8/5/95                        CompuNotes                       Issue #18
                  Patrick Grote, Publisher and Editor
     CompuNotes is a weekly publication available through an email
           distribution list and many fine on-line networks!
We feature reviews, interviews and commentary concerning the PC industry.

                         This Week's Contents:
                         =====================
                                  NEWS
                                  ====
                -=> Creative Labs Reinvents PC Sound <=-
                  -=> Novell Unveils New CNE Test <=-
                -=> Windows 95 Application Bug List <=-
                                REVIEWS
                                =======
                 -=> QuickBooks for Windows Deluxe <=-
                 -=> Teach Yourself UNIX in a Week <=-
                          WEB SITE OF THE WEEK
                          ====================
                  -=> Striking Workers Hit the Web <=-
                          FTP FILE OF THE WEEK
                          ====================
           -=> Microsoft's Point by Point Response to IBM <=-
                 -=> WinBag Misc. Utils for Windows <=-
                               INTERVIEW
                               =========
                     -=> UGH! I FEEL THE PAIN! <=-
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
   NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . .
       All News (C)opyright  Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                -=> Creative Labs Reinvents PC Sound <=-

    SINGAPORE, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq:
CREAF) today announced CQM, Creative Quadratic Modulation, a new audio
technology for the PC marketplace.  Developed by E-mu Systems, Inc.,
Creative's U.S. subsidiary and audio technology center, CQM is an
innovative technology that delivers richer quality sound than
traditional FM music synthesis.  CQM bridges the gap between traditional
FM synthesis and higher end wave table synthesis, at a lower cost than
FM synthesis.
    "CQM will heighten the low end music synthesis capabilities of the
PC, said W.H. Sim, chairman and CEO of Creative Technology.  CQM
provides improved richness and fidelity over traditional FM music
synthesis sound in existing software without requiring any
re-programming.  CQM will provide higher quality audio at a lower cost
to Creative's OEM customers and promises the prospect of cost reductions
across Creative's own retail Sound Blaster product line."
    While delivering higher quality sound, CQM is fully compatible with
FM music synthesis as is found on almost all sound cards, including the
full range of Creative's Sound Blaster products, the de facto sound
standards in the industry.
    Creative plans to integrate CQM into all of its chip and board based
Sound Blaster 16 products.  The simpler circuitry and internal sourcing
of the silicon will significantly reduce Creative's costs in both the
OEM and retail markets.  Products incorporating CQM are expected to ship
in volume in the Fall of 1995.
    CQM was developed by E-Mu Systems under the direction of Dave
Rossum, E-mu founder and chief scientist.  CQM is the second technology
developed by the pro-audio experts at E-mu that will be productized in
the Sound Blaster audio card line for mass market appeal.  The first was
the EMU8000 music synthesis technology, found in the Sound Blaster 32
and the award winning Sound Blaster AWE32 products.  With over 20 years
experience in the high-end electronic music arena, E-mu Systems was the
first to pioneer several breakthrough technologies in this area.  It now
owns numerous patents in digital audio and music synthesis technologies.
E-mu's CQM technology has patent applications currently pending.
    Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a family
of sound, video, software telephony multimedia products for PCs under
the Blaster family name, and the ShareVision line of desktop video
conferencing products for Macintoshes and PCs.  The company's Sound
Blaster sound platform enables PCs to produce high-quality audio for
entertainment, educational, music and productivity applications, and has
been accepted as the industry standard sound platform for PC-based
software.
    Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in
Singapore.  Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative
Labs, Inc., E-mu Systems, Inc., Digicom Systems, Inc. and ShareVision
Technology, Inc.  Creative also has other subsidiaries in Australia,
China, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.  The
company's stock is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol CREAF and on the
Stock Exchange of Singapore.
    NOTE:  Sound Blaster is a registered trademark and Blaster and CQM
are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd.  E-mu is a registered
trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc. and ShareVision is a registered
trademark of ShareVision Technology, Inc.  All other products mentioned
herein are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby
recognized as such.

