk all day without ringing up long-distance bills.

p.89 Voice Gets Framed

[author Christine Heckart and Beth Gage]

Frame relay, an economical choice for data network, saves more money when it also carries voice traffic.

News & Views

p.24 Win 95 Roars with Pentium-Class PCs

New CPUs from Intel, Cyrix and NextGen keep cranking up the speed of running PC software.

p.25 PowerPCs Still a Spec on the Horizon

PowerPC machines based on the latest platform spec are on the way from several hardware makers.

p.25 Web Forces Change

Internet technology is making major vendors like Microsoft, Lotus, and Compuserve revise their way of thinking—and pricing.

p.26 Alternative Input Spells Relief

Chairs with keyboards arms, keyboards that look warped by the rain—do they help prevent injury?

p.30 Notebooks Take on Rugged Challenges

Rugged PCs don't have to weigh as much as you do.

p.34 Au Revoir, Overheads

New technologies are changing portable projection products.

p.36 Home PC Sales Pass Peak

A computer in every home? Not in this century.

p.38 Code Talk: Add Spreadsheets, Charting to Programs with Ease

Rick Grehan looks at new OLE custom controls that simplify building-block-style programming.

p.36 Year 2000 Promises Strange Days Ahead

Along with end-of-the-world prophecies, the big date change will mean billions spent on the switch from two-digit to four-digit-year data.

p.38 New Docks Improve Commuter Computers

Notebook designers are paying more attention to users who want just one machine.

p.40 Coming: Faster, Cheaper Optical Data Links

New optical interconnectors will deliver the high speed of fiber at less expensive prices.

p.202 What's New

Previews of a pointing device and AT&T's PC Phone, as well as lots of new hardware and software.

Reviews

p.155 Pentium Pro Makes NT Fly

[author Selinda Chiquioine and Dave Rowell] [theme Personal Workstations]

Five Pentium Pro systems running Windoxs NT soar through our 32-bit CPU and applications tests. Plus, performance comparisons of today's fastest CPUs.

p.163 Enter the NetWare Impostor

[author Steve Gillmor] [theme Network Software]

With File and Print Services for NetWare, Microsoft hopes to ease the transition from Novell—to NT—based networks.

p.165 CD-ROM Has a New MO

[author Andrew Froning] [theme Storage]

Plasmon Data's PD2000e combines a 4X CD-ROM reader with high-capacity rewritable storage.

p.167 OpenDoc: Small Is Beautiful

[author Raymond Ga Côté] [theme Component Technology]

OpenDoc finally comes to market, promising better integration of applications.

p.169 OOP from the Guy Who Wrote the Book

[author Peter D. Varhol] [theme Development Environment]

The Eiffel language's textbook-correct, object-oriented environment is available to developers in Tower Technology's TowerEiffel for Unix and Windows NT.

p.173 Prospero's Magic Application Integrator

[author Kelly Trammell] [theme Programming Tools]

Oberon's visual programming system integrates Windows apps to automate data handling.

p.175 Where on Earth am I?

[author George V. Kinal] [theme Mobile Communications]

Satellites and the Global Positionning System tell these PC Cards where you are—more or less.

p.179 Software Roundup: Desktop Publishing Photo Finish

[author David Seachrist]

The four leading programs for Windows—PageMaker, Ventura, FrameMaker, and Quark—are all feature-full and fast. The difference are in the details.

p.142 Lab Report: 18 Graphics Cards Quick on the Draw

[author Jim Kane and John McDonough]

We tested 18 graphics cards that boost performance and produce razor-sharp images.

p.144 The Best in Ultrafast Graphics Adapters

p.144 MPEG: Pay for Play

p.147 Diamond's New Edge

p.147 Elsa Incorporates Glint Chip for Accelerated 3-D

p.148 How We Tested

Core Technologies

p.193 Extending the OS/2 Interface

[author Kurt Westerfeld] [theme Operating Systems]

Extending the objects in OS/2's Workplace Shell is not for the faint of heart. But it can be an elegant and efficient way to modify the UI.

p.195 An Alpha in PC Clothing

[author Tom Thompson] [theme Chips]

New emulation technology enables one of the world's fastest CPUs to run Windows applications at near-native speed.

p.197 What's the Future of Dylan?

[author Dick Pountain] [theme Programming]

Apple's Dylan is an expressive, powerful object-oriented language. But it may be too late to make a difference.

p.199 IP Address Management on LANs

[author Bob Schoettle]

Managing IP adresses grows important as more people require access to Unix hosts and the Internet.

Opinions

p.185 Pournelle: SuperCow on the Beach

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry imagines life without a desktop, attends the Hackers'Conference, and overcomes more Windows 95 woes.

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: Take Home Takedown

[author John Montgomery and Rick Grehan]

Tsutomu Shimomura takes down Kevin Mitnick; a new CD lets you take on Visual Basic.

p.240 Commentary: From Copyrights to Telerights

[author Wade Riddick]

A simple solution to the problems of copyrights in this digital era.

p.10 Editorial: Not Till It Flies!

[author Raphael Needleman]

p.18 Letters

Readers write about software that doesn't work, HTML, tools, the Pentium Pro, and more.

Reader service

p.242 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.246 Editorial Index by Company

Index to Advertisers by

p.244 Product Category

Inquiry Reply Cards: 88A-D, 244A-B

p.207 Buyer's guide

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buyer's Mart

Program listings

FTP: ftp to ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "feb96").

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

THE BYTE WEB SITE

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°3 march 1996

Cover Story

p.44 Inside the Web PC

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

Call them network PCs, Internet appliances, or browser boxes, a new class of dirt-cheap computers is coming soon. But first, their designers must overcome four technical hurdles.

p.46 Four Key Technologies

p.54 Inside the Pippin

Network Project

p.91 Web Design

[author Jon Udell]

Features

p.61 Put the Space in Cyberspace

[author Udo Flohr]

The Virtual Reality Markup Language helps create and explore three-dimensional on-line worlds. No need to travel in flat space.

p.64NA 1 Opening PBX Doors

[author Salvatore Salamone]

Those strange boxes that do something with phones are becoming more data-friendly by connecting to LANs. New architectures and APIs are joining these communications technologies.

State of the Art

p.65 Make Multimedia Happen

[author Salvatore Salamone] [theme Multimedia Development]

From storyboards to development tools to network delivery, here's what you should know about making multimedia.

p.67 What's the Story?

[author Salvatore Salamone] [theme Multimedia Development]

Before developing your project, you should do like filmmakers and first develop a storyboard.

p.73 Multimedia over the Network

[author Nathan J. Muller] [theme Multimedia Development]

Here's how to tackle the timely delivery of multimedia over networks and the Internet.

p.85 Learn the Lingo

[author Robert A. Delrossi] [theme Multimedia Development]

Multimedia authoring tools range from low-end presentation-graphics programs to high-end CASE tools. Picking the right one will make the job easier.

