• Tag Archives Windows 3.1

  • PC World (November 1994)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – November 1994

    PC World along with PC Magazine were probably the two biggest general PC magazines available in the U.S. during the 1980s into the early 2000s. In the early 1990s, PC World had pretty large page counts with the November 1994 issue coming it at nearly 350 pages. It includes:

    Cover Story

    • Upgrades: When They’re Worth It, and When They’re Not – These days, to upgrade a PC you can maybe upgrade to another supported CPU, add RAM, etc. However, in the 386 to Pentium days, there were some pretty creative CPU upgrades sometimes with adapters to make CPUs work that weren’t really designed for the platform. Having said that, not all upgrades were worth what they cost. This article offers some general guidelines such as not paying more than 40 percent of the original PC cost to upgrade it. Upgrading from 4MB to 8MB of RAM was always worth it unless you had expensive non-standard memory. Upgrading from a 33 MHz 386 with a Cyrix 486DRx2, however, didn’t necessarily make much sense given the cost. The same was true of the Evergreen 486 DX4-100 upgrade. It improved performance by 37 percent but cost $700. If you already had a 486, just upgrading memory from 4MB to 8MB could improve performance by up to 33 percent. If you had lower end 25-MHz or 33-MHz CPUs that buying clock doubled upgrades tended to be a pretty good deal. A couple of years later, there were a lot more upgrade options for such systems with AMD and Cyrix processors.

    Windows

    • Second Look: Windows 95 – I still think that going from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 felt like the most significant OS upgrade I ever made. The primary reason it felt that way was because Windows 95 was the first true multitasking Windows environment.

    PC Reliability and Service

    • For better or Worse – Nearly 100,000 readers rank companies on reliability and service. The top overall companies were Apple, AT&T, Compaq, Dell, and IBM. Gateway 2000 was my favorite at the time though they get an “average” rating here.

    Interfaces

    • About Face – A look at upcoming changes to user interfaces from Microsoft (Windows 95), Apple (Copeland), IBM (OS/2) and more. Plus a look further into the future.

    Systems

    • Top 20 PCs: The Shrinking Cost of Computing – The “best buys” this month include the Dell Dimension XPS P90, Zeos Pantera DX4-100, Quantex P5/90B-2, Zeos Pantera 90, and Micron P90PCI PowerStation. Gateway 2000 placed at number 6 with the Gateway P5-60 and further down the list with the Gateway P5-90 and Gateway P5-66.

    Graphics Boards

      • Top 10 Windows Accelerators – The top graphics card this month was the ATI Graphics Xpression. Seven out of ten cards in the top 10 were PCI with the other three being VLB cards.

    Reliability & Service Monitor

    • Win a DX4-100 PC – Fill out a survey for a chance to win a Zeos Pantera DX4-100.

    Special Report: Mobile Computing

    • Screen Tests – 47 typical users test various laptop screens in various applications and conditions to find the best. The best screens were found on the Aspen Aspenta 3600, Acer AcerNote 780cx, and Gateway Colorbook 486DX2-50.
    • Pointers in the Right Direction – A guide to some of the best pointing devices including Microsoft’s BallPoint Mouse, Logitech’s TrackMan Voyager, the Axelen miniTrak, and more.

    Top of the News

    • The Pentium Alternative – A look at the NexGen Nx586-P90 which was the first next generation competitor of the Pentium (as opposed to essentially enhanced 486s). In this comparison, the NexGen performs about the same as a Pentium 90. NexGen was purchased by AMD in 1996.
    • Is the Floppy Disk Dead? – The floppy disk wouldn’t really die for another 10 years or so. Until most people had broadband and USB flash drives became cheap enough, there was just no better alternative for transferring small files.
    • Thinkpads Offer Power, CD-ROM, Voice – A look at the IBM ThinkPad 755CE, 755CSE, and 755CD. These had 75 MHz or 100 MHz DX4 CPUs, 8 MB to 16 MB of RAM, CD-ROM drive, 810 MB hard drive, and 10.4-inch screen, etc for prices ranging from $4500 to $8600.
    • pc Anywhere 2.0: Easy Links from Work to Home – pcAnywhere is software that allows remote control of PCs.
    • Quicken Manages Finances for Novices and Experts – Quicken 4 and Quicken Deluxe 4 from Intuit for Windows.