                  -=> Novell Unveils New CNE Test <=-

    Since its introduction, the Novell Certification Assessment Test has
been a popular study aid for CNE candidates who want to assess their
chances at passing the CNE certification exams.  Novell Education has
just released a new version, updating the study aid to include a sampler
of CNE tests and adding a convenient MS Windows interface.  Developed by
Big Red Self Test (Atlanta, GA) in conjunction with Novell Education,
these "practice tests" come on a single diskette under the name of the
Novell Education Certification Sampler.  The Sampler includes: * CNE
sample tests including updated NetWare 4 tests * Easy installation
instructions are included in the README.WRI file. * Easy-to-use MS
Windows interface * Regular updates
    CNE candidates interested in obtaining the Sampler to test
themselves on NetWare 3.x or 4.x should call their local Novell
Authorized Education Center (NAEC) or call 800-233-3382 or 801-222-7800.
The Novell Education Certification Sampler can also be downloaded from
the NetWire forum on CompuServe.  The file is contained in the NOVFILES
section under the file name CERTSP.EXE.  The downloadable version of the
Novell Education Certification Sampler has customized instructions for
conversion to diskette format. Student customers must have at least the
following hardware/software configuration to run the Novell Education
Certification Sampler: * MS Windows 3.1 on 386 or above (386 enhanced
mode) * At least 4MB of RAM * At least 4.8MB of free disk space for
installation
    End-user support for the Novell Education Certification Sampler is
available from Big Red Self Test between 9:00 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT; the
number for this support line is 404-641-9878.

                -=> Windows 95 Application Bug List <=-

    By Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.  Knight-Ridder/Tribune
Business News
    Aug. 4--The list is long, but Microsoft Corp. says a new compilation
of software that has problems with the upcoming Windows 95 is proof of
the company's determination to keep the new operating system compatible
with existing applications.
    Microsoft posted the list on-line late last week. A look through the
massive file, covering more than 2,000 software programs tested with
Windows 95, reveals few major problems with popular software. But the
list does include some minor problems with big-selling packages, and
more serious trouble with some less-widely used software.
    "The vast majority of stuff you run under Windows today will run as
well or better under Windows 95," said David Williams, group manager at
Microsoft's Personal Systems Division.
    Many of the problems that do exist have workarounds that will enable
computer users to make do in any event.
    The list is another example of the daunting task Microsoft has set
for itself as the official Windows 95 release date nears. The company
says more testing has gone into this product than any software ever
written. While Windows 95 has a lot of today's DOS and Windows 3.1 under
the covers, it nonetheless contains a huge amount of new code that can
cause problems with older applications written for earlier operating
systems. Assuring compatibility with the thousands of combinations of
hardware and software on the market -- or people's computers -- is
enormously tough.
    Operating systems are designed to control the basic functions of a
personal computer and manage what users see on the screen.
    Problems noted with big-name software include such names as Novell,
which  sells the WordPerfect word processor and Quattro Pro spreadsheet
lines, and  Borland. In the latter case, Microsoft tells users to
contact Borland for  information about problems with dBase 5.0 for
Windows, a database program.
    Borland says a new version shipped last week, Visual dBase 5.5,
fixes the  problems, which Borland termed minor. It also costs $50 as an
upgrade from  version 5.0. In any event, users who stay with dBase 5.0
will find information on how to work around the problems built into the
Windows 95 help files.
    The Microsoft document also lists problems with Novell products,
including its applications flagship, PerfectOffice. Glen Mella, vice
president of marketing for Novell's business applications unit, said the
list reflects old information and, in Novell's case, is based on
problems with pre-release versions of Windows 95, not the final product.
    Mella said most of the problems are solved in the final version.
Novell itself has prepared a software "patch" that fixes the remaining
incompatibilities and will make the patch available to users.
    Microsoft's Williams said the list will be updated before Windows 95
hits  store shelves Aug. 24.
    Copies of the Microsoft document, in the form of a Windows 3.1 help
file, are available from a variety of on-line sources. They include the
WINNEWS  forum on CompuServe; Microsoft's World Wide Web site
(http://www.microsoft/com/windows/support/migration/win95app.hlp); and
Mercury Center/America Online (keyword MC TALK, click on Software
Libraries,  then Computing Library).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 -=> QuickBooks for Windows Deluxe <=-

