Rovm® © 2000 Copyright M V Janulaitis ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

^ Bi-Monthly The Future Is Way The Replacement For Newsletter for Beyond What Anyone Windows Is Coming Out Positive Support Thinks 2/14/2OOO Review's Clients Your Old PC May Not Work - and If Gates, Watson and Olsen Subscribers Were Wrong — Who Can Tell What Do You Need to Know? Us What The Future Is? With great fanfare is launching its For future. , after the Super Bowl. Information Just because someone is in an organization 2500 Broadway that is focused on the future does not mean Gates and company are betting the store on this Suite 320 new product. No one will know until the end of Santa Monica that they know what the future will bring. California Which technologies will be hot and which the first quarter if this gamble will pay off. 90404-3061 ones will not go anywhere? In 1900 we were However, early returns look like they may have a (310) big winner. 453-6100 not able to fly, in 1999 we lost two probes that were sent to Mars. FAX Microsoft's stock has been lan- (310) guishing because of this and the 453-6253 The abiltiy to foresee the future is not something Justice Department suit and Steve Ballmer's comment that the stock is www.psrinc.com that should be taken www. zinnote. com lightly. The knowledge of overvalued. Let me preface this where we are going is with the fact that we have been PCWEEK critical to the allocation of running Windows 2000 for almost 6 our scarce capital and months and are very pleased with its 51 COMDEX people resources. stability and performance. The past is often one of As a PC user, you have a vested Contents the best ways to provide interest in the way the new operat- an idea of where we are ing system goes. Based on what we headed. In every age there have seen, Microsoft is hedging its The Future Is are individuals viewed as bets. Way Beyond What Anyone visionaries. However, their For the first time they have said Thinks vision is often blurred or "officially" that Windows 98 is the just wrong. Looking system of choice for the home user back to the late 1800's, The Replacement What a dogmatic dilemma an(j Windows 2000 is for the For Windows Is Windows 2000 or Linux bus'meSS user. Coming Out (continued on page 2) for our new web server 2/14/2000 It seems the Justice Department is ""r"""""l"~""lin"ni11 having an impact in that if Microsoft is broken Serrvice911.com Service911.com Makes A up, a natural breaking point could be "business Makes A Big users", "home users", "business software Splash 1 Big Splash applications", and "home software applications A New Paradyme In PC and games" to mention a few. 1 for one would be Forecast for the Support Is Launched Nationally happy to have stock in each of those companies. National Information On the practical side, what does the release of Service9l I.com was launched nationally last Technology Windows 2000 mean to the average user? First Market ....4 month. It provides a new way for "road and foremost your existing applications and PC's warriors" to get support while providing a MAY NOT WORK with it. Now that is a strong new way for the home user to have their own statement, but a true one which is based on some help department. The user friendly web site is extensive testing that we have done in our offices at www.service911 .com. It has links to all and client sites. major hardware and software vendors as well as having FREE videos that show users how

100% Recycled Paper (continued on page 2) (continued on page 3)

PSR Reviews - Vol. X No. 1 January / February 2000 ISSN 1080-2975 Pagel The Future Is Way Beyond What Anyone Thinks

