Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 58

1 Every Saturday, a focus on computers and technology for the home Saturday; August 9, 1997 Shareware grade programs can be teachers' pets Shareware For copies of either the IBM-compatible or Macintosh programs for teachers, send $15 to Shareware, RO. Box 7037, Long Beach, CA 90807. Credit cards: (800) 395-7797. Fax (562) 426-0110. By Noah Matthews Long Beach Press-Telegram As summer wanes, schoolteachers rework lesson plans, ponder again the symbolism of "Silas Marner" and pray for computer programs to make record-keeping simple.

Happily, shareware makes it possible for teachers to look over a few programs to find one that's best for them. There are some promising new programs, and there is time to run a few sample sessions with them. 1st Class Gradebook (Windows) This program from Canada was designed by teachers, as most of the best gradebook programs are. It simulates a gradebook on paper, provides the flexibility to change seating arrangements and add and delete activities in midterm, allows comments on activities and pupil performance, permits teachers to use traditional letter grades or design their own grading systems, and makes it easy to calculate grades and apply a bell curve. You'll find it as 1ST66B32.ZIP on the Internet at ware081097.

The other programs reviewed here also can be found there. Class Mate (Windows) This program (CMATE30D.ZIP) from Robert Micaletti in El Paso emphasizes simplicity and the automation of record-keeping. On-the-fly grade calculations permit a teacher to see the effect a score will have on a student's average, even before it is recorded. School Maestro (Windows) This upgrade of a popular gradebook program is distinguished by extensive online help (SM116.ZIP). Grenville Grader Plus (DOS) Another program from Canada, this one uses spreadsheet-style data entry and features graphs, a lesson planner, many reports and even an auto-dialer for giving parents and pupils the news (GVGP351.ZIP).

Macintosh shareware Because of Apple's long history with schools, there has always been a good selection of Macintosh programs for This year is no exception. Gradekeeper The latest version of Gradekeeper makes it a snap to add students, assignments and scores, along with extra-credit projects. The version you can order below or download from the Internet is a full-working 30-day demo. Worksheet MAGIC This slick program has dozens of worksheets that enable teachers to make their own tests, with graphics, word search, even crossword puzzles. Basic Facts Maker II Generate worksheets with 25 addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems.

7 StfelT HiElOlTS 0 It -f, XM For $1,000, or slightly less, adequate equipment available By Zachary Coile San Francisco Examiner SAN FRANCISCO Many big computer manufacturers have rolled cut low-priced models priced at under $1,000 aimed at budget-conscious households and families wanting to buy a computer for children. Though the new models don't feature the latest chips such as Intel's MMX multimedia chip or its newly shipped Pentium II chip they still run on Pentium or Pentium-quality processors. Most also feature built-in modems and Windows 95 software. As chip prices have fallen, competition in the arena has gotten fierce. In January, Packard Bell became the first to unveil its $999 makers want to keep sales up, they know they'll have to broaden the market to those who may not be able to afford higher-priced PCs.

"We realized there were people out there who were not yet buyers because of the price," said Mai Ransom, senior vice president of marketing for Packard Bell NEC. Ransom said Packard Bell and others in the industry hope these first-time buyers will come back later for more expensive machines The big companies also are going after families who may want an inexpensive second computer for children. Computer makers are able to sell PCs for less than $1,000 in large part because of advances in semiconductor technology and increased competition among chip-manufacturers. "A lot of it has to do with component prices coming down," said Kevin Hause, analyst with International Data a market research firm. "Memory prices have come down over the last Game reviewer Mark Glaser emerges from a tank at the Na- To promote its game, 'Armored Fist 2 game maker Nova-Logic tional Guard's Fort Hunter Liggett near San Luis Obispo, Calif, let 12 journalists compare simulated tanks with the real thing.

Virtual reality can't top real thing when it comes to M-l tanks C115 computer, with a 120-megahertz Pentium chip, CD-ROM, 33.6Kbps modem and 14-inch monitor. Compaq followed with its Presario 2100 with a 133-megahertz Cyrix proces 'We realized there were people out there who were not yet buyers because of the price? Mai Ransom, senior vice president of marketing for Packard Bell NEC few years and processor prices are coming down." Since Intel introduced its MMX chip earlier this year, it has slashed prices on its older chips. Many of these chips are now showing up in sor. AST Ke- search has also added its own model, a $997 Acer Adventure, being sold in Wal-Mart stores. In July, Hewlett-Packard jumped into the low-end market with its Pavilion 3100.