News & Views

p.26 Virtual Reality Goes to Work

Lawnmower Man comes to the office as VR starts to influence the business world.

p.27 New Batteries Will Keep You Running

New technologies will let you work longer without plugging in.

p.28 Multimedia Tools Animate the Web

Multimedia Web pages are more than just visual gratification.

p.30 I'll Talk to You Soon

Speech technologies are going to change the way you work (and play).

p.34 On-line Shoppers: "Just Looking, Thanks"

Net surfers are using the Web for info gathering. Here's what you could change that.

p.36 Get Smart—Wear a PC

The latest thing in high-tech fashion.

p.38 Users Like SmartSuite's Team Computing

p.38 Codetalk: Symantec Pours Java into Its Development Environment

It's a software implant: Symantec has inserted a Java compiler into its latest software-development system.

p.40 Finally,Push-Button PDA-to PC Integration

Connect the PDA and push a button. Presto! Your data's synchronized.

p.154 What's New

Apple's QuickDraw 3D Accelerator Card promises more realistic 3-D imagery: Lotus cc:Mail for Macintosh Release 3 helps you automate handling; plus more new hardware and software.

Reviews

p.97 Navigating with a Web Compass

[author Rex Baldazo] [theme Internet Tools]

Quarterdeck's WebCompass, a "metasearch" utility that queries Internet search site, gets high praise from our reviewer.

p.101 Big, Bright, and Beautiful

[author Russell Kay] [theme Mobile Computers]

IBM's new ThinkPad 760CD has a display to die for. But this well-equipped notebook won't run graphics like your desktop does.

p.103 NetWare Mirror with a Twist

[author Bill Lawrence] [theme Network Lawrence]

Vinca's StandbyServer 32 lets you cost-effectively mirror a NetWare server. And the new SnapShotServer can perform backups without affecting server availability.

p.107 The Paperless Cubicle

[author Stanford Diehl] [theme Scanners]

We see how well Visionneer's upgraded PaperPort Vx and HP's new ScanJet 4Si handle our personal paper crisis.

p.109 Compiling Convenience +

[author Rick Grehan] [theme Programming Tools]

Our tests find Watcom's C++ compiler the best if you're programming for multiple Intel platforms, but Microsoft's is tops if you're building 32-bit-only programs.

p.113 CD-ROM changers: the inside story

[author Chris O'Malley] [theme Storage]

Two new quad-speed internal CD-ROM drives from Alps Electric and NEC prove that four discs are better than one.

p.115 Windows-Built for Unix Power

[author Tom Yager] [theme Applications Develoment]

PowerSoft's PowerBuilder for Unix makes it amazingly easy to port Windows and Mac client/server applications to Unix.

p.119 Software Roundup: Smart Forms for the Enterprise

[author Mark Hettler] [theme Electronic-Forms Programs]

Leading-edge forms software can query databases and help you manage workflow. In our roundup, Delrina FormFlow and Novell's InForms demonstrate the best form.

p.124 6 Servers Tangle on the Web

[author Chandrika Mysore and Brent Melson] [theme Web Servers]

It's time to put your company's message on-line. Our tests show that these Web servers make it easier than you might thing.

p.125 BYTE Best

p.126 Netscape's Navigator 2.0 Adds Security and Interactive Multimedia

p.128 Service Instead of Server?

p.128 Honorable Mentions

p.130 How We Tested

Core Technologies

p.143 Plan 9: Feature Film to Feature-Rich OS

[author Paul Fillinich] [theme Operating Systems]

Plan 9 from Bell Labs is a distributed and fairly portable operating system. It could be playing soon in a niche near you.

p.145 Bringing Benchmarks Up to SPEC

[author Tom Yager]

The new SPEC95 benchmarks more accurately measure the performance of systems and microprocessors.

p.149 Bug-Free Benchmarks

[author Rick Grehan] [theme Programming]

The leap developer of the BYTEmark tests clears up the mysteries of malloc() memory mismanagement.

p.151 Internet-Aware Applications

[author Salvatore Salamone]

The first wave of Internet-enabled client/server applications are under developement.

Opinions

p.137 Pournelle: An Upgrade for Mrs Pournelle

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry refurbishes an old 486 for multimedia, wrestles with an OS dilemma, and settles on Windows 95—but COM ports and communications pose problems.

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: The Future, According to Bill

[author Dave Andrews, Tom Thompson, and Rowland Aertker]

Bill Gates writes about the future of computing; plus, code fragments for the Mac and an off-line search engine for the Web.

p.216 Commentary: Oh, Grow Up

[author Curtis Franklin, Jr.]

p.12 Editorial: Keep Your Eye Off the Ball

[author Raphael Needleman]

p.20 Letters

Reader service

p.210 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.214 Editorial Index by Company

Index to Advertisers by

p.212 Product Category

Inquiry Reply Cards: 144E-H, 208A-B

p.161 Buyer's guide

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buyer's Mart

Program listings

FTP: ftp to ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "mar96").

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

THE BYTE WEB SITE

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°4 april 1996

Cover Story

p.44 When Silicon Hits its Limits. What's next?

[author Tom Thomson]

What will storage, memory, and processors look like in the next century? Here's the scoop on some promising technologies that will change computing.

p.48 Creating Holographic Storage

p.54 Whatever Happened to Josephson Junctions?

Network Project

p.85 E-Mail Adventures

[author Jon Udell]

We add mail service to the BYTE Site and mine a rich vein of mail-enabled Web applications.

Features

p.55 Work Flow Without Fear

[author Kelly Trammell]

Don't let fundamental mistakes doom your workflow system to failure.

p.61 The Word on VLIW

[author Dick Pountain]

Intel and HP want to speed up their future CPUs with riskier-than-RISC VLIW technology. We explain the hopes and the hazards.

p.64NA 1 Installations: When COBOL Is Cool

When it downsized. First Image easily parted with its mainframes. But the information-management company couldn't wean itself from COBOL.

Special Report

p.89 How to Make Windows 95 Work for You

p.91 Dock and Play—Almost

p.99 OLE's Missing Links

p.105 Underground Upgrades for Windows 95

p.111 Better Connections in Windows

p.117 When Networking Is Not Working

State of the Art

p.65 The Middleware Riddle

[author Edmund X. Dejesus]

Between the desktop and the server lies middleware. But just what the heck is it?

p.67 The Muddle in the Middle

[author John R. Rymer]

The fundamental concepts you need to understand and compare middleware.

p.71 Middle(ware) Management

[author Salvatore Salamone]

Practical advice on implementing middleware technology sucessfully.

p.79 The Ultimate Middleware

[author John Kador]

With the World Wide Web, who needs middleware?

