The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 84

PAGE G8 THE HOME SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1995 A rumor that spread like a virus Turning 'geek chic' into profits AND TECHNOLOGY I A Franklin's Pocket Quicken Bookman (left) is the latest incarnation of personal digital assistants, or PDAs. Below, the Sharp Zaurus. nifmi -tiT ''-'-mm-r- ''m Rflray Odd ymm Best-selling financial software comes Zaurus, a 13.6-ounce, one-megabyte unit that comes with word processing, electronic mail, fax, database and drawing programs. So far, though, there is no version of Quicken for the Zaurus. However, there is a version for the Apple Newton, a similar device.

Pocket Quicken is an option for folks who may have some computing needs but don't Ql saw a warning on the internet about a Good Times virus that can crash your computer and can be spread by e-mall. How dangerous Is It? R. Ocean It's not really dangerous. And it's not a virus. Warnings about the Good Times virus began on the Internet almost two years ago.

Reports said the virus was in an e-mail message always circulated with the subject line "Good Times." According to the reports, once the e-mail was opened, the virus was stored in an ASCII buffer and from there could trash hard drives, destroy the system BIOS and send copies of itself to anyone whose address was in send or receive files. Some of the wording above is technical, but what it means is this: Good Times would be the most dangerous computer virus invented. Fortunately, it wasn't true. Someone posted the warning as a joke. At the time it was posted, a virus could only be transmitted by executing the program in which it was contained.

So, Good Times would have been a tragic advance. But two things conspired to keep the hoax going. GARY DECKELNICK One is hard to avoid: Millions of new users are surfing the Internet. Some find the old reports and feel they are doing a good deed by warning others. Second was the recent invention of one virus that did not have to be attached to an executable file.

It was attached to a word processing file. It wasn't harmful. It printed a few lines of gibberish across the screen and then printed a note from the anonymous author. The person wanted to prove a virus could be attached to a program that doesn't have to be executed to work. People who once were convinced that Good Times was a hoax had second thoughts and the warnings began anew.

The way to avoid the virus, according to the warning, was to delete any message in which the subject was Good Times. If the virus existed and someone really wanted to be destructive, they could, of course, change the subject line. Nevertheless, it's good to delete the files unread, or you may be reading versions of the same warning over the next few months. QMy computer system was recently "improved" by replacing a 40-megabyte hard drive with an 80 megabyte one. Since then, I have not been able to format a (floppy) disk.

I have two questions, what is the computer trying to tell me when It says "PC Tools Disk Formatter v6" and "Wrong L. Colts Neck Latest Quicken desktop version offers connection to area banks By BARRY COOPER ORLANDO SENTINEL ersonal computing gadgets are getting smaller and smaller. How small? Try 4.5 ounces for Franklin Electronic Pub lishers' new Pocket Quicken device. You can easily slip Pocket Quicken into a shirt pocket or purse and carry your financial records anywhere you go. It's a minicomputer, complete with a tiny keyboard and screen.

Quicken, produced by Intuit, is the best-selling personal finances software in the world. People have been using it on desktop computers for years. Now, if Pocket Quicken catches on, folks may be balancing their checkbooks and scanning their credit card balances on buses, at football games and even while standing in line at the movies. Pocket Quicken, which should start showing up in stores soon, is expected to sell for about $89. You're going to see more of this.

Intuit and other manufacturers are trying to develop more applications for their software, and they're all eyeing the public's growing interest in so-called personal digital assistants, or PDAs. They are tiny computing devices the size of calculators. They're too small to replace home computers, but there is a market for popular software that can be operated on portable devices. One of the more popular PDAs is Sharp's TO: Bob Victorian, President CEO, Diversified Media, Inc. FROM: Nathan C.

Edge, Market Research Associates A new breed of high-tech consumer is eager to spend money on products and services. To exploit this new marketplace, consider refocusing your marketing on this element, which we'll call "geek chic." The term itself is indicative of the rapid transformation of socially challenged individuals marginalized by our culture the so-called geeks into something worthy of marketing attention. These consumers generally males who had trouble getting prom dates have gained success in high tech industries and have enough money to warrant your attention. To truly understand their consumer needs, it is worthwhile to examine the psy- chology of geek chic. Most high-tech prod- i ucts were created for techies by techies, because they needed some computer de vice to fill the void left by limited social interaction.

For example, Ray Ozzie, the creator of Lotus Notes, was compelled to invent the pre-eminent software for group collaboration simply be J. GREG PHELAN cause he preferred electronic communication to face-to-face meetings due to shyness. Likewise, e-mail is easier for these individuals to use than oral communication, especially to send a flame, an personal criticism. The popularity of flaming highlights what may be the dark side of geek chic. While many see this consumer group as childlike Twinkie-eaters who like to play with electronic toys long past puberty, others point to the very real possibility that this geniality is a ruse to hide the urge of these social outcasts for revenge.