    New products

    • DEC Celebris PCs – The DEC Celebris line includes models with a 66-MHz 486DX2, 100-MHz DX4, 60-MHz Pentium and 90-MHz Pentium. All include 8MB of RAM, 256K L2 cache, 270MB hard drive and local bus graphics. Prices range from $1949 to $2799.
    • Xerox 4900, HP Color LaserJet, QMS magicolor laser printers – A trio of new color laser printers with prices from $7295 to $10999.
    • NEC MultiSync X-series monitors – The first monitors with plug and play with prices ranging from $575 to $2580 depending on the size you wanted.
    • Brother HL-630 laser printer – A bargain laser printer for only $399.
    • Lotus SmartSuite 3.0 – Lotus’s collection of integrated desktop apps including 1-2-3 (spreadsheet), Approach (database), Ami Pro (word processing), Freelance Graphics (presentation), and The Organizer (personal information manager).
    • Harvard Graphics 3.0 for Windows presentation software – A presentation package similar to PowerPoint.
    • Day-Timer Organizer – A scheduling tool with functions like you might see in Outlook today.
    • WinCheckIt 2.0 diagnostic tool for Windows PCs – Collects information such as hardware config, CMOS setup, interrupt settings, memory map, and much more.
    • A.D.A.M.: The Inside Story human anatomy CD-ROM – An anatomy reference for kids.
    • Great Restaurants: Wineries & Breweries CD-ROM – A nation wide restaurant, winery and brewery guide on CD.
    • HP OfficeJet integrated printer/fax/copier – A printer/copier/fax combo for $950.
    • Adobe Acrobat 2.0 portable document software – An early version of the PDF reader software that is still going strong today.
    • FTG PenDirect for Windows desktop conferencing system – Includes conferencing software as well as a light pen so that you can share notes on the screen.
    • METZ Phones version 5.5 contact management software – An address and telephone manager.
    • Quick Takes – A quick look at several new products including Network Central (LAN organization software), DeskJet 540/320 (inkjet printers), STB PowerGraph Pro and Genoa Phantom 64 (Windows graphics accelerators), Font Source (add a signature or company logo to documents), Viva PCMCIA Fax-modem (14.4 modem for laptops), and PCI Movie (video capture and playback board).

    Departments

    • Letters – Letters from readers about Windows 95, uninstalling apps, multimedia setups, home networks, and more.
    • Consumer Watch – A look at computer use and repetitive strain injuries.
    • Real Problems, Real Solutions – Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
    • Inside Source – The business case for using digital cameras to add photos to documents.
    • Break Time – A look at some of the latest entertainment, education and reference software including Castles II: Siege and Conquest, Star Wars Screen Entertainment (I had this and loved it), Math Workshop, 70 Million Households Phone book, and more.
    • Home Office – A comparison of three different video cards, including the Diamond Stealth 64, ATI Graphics Expression, and Boca Research’s Voyager (all VESA local bus).

    …and a whole lot more!


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  •  PC World (December 1992)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – December 1992

    PC World was probably the most popular PC magazine in the late 1980s and early 1990s and maybe longer than that (it was certainly around longer). This issue from December 1992 was from about 7 months or so before I bought my first PC (not counting my Commodore 64). It includes:

    Cover Story

    • The Readers’ Choice: World Class 1992 – Readers pick the best hardware and software of 1992. Some of the winners in the hardware category include the ATI Graphics Ultra video card, the Seagate ST3144A hard drive, the Bernoulli Transportable 90 Pro external drive from Iomega, the Jumbo 250 tape drive from Colorado Memory Systems, the ScanMan 256 handheld scanner from Logitech, and the Microsoft Mouse. Gateway 2000 was voted as the vendor with the best service and support, followed by Dell, Zeos, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard. Winners in the software category include WordPerfect, Excel, Windows 3.x, Norton Utilities, Paradox, ProComm Plus (I loved this terminal software), PageMaker, CorelDraw (another favorite of mine), Quicken, and more.