News & Views

p.24 First Web PCs Arrive

The first low-cost Web PCs are almost here, as Teknema and View Call ready their $500 Internet appliances.

p.25 Java Chips Boost Applet Speed

Three new processors, designed for a range of devices, should crank up the performance of Java programs.

p.26 R5000 Cuts 3-D Cost

Mips chip engineers bend the metal to fit the software. This new CPU will mean faster, less expensive 3-D workstations.

p.30 New CPUs Signal Bener Multimedia PCs

MMx technology will help x86 chips process video and audio.

p.38 Phar Lap's Embeddable Kernel

[theme Code Talk]

A new Win32 API-compatible real-time embedded kernel lets you leverage your experience in writing Windows applications.

p.34 New NT to Offer Win 95 Look, Internet Links

No thanks, Win 95. Some corporate IS managers say they plan to upgrade directly to a new version of Windows NT slated for mid-'96.

p.187 What's New

Sys Technology's 200-MHz Performance Pro 200 workstation proves that two disks are better than one: the latest version of Symantec's Act! gives Psion 3A users contact management and scheduling capabilities: plus more new hardware and software.

Reviews

p.129 A Hot Cup of Java

[author Andrew Singleton] [theme Programming Languages]

The first official release of Sun's Java Web programming language may have trouble living up to all the buzz.

p.133 Notes 4.0: Now It's Webware

[author Steve Gillmor] [theme Workgroup Software]

With field-level replication and improved administration tools, Lotus Notes 4 continues to lead the workgroup field. But its Visual Basic-like OCX tools and Internet connections make it a powerhouse on the Web, as well.

p.138 E-Mail Without Wires

[author Peter Wayner] [theme Mobile Communications]

The Megahertz AllPoints radio modem lets you send E-mail and faxes from almost anywhere, including the train.

p.142 Hey Baby, Call Me at My IP Address

[author Peter Wayner] [theme Internet Phones]

Things you hear in a geeky bar? No. It's a review of software that lets you make long-distance calls over the Internet.

p.145 Holes in the Neural Network

[author Ben Smith]

SPSS tries to throw neural networks at statistical analysis, but PCs may lack the power for serious model-building.

p.147 Visual Toolkits for Audio Apps

[author Brett Glass] [theme Componentware]

With the right component software, you can slap together a robust interactive voice-response system in a matter of hours, if not minutes.

p.151 One Gig to Go

[author G. Armour Van Horn] [theme Storage]

With a 1-gigabyte capacity and the speed of a hard disk, Iomega's Jaz may be the ultimate floppy disk.

p.154 Software Roundup: Big Decision: Warp vs. Windows

[author Tadesse W. Giorgis] [theme Operating Systems]

Comparing the three major 32-bit OSes for Intel-based PC's: OS/2 Warp, Windows 95, and Windows NT.

p.158 Lab Report: 13 Notebooks with Video Muscle

[author Jim Kane and John McDonough] [theme Multimedia Notebooks]

For road warriors who need presentation power, we test 13 Pentium-based multimedia notebooks that are blazingly fast and packed with features.

p.159 BYTE BEST

p.162 Zoom in on High-Quality Video

p.164 How We Tested

Core Technologies

p.177 How to Make Pentium Pros Cooperate

[author John Hyde] [theme CPUs]

Intel's Pentium Pro has multiprocessor support build in. Four such CPUs can work in concert to achieve a stable system environment.

p.179 How Copland Communicates

[author Tom Thompson] [theme Operating Systems]

Open Transport brings a platform-independant networking and I/O interface to the Macintosh, paving the way for future networking technologies.

p.183 Windows NT Event Logging

[author Terry Frederick] [theme Programming]

NT's event-logging system provides a robust mechanism for tracking processing errors. Here's how to get the most from it.

p.185 Marrying ISDN to the OS

[author Jeffrey Fritz and Salvatore Salamone] [theme Networks]

Tighter integration between ISDN and the operating system will improve remote connectivity.

Opinions

p.169 Pournelle: The Fragrant and the Foul

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry picks his favorite products of 1995—and bestows a few Onions as well.

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: Baby's First Java Book

[author Rex Baldazo, Stanford Diehl, and Rich Friedman]

A latté guide to Sun's Java; an entertaining history of the computing business; and a CD-Rom that will prepare you for the auto dealer's showroom.

p.236 Commentary: A Word Is Worth a Thousand Pictures

[author Bob Logue]

Snazzy graphics might look great on the Web, but plain old text is the key to widespread access.

p.10 Editorial: But Sir, I Have No Pornograph!

[author Raphael Needleman]

Reader service

p.230 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.234 Editorial Index by Company

Index to Advertisers by

p.232 Product Category

Inquiry Reply Cards: 144A-B, 230A-B

p.193 Buyer's guide

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buyer's Mart

Program listings

FTP: ftp to ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "apr96").

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

THE BYTE WEB SITE

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°5 may 1996

Cover Story

p.42 Which side are you on?

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

p.46 A Vote for Unix

p.48 A Vote for NT

p.50 Unix vs. NT: Technical Head-to-Head

p.44 Unix vs. NT: The (Edited) Vendors' View

Network Project

p.77 Let's Talk

[author Jon Udell]

We add conferencing to The BYTE Site, so now we can talk to each other.

Features

p.53 Make Voice Response Sing

[author David S. Linthicum]

New programming tools help you avoid screaming when you develop IVR applications.

p.56 A DSP Sampler

[author Andrew W. Davis]

The pros and the cons of dedicated digital signal processors.

Special Report

p.83 Perfect-Fit Portables

p.91 Reach Beyond Win 95

p.95 Stay Connected

p.103 Well-Connected PDAs

State of the Art

[theme Wide-Area Connectivity]

p.57 The Lines Unleashed

[author Salvatore Salamone]

An act of Congress changes all the rules of Wan connectivity.

p.59 The New WAN

[author Salvatore Salamone]

New services let you shift your corporate traffic to a public switched network.

p.65 The Price of WAN Connectivity

[author Liza Henderson]

How to pick the right service and save money, too.

p.71 Playing the ATM Card

[author Lane F. Cooper]

Some compagnies are already using this high-speed technology.

Core Technologies

p.161 Mips R5000: Fast, Affordable 3-D

[author Tom R. Halfhill] [theme CPUs]

Inside a sleek processor cleverly designed to deliver blazing graphics at a modest cost.

p.163 The Be-All of Operating systems

[author Rex Baldazo] [theme Operating Systems]

Multiprocessing, multithreaded, and object-oriented, the BeBox's Be OS is buzzword-compliant. But will it fly?

p.169 Parallel Computing—Windows Style

[author Alexandre Alves] [theme Programming]

How to turn your networked Windows workstations into one big parallel-processing engine.

p.173 Fibre Channel: Fast and Flexible

[author Doug Anderson] [theme Networks]

Fibre Channel's role expands to include more than just connecting peripheral devices.

