4/15/95 CyberNews