(continued from page I) there are two examples of where such brilliant people did not have a clue of what was going to happen. In 1981 he said, "640K ought to be enough for anybody." In the first quarter of 2000 Microsoft • 1865 - "Everything that can be invented has will release its long awaited product, Windows been invented" - Director of the U.S. Patent 2000. It will need at least 1,000,OOOK of hard disk office. What would he say if he looked at space to install and don't even try to install it if the cell phones with Internet browsers? you have less than I28.000K of memory. Neither technology was even dreamed of then. None of the visionaries or futurists knows where we are going. Based on the past, the only thing for sure is we all • 1892 - "Heavier than air flying machines are under-estimate where technology will be. What 1 suggest impossible" - Leading thermodynamics is to imagine the most you can, then multiply that by a expert of the British Royal Society. How factor often and maybe you might be in the same universe would he cope with the fact that today over as reality.•«£;»• 5 million people fly internationally on a daily basis? Keeping this in mind, let's see what the three visionaries who have led the way over the last half-century had to Service 911.com Makes A Big Splash say. These three Information Technology leaders got to (continuedfrom page 1) where they were by looking at the future and not having a to do even the most complex of computer support tasks. clue of where it was going. It is almost like having your own certified engineer who • Thomas Watson, the driving force behind building can answer any of your questions at any hour of the day IBM, one of the greatest computer giants in the or night. middle of the last century, did not understand the For the corporate user magnitude of his corporate mandate. as well as the home user, there is the ability In 1943 he made the statement, "I think there is a to schedule a world market for five computers." How much technicain who will faster would IBM have grown if he really knew come to your hotel where he was driving this infant industry? room or home and do Fortunately he was able to grasp the momentum those difficult repairs of his creation and direct IBM to be the engine that you do not want that carried the industry through its infant stage. to undertake yourself. • Ken Olsen, the innovator of the mini computer at The site also has DEC was able to direct the attack on IBM's discussion groups and mainframe dominance, yet he did not see the gives a registered user expansion of processing power as an edge to the ability to chat witK- build systems that were truly decentralized at the a technician on-line. user level. Better yet it does not cost anything to In 1977 he said, "There is no need for any register. individual to have a computer in their home." As a result he closed down DEC's Rainbow PC They were just named a PC 100 site, an honor that few division. DEC was squeezed to the point where, sites are able to achieve Compaq - PC manufacturer - purchased his Service91 l.com is in the middle of a massive national entire company. While Olsen had a vision on media campaign with ads in business publications like the how to attack the dominance of the mainframe, Wall Street Journal, In flight videos on United and Conti- he did not understand the fluid and dynamic nental Airlines and billboards placed in strategic locations nature of the industry. in key markets around the nation. Dozens of strategic • , the creator of the consumer's alliances have been forged with key trend setters induing desktop operating systems, DOS and Windows, Excite, Broadcast.com and Ask Jeeves. With all of this did not grasp the size of what he was creating. they are looking to go public some time next year. They will be a stock to

PSR Reviews - Vol. X No. 1 January /February 2000 Page 2 ISSN 1080-2975 The Replacement For Windows Is Coming Out 2/14/2OOO

(continuedfrom page I) Hardware " application was designed for Windows NT and There is a requirement to have a 133 MHz processor will not run on Windows 2000" is the most frustrating. vith at least 64 meg of RAM. plus at least 500 MB of You do not even have the option to install the program. free significantly un-fragmented space on a single drive Other applications install, but do not work. to install and then run the program. Drivers for devices As of the first of December the following "common" may not be there today and many vendors are opting to applications do not work with Windows 2000 (Release only provide drivers for the newer versions of their Candidate 3): equipment. • Backup exec In the case of laptops, vendors are not looking back for • Adaptec's CD Creator (all versions) the most part. More than a few laptops have been limited by the lack of drivers for the displays. There is a • Parallel port devices great site where you can find out what you have to do to • Intel's Camera Software your laptop to make it work. The site is http:// • IntelliMouse for Microsoft's NEW Optical www.hardwareupdate.com. Mouse Main line vendors like HP and Toshiba have drivers in • IntelliPoint for Microsoft's NEW Internet place and operational. Things that do not work are Keyboard devices like older scanners, DVD players and CD writers Now if the software for Microsoft, Intel, and Adaptec do (some work, some don't and there is no easy set of rules not work, what about the 10,000 other software vendors to find out before hand). who do not have the resources of those three giants? If you get it to work, you will have the ability to use the All of the vendors for these and other packages that do infrared port for linkage to mobile devices, USB ports not work have the same standard message. They do not and DVD drives. support an "unreleased" . Well that is One device that is worth looking at is the Xircom fine, but Realease Candidate 3 plus a few small tweaks is ^^•J'ortstation Expansion System that really maximizes the what is going to manufacturing for general release. JSB - http://portstation.xircom.com/. It lets the user There will be a lot of effort expended in the move to configure as many network, USB, Serial, and Parallel Windows 2000. Part of the implementation process will ports as they need. We have tested this device and give be the wholesale replacement of much of the older PC it a 5 star approval. As we see it, Xircom has a winner and network infrastructure. That bodes well for the that we believe will be the death of docking stations for suppliers of PCs, software and network solutions. laptops. My advice to you, go long in technology stocks and Software move to Windows 2000 if you can. Do not buy any Many software packages check to see what operating hardware or software that will not work in that environ- system you are running before attempting the install. For ment. Keep your ears open to what the DOJ is going to older packages the message. do as it can have a major impact on what the technology direction of the first decade will be.