The $999 model features CD-ROM, a fax-modem and stereo speakers, but no monitor. The company said the computer will be in stores by October. On Monday, Acer America plans to announce two new computers priced under $1,000. The specifications haven't been released, but a company representative said the new Aspire models would be priced at $799 and $999 without monitors. Monitors will cost $200 more.

Why are companies rushing to sell PCs under According to the latest Consumer Electronics Association figures, about 40 percent of America's 100 million households own PCs. Not all are ready to upgrade. If computer notch, even in this early version, I can't help but remember sticking out of the tank hatch, hair blowing beneath the Kevlar helmet, wondering whether anyone could simulate that feeling. Nova-Logic's Garcia is touting the game's multi-player capabilities and MMX graphics support. We're suitably impressed but our thoughts are on the battlefield.

Soon we're at a different training range, at Camp Roberts, which connects to Fort Hunter Liggett by tank trail. We go out to a field where there are M-109 self-propelled Howitzers, their 155-millimeter guns pointing skyward. I'm one of the lunteers who gets to take the "No. 1" position and pull the lanyard on a Howitzer, sending a high-explosive charge into enemy territory. Soon the crew is making me comfortable, showing me how to load the artillery round and powder bag.

Everything is checked, double-checked and triple-checked for safety, but I can't help eyeing the fire extinguishers. Not to worry I swivel my hips to pull the cord and the 155 goes ka-boom, sending a charge to the appointed spot. The soldiers shake my hand and give me a beef stew MRE (meal ready-to-eat) as a souvenir. By Mark Glaser Los Angeles Times Calabasas, Calif-based Nova-Logic, a maker of military simulation games, promoted its upcoming tank game, Armored Fist 2," by giving reviewers the ultimate comparison: a real live M-l tank. The company sent a dozen journalists along with Nova-Logic staff to Fort Hunter Liggett, about 50 miles northwest of San Luis Obispo, for a two-day "boot camp." Day 1 July 15, 0930 hours When I first heard about this game promotion, it sounded outrageous.

Dorkyjcomputer gamers playing with multibillion-dollar military hardware at a military base. But when I get to the rendezvous at San Francisco International Airport, I discover that these National Guard guys are taking it all pretty seriously. They want proof of employment in case of injury. We will be observing "live fire." Hmmmmm. 1550 hours We arrive at King City, a glorified pit stop on U.S.

101. We check into the cheesy Courtesy Inn and stop by the "Desert Storm Room," a suite set up with high-end computers and finger food. The Nova-Logic team greets us and we have a light schmooze. The vibes are very computer-convention. Then in walks some soldiers and everything changes.

Capts. Rory Aylward and Dave Manzi from Liggett step in from the heat. Aylward is an engaging character with a very dry wit. He's a part-time soldier, as are most of the personnel at the nearby National Guard post. He makes a living helping Hollywood producers make realistic military movies and was an adviser on "Courage Under Fire." 1650 hours We reach our destination, a 40th Infantry Division post in a hot, dried-out valley between the Santa Lucia and southern Diablo ranges.

There are a couple of wooden towers, an array of camouflaged tents and assorted military hardware. Our jaws drop when we spot M-l tanks moving toward a training range. A couple of tanks are parked near the tactical operation center, or TOC, and with no less than four Army lawyers looking on, we're allowed to climb aboard and poke around. The hot metal is incredibly solid, and the controls inside are mind-boggling. It's no wonder Nova-Logic chief executive John Garcia later would tell us, "Though we want our game to be realistic, we don't want to re-create the tank exactly, switch by switch." I do my best Mike Dukakis pose, with a thumbs up from the driver's hatch.

2100 hours After a few others take five-minute rides down the trail and back, it's my turn to climb aboard, along with Gamespot Editor James Glave. We take turns, one riding inside at the gunner seat, the other sticking his head out of the hatch as the wind and grit blow by. The stars and moon are out in the dusty night, and we can see faraway tanks shooting targets, with bolts of fiery light. All I can say is, what a ride. Day 2 July 16, 0330 hours Everyone's playing demos of "Armored Fist 2," the M-1A2 Abrams simulation game.

Though we rode in an M-1IP tank, an earlier model, many of the controls are similar. Now we know some terms intimately, like Sabo rounds (a common ammunition type) and firing commands. Unfortunately for Nova-Logic, it's hard to compare the real thing to a simulation. Though the game looks and sounds realistic, and the graphics are top- home computers, and Hause says they'll provide more than enough power for most people. "A computer with a 12-month-old chip is a viable alternative to something twice as expensive," Hause said.

Chris Pedersen, Hewlett-Packard's worldwide consumer PC brand manager, said the new $1,000 PCs do everything most users want explore the Internet, send e-mail, do word processing and run most of the current consumer software. "Clearly, it's not the same machine that a $2,500 or $3,000 machine is, but the key question for a customer at the low-end of the market is: Will it run the operating system and the applications I use?" Pedersen said. "It won't run everything on they planet, but it will run most applications that customers at that price point use." Eudora Pro's new improve e-mail poweriionse Partitioning hard drive now a simpler ordeal Eudora Pro 3.03 Produced by Qualcomm Corp. a $89 Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Macintosh 7.x Phone (800) 238-3672 By James Coates Chicago Tribune Eudora Pro, named for one of America's greatest living writers, adds major new features that make it the most powerful e-mail package around spanning both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Eudora Welty's short story "Why I Live at the P.O." inspired the original authors of this now hugely popular e-mail software, and since its acquisition by communications industry powerhouse Qualcomm, Eudora Pro has become an industrial-strength tool.

This new revision of Eudora Pro 3.0 adds big, new features including encryption, virus protection, attachment viewing and compression. The company offers a rebate of $20 to buyers of 3.03 who own Pro 3.0, but the added power most likely will be worth the freight to many customers. Details are at By Craig Crossman Miami Herald Ql I currently have my hard drive partitioned for Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and OS2. 1 realize that I misjudged the size of my Windows 95 partition. I was too frugal when I set it up because my confidence in Windows 95 was low.

Of course, I now find myself doing just about everything in Windows 95. 1 rarely use 3.1 anymore. I want to reclaim that space but I would have to reformat my entire hard drive and start from scratch. Is there any way to readjust partitions without losing the data? For those not familiar with hard drive partitions, think of a hard drive like an entire house with only the four walls that enclose it from the outside. Having everything dumped in such a home wouldn't be very practical.

That's why we have walls. Walls create the living room and separate it from the kitchen and bathroom. We have walls to separate the kitchen from the bathroom because functions performed in these rooms are completely different. And we rarely need to bring anything from the bathroom to the kitchen. Partitions are virtual walls on your hard drive.

You can't see them with the naked eye because they are boundaries created by software. Partitions are used primarily to contain different operating systems on the same drive such as the ones you mentioned along with their associated files and data. However, you can create partitions just to contain different sets of data. The reasons you want to have partitions on your large hard drive puter with an LCD monitor instead of a CRT. What are the pros and cons of these screens? This could take pages, but in a nutshell, liquid crystal displays are very popular on portables because they use a lot less power, take up less room (they're flat), weigh a lot less and give off none of the controversial radiations.

Cathode-ray tubes have better image resolution, are generally brighter and can display more colors with better color accuracy and purity. The CRT's higher refresh rate makes it respond instantly without the image lag or ghosting one can see with highly animated graphics on an LCD. But the idea of having a flat screen on your desk is a sexy one and the industry is responding. Look for flat panel plasma technology to appear next year. are similar to why you want walls in your house.

Dumping everything into the hard drive tends to let it become disorganized, even with subdirectories and folders. But most importantly, partitions can protect your valuable data from potentially unstable applications or a system crash. Check out PartitionMagic 3.0, $69.95 from PowerQuest. This utility lets you change partition sizes on the fly without destroying the data they contain. Now you can repartition the drive to reflect your current needs.

The included Boot Manager from IBM makes it easy to select an operating system every time you boot your computer. PowerQuest www.pow-erquest.comproductspartition-magic; (800) 379-2566 or (801) 226-8977. My friend just bought a com www.eudora.com. The encryption is via PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software, which means that under law, you must be a U.S. citizen to buy it.

Unless you're trying to hide something from the CIA or such, PGP will make anything you send to somebody else with PGP software uncrackable. The compression software in Eudora Pro 3.03 is Aladdin Systems' superb Stuffit. The McAfee Associates virus-scan software alerts users to viruses, including pesky macro viruses..