    Anyone who has owned their own business understands that the devil
is in the details. If you don't have a competent, detailed accounting
package you are in trouble. When you look at accounting packages on the
market most are overblown and tough to use. QuickBooks Deluxe on CD-ROM
is the answer to this problem!
    You may think that shipping an accounting package on CD- ROM is
overblown, but QuickBooks Deluxe is, well, deluxe . . . In addition to
the main application, QuickBooks for Windows, the CD-ROM includes
QuickPay, onscreen documentation, workbooks to help your business, a
complete set of IRS publications, a national ZIP code directory, inside
tips from the experts and sound clips that walk you through some of the
more advanced functions of QuickBooks for Windows. Super additions!
    When you install QuickBooks for Windows you are in for a treat! The
program assumes you know next to nothing about proper accounting
procedures, which is super considering most of us don't know a debit
from a voucher! As the installation winds down you are asked what type
of business you have. QuickBooks presents a very thorough list of
businesses to choose from. My business, computer consulting and
freelance writing, were both on the list! If yours isn't on the list you
can easily modify one of the standard business types.
    As you move through the installation process you'll be prompted for
information about your company; QuickBooks uses this information to
create your company profile. Once your company profile has been
generated you'll be able to move onto the five main areas of QuickBooks:
1) Invoicing, 2) Accounts Receivable, 3) Accounts Payable, 4) Inventory
and Purchase Orders and 5) Reports and Graphing.
    Invoicing your customers is the bloodline of the business. You need
that cash flow to keep your business up and running. Invoicing under
QuickBooks is very easy. The first items you need to accomplish is the
addition of invoice items. QuickBooks is very generous in the amount of
space you can use to describe a part number or service. The second is
your list of customers and vendors. This list has enough fields to
support addresses, phone and fax numbers.
    When you are ready to invoice, QuickBooks lets you choose from three
different invoice types based on your business. This is an excellent
feature. Many accounting packages only offer one style of invoice. After
you choose your style you are ready to complete the invoice information.
Every invoice needs to know where it is going and QuickBooks obliges
with a field for which customer this invoice is for. Whoa, when you
start to type SMITH AND BROTHERS, you notice that QuickBooks fills in
the field as soon as you type SMI. Neat feature. You notice that this
feature is consistent through out the invoice form including when you
detail invoice items.
    The Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable sections of QuickBooks
are rock solid. Not only are the fields consistently displayed where
needed, but the graphical reports you can generate with the information
really let you see what areas need attention. What if a customer is late
paying? What of you are late paying? QuickBooks will sport a nifty
little notice when you start up.
    Inventory is one of the worst nightmares a small business can face
when selecting an accounting package. QuickBooks uses the invoicing and
Purchase Order systems to verify, store and accurately process your
inventory. QuickBooks uses the information from all other modules to
track inventory. Of course, you can make adjustments on non- sales, etc.
    The next part of QuickBooks you'll enjoy using is the reporting
feature. Not only does QuickBooks offer ready to run reports on all
aspects of your business, but you can easily customize any of these
reports for your or your accountant's needs! The graphically reporting
function is a little disappointing in that you cannot modify the
functionality.
    If you are looking for a complete, easy to use accounting package
for your small business Look no further than QuickBooks for Windows
Deluxe.