    Windows

    • Windows NT: A DOS for the ’90s – A detailed look at the upcoming new operating system from Microsoft, Windows NT.

    Systems

    • 486SX-25s vs. 386DX-40s: The Upstart Fights Back – While Intel had moved on to the 486, AMD was still pushing the 386 to faster speeds with the 386DX-40 (I had a roommate in college with one). More than 50% of new sales were 486 systems by this point but the 386 was still thought to be a good budget choice at the time. In reality, it would be woefully out of date within a year or two. In this overview, it shows that the budget 486 processor (486SX-25) is faster than the 386DX-40 though doesn’t have as good of a price/performance ratio. However, the 486 systems were also more easily upgradeable. The best performer in their lineup was the Boss 486SX/25 Cache. The best value was the Compudyne 486SX/25 with the Blackship BLK 386/40 taking second.
    • The Complete Guide to the New CPUs – A look at the latest 386 and 486 processors. Also, benchmark comparisons of 24 processors. From fastest to slowest: 486DX2-66, OverDrive-33/66, 486DX-50, OverDrive-25/50, 486DX-33, OverDrive-20/40, 486DX-25, Cyrix 486DLC-33, AMD 386DXL-40 (with math coprocessor), IBM 486SLC2-20/40, Cyrix 486DLC-33 (with math coprocessor), 486SX-25, 386DX-33 (with math coprocessor), AMD 386-40, 386DX-33, 486SX-20, Cyrix 486SLC-25, 386DX-25 (with math coprocessor), 386SL-25, 386DX-25, AMd 386SXL-25, 386SX-20, 386SX-20.

    Top of the News

    • You Can Take It With You – A look at a bunch of recently released laptops, including the Compaq LTE 4/25c and Lite/25E (with 25-Mhz 486SL CPU); TravelMate 4000 WinDX2/50, WinDX2/40 Color, and WinSX/25; Grid Convertible (386SL-25 based); and Z-Lite 320L (386SL based).
    • Vendors Speed Up PC Introductions – Vendors are introducing new PCs at an increasingly rapid pace. PC tech started rapidly advancing starting in the late 486/early Pentium era. Within two years or so there were cheaper PCs available that were at least 400% faster than the 486-DX2/66 I got in 1993.
    • Microsoft’s Accessible Database – Microsoft releases the easy to use Access database software.
    • Windows for Workgroups – The latest version of Windows, Windows for Workgroups 3.1 made networking easier.
    • ‘Tis Better to Send Than Receive – Fax-Modems combined the ability of a modem with the ability of a fax machine and were all the rage in the early 1990s.
    • Quicken Gets Financial Management Tools – A brief look at the latest version of quicken (6.0 for DOS and 2.0 for Windows).

    Printers

    • Next Generation Lasers – Reviews of the latest laser printers, including the Compaq Pagemarq 15, Compaq Pagemarq 20 (best buy), Helett-Packard LaserJet 4 (best buy), Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4M, IBM LaserPrinter 10P/Lexmark, Kyocera Ecosys a-SI, NewGen Systems TurboPS/660, Okidata OL810, and Xanite Accel-a-Writer 8000.

    Video

    • Best Monitors for $1000 – Reviews of the latest “big-screen” monitors (we are talking 15 to 17-inch CRT based monitors) for prices ranging from $700 to nearly $1500. Models reviewed include the Amdek AM/815, Amdek AM/817, Compaq QVision 150, Dell 15LR, HP Ultra VGA 17-Inch Display, IOcomm ThinkSync 5, IOcomm ThinkSync 7A, Mag MX15F, Mag MX17F (best buy), NEC MultiSync 4FG (best buy), Rellsys RE1558, Samsung SyncMaster 5c, Sony CPD-1604S, Taxan MultiVision 550, TVM MediaScan 5A+LR (best buy), TVM MediaScan 6A Digital (best buy), and ViewSonic 7.
    • Fast Video for Less – A huge round-up of 95 graphic accelerator boards. These were designed to speed up displays in Windows more so than games.