Reviews

p.113 Spinning the Corporate Web

[author Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols] [theme Web servers]

Microsoft's NT-based Web-server software beats Novell's NetWare entry in versatility and capacity.

p.119 Browse This Color Laser

[author Robert L. Hummel] [theme Color printers]

The Tektronix Phaser 550 brings 1200-dpi resolution and a Web-based management interface to color laser printing.

p.123 Newton Reborn

[author Tom Thompson] [theme Personal Digital Assistants]

The Newton 2.0's handwriting recognizer makes for a practical hand-held device.

p.125 New Videophones Starved for Bandwidth

[author Peter Wayner] [theme Videoconferencing Software]

You too can make dancing postage stamps.

p.131 Reinventing SmartSuite

[author Steve Gilmor] [theme Workgroup Software]

Innovative workgroup features and Notes connectivity make Lotus SmartSuite 96 a team player.

p.135 Workgroups Dock at IR Port

[author Barry Nance] [theme Connectivity]

p.137 Don't Lose Your Crypto Keys

[author Peter Wayner] [theme Security Software]

An easy tool for securing E-mail unlocks the door to managing public and private keys.

p.138 Software Roundup: Help-Desk Helpers

[author David Seachrist] [theme Tech-Support Programs]

Six programs that automate tech support.

p.142 Lab Report: 16 Drives for Fast Data Backup

[author Chandrika Mysore]

We test 16 drives with storage capacities of 100 MB to 2,6 GB.

p.144 5¼-Inch Optical Drives

p.146 3½-Inch Removable Media

p.149 How We Tested

p.149 Honorable Mentions

News & Reviews

p.25 New PCs Improve Your Image

Special features for handling graphics and multimedia.

p.26 Inside the Ultimate Web Site

The technical difficulties of 24 Hours in Cyberspace.

p.30 On-Line Information Services Deliver Disaster Recovery for Small Business

A new approach to storing data.

p.32 Java's Busting Out All Over

From mainframe ports to visual programming tools.

p.36 Better Replication Coming for Databases

Developers are working to give users the universal replication they want.

p.38 Code Talk: Write Windows 95 Virtual Device Drivers on Higher Ground

Taking some of the rocket science out of programming VxDs.

p.38 WordPerfect Losing Ground to Microsoft

Corel renovates the office suite.

p.40 Watch Out: 500-MHz PowerPCs Planned for 1997

A radical new CPU design could blow the doors off Pentium chips.

p.176 What's New

The EpixPro digital camera makes it easy to zap photos into your PC; DeltaPoint's QuickSite software lets you do your own Web pages.

Opinions

p.153 Pournelle: Of Cables and Cards

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry gets a new dual-Pentium up and running and, in a moment of madness, decides to test a stack of PC Cards.

p.41 Books and CD-ROMs: The Art of Software Design

Making good software is more art than science; a well-known travel guide treks to CD-ROM.

p.10 Editorial: While You're Waiting for the Web

[author Raphael Needleman]

The Web is the future. Now let's get back to work.

p.228 Commentary: Wake-Up Call

[author Bob Emmerson]

When it comes to digital telecomm, Europe got it right—and the U.S. still doesn't get it.

p.19 Letters

Internet broadcasting, ADSL, and more from our readers in the Linux camp.

Reader service

p.222 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

p.226 Editorial Index by Company

Index to Advertisers by

p.224 Product Category

Inquiry Reply Cards: 64A-D, 224A-B

p.183 Buyer's guide

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buyer's Mart

Program listings

FTP: ftp to ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "may96").

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°6 june 1996

Cover Story

p.74 Electric Money

[author Udo Flohr]

Before digital currency can replace paper and coin, four technology issues need to be resolved.

p.136NA 3 Clusters for the Masses

Clustering technology moves toward the mainstream as standard finally emerge.

State of the Art

p.88 A Place for Everything

[author Edmund X. DeJesus]

New technologies will raise capacities and lower prices of tomorrow's storage devices.

p.91 Irresistible Drives

[author Edmund X. DeJesus]

Quantum mechanics meets dazzling aerodynamics at 10,000 rpm in hard drives: the next generation.

p.99 The Way of All Flash

[author Rick Cook]

Flash memory hasn't replaced the hard disk, but it's showing up in all kinds of devices.

p.105 CD It for Yourself

[author Jason J. Hyon and Michael D. Martin]

What you need to know to record your own CD-ROMs.

Inbox

p.19

We get mail about our Webserver review, the future of computing, and our cover story on the Web PC.

p.137 Must-See 3-D Engines

[author Tom Thomson]

Comparing a trio of 3-D technologies: SGI's OpenGL, Apple's QuickDraw, and Microsoft's Direct3D.

Bits

p.26 Pentium Pro Moves to the Desktop

p.31 Tool Makers Take It to the Net

p.32 Portable Devices Highlight Best of CeBlT

p.36 Codetalk

p.27 How Java Can Pay the Rent

p.27 IBM to Improve Enterprise Support in OS/2 Server

p.46 Faster, Fatter CD-ROM Titles on Hold

p.27 A Road Map to Better Bandwidth

Editorial

p.14 BYTE's New Interface

[author Raphael Needleman]

Core

p.49 Crave the RAVE

[author Peter Wayner] [theme Operating Systems]

Apple's low-level rendering system provides a cross-platform API for 3-D graphics acceleration.

p.53 How to Put Mainframes on the Web

[author Salvatore Salamone] [theme Networks]

Browsers can provide a front end to all that data on big iron.

p.59 Two, Two Chips in One!

[author Tom Thompson] [theme CPUs]

A look inside a DSP that's also a microcontroller.

p.63 VxDs in Windows 95

[author Rick Grehan] [theme Programming]

Here's how VxDs cope with Win 95's mix of old 16-bit applications and new Win32 programs.

Web Project

p.131 Web Conferencing

[author Jon Udell]

Our Web wizard discusses the good and the bad of Web-based conferencing applications.

Eval

p.65 NT Flies at 333 MHz

[author Selinda Chiquoine]

Polywell's new Alpha workstation is the fastest machine we've ever tested, but its performance drops off in less CPU-intensive tests.

p.66 Big picture, little box

[author Susan Colwell]

NEC fixed the card-compatibility problems with its LCD300 flat-panel display and slashed price in half.

p.69 Internet Video: Small Isn't Beautiful

[author Stephen Satchell and H. B. J. Clifford]

VDOLive software promises real-time video via the Net. Too good to be true?

p.70 Apple's Desktop Replacement

[author G. Armour Van Horn]

Apple jazzes up its diminutive Duo notebook with a 603e chip. Dock it, and tou'd think you're running a PowerPC desktop machine.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 136NA 11-12, 208A-B

Index to Advertisers By

p.208 Alphabetical Order

p.210 Product Category

p.212 Editorial Index by Company

Review

p.153 Exchange: E-mail on Steroids

[author Steven J. Vaughan- Nichols]

Microsoft's Exchange Server has gone great e-mail features. But groupware it's not.

Comparison

p.146 Building bandwidth

[author J. N. Fritz]

Our tests of three single-line ISDN adapters—from ADAK, Motorola, and 3Com—prove that low-cost digital connections are finally here.

Lab Report

p.114 12 Ink-Jet Printers for Quality Color

[author Jim Kane and Dorothy Hudson]

p.124 New Leaders of the Client/Server Migration

[author Mark Hettler]

Testing of four programs for building Windows client/server applicatons reveals the best tools.