                     QuickBooks for Windows Deluxe
                                 Intuit
                            64 Willow Place
                                POB 3014
                         Menlo Park, CA  94026
                         CompuServe: GO INTUIT
               URL: http://www.careermosaic.com/cm/inuit/

                    -=> Yes, You Can Learn UNIX <=-

    Teach Yourself UNIX in a Week is the daunting title of a recent book
I read. The book is authored by the legendary Dave Taylor, the
programmer behind the ELM electronic mail utility, so you know the
content is at least technically correct. But can it really teach you
UNIX in a week?
    The answers is a qualified yes. Yes if you have enough time in each
day to achieve your goal. The book weighs in at a hefty 710 pages of
which 624 are part of your weekly lesson. That's almost 90 pages of text
to read each day. Hmmm. If you need to learn UNIX in a week you can, but
typically it will take about two weeks to go through the book. The
subject matter is exhaustive and includes, but is not limited to, moving
around the file system, ownership's and permissions, filters and piping,
vi tutor, using your shell, job control, printing functions and even how
to program in C with UNIX. Yes, there is a section on the Internet.
    My original interest in the book spawned from the fact I am an MSDOS
expert, but put me in front of my shell account's % sign and I turn to
mush. After reading the book and spending a considerable amount of time
in front of my shell I can truly say I have learned to master thy force
called UNIX!
    Dave Taylor spells out your course on the inside cover of the book.
He breaks down each day and explains what you'll be working on. For the
most part this outline is logical, but after reading through the book I
would argue that the VI section should have been 300 pages <grin>.
    The book is written for people who are comfortable around computers
and have experience with MSDOS. I found it very reassuring that when
demonstrating commands such as MV the author comments that UNIX doesn't
have a RENAME command like MSDOS. The comparisons and contrasts to MSDOS
helped me perceive the differences between the operating systems. Kudos!
    Another neat tip of Dave's is to phonetically demonstrate how to say
a command. You know a neophyte if they say M-K DIR instead of MakeDir. I
found this to be particularly helpful in resolving technical issues with
my service provider. I knew the lingo, so I could follow along!
    At the end of each chapter the author provides a Lesson Summary
where key terms are discussed and defined. This helps reinforce the
previous chapter's terms. As well, there is also a set of questions
testing your knowledge of what you have learned. Unlike other books that
limit these questions to what was learned in the chapter, several of
these test your accumulative knowledge! Super feature!
    I must admit I was very biased when I first received the book for
review. Many of these "in a week" books don't teach the subject material
very well or even cover enough to warrant your attention. In this case
Dave Taylor has hit the bullseye not only in content and presentation,
but in delivery as well!

              Teach Yourself UNIX in a Week by Dave Taylor
                            Sams Publishing
                      A Division of Prentice Hall
                         201 West 103rd Street
                         Indianapolis, IN 46290
                          CompuServe: GO PHCP
                       URL: http://mcp.com/sams/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to a cool WebSite . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  -=> Striking Workers Hit the Web <=-

    DETROIT (Reuter) - The Detroit newspaper strikers have gone online.
    Striking reporters from both The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit
News put out their first edition of a collaborative electronic newspaper
called The Detroit Journal. The edition was published Saturday night on
Internet's World Wide Wed at http://www.rust.net/-workers/strike.html
('-' should be a tild).
    Organizers of the Detroit Journal are trying to line up donated
office space, as well as advertisers to cover the cost of publishing the
online paper.
    About 2,500 employees from six unions struck the two newspapers 11
days ago in a dispute over management proposals to cut workers,
restructure the pay system for reporters and overhaul the delivery
process.
    ``I think by the end of the week we'll have at least a half-dozen
advertisers,'' said Gary Graff, a coordinator for the Detroit Journal
who normally covers music for the Free Press.
    The Detroit Journal will charge $200 a month for ads, Graff said.
The money will be used for leasing equipment and other publishing costs
and not for paying writers, he said.
    Detroit Newspapers, the owners' agency that operates the Free Press
and the News, began publishing the News on the Internet on July 14, the
day after the walkout started.
    Knight-Ridder Inc. owns the Free Press, the country's eighth-largest
daily with a normal circulation of 545,000. The News, owned by Gannett
Co., is the largest afternoon paper in the country with a non-strike
circulation of 340,000.
    Detroit Newspapers printed and distributed 900,000 copies of its
combined Sunday paper, with 495,000 of those delivered to home
subscribers in the metropolitan area, said Susie Ellwood, vice president
of market development for the agency. Normal Sunday delivery for the
combined papers is 1.1 million.
    Random acts of violence and vandalism continued over the weekend on
picket lines and elsewhere as strikers clashed with security officers
hired by management.
    The agency's newspapers reported a security guard was shot in the
face with a pellet gun Sunday. Also, a dozen newspaper vehicles received
flat tires from star-shaped pieces of steel strewn on the highway.
    Other Detroit-area media are taking steps to fill the gap. The
Oakland Press in nearby Pontiac, Mich., sold about 103,000 papers on the
first Sunday after the strike began, compared with a normal 81,000, said
circulation director Ronald Wood.
    The Oakland Press has also seen a jump classified ads and the number
of auto dealers taking out advertisements, he said.
    Meanwhile, WJBK-TV has hired several newspaper columnists on a
temporary basis, and runs regular newspaper features such as obituaries
and horoscopes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
COOL FTP FILE OF THE WEEK | You may need this file . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Microsoft sent me a response point for point to IBM's attack on
Windows 95 last week. I've made it available on the FTP Site.