Producing video games that offer an opportunity for these consumers to express their anger has proven to be effective marketing. Even more profitable may be catering to the group's heightened sense of self-importance an approach epitomized by Wired, the chronicle of geek chic. Its manic-depressive editorial policy presumes to express the geek chic world view in other words, the giddy thrill of a high-tech mutual admiration society coupled with apocalyptic warnings that the techno-elite are taking control and there is nothing non-wired individuals can do about it This elusive nature of geek chic makes many high-tech marketers look elsewhere for a more stable demographic, perhaps by creating products found useful by a mass audience. The problem here is that non- geeks don't need computers for interacting with each other. On the other hand, they may find on-line information useful, but not enough nongeeks are on the Internet to accurately forecast their long-term interest.

An added complication to this analysis is the phenomena of the nouveau geek: This consumer, convinced that it is hip to play Doom, log onto America Online, or own Windows 95, may adopt geek chic and buy these products. A short-sighted marketing strategy may cater to these high-tech wannabees, but since they have difficulty installing their own software, they will not likely purchase many upgrades. They are, on the other hand, the primary demographic for Internet cafes and Hollywood movies about hackers. At least while the geek chic media phenomenon lasts. Comments to J.

GregPhelan can be sent via electronic mail to jgphelanaol.com or to P.O. Box 6403, Fair Haven, N.J. 07704. pkbOssQ' in a package to go need a full-size computer. Conceivably, you could manage your family's finances on Pocket Quicken, but because of its tiny size and limited storage capacity, it's better as an addon for the Quicken on your home PC.

Home Computing editor Isaiah J. Poole contributed to this story. month to handle electronic bill payments. A CoreStates New Jersey National Bank spokesman said the bank is currently not charging customers a fee for banking with Quicken, Chemical Bank branches in New Jersey, soon to become branches of PNC Bank as a result of a recent merger, also announced they would offer the service. The software also promises, enhancements for people with stock transactions or other investments and for those who use Quicken for business.

The software lists for $49.95 but should be available for less at some retailers. Isaiah J. Pooh pulls the plug They're going to lose a lot of people in the process. When a service moves under the aegis of something big and commercial, it ends up feeling more like a franchise than a community. Faced with the same choice, we decided to not give up our autonomy." Prodigy and America Online, meanwhile, are offering an ever-growing number of services for women.

Sue Shayler, a Fort Lauderdale, mother with twins, manages on-line women's conferences on Prodigy 11 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays each week Gump: Chat). Prodigy also offers a family matters bulletin board Qump: Family BB) and a parenting bulletin board Gump: Parenting BB). America Online's offerings for women include bulletin boards sponsored by the Lifetime cable channel (Keyword: Lifetime) and by Elle (Keyword: Elle Online) and Women's Day (Keyword: Women's Day) magazines. NetNoir (Keyword: Netnoir) contains areas of interest to African-American women.

Tribune News Service contributed to this story. An on-line pioneer for women Anew version of Quicken is arriving at stores this week that will allow you to do business directly with several area banks via your personal computer. With Quicken 5 and a checking account with a participating bank, you will be able to download current account balance information directly.into Quicken, a boon for people who sometimes forget to enter check, ATM and debit card transactions. As with previous versions, you will be able to pay bills, but directly through the bank instead of Checkfree, an intermediary that charges Quicken users at least $9.95 a the widest audience we can. We want to focus on what we do best our editorial content and managing virtual community," she said.

For those who choose to go along with the forced migration to CompuServe, there are some significant advantages: a price break, Internet access, a greater community of 3.5 million users, plus the deep databases for which CompuServe is best known. McDaniel said a survey of the Women's Wire membership found a majority was pleased with the switch. Women's Wire is not the only independent, women-friendly community in cyberspace. There's also ECHO (East Coast Hangout), a BBS that widely acknowledged as the East Coast "sister station" of WW. The management of ECHO, also under pressure to move under the wing of larger online services, decided to go it alone and upgrade its own network rather than risk breaking up its special community.

Molly Kerr, general manager of ECHO, said she was saddened to hear of the Women's Wire migration: "I think it really defeats the purpose of what Women's Wire was all about. tion on the war-crimes trial of a Serbian defendant by the International Criminal Tribunal. Want some want ads? If you're looking for a job and don't mind moving out of the area, make a point of visiting a Web site launched recently. Six of the nation's best newspapers banded together to put their help wanted classified ads on the Internet at http:ww.careerpath.com. The participating papers are the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the San Jose Mercury News, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington The project is part of the New Century Network, a coalition of newspaper companies designed to jointly develop interactive Internet services.