What's New

p.216 Pick your CPU for this PC

Pournelle

p.157 When D Equals E

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry takes a trip to Baltimore for the AAAS annual meeting. Back home, he installs a removable drive on Pentafluge.

Toys

p.224 Virtual Reality

Stereoscopic headsets and hand-controlled pucks won't be just for games for long.

Program listings

FTP: ftp to ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "june96").

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°7 july 1996

Cover Story

p.68 Groupware Strategies

[author Bill Roberts]

Notes or Web-based groupware? The answer will surprise you.

p.145 The 1996 Readers' Choice Awards

[author Tom Thompson]

BYTE readers pick their favorite hardware and software.

Special Report

p.119 NT Everywhere

p.121 4.0 Isn't for Everyone

p.127 NetWare: Fight or Switch?

p.133 NT and the Net

p.137 NT Server's Growing Pains

Web Project

p.115 Lessons Learned

[author Jon Udell]

Our Webmaster shares advice distilled from a year of builduig www.byte.com.

State of the Art

p.80 Brave New Interface Worlds

[author Alan Joch]

People and computers will work together more efficiently as interfaces become more intuitive.

p.83 GUIs Get a Facelift

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

Innovative interfaces will change the way developers write software, and the way users interact with it.

p.93 VR Meets Reality

[author Dick Pountain]

A new generation of tools will take virtual reality out of the realm of psychedelia.

p.99 What Pupils Teach Computers

[author Alan Jock]

Eye-tracking systems bring people eye-to-eye with their computers.

p.151 The Network in the Server

[author Tom Thompson]

Two new architectures promise to significantly boost the performance of next-generation servers.

Bits

p.26 Richer, Thinner Notebooks Arrive

p.27 Geoprocessing Goes Prime Time

p.28 Better Images through Micromirrors

p.30 OpenDoc: A Better OLE Than OLE?

p.32 Ten Reasons to Buy Duplex Printers

p.32 ISDN: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

p.32 Codetalk

p.34 RoboCop, Meet Robo Fire Fighter

p.36 How NT 4.0 Merges Win APIs... Right!

p.36 HP Takes the Lead in Workstation Performance

Core

p.49 OpenDoc Says OLE to Developers

[author Emily R. Vander Veer] [theme Operating Systems]

IBM is now positionning OpenDoc as a superset of OLE. It takes a bit of extra programming, but the technology actually does work.

p.53 Life in the fast LANE

[author Salvatore Salamone] [theme Networks]

Your LAN can start taking advantage of speedy ATM.

p.59 x86 Enters the Multimedia Era

[author Tom R. Halfhill] [theme CPUs]

Intel's new MMX instructions will bring faster multimedia processing to x86-compatible CPUs.

p.63 Diagnosing Token-Ring Ailments

[author Barry Nance] [theme Programming]

Here's how to write software that looks out for problems on the network.

Editorial

p.14 Triumphant Technologists

[author Mark Schlack]

Inbox

p.19

Readers write ahout Unix and NT, the Web PC, and how Microsoft blew it with ISDN.

Eval

p.41 The New OS in the Blue Box

[author Raymond Ga Côté]

With twin PowerPC 603 processors and a brand-new multithreaded OS, the BeBox is ready to go.

p.42 The Next Big Thing on the Web

[author Rohit Khare]

Next's development tools helped create the World Wide Web. Now WebObjects could make it more interactive.

p.47 Solving the Chinese Puzzle

[author William Zhao]

The WisdomPen is a handwriting that Marco Polo would've died for.

p.48 PDA Packs Power in Your Pocket

[author Peter Wayner]

The Palm Pilot is one of the most useful PDAs yet.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 136A-D, 208A-B

Index to Advertisers By

p.208 Alphabetical Order

p.210 Product Category

p.212 Editorial Index by Company

Review

p.159 Womb-to-Tomb C++ Development

[author Rick Grehan]

Borland's new C++ 5.0 Development Suite provides enough tools to carry your application from inception to deployment.

p.161 Forging a new medium

[author Stanford Diehl]

Strata's MediaForge 2.0 is a powerful multimedia authoring environment for Windows 95 and NT.

Comparison

p.157 Battle of the Web Site Builders

[author Rex Baldazo]

ich one is better: Microsoft's FrontPage or Netscape's LiveWire? It de

Lab Reports

p.102 5 Reliable Servers for Remote Access

[author Jim Kane and Dorothy Hudson] [theme Lab Report: Hardware]

We test servers that can help you escape getting caught in a network jam.

p.110 Six Comm Programs That Speak Windows 95

[author Tadesse W. Giorgis] [theme Lab Report: Software]

What's New

p.214

Previews of an urban navigator and a Macintosh ISDN pod.

Pournelle

p.163 Comments on Code

Why C is a disaster, and other ruminations on programming.

Toys

p.220 Digital Imagery

New digital cameras from Kodak and Polaroid.

Program listings

FTP: ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "july96").

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°8 august 1996

Cover Story

p.68 Your Business Needs the Web

[author Jon Udell]

New platform-independant applications not only let you run your business on-line—they're jump-starting a golden age of software development.

p.80 The elements of design

[author Tom Thompson]

A tour of research facilities offers a look at potential breakthrough technologies.

p.121 Beyond benchmarketing

[author Rich Grace]

Don't let those numbers fool you. Here's what you need to know about benchmarks.

Bits

p.26 New desktop standard: 200 MHz

p.27 Vendors Eye Internet telephony standard

p.28 Stratus PC server Wins Best of COMDEX

p.30 Java business applications arrive

p.32 Codetalk

p.36 How te create a network security policy

p.38 Lower prices, modularity lead notebook trends

p.40 The interviews: MOLAP,ROLAP, overlap

Editorial

p.14 Weird, wacky, and wonderful

[author Mark Schlack]

Eval

p.41 Mainstreaming Pentium Pro

[author Selinda Chiquoine]

AST's Bravo MS-T 6200 is a high-hertz Pentium PC with a nice price.

p.42 Navigator turns 3.0

[author Rex Baldazo]

Netscape's latest browser is a definite step forward but not a giant leap.

p.47 ThinkPad Gets thin

[author Dave Andrews]

IBM's Thinkpad 560 packs a big screen into a 4-pound, 1.2-inch-thick package.

p.48 Move Aside, Mac

[author Tom Thompson]

The fastest Power Mac yet, Power Computing's 180-MHz clone passes performance and compatibility tests with flying colors.

Web Project

p.117 JavaScript adventures

[author Rex Baldazo]

Enjoy water-skiing on a lake of fire? Then programming in JavaScript might be for you.

Core

p.51 Air-tight Windows NT

[author Jim Reynolds] [theme Operating Systems]

With its C2-level rating, NT meets the practical security needs of both users and administrators.

p.55 Patching the cracks in SNMP

[author William Stallings] [theme Networks]

A look at the fixes and flaws of the new versions of SNMP.

p.59 The Power PC goes consumer

[author Tom Thompson] [theme CPUs]

Inside the 601GF chip, showing up in all kind of places.

p.63 Programming strategies for Intel's MMX

[author Jonathan Khazam and Bev Bachmayer] [theme Programming]

How to use the Pentium's new multimedia instructions.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 120C-F, 120IS A-D, 176A-B

Index to Advertisers By

p.176 Alphabetical Order

p.178 Product Category

p.180 Editorial Index by Company

Review

p.131 SQL server: The Sequel's better

[author Mark Hettler]

SQL Server 6.5 makes it easier to manage multiple servers and replicate databases.

Comparison

p.126 Double-speed SCSI

[author Robert L. Hummel]

We test state-of-the-art Ultra SCSI host adapters from Adaptec, BusLogic, and QLogic. Plus, an OEM card from Symbios Logic.

Lab Report

p.102 12 tape libraries for network backup

[author Jim Kane and Dorthy Hudson and Maggi Bender] [theme LAB report: Hardware]

With their huge storage capacities, these tape libraries ease network-data overload.

p.112 Microsoft's suite Victory

[author David Seachrist and Russel Kay] [theme LAB Report: Software]

We compare the big guns in mainstream office applications—suites from Microsoft, Lotus, and Corel.

What's New

p.182 A preview of AMD's 5K86-P75 CPU, plus a look at Micro-Help's zip file utility

Pournelle

p.133 Adieu, Pentafluge... Hello, Cyrus

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry breaks in a new Cyrix 6x86 machine.

Toys

p.188 Web phones

Emerging digital cell models will put the Web just a phone call away.

Program listings

FTP: ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "aug96").

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°9 september 1996

Cover Story

p.68 Break the Bandwidth Barrier

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

New technologies will deliver an unprecedented amount of speedy on-line bandwidth.

p.80NA 3 Barbarians at the Firewall

[author Deborah Kerr]

If you think a firewall is all you need to protect your enterprise network from Internet intruders, you'd better think again.

State of the Art

p.82 Control Quality

[author Edmund X. DeJesus]

Maintaining software quality when developing client/server applications requires new tools—and new concepts.

p.85 When Good Enough Is Best

[author Edward Yourdon]

When designing client/server systems, "good enough" is best, says the software guru

p.93 Developing Quality

[author Charles D. Knutson]

Advice on developing those scary distributed applications.

p.97 Testing, Testing

[author Stephen R. Quinn and Muralidhar Sitaram]

Simplify testing client/server applications with shrink-wrapped and custom tools.

Special Report

p.123 Convergence Strategies

p.129 Data's New Voice

p.137 Global Video Village

p.153 Forms Follow Function

[author Peter Jerram]

Electronic forms linked to Web front ends could help replace those zillion pieces of paper.

Bits

p.26 Cyrix 6x86 vs. Pentium

p.28 SSA Drives Arrive

p.28 Smarter Radar Detectors

p.30 BYTE's Best of PC Expo

p.34 New PowerMacs

p.36 Objects and the Web

p.40 Knuth on Code

Inbox

p.19

BYTE readers sound off on electric money, Internet commerce and privacy, programming for Intel's MMX, and praise the core of BYTE.

Editorial

p.14 Smart, Fast, and Well Connected

[author Mark Schlack]

Web Project

p.117 Push Me, Pull You

[author Jon Udell]

How to combine e-mail push and Web pull with Next's WebObjects.

Eval

p.41 Microsoft Catches Up with Netscape

[author Rex Baldazo]

Microsoft's latest Web browser matches Netscape Navigator feature for feature, plus adds some tricks all its own.

p.42 Adobe's Finally the Managing Type

[author Russell Kay]

Get unified font management on the Mac and Windows PCs with Adobe's new ATM 4.0.

p.47 Quality Printing, Fast and Cheap

[author Robert L. Hummel]

NEC's SuperScript 860 combines great features with Adobe PrintGear technology for good Windows performance in a low-cost laser printer.

p.48 You Talk, Warp Listens

[author Barry Nance]

Thanks to VoiceType technology, you can tell the new version of OS/2 where you want to go.

Review

p.167 A High Five for the Latest LaserJet

[author Robert S. Hummel]

Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet 5 is an impressive workgroup/network printer.

Comparison

p.161 Powerhouse Pentium Pros

[author Dave Rowell and Peter D. Varhol]

We test the fastest Intel boxes on Earth: 200-MHz quad-Pentium Pro servers from ALR and Compaq.

Core

p.51 A Real OS for Real Time

[author Vik Sohal and Mitch Bunnell] [theme Operating Systems]

LynxOS provides a good, portable environment for embedded applications.

p.55 The New and Improved Internet Protocol

[author William Stallings] [theme Networks]

Additions to the Internet Protocol ensure future growth and new functions.

p.59 How PrintGear Works

[author Andrew Shaw] [theme CPUs]

Adobe's custom processor implements a print architecture for high-performance, low-cost laser printers.

p.63 Better Java Programming

[author Peter Wayner]

A look at how Java's dynamic linking mechanism operates, and how you can use it to write faster Java programs.

Lab Report

p.104 10 Multifunction Telephony Boards

[author Maggi Bender, Dorothy Hudson, Jim Kane and John McDonough] [theme LAB Report: hardware]

NSTL tests all-in-one boards that let you dial up, dial in, send faxes, browse on-line, and do voice mail.

p.112 Serving Up Data on the Web

[author Mark Hettler] [theme LAB Report: software]

We take a close look at three Web-server programs designed to deliver database access to your browser.

Pournelle

p.169 A Little Taste of Crow

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry tracks down the real reason his new Cyrix machine crashed and finds an answer in an unexpected place.

Toys

p.228 Wearable Pentium

[author Dave Andrews]

What Claudia Schiffer might wear while troubleshooting a nuclear reactor.

What's New

DeLorme's Map'n'Go makes an excellent traveling companion; Gateway's newest Pentium machine has more than just a zippy CPU.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 128A-B, 212A-B

Index to Advertisers By

p.212 Alphabetical Order

p.214 Product Category

p.216 Editorial Index by Company

Program listings

FTP: ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "sep96").

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°10 october 1996

Cover Story

p.76 3D for Everyone

[author Udo Flohr]

Coming soon to a screen near you: low-cost 3-D graphics. But first, some technical difficulties.

p.88NA 3 NT in Real Time

[author Rick Grehan]

Embedded-systems developers can now add Windows NT to their list of real-time OSes.

Editorial

p.14 Wanted: New Software

[author Mark Schlack]

HTML converters for five-year-old applications: Is this the best we can hope for?

Inbox

p.19

BYTE readers write about new server architectures, Windows NT issues, MMX programming, and "free PCs."

Bits

p.26 Tech-Support Software

p.30 New Face of Security

p.30 Aerial Telecommuting

p.32 The Next Internet File System

p.36 Dirt-Cheap Color Printers

p.42 Unix Survey

p.44 Network Cameras Go Mobile

p.48 Entomophagous Bruce Brown

p.139 CDs for the Gigabyte Era

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

Thanks to DVD technology, next-generation optical discs will hold 25 times more data than current CD-ROMs.