      You can find this as MSANSW~1.DOC on the following FTP site:

        WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU:/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/misc/msansw~1.doc

We also have available this week:

    WinBag v1.2 Useful windows tools grouped into one application.
Includes a Calendar, CPU speedometer, Disk Pie graphs, Windows Resource
graphs, and a dice game.

      You can find this as WINBAG11.ZIP on the following FTP site:

        WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU:/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/misc/winbag11.zip

------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK | Interesting people you should know about . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The interview this week is with me! I have tried in the last few
issues to provide fairly balanced coverage of IBM's OS/2 and Microsoft's
products. No matter what I do I get flamed by OS/2 users for laying down
at Microsoft's feet or getting toasted by Microsoft users who think I am
a mouthpiece for IBM. The flames from the last week were horrid.

    Here is the truth with me and IBM/Microsoft. I own six computers.
Here is the breakdown:

MY WORKSTATION:                                 Windows 3.1
MY SECOND WORKSTATION (Read Wife's and Kid's):  Windows 95
MY PRIMARY SERVER:                              NetWare 3.12 5 User
MY SECONDARY SERVER:                            Windows NT 3.5
MY BBS RUNNING TWO HIGH SPEED LINES:            OS/2 Warp
MY LAPTOP (OR WHATEVER I AM BORROWING):         Windows 3.1

    Gee, let's see ... I do use Microsoft on most of my machines, but
look at the BBS where great DOS multitasking is needed ... hmmm, OS/2.

Let's look at the software I use:

Primary Business Software:          Lotus SmartSuite for Windows
                                    OS/2 Version available with old
                                    apps!
                                    (Of which I use AmiPro and Organizer
                                     80% of the time)
Accounting Software:                QuickBooks for Windows
Graphics Software:                  Visio by Shapeware
Mail Reader:                        CMPQWK for BBS
                                    WinCIM for CompuServe
                                    OS/2 Version available!
                                    AOL for AOL
Internet Browser:                   Netscape Latest 32 Bit
BBS:                                PCBoard 15.21 DOS
                                    OS/2 Version available!

    Hmmm, absolutley no Microsoft software. Gee, and look, only three of
the packages I use are available in OS/2. Of those only two have been
updated to take advantage of Warp!
    Let's face it folks, life is too short to bitch and moan about
competing operating systems. Back when the world wasn't dominated by
Windows from Microsoft I could have actually believed that OS/2 could
have achieved some large scale market penetration, but come on.
Logically, let's look at this ... OS/2 hands down is a much more stable,
reliable operating system for mission critical applications. I know I
feel secure that my ATM runs OS/2 instead of Windows 95. I also feel
secure my BBS won't crap out on vacation due to an operating system
error. On the other hand I just got back from CompUSA. I counted twelve
native OS/2 applications that I would consider mainstream. There were
absolutley NO GAMES, EDUCATIONAL or HOME software specifically designed
for WARP.
    Ok, that should address how I feel about OS/2 vs. Windows. In case I
didn't make it clear enough I think that Windows is the operating system
that will survive in the consumer marketplace. If you aren't doing
Windows 95 a year from now you won't have applications. Period. If you
are a business, lab or technical company looking for a rock solid
operating system to develop a mission critical application look towards
OS/2 first and then Windows NT. If you need networking with that mission
critical application grab Windows NT.
    Going forward I will present timely OS/2 and Windows information
from reliable sources, but I won't publish the taunting items I was
passed this week. I will post the following from Microsoft in response
to the OS/2 PR I posted last week. It was my mistake to publish the crud
from IBM without checking the dates, etc. You just can't trust email
these days . . .