Knight-Ridder, which owns the Tallahassee Democrat and the San Jose Mercury News, is also a member. You should have lots to choose from. In its first week, the site had 21,390 ads on-line. Knight-Ridder and Tribune news services 4 By DAVID PLOTNIKOFF KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS fter nearly two years as a niche provider in the midst of on-line giants, Women's Wire is pulling the plug. If things go as planned, on Halloween the modem lines for the San Mateo, computer bulletin-board service will be disconnected.

What remains of it will be scattered across three cyberspace networks. The Women's Wire management says the innovative firm is not going out of business, just changing the way services are delivered. Women's Wire will continue to exist as an area within the Microsoft Network and within CompuServe (Go: Women), and as an independent Web-site at http:women.com. Subscribers were informed of the switch via e-mail last month and told matter-of-factly to set up new accounts on CompuServe. Women's Wire president Marleen McDaniel said the change was made to allow the company to concentrate on content development rather than the nuts and bolts of running a small stand-alone system.

"We want to reach Keeping controversies alive After watching an Oct. 17 PBS documentary about the 1993 standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, viewers could then head for PBS' site for Waco information on the World Wide Web at httpywww.pbs.orgFRONTLINEAVaco FLWacoSitchtml. Among other things, the site includes answers to 10 frequently asked questions about the standoff, books, articles and government reports about the incident, photographs from the scene and such audio clips as taped conversations between cult leader David Koresh and FBI negotiators. For those who miss Judge Lance Ito or want another look at the infamous bloody glove, a new World Wide Web site put up by the Court TV, the cable-TV court news channel might help relieve some of your withdrawal symptoms. The site is at http:www.courttv.com.

From their "Court Law Center," Court TV folks offer coverage of major trials, including the murder case against the Menendez brothers in California and the Oklahoma City bombing. The Court TV site also features informa- A Fortunately, you ran the diagnostic program that came with your version of DOS. You problem was not the change in hard drives but the programs that were installed at the same time. You had an old version of PC Tools that was upgraded to version 6.0, another old version. And your DOS was upgraded to 6.22, a modem version.

When PC Tools is installed, it provides the user the option of replacing the DOS format command with PC Tools' format command. That would have been a good idea years ago, but the DOS format command from DOS 6.22 offers features that your version of PC Tools does not. Usually, PC Tools takes over the formatting chores by renaming the DOS command FORMATI.EXE. PC Tools then inserts its own command, either FORMAT.EXE OR FORMAT.BAT. Look for either PC Tools command and rename it anything you want.

Then rename FORMATI.EXE FORMAT.EXE. The command to do that is REN FORMATI.EXE FORMAT.EXE at the DOS prompt. That version of PC Tools was released when the current DOS version was either 4.0 or 5.0. So PC Tools doesn't know what to do with DOS 6.22. But there is a command that can control the version of DOS your program sees.

It's called SETVER. To use it, at the DOS prompt type SETVER, the path to the program, and the program's executable file. So, if PC Tools is in a directory called PCTOOLS and the executable file is PCTOOLS.EXE, what you would type from the DOS prompt is SETVER The 5.0 is the DOS version you want PC Tools to see. Try it once. If it doesn't work, try an earlier DOS version (4.0).

Once it works, add the command to your autoexecbat file so it loads every time you boot the help with any of the DOS commands, type HELP and the name of the command, such as HELP SETVER. Computer questions can be sent to Gary Deckelnick via CompuServe at 74503,210 or on the Internet atghdapp.com, 1 i TODAY 2:30 p.m. on America Online Christina Cotsifas, "AOL and You" instructor. Location: Center Stage. Keyword: Coliseum TOMORROW 8 p.m.

on America Online Mark Gearan, Peace Corps director. Location: Center Stage. Keyword: AOL Live 9 p.m. on Prodigy Lt. Frank Spangler, LAPD detective who was Mark Fuhrman's boss, on the O.J.

Simpson trial. Location: Guest Spotlight. Jump: Chat 1 0 p.m. on Microsoft Network Wes Craven, horror-film director whose latest work is "A Vampire in Brooklyn." Location: Microsoft Network Today. Shortcut phrase: Microsoft Network TUESDAY 9 p.m.

on America Online Mario Cuomo, former New York governor and talk-show host. Location: Time Online. Keyword: Odeon WEDNESDAY 9 p.m. on America Online Kevin Smith, "Mallrats" director. Location: Spin Online.

Keyword: Globe THURSDAY 7 p.m. on CompuServe Ira Miskin, producer of the children's program "Reality Check." Location: Youth Drive. Go: Convention MAILING LIST Nutritionist Deborah Arneson is accepting your e-mail questions on Prodigy, Jump: Health BB.