State of the Art

p.90 How to Tame Big Networks

[author Edmund X. DeJesus]

It's easier when you use intelligent design, simulation, and maintenance tools.

p.93 Design and Conquer

[author Nathan J. Muller]

Intelligent tools can validate your network design and gauge its performance before you buy a single piece of equipment.

p.101 Building the Model Network

[author Charles D. Knutson]

Modeling and simulation provide a cure for pain.

p.107 See the Big Picture

[author Tim Wilson]

Software that helps manage mega-size networks.

Eval

p.49 Notes Opens Up to the Web

[author Steve Gillmor]

Lotus Domino delivers Notes databases to Web clients and powerful tools to Notes developers.

p.50 XTerminal + Browser + Java = Web PC

[author Peter Wayner]

HDS's @workStation is a lowcost box for Web access, Java applets, and Windows.

p.55 Road-Show Romance

[author G. Armour Van Horn]

Proxima's Desktop Projector 4100Z sets a new standard for direct digital projection.

p.56 Alpha Learns to Do Windows

[author Selinda Chiquoine]

Digital's clever technology lets you run 32-bit x86 code on an Alpha machine.

Lab Report

p.114 19 Pentium Portables Do Multimedia

[author Maggi Bender, Jim Kane and John McDonough] [theme LAB Report: hardware]

The current crop of Pentium notebooks are expensive, but testing shows they're worth it.

p.126 Running on NT

[author Robert L. Hummel]

NT 4.0's Win 95 interface and leading-edge connectivity features make for a valuable upgrade—but beware those nasty installation glitches.

Web Project

p.133 Web Surveys

[author Jon Udell]

With properly designed forms, the Web becomes a valuable resource for data collection.

Comparison

p.145 Net Saviors

[author Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols]

Two backup products take very different approaches to saving network data.

Core

p.59 Windows 95: Aiding the Disabled

[author Joseph J. Lazzaro] [theme Operating Systems]

Computer users with disabilities need support from their OS to accomplish tasks independently.

p.63 The Backbone of the Web

[author William Stallings] [theme Networks]

HTTP 1.1 is a much-needed standard for the growing Internet. Here's what it does and how it works.

p.67 The Server's Helper

[author Tom Thompson]

Intel's new i960 RP intelligent I/O processor simplifies a server's architecture while also improving performance.

p.71 Make Acc-ess and the Web Work Together

[author Rick Dobson] [theme Programming]

How to use Microsoft Access and ODBC drivers to produce interactive Web pages and on-line databases.

Reviews

p.149 Enterprise Visual Basic? Almost...

[author Volker Weber and Hans-Jochen Schmitt]

ComUnity OT Framework, Siemens Nixdorf's software for augmenting Visual Basic with business logic and client/server tools, falls short of its goal.

p.153 A C++ Tool That Cures VB Envy

[author Rick Grehan]

Drag-and-drop C++ programming doesn't get any better than Powersoft's slick Optima++.

p.154 Notebook Under Construction

[author Dave Rowell]

You can reconfigure Compaq's Armada from a 5-pound notebook to a full-featured multimedia machine.

Chaos Manor

p.157 Of Zip and Spam and NT 4.0

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry finds uses that go beyond backup for Iomega's Zip drives and takes a first look at the Windows NT 4.0 beta version.

What's New

p.208 What's New

A preview of Matrox's Mystique PCI graphics board, plus a look at Microsoft's Outlook 97.

Code Talk

p.216 Beyond the Bouncing Heads

[author Rick Grehan]

Rogue Wave's JFactory can get you started building Java applications quickly.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 144A-B, 200A-B

Index to Advertisers By

p.200 Alphabetical Order

p.202 Product Category

p.204 Editorial Index by Company

Program listings

FTP: ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "oct96").

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°11 november 1996

Cover Story

p.79 Exclusive Java chips

[author Peter Wayner]

Sun's Java chips may run Java code faster than regular CPUs—but will smart compilers soon make these hot chips obsolete?

p.76 Tomorrow's CPUs

[author Alan Joch]

They just keep getting faster.

p.89 The x86, Faster with Age

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

A guide to the PC chip choices you'll face in the next year.

p.101 PowerPC Regroups

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

The PowerPC may break the 300-MHz barrier before the Pentium.

p.104NA 3 From LAN to WAN with ISDN

[author Jeffrey N. Fritz]

ISDN can extend your LAN to the Internet, remote users, and enterprise networks. An expert examines the technologies, the pitfalls, and the payoffs...

Editorial

p.14 Computing Crossroads

[author Mark Schlack]

Sun's Java chip/Java language combination is the most radical bid for a new computing platform in years.

Bits

p.26 The Return of Hand-Held Windows

p.27 Web Info Delivery

p.30 Cyrix 6x86 Bug

p.30 Post-Millennium Cruising

p.32 Plugged-In CD-ROMs

p.36 FlashPix Graphics

p.36 Survey: Web Commerce

p.38 Java Forms

p.42 Future Notebook Screens

p.44 New PowerPCs

p.48 Flying Robots

p.105 Inside the NC

[author Peter Wayner]

Are network computers just stripped-down terminals? Not hardly.

p.167 Keep Networks Safe from Viruses

[author Barry Nance]

Networks put you at risk from viruses, an enterprise-wide strategy can help keep you safe.

Special Report

p.134 Your Next OS

[author Dick Pountain]

Six key issues to consider.

p.139 Unix Leads the 64-bit Charge

[author Laurent Lachal]

64-bit OSes are moving from the horizon to the desktop.

p.145 Unearthing Cairo

[author Mark Minasi]

Follow the signs to Cairo to get a glimpse of NT's future.

p.151 Copland, Revisited

[author Tom Thompson]

A look at the current state of Apple's next OS.

Eval

p.49 Componentized WAV of the Future

[author Tom Thompson]

Digital Harhor's WAV word processor is among the first OpenDoc components for the Macintosh.

p.50 Waterproof Color That Lasts

[author Robert L. Hummel]

The Alps MD-4000 prints smudge-proof color images and razor-sharp text. It's also a 600-dpi color scanner.

p.53 GroupWise Sends a Message

[author Steve Gillmor]

Novell's Release 5 makes the choice of groupware a tougher decision.

p.54 Hybrid Web/CD-ROM: Do It Yourself

[author Jon Udell]

What bandwidth problem? WebCD lets you publish your Web site on CD-ROMs that retain live Internet links.

Core

p.59 VMS: Alive and Well

[author Ben Smith] [theme Operating Systems]

A young horse is fast, but an old horse knows what's going on.

p.63 A File System for the Web

[author Bob Friesenhahn] [theme Networks]

A modified version of Sun's NFS can deal with large amounts of Web data.

p.67 The Consumer PowerPC Revisited

[author Tom Thompson] [theme CPUs]

Motorola's slimmed-down PowerPC could be the brains of your next hand-held PC.

p.71 Parallel Processing in Bulk

[author Dick Pountain] [theme Programming]

A new programming model offers hope for solving problems of complexity.

