• Tag Archives Computer Shopper

  • Computer Shopper (October 2001)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    In 2001 Computer Shopper still had some good content but it was no longer the phone book sized monstrosity that it once was. People had moved on to the Internet for ordering computers and parts greatly reducing the number of vendors advertising in magazines. Windows XP was the big story at this time. The October 2001 issue of Computer Shopper includes:

    Features

    • PCs for the People – A look at five midrange PCs including the Compaq Presario 5000 featuring a 900MHz AMD Duron, 128MB SDRAM, 40GB hard drive and GeForce2 MX graphics card; the NuTrend Duron Power 2 featuring a 950 MHz AMD Duron, 128MB SDRAM, 30GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card; Polywell Poly 815 MS2-1000 featuring a 1 GHz Pentium III, 128MB SDRAM, 20GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card; Sys Technology TaskMaster 9500 featuring a 950MHz Duron, 128MB SDRAM, 40GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card; and the Wolop Connexus A100 featuring a 1 GHz Pentium III, 128MB SDRAM, 20GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card.
    • The Power of 3 – A look at five new graphics cards featuring the GeForce 3 chip. These include the Asus AGP-V8200 Deluxe 64MB, Elsa Gladiac 920, Gigabyte GV-GF3000, Hercules 3D Prophet III, and the VisionTek GeForce3 Graphics Accelerator.
    • Flatly Affordable – A guide to shopping for flat panel displays. At this time, CRTs were still the most common display type (and most affordable).
    • alt.browsers – A look at the latest alternative browsers including Enigma Browser 3.6.0, Neoplanet 5.2, and Opera for Windows 5.1. Opera is the only one of these I’ve even heard of.
    • Great XPectations – A look at Microsoft’s new operating system and their biggest release since 1995.
    • Creativity of the Cheap – A look at some of the creative things that can be done with inexpensive peripherals such as ink jet printers, digital cameras, scanners, and more.

    News

    • Net Now – A port of Linux for the PS2, a 32mbps phone line network system from Broadcom, websites for finding bargains, and more.
    • Hot Gear – A look at some of the latest tech including the Nintendo GameCube, PocketColor 200 Print & Share photo printer, Minolta Dimage 7 3.3 megapixel digital camera ($1499), the CybikoXtreme PDA, and more.

    Opinions

    • John Blackford – On web based business exchanges.
    • John C. Dvorak – Fibre to the home solutions.
    • Jim O’Brien – Suspicious shipping and handling charges from E-tailers.
    • Michael Slater – The future of digital photography.

    Business Buyer

    • Quick Connections – The best broadband options for businesses.
    • e-Services and Tools – A look at web based payroll services.
    • Building Your Business – Low cost web hosting for small businesses.

    Help & How-To

    • Step Up Your Internet Security – A guide to improving your security when online.
    • The Hard Edge – Active Server Pages, DVD-RAM drives, and more.
    • Alfred Poor’s Computer Cures – Questions answered about spurious speaker sounds, small print on web pages, and more.

    Reviews

    • Desktops – The Falcon Northwest Mach V, the Alvio Magister, and the Micron Millennia Max XP2.
    • Hardware – Fujifilm Finepix 6800 Zoom digital camera, Sony Xpressa CRX200E/A1CD-R double density CD-R drive, the Iomega Peerless removeable storage, Lexmark Z53 Color Jetprinter, and Altec Lansing AV5500 speakers.
    • Networks – A review of the Sohoware Netblaster II Wireless Network Kit Combo Version.
    • Mobile – Reviews of the HP Pavilion N5470 with AMD Athlon 4 CPU, NEC Versa TXI with 750MHz Pentium III, IBM Thinkpad T22 featuring a 1GHz Pentium III, Panasonic SV-S075 E-Wear SD Audio Player, Handera 330 PDA, 3COM Wireless Bluetooth PC Card, and Motorola V100 Personal Communicator.
    • Software – Reviews of PCSync 2.0, Final Cut Pro 2, Red Hat Linux 7.1 Deluxe Workstation, and Siren Jukebox 2.0.
    • Web Services – A look at Copernic Shopper Plus, and more.
    • Games – Reviews of Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, World War II Online: Blitzkrieg, and Worms World Party.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • Computer Shopper (February 1988)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Computer Shopper was, without a doubt, the largest computer magazine that ever existed. These things were frequently the size of a telephone book. The February 1988 issue is fairly modest at only little only 500 pages. While known primarily has the best shopper’s guide for computer parts before the Internet came along and took that role, it had lots of great articles and other content as well. This issue includes:

    Articles

    • Speeding Along At 9600 Baud – The technology behind 9600bps modems as well as a look at some of the firts 9600bps modems including the Real-Vadic 9600 VP Modem, Multi-tech Modem 696E, US Robotics Courier HST, and V Series Hayes Smartmodem 9600.
    • Counterpoint: Sure…9600 Baud Is Great! (But Who Really Needs It?) – 9600bps modems were nice but they could be well over $1000. At the time, most online activity was text based and files were relatively small so 2400bps (at 1/4 the cost or less) was good enough for most people with 9600bps being a luxury…at least until prices came down.
    • IBM PS/2 VGA – A New Era In Graphics? – IBM’s PS/2 and microchannel architecture were ultimately a market failure but the PS/2 did introduce VGA which would become the de-facto video standard for years to come.
    • Editorial – A look at the importance of Hypercard based software on the Macintosh.
    • Let’s Learn Our X, Y, Zs About Protocols – Zmodem became the ultimate file transfer protocol back in the BBS days but Xmodem never went away and there were others including Kermit, Y-Modem, and more.
    • GeoPublish: The Universe Expands – A desktop publishing package for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 GEOS operating system.

    IBM-MS DOS

    • Tapping The Power Of The ‘386 – The 386 was Intel’s latest CPU at the time. It was really the first to be able to run a reasonable version of Windows and ultimately support multimedia.
    • Telecommunications With OPUS 8 – A telecommunications tutorial using a terminal/telecommunications program called OPUS 8 on the PC.
    • Galaxy, Down And Dirty Shareware Word Processor – A basic word processor for the PC that can be used for free.
    • dBase III Utilities IV Advanced Communications Library – Enabling telecommunications within dBase III.
    • Inside Concurrent DOS 386 – Part IV in a series on Concurrent DOS. This was a version of DOS by Digital Research that allowed you to run multiple DOS programs at the same time.
    • Microsoft Ships Excel For PC – Microsoft ships Excel for Windows. It would become the dominant spreadsheet program…and it still is.
    • DoublePerfect: MousePerfect And WordPerfect – At the time, WordPerfect did not have mouse support but you could be a $25 program that added mouse support.
    • Round-up Of Lotus Utilities – Part 9 of a series. There were tons of what were essentially plug-ins for Lotus by various companies that extended the functionality of Lotus.
    • Dataflex – Applications Development Database – A database management system available for a variety of computers and operating systems.
    • Amstrad Introduces New Line Of Personal Portable Computers – The Amstrad PPC 640 featured an 8 MHz 8086 CPU, 640×200 pixel LCD display, 640K RAM, one or two 3.5″ 720K disk drives, and a 2400bps modem for around $1000.
    • Dac Easy Word II: $50 Buys A Lot Of Word Processing Power – A look at this budget word processor. More well known packages were much more expensive.
    • Avery List&Mail For IBM PC/Apple II – A mailing list program that can print on various forms. Avery still makes labels today.
    • Rapid Recall II: An Electronic Notebook Database – A look at this free-form database program.
    • The Many Facets Of GEM, Part 7 – Part 7 of this detailed look at the GEM operating system which was used on Atari ST and also available for the PC.
    • Turbo Basic 1.1 Supports Hercules Graphics And Developers’ Toolboxes – A look at the features of the latest version of Turbo Basic.
    • Intel Inboard 386/PC For IBM PCs, XTs And Compatibles – A card that upgrades you PC or XT with a 386 CPU and 1 MB of memory for $1000.
    • Du Kannst Deutschen Lernen, If You Don’t Mind Sitting In Front Of A Computer – A look at a software package called “Learn German” designed to help you…learn German.
    • Capital Gains Calculator – A shareware program for calculating capital gains.
    • Toshiba 3100/20 Laptop Computer – A 286 based laptop featuring a gas plasma display. I loved those amber gas plasma displays.
    • Desk-Link Provides Networking Through Ordinary Phone Wire – A networking solution using a simple serial adapter and normal phone cords.

    Macintosh

    • Hyperspectives – An examination of Hypercard.
    • MacUniverse – A report from this Macintosh only computer show.
    • Alternate Reality – The City – A review of the Mac version of this classic adventure game.
    • Inner Drive 40/SE Adds Internal Hard Disk To Macintosh SE – A new internal 40 MB hard drive for the Macintosh SE for $999.
    • Mitsubishi Announces High Resolution Color Monitors Compatible With Macintosh II – A look at several new color monitors from Mitsubishi for the Mac II.
    • Viking 10 Large-Screen Color Monitor For The Macintosh II – A controller card and 1024×768 19-inch color monitor for the Mac for a mere $4795.
    • New QMS-PS 810 Laser Printer Offers Postscript On Canon SX – A look at this new laser printer featuring postscript capabilities.