Zinnote Supports Office 2OOO - Ready for Windows 2OOO Free Download - www.zinnote.com Shipping February 14, 2OOO - ORDER NOW

PCWEEK Links multiple databases WITHOUT programming Full cut and paste - WINDOWS compliant ^COMDEX Export to WORD, HTML and Lotus Notes WINNER True 32-bit application Information e-mail — [email protected] Home page — www.zinnote.com

HandiGuidc is a registered trademark of Positive Support Review, Ine - Santa Moniea, CA

PSR Reviews - Vol. X No. 1 January / February 2000 ISSN 1080-2975 Pages Forecast for the National eighteen months, this technology Information Technology Market solution will be the one that will be in Tight Job Market Across the Nation - the media and on the lips of the industry Even With Y2K Ending There Will Be A trendsetters. Shortage Of Good Staff The stock market has even driven the alliance between RedHat and Dell process of migration away from by M. Victor Junuluitis Computer the answer is a resounding Windows to Linux. This past 12 Internet address: victor(c?>psrinc.com yes. Windows 2000 will even be a months Microsoft's stock price has driver in the acceptance of Linux. Now gone up 37%, not the usual 90 to 100% With this issue, PSR Reviews is starting do understand that I think Windows while the Linux stocks have exploded its 10th year of publication. We have 2000 is a good system, but there are with 300 to 1,000% increases. covered a lot of topics and had a lot of issues that need to be addressed and fun writing these issues. From com- Linux based systems may be the answer. ments of our readers, we have been Baby Boomers Retire encouraged to do more of the same. I Windows 2000 has many features and As we move into the 59 '/2 age for baby would like to thank all of you for your comes with the baggage of "complex- boomers, look for more of those people support. ity." There are so many options and the to opt for retirement. With the markets pricing model that Microsoft has for IIS You can see all of the past issues on our reaching such new highs, many of will drive many to the lower cost - lower web site www.psrinc.com under those individuals have well over seven complexity solution. There is also the newsletters. They are available as PDF figures in their retirement accounts. As contingent of people who are anti- (Adobe Acrobat files) as well as HTML a matter of fact a survey just completed Microsoft and they will go to the Linux pages. says that many plan to retire before solution no matter how good the then. Microsoft solution is. Y2K Is Over NO IMPACT There will be an opportunity area as As a definition of how acceptable the those positions of leadership are vacated Now that the Y2K problem has come solutions of e-commerce and Linux are in the next few years. 2005 and 2006 * and gone many were hoping for a one only needs to look at the number of will see a huge opportunity area for reprieve from the chronic shortages of books that are on the shelves dealing those who are positioned to take technical resources. Well that is not with those topics. There are even books advantage of this. If you are in this going to be the case. There is such a "Linux for Dummies" and "e-Commerce position, what are you doing to see that pent up demand we do not foresee any for Dummies." you can seize the moment?*^.- surplus staff availabiltiy for several months. Add to the the push for e- Skills for Linux are in high demand now commerce, Linux and Windows 2000 and people who are trained in it can write and there will be even more demand their own ticket. Over the next twelve to than before. Prospects Location Linux - Windows 2000 Impact Short Term

Can Linux challenge the lock that Microsoft has on the desktop's operat- ing system? With moves like the

Published by:

M. Victor Janulaitis Positive Support Review, Inc. 2500 Broadway Street Suite 320 Santa Monica, CA 90404-3061

(310) 453-6100 Extension 101

FAX (310)453-6253

http://www.psrinc. com

PSR Reviews - Vol. X No. 1 January/February 2000 ISSN 1080-2975 Page 4