                      Microsoft's answers to IBM's
   "The Real Story about Windows 95 - 15 Questions to Ask Microsoft"

    The purpose of this document is to answer the questions raised in
IBM's document entitled  "The Real Story about Win 95 -or- 15 Questions
to ask Microsoft".
    Here is some suggested text:
    IBM's document repeatedly presents a series of arcane technical
arguments concerning some of the design decisions Microsoft made in
producing Windows 95.  These can be grouped into the following three
areas:
    Multitasking:  Windows 95 and OS/2 take essentially the same
approach to running 16-bit Windows applications - that is to run them in
the way as Windows 3.1 would.  The reason for this is compatibility.
16-bit Windows applications were designed to be executed in a
cooperatively multitasked environment.  While OS/2 offers a non-default
option to run 16-bit Windows applications preemptively, it does so by
loading a full copy of Windows 3.1 for each application, which requires
a great deal of memory and reduces performance.  This option also
introduces compatibility problems because 16-bit Windows applications
were not designed to be run this way.  For example, applications that
use OLE are not able to exchange information in this mode.  So this
option offers marginally better multitasking at the cost of reduced
performance, higher memory requirements, and incompatibility.  If the
benefits of this OS/2 feature were worth its cost, why is it not turned
on by default?  Further, if preemptive multitasking of applications is
important, why has IBM stated that OS/2 will not run 32-bit applications
designed for Windows 95 and Windows NT, which have as their key features
preemptive multitasking and multiple threads of execution?
    Robustness:  There is no evidence that OS/2 is any more robust than
Windows 3.1 when running 16-bit Windows applications, and Windows 95 has
a number of important robustness improvements that go beyond Windows 3.1
and OS/2 such as increased system resources, per-thread resource
tracking, and better recovery from application failures.  The only case
that could be made for OS/2 in this regard is that its option to run
each 16-bit Windows application in a separate session adds some
protection, but at a great cost in resources and compatibility as
explained above.
    Ease of Use:   The Windows 95 user interface is the result of
thousands of hours of usability testing and has proven to be an easier
and more productive user interface than OS/2.  PC World and PC Computing
magazines each conducted usability tests comparing Windows 95 to OS/2
and Windows 3.1 in their August 1995 issues.  In both cases, Windows 95
and Windows 3.1 proved to be significantly easier to use than OS/2.
    Rather than labor over these technical details, it is probably more
relevant to evaluate how an operating system addresses customer
requirements such as: Performance on mainstream hardware; the number of
native applications developed for the operating system; compatibility
with the applications, and hardware customers already own; ease of use
(beyond the few technical details IBM discusses here), and the future
prospects of the operating system.  See "Key customer requirements for a
PC Operating System" at the end of this document for a more thorough
discussion of these issues.

          Key customer requirements for a PC Operating System

    Windows 95 is the result of input from thousands of customers
representing all types of uses from end user to corporate IS manager.
The criteria that emerged from discussions with those groups is
summarized below.

Performance:
    Customers want to run their applications with the best performance,
using the fewest resources.  Windows 95 provides better performance than
OS/2, across the entire range of RAM and processor configurations.

Applications:
    Customers buy an operating system to run their applications - pure
and simple, and they want a wide choice of high-quality applications
designed for the operating system. During the first quarter of 1995, 78%
of all applications sold worldwide were Windows-based, while less than
1% were OS/2-based.  ISV support for native OS/2 applications has always
been very low, and few, if any OS/2 applications are likely to be
offered by typical software resellers.  Over 200 new 32-bit applications
designed for Windows 95 are part of Windows 95 launch co-marketing
programs.  These applications represent a huge commitment to Windows 95
by every major ISV.