Lab Report

p.112 Eight Twin-Engine Pentium Pro Workstations

[author Maggi Bender, Dorothy Hudson, Jim Kane, and John McDonough] [theme LAB Report: hardware]

Our tests point out the peak performers and the best buys.

p.122 How Multimedia Multitools Compare

[author David Seachrist] [theme LAB Report: software]

NSTL tests four authoring programs for building mixed-media applications.

Web Project

p.129 On-Line Componentware

[author Jon Udell]

Here's how you can turn your Web site into a flexible software component to build new applications quickly.

p.177 Upgraded C/S Tools: How Much Better?

[author Mark Hettler]

Evaluating new versions of two client/server toolkits: Power-Builder and Centura Team Builder (the program formerly known as SQLWindows).

Reviews

p.181 Real-Time RAD

[author Rick Crehan]

Verilog's ObjectGeode does a decent job of marrying realtime control to OO-modeling standards.

p.184 Ditto Your Data

[author Robert L. Hummel]

Iomega's Ditto 2GB External drive delivers everything you expect from a portable backup unit: convenience, low cost, ease of use... and sluggish performance.

Chaos Manor

p.185 Don't Swap--Network!

[author Jerry Pournelle]

Jerry offers advice on upgrading and engages in another struggle over IRQ assignments, this time under Windows 3.11.

What's New

p.240

Fractal Design's Expression goes beyond standard vector-drawing packages; Gateway's Solo 2100 S5-120 combines raw power and good looks.

Code Talk

p.248 Visual Age for BASIC... Sort of

[author Rick Grehan]

Visual Age for BASIC has more in common with Visual Basic than with the other Visual Age products.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 104A-B, 232A-B

Index to Advertisers

p.232 Alphabetical Order

p.234 Product Category

p.236 Editorial Index by Company

Program listings

FTP: ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "nov96").

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com

Vol.21 n°12 december 1996

Cover Story

p.68 How Chips changed the world

[author Peter Wayner]

10 ways in which that silver of silicon altered the course of Planet Earth.

p.77 Birth of a Chip

[author Linley Gwenmap]

A brief history of the microprocessor, from the 4004 to today's nitro-burning rockets.

p.85 Eight Ways to the Future

[author Robert Hummel]

Technology experts agree: Change is the only sure thing about computing in the next decade.

p.88NA 1 PowerPC Speed Demon

[author Tom R. Halfhill]

Bipolar transistors give Exponential's 533-MHz PowerPC chip the performance of an Alpha at an affordable price.

Editorial

p.14 Peace on the Wired Planet

[author Mark Schlack]

Flaming's one thing, but the lack of civility on-line is getting out of control.

Inbox

BYTE readers write about that bandwidth barrier and the future of the Internet, Web conferencing, and the search for killer software.

Bits

p.27 Double Trouble for 56-Kbps Modems

p.28 Call Centers Deliver Data

p.30 Holiday Gift Sampler

p.32 BYTE Survey

p.32 Digital Cameras

p.34 Apple's New Notebooks

p.36 Browsers for the Blind

p.38 Banking On-line

p.40 Tuned Into the Web

State of the Art

p.118 Web Development

This month we take an indepth look at the technologies that will shape the Web of tomorrow.

p.121 LDAP Unites the Internet

[author Jamie Lewis]

New directory services, especially Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, extend the directory metaphor to the Internet.

p.127 Internet Armor

[author William Stallings]

Secure IP lets you use the open Internet with privacy and confidence.

p.135 E-Mail Grows Up

[author Dave Kosiur]

IMAP will provide e-mail services and options impossible with the current POP.

Eval

p.41 An Open Window for OpenDoc

[author Peter Wayner]

The promise of platform-independent reusable components comes closer to reality with the second beta of the OpenDoc toolkit for Windows 95 and NT.

p.42 Toward a More Productive Office in '97

[author Steve Gillmor]

Microsoft's Office 97 sets a new standard in applications software suites.

p.47 The Power of Fusion

[author Tom Yager]

Need to manage a mixed Unix/Windows environment? Ross's SPARCplug helps by combining a SparcStation and a Pentium PC.

p.48 A (Re)Touch of Genius

[author Joy-Lyn Blake]

Image manipulation gets easier and more powerful with Adobe's Photoshop 4.0

Core

p.49 A RISC OS for all Seasons

[author Stewart Palmer] [theme Operating Systems]

Tired of OSes that require acres of memory and huge hard drives? Acorn's multifaceted RISC OS fits in ROM and runs in just 4 MB of RAM.

p.53 The Complete ISDN Telecommuter

[author Jeffery N. Fritz] [theme Networks]

A look at connection issues of using an ISDN line to support the home office.

p.59 Super Mario Chip

[author Satya Simha] [theme CPUs]

Inside the 64-bit RISC processor that powers the new Nintendo game machine.

p.63 Direct3D Revealed

[author Stephen P. Johnson]

Microsoft's Direct3D API allows 3-D applications to run on a wide variety of PCs. A seasoned programmer of device drivers explains how to accomplish this task.

Lab Report

p.100 Six Laser Printers for Workgroups

[author Dorothy Hudson, Jim Kane, and John McDonough] [theme LAB report: hardware]

We test six of the latest 17- and 24-ppm network laser printers for workgroups.

p.112 Lotus Notes vs. Microsoft Exchange

[author Mark Hettler] [theme LAB report: software]

Our testing shows that Lotus Notes remains a generation or two ahead of Microsoft Exchange, its closest groupware competitor.

Web Project

p.141 Dual-Mode Conferencing

[author Jon Udell]

The BYTE Webmaster explains how to bring both news-style conferencing and Web-style conferencing to your site.

Comparison

p.145 Affordable 3-D Workstations

[author Rob Hummel]

With dual Pentium Pros and accelerators, these PCs bring 3-D graphics down to earth.

p.149 The Spreadsheet War, Revive

[author Richard Cranford]

Lotus's release of a 32-bit version of 1-2-3 for Windows revives the spreadsheet fight, but not for long. Our reviewer examines why.

Chaos Manor

p.153 A Hot Night at the Opera

[author Jerry Pournelle]

A disk error on Cyrus's hard drive forces Jerry to reach for several of his favorite Win 95 utilities.

What's New

p.200

A preview of Psion's Siena hand-held information manager, plus a look at Macromedia's FreeHand Graphics Suite 7.

Codetalk

p.208 Visual Programming for Science

[author Rick Grehan]

Rick checks out Visual Science, a mathematical programming and simulation tool.

Service

Reader service

Inquiry Reply Cards: 152C-D, 192A-B

Index to Advertisers

p.192 Alphabetical Order

p.194 Product Category

p.196 Editorial Index by Company

Program listings

FTP: ftp.byte.com

From BIX: Join "listings/frombyte96" and select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "dec96").

THE BYTE WEB SITE and THE VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM

http://www.byte.com