This month in Features PCUG News & Services 8Mother, Oh Mother 7 Membership Notes Ted Macarthur reviews a selection of motherboards Mike Burke with information for new members 12Super Notetab 19TIP Help Directory Terry Bibo explains Nhan Tran’s guide to TIP information 14Soft Options 2 23Internet Clinic Robert Dakin remembers Information about how to get commected 16CD ROM 44Internet Project Application Nick Thompson reviews a selection of software Get connected with TIP 20Qool URLs 45Member Services Anne Greiner selects the best of the Web Details of services available to members only 22Where’s the Robot of my Dreams? 46Special Interest Groups Ockham’s Razor transcript Where the real action is 24 Centrefold 47 The Great Coffee and Chat Luncheon Training News Low cost training for members 31Capture It! 48 Vendor Discounts Jim Hume shares a lovely bit of software Membership has its privileges 32 Bits and Bytes 50Members’ Ads Have a laugh with Andrew Clayton Check here first for bargains 33 Puzzle Corner Exercise the old grey cells with Vic Bushell 50 PCUG Membership The official membership form 34 Software Library News Phil Trudinger reviews a selection of software 51Help Directory Stuck? Call the experts 40 Microsoft vs Evil Walter van Praag looks at monopolies 52Calendar What’s on next month 42What’s News? Malcolm Morrison keeps up with the latest Profile 2Editorial Information Advertiser & Product Information How to contribute to Sixteen Bits 11 InterACT Technology Group 3Contact Information How to contact us 13 Dynamite Internet 4Editorial 30 L&S Associates Anne Greiner 41 Bettowynd 4President’s Letter Anne Greiner fills in 48 Vendor Discount Scheme 5Letters From our readers... Stop Press: WINNER of ‘Best Columns’ award Intergalactic Newsletter Competition. SIXTEEN BITS July 1998 1 SIXTEEN BITS (ISSN 0817-0991) Managing Editor is published monthly by the Anne Greiner PC Users Group (ACT) Inc [email protected] PO Box 42 [email protected] Belconnen ACT 2616 Australia Online Editor Tamsin Sowden Deadlines For We welcome submissions of articles from [email protected] members of the Group. If you are interested in August 1998 Issue writing please contact the Managing Editor and ask for a copy of our ‘SIXTEEN BITS - Editorial Team Guidelines for Authors’ (also available on the Mike Burke, Tamsin Sowden, Articles and Member Ads Sixteen Bits Web site at Andrew Clayton, Malcolm Morrison, Friday 24 June 1998 http://www.pcug.org.au/pcug/16bits/ Ann Byrne, Ivan Kramer, Vic Bushell 16guide.htm). Commercial Ads Correspondence and material for review or Cover Design publication should be forwarded, preferably as a Russell Kerrison Friday 3 July 1998 plain text file with separate PCX/BMP graphic files, by the deadline specified, to the Editor as Technical Editor follows: Michael Phillip . Advertising in • By email to [email protected] • By fax to (02) 6253 4922 Photographer SIXTEEN BITS • By mail to the Centre’s address above. 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If Adobe inappropriate will be withheld at editorial discretion. however you, as an author, object to publication Names of hardware, software and other products offered on a commercial basis may be registered of your material on the Internet or on radio for names and trademarks of the vendors concerned. any reason, you must contact the Editor to Corel SIXTEEN BITS uses such names only in an editorial request that your articles be omitted from the Corporation fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owners, online version. with no intent of infringement of the trademark. 2 SIXTEEN BITS July 1998 PCUG Committee How To Make Contact President Ken Livingston 6285 3747 *Postal address [email protected] PO Box 42 Vice President Anne Greiner 6288 2810 [email protected] Belconnen ACT 2616 Secretary Rod Farr 6286 1597 (For ALL correspondence) & Public Officer [email protected] Treasurer Basil Chupin 6285 2353 J PC Users Group Centre [email protected] Northpoint Plaza, Belconnen Open Mon, Wed and Fri 10am-2pm General Committee Allan Mikkelsen 6278 3164 [email protected] Saturdays and Sundays 9am-5pm (closed long weekends) General Committee David Schwabe 6254 9086 [email protected] The PCUG Centre is the venue for PCUG training, some Special Interest General Committee Wolf Lieske 6258 5250 Group meetings and other activities. There is no charge for using the [email protected] Centre for PCUG activities. Contact Petra Dwyer at the PCUG Centre on General Committee Peter Watney 6254 1914 (02) 6253 4911for bookings. [email protected] General Committee Peter Elliott 6258 9806 (PCUG Main Phone number [email protected] (02) 6253 4911 General Committee Ian Johnston 6258 3409 (Answering machine when Centre unattended) [email protected] General Committee John Hambley 6248 9527 2 Fax number [email protected] (02) 6253 4922 Youth Coordinator Kim Saunders 6247 9992 [email protected] ,Email Immediate Ann Byrne 6282 2536 [email protected] (or use addresses at left) Past President [email protected] PCUG Committee email to: [email protected] ,The INTERNET Project (02) 6206 6200 [email protected] Other Contacts Executive Secretary Petra Dwyer World Wide Web page [email protected] http://www.pcug.org.au/pcug/ Membership Mike Burke Secretary [email protected] : Bulletin Board Service (BBS) Novell Network Michael Phillips 6253 4966 (02) 6253 4933 (5 lines 33.6k bps) Administrator Fidonet address 3:620/243 NT Network David Schwabe 6254 9086 Administrator [email protected] (BBS Sysop voice number BBS Sysop Michael Phillips 6253 4966 (02) 6253 4966 (6.00pm - 9.00pm) [email protected] Centre Manager Wolf Lieske 6285 5250 [email protected] Main Meeting Training Rm Mngr David Voss 6285 5250 Main meetings are held 7.00pm for 7.30pm, usually on the last Monday [email protected] of every month at Manning Clark Theatre 1, Crisp Building Australian The phone numbers listed above are home numbers unless otherwise National University. specified. Please restrict calls to between 7.30pm and 9.00pm. New Members Information Night 7.30pm first Monday of the month PC Users Group Centre, Northpoint Plaza Belconnen. SIXTEEN BITS July 1998 3 Anne Greiner, Managing Editor his month we have good news and layout day to keep the blood glucose high well - a bit of web editing expertise in return better news. The better news is and the work flowing, but I think this for a few paper editing skills. Tthat, yet again, Sixteen Bits has deserves dinner at the very least! You will have noticed in the last few been a winner in the Intergalactic Speaking of things editorial, we need issues that we are publishing Newsletter Competition that is sponsored to collect together a small group of people photographs of our authors with their by Adobe, Corel, Imprise, Intuit, JASC, to tidy up the PCUG web pages.