Compatibility:
    Customers want to know that the operating system they chose will run
on the hardware they have, with the applications they have today, plus
those they buy in the future.  Windows 95 runs almost all existing
16-bit Windows and MS-DOS applications, and provides a platform for new
32-bit applications designed specifically for Windows 95 which are now
under development at all major ISVs. OS/2 has significant compatibility
problems with 16- bit Windows applications, and is totally incompatible
with the new generation of 32-bit Windows applications.

Ease of Use:
    Users of all types want their operating system to be easy and
efficient to setup, learn, and use.  Windows 95 has many features
designed for enhanced usability such as Wizards, a great help system,
the Start Button and task bar and many others.  OS/2 is difficult to
install, and has two totally different user interfaces: the OS/2
WorkPlace shell, and the Windows 3.1 UI.  PC World and PC Computing each
conducted usability tests comparing Windows 95 to OS/2 and Windows 3.1
in their August 1995 issues.  In both tests, Windows 95 and Windows 3.1
proved to be significantly easier to use than OS/2.

Strategy/Future:
    Customers make a large commitment when they choose an operating
system and they want to know that the product will be supported and
enhanced for many years.  Windows 95 and Windows NT, which share many
design features and the same programming interface, are Microsoft's
operating systems for today and the future.  There is no question that
these products are and will be well supported and enhanced by Microsoft
and ISVs.  OS/2 has never garnered the level of industry or customer
support that is necessary to ensure its future viability.

      For more information on Windows 95's design and feature set
   please download the Windows 95 Reviewer's Guide from our web site
                      (www.microsoft.com/windows).

                    This issue was brought to you by
         Readables, the publishing house that understands you!

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|               Do You Have Any Dinosaurs Laying Around?                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|"Great, we just upgraded  .       . "What? You can only give me $50 for|
| to 486s and now we      / `.   .' \ my 8088 computer? Are you kidding?|
| have all these  .---.  <    > <    >  .---. I paid $3000 for this 7   |
| old 286s sitting|    \  \ - ~ ~ - /  /    | years ago!"               |
| around . . ."    ~-..-~             ~-..-~                            |
|              \~~~\.'                    `./~~~/ "Hmmm, my company is  |
|    .-~~^-.    \__/                        \__/   giving away old      |
|  .'  O    \     /               /       \  \     386SX machines. Can  |               |
| (_____,    `._.'               |         }  \/~~~/use this at home?"  |
|  `----.          /       }     |        /    \__/                     |
|"How can`-.      |       /      |       /      `. ,~~|                 |
| we recoup  ~-.__|      /_ - ~ ^|      /- _      `..-'   f: f:         |
| money on these  |     /        |     /     ~-.     `-. _||_||_        |
| old PCs?"       |_____|        |_____|         ~ - . _ _ _ _ _>       |
|                                                                       |
|                    Readables is happy to announce:                    |
|                     101 Uses for your PC Dinosaur                     |
| This booklet contains 101 uses for your old 8088 and above PC. Have   |
| you recently upgraded and are saddled with an old PC? Don't throw it  |
| away! You can use it immediately! Does your company have old, excess  |
| PCs? You can turn it into a goldmine with no additional money!        |
|                                                                       |
|                  Our booklet shows you the following:                 |
|            *   When is it best to sell an old PC for parts?           |
|            *   What countries will officially buy your old technology |
|                for profits!                                           |
|            *   How an 8088 can be turned into a guard dog for less    |
|                than $50.00!                                           |
|            *   How any old PC can be used to help any child advance   |
|                in school!                                             |
|                           ... and much more!                          |
|                                                                       |
|     101 Uses for your PC Dinosaur is available today by sending a     |
|                    check/money order for $10.95 to:                   |
|                                                                       |
|                               Readables                               |
|                               POB 31351                               |
|                          St. Louis, MO 63131                          |
|                          (314) 984-9691 voice                         |
|                        Satisfaction Guaranteed!                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