    Backup

    • Tape Backups You Set and Forget – A look at the latest “high-capacity” tape drives (typically with 120MB capacity and up to 250MB compressed capacity). Tape drives were a pretty common accessory from about this time through the early Pentium era. After that, they sort of faded away in favor of other options (Zip drives, etc.).

    New Products

    • Toshiba Satellite Notebooks – Toshiba launches three “low cost” 386SX Notebooks. The T1800 featuring a 20-MHz 386SX, 2MB of RAM and a 60MB hard drive for $1800, the T1850 with 25-MHz 386SX, 4MB of RAM and an 80MB hard drive for $2200, and the T1850C which is the same as the T1850 except with a color screen for $3300.

    • HP DeskJet 550C, DeskJet Portable Printers – The new DeskJet 550C inkjet printer for $1099 and the new HP DeskJet Portable for $599.
    • Tecmar QICVault tape drives – SCSI based tape drives with 720MB capacity for prices ranging from $1139 to $1889.
    • SyDOS Marlin, Puma hard drives – A look at the new SyDOS 3.5″ drive with removable media.
    • PerForm Pro Plus – Software for creating forms.
    • Superbase 2 – A relational database for Windows. I believe there was actually a Commodore 64 version of the original Superbase.
    • Fontographer 3.5 for Windows – Create and modify fonts.
    • Publish It 3.0, Publish It for Windows – Desktop publishing packages for DOS and Windows.
    • Golden Retriever 2.0 – A file manager for Windows.
    • Dynamics accounting software – A high end accounting package for Windows from Great Plains Software.
    • DrivePro hard disk utility – A utility for helping you set up a new hard drive in Windows without having to resort to DOS commands.
    • Surefire 1.5 word processor – A low cost word processor with spreadsheet and database functions.
    • InfoTAC wireless modem – A $1350 4800 BPS wireless radio modem designed for sending and receiving e-mail.
    • OnTime for Networks – A group scheduling package that notifies you about meetings via e-mail, allows you to respond immediately to meeting requests, and more.
    • The Wire for MCI Mail – A Windows front end for MCI Mail.
    • CreditCard Ethernet Adapter – A ~$445 PCMCIA Ethernet adapter that operates up to 8MB per second.

    Here’s How

    • Help Line – Questions answered about Stacker disk compression software, turning extended memory into expanded memory, printing screen graphics, OS/2, and more.
    • Spreadsheets – Questions answered about displaying negative percentages in parenthesis in 1-2-3, calculating the last day of the previous month in Excel 4.0, hiding columns in Excel 4.0, and more.
    • Word Processing – Questions answered about using clip art in WordPerfect 5.1, gridlines in Word for Windows 2.0, creating text with background shading in WordPerfect 5.1, and more.
    • Windows – Questions answered about playing WAV sound files via the PC speaker in Windows 3.1, using 32-bit disk access in Windows, and more.
    • Instant Reference Card – A reference card for Word for Windows 2.0 Macros.

    Departments

    • Letters – Letters from readers about fraudulent ads in magazines, Hewlett-Packard’s NewWave, CAD software, and more.
    • Real Problems, Real Solutions – Overcoming the feat of computers.
    • What’s Next – A look at navigation software which at the time amounted to map software for your PC, some with subscriptions for updates.
    • Managers of the Universe – A look at computer games including Chessmaster 3000 Multimedia Pro and Loom.
    • Home Office – Tools to make online services and BBS’s easier, including the OZCIS auto-navigator program for CompuServe and Robocomm for BBS systems.

    …and more!


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