    Apple

    • Mini-Graphics Language – A 10 command language build on top of Apple BASIC for creating graphics.
    • Exec Files In Applesoft BASIC – A guide to using Exec files within Apple BASIC. Exec files in this context are text files meant to be acted on by BASIC.
    • Ask The Guru – Apple prepares to launch two new postscript laser printers.

    Amiga

    • The Amazing Amiga 2000 – A Hands-On Review – The Amiga 2000 was the most open version of the machine, designed for expansion with tons of slots. There was even an IBM bridge card for PC compatibility and as I recall, the Amiga had the ability to run as both machines simultaneously.
    • FACC II – Speeding Up Disk Operations On The Amiga – Software designed for speeding up floppy disk access.

    Atari ST

    • Hacking The ST – A look at the Mark Williams C compiler and Mark Williams MicroEMACS.
    • Atari ST News And Comment – A look at new product announcements including a CD-ROM drive, Atari PC-2 PC clone, and more.
    • MSDOS For Your Atari ST – A look at a PC emulation program called PC-Ditto.
    • WordPerfect 4.1 For The Atari ST – WordPerfect was available for a variety of platforms including this version for the Atari ST.
    • Atari ST Outlook – Future operating systems and software for the ST.
    • IDRIS: Multi-Tasking Software For ST And Mega Lines – A Unix like OS for the ST that can run Unix software.
    • Easel ST – A utility that allows you to customize the appearance of the desktop.
    • Atari’s New Desktop Publishing System – A new desktop publishing package from Atari that includes an Atari ST Mega 2 or Mega 4, a monochrome monitor, and Atari’s new laser printer for $4000.
    • Tigera Unix Software On Atari Mega – Tigra to market a line of Unix office automation software for Atari Mega series computers running the IDRIS operating system.
    • Atari Abaq: 32 Bit, Transputer-Based Workstation – A prototype from Atari that basically uses an Atari ST as a controller / input / output for a transputer.
    • Network Research Corporation Supports Atari Mega – Atari to distribute Fusion Network Software with the Atari Mega workstation.

    Computer Starter

    • Computer Communications – A Primer – A newbies guide to using a modem.
    • Your BASIC Backpack – Solving basic problems in BASIC.
    • The Power of PC/MSDOS Batch Files – Using batch files to automate many functions of your PC and to perform other tasks.
    • Ask Dr. John – Questions answered about adding a 3.5″ drive to an XT clone.
    • A Calculator Emulator In Pascal – Implementing a calculator using Pascal.
    • Computer Communications – The first of a new column on telecommunications. This is an introduction but future installations are to include BBS reviews, shareware reviews, etc.
    • Pixit – Screen Drawing Program – A BASIC type-in drawing program.

    Computer Books

    • Steve Jobs – The Journey Is The Reward – A biography of Steve Jobs up to a point after he had left Apple but before he came back.

    Commodore

    • C128 80-Columnn Magic – Some tips for using the Commodore 128’s 80-column mode.
    • Blackflashing And Bakerizing – How to get deep black color out of older laser printers.
    • Ashton-Tate Graphics Service And Master Graphics Express – A service that allows users of Chart-Master, Diagram-Master, Sign-Master, and Presentation Pack to order color slides, overhead transparencies and prints.
    • Samna Advanced Word Processing – An advanced (and expensive) word processing and office automation software for Unix.
    • Star Micronics Introduces LaserPrinter 8 – A look at the first laser printer from Star Micronics.

    Atari

    • Applying The Atari – Reader feedback and questions about reading trackball inputs, a program that converts English input to a decimal number, and more.

    Texas Instruments

    • TI Forum – A report from the annual Chicago TI Fair, a fix for LEGENDS adventure program, a new program to transfer files to/from the PC, and more.

    Tandy

    • Nibble Theory: Investment Software – Software for the TRS-80 Model III that’s supposed to let you profit off of the stock market.
    • The CoCo Column – A look at the internals of the Color Computer, including its unique 6809 CPU.

    Heath/Zenith

    • Heath H-89 Survival Q & A – A cheap way to enter Z80 CP/M computing.

    Sanyo

    • How To Use WordStar Pro 4.0 With The Sanyo – A tutorial for getting WordStar Pro40.0 to work with the Sanyo 550 and Sanyo 555.

    Timex-Sinclair

    • Sinclair Survival Column – Getting cheap software for the Sinclair QL.

    …and much more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged