These
are a few of
my favourite things--a sampling of software selections for all reasons
by Alan Zisman (c) 1996 First published
in Business in Vancouver
, Issue #348 June 25, 1996 High Tech Office column
I
get a lot of
software as free evaluation copies, but I end up keeping only about
10 per cent of it on my computer. I also try out a fair amount of
shareware--software that can be freely downloaded from on-line sources,
but should be registered if it's used on a long-term basis. Again,
maybe one in 10 is a keeper.
So here's
a list of
the software I like: be aware that like my choice of shoes, what's
comfortable for me may not fit someone else. I could pretend that
my choices are "the best," but the reasons for my choices are often
subjective, and sometimes quirky.
While I'm
running Windows
95 versions, almost everything I've listed has a Windows 3.1
equivalent,
and nearly all have Mac versions as well. Put them all together, and
it's a 250-meg package. Here goes.
For a word
processor,
I'm running Microsoft Word, the current industry standard.
I prefer the Windows 95 version--I love the way it underlines
misspelled
words while I type. I used to use Lotus Ami Pro for Windows
3.1--small, fast, with good desktop publishing features--but I switched
to Word 7.0 when I moved over to Windows 95.
I also use
Word's MS
Office stablemate, Excel, but I have to admit that I probably use
25 per cent or less of the features of these big programs. For that
reason, I like the all-in-one integrated programs, and also keep
Microsoft
Works on my drive: for a while, I used its word processor and
spreadsheet
for most daily uses. I still use its database: I find it easy to use,
and powerful enough, while I find dedicated database programs--even
the so-called simple ones--too complex. But I've been able to combine
the word processor and database in MS Works to create some pretty
documents--a customized invitation for each of 400 guests, for
instance.
I'm not a
graphics professional,
and I really can't justify keeping the pro-level publishing and
graphics
programs around. Nevertheless, I do have to sometimes produce a more
complex page than I can easily create in Word. For those times, I
work with Microsoft Publisher. It's sometimes frustrating to use,
but it's generally easy to produce attractive results. It's also
virtually
the only Microsoft business product with a sense of humour (try the
Paper Airplane Wizard, if you need to be convinced.)
So far,
it's been something
of a Microsoft sweep--I'm aware of many people who love to bash Big
Bill's products, but after trying lots of alternatives, these are
the ones I keep coming back to.
I do have
to work with
picture files pretty regularly--I need to scan, resize, and convert
pictures--but again, something like Adobe Photoshop would be
overkill. Instead, I use a shareware product--JASC PaintShop
Pro. It includes all the file conversion I can use, along with basic
editing tools. It even accepts Photoshop filters.
I keep my
phone book
and calendar on disk: I use Lotus Organizer, which mimics a traditional
Day-Timer notebook. While I've upgraded many of my applications, I've
stuck with version 1.1 of this one--later versions have grown massively
in size, mostly adding networking features that I don't need. This
version ships on a single floppy, and its compact code is still
desirable,
even in this age of gigantic hard drives.
Similarly,
for presentations,
I used to use Lotus Freelance, but I've moved away from it and equally
big Microsoft PowerPoint, preferring SPC's ASAP, which even
in its Windows 95 incarnation takes a mere two floppies. Its instant
presentations are good enough for most of what I need to show, and
take a fraction of the time to create.
I've
dumped Netscape
Navigator for Microsoft (again!) Internet Explorer: version 2.0 ships
on a single floppy (and is available for Mac and Win 3.1 as well as
Win95). It doesn't have current-fad Java support, but I still haven't
found any Java applets that I really care to run.
The
freeware version
of Eudora works fine for my Internet mail needs, far more
easily
than Windows 95's complex and cumbersome Exchange. I do find Win95's
basic fax program adequate, however.
Despite
the decline
of traditional bulletin board systems and on-line services, I continue
to work in those environments, and when I do, I use Unicom, a shareware
telecom program from Seattle's Datagraphics. The support is
pitiful, but the program does everything I need, simply, efficiently,
and with a minimum of hard-drive space.
Other
invaluable tools:
Adobe's free Acrobat reader for viewing and printing out all sorts
of documents--Revenue Canada forms from the Internet, for
instance; Iomega's Zip drive for 100 megs of storage on $20
disks; WinZipImso's QuickView Plus for viewing a huge
variety
of data files; and DataViz Convert Plus for converting almost
any Mac or PC datafile format into virtually any other.
shareware for working with compressed files;
Notice there
are no big
utility packages on the list--the more modest tools that ship with
Win95 seem to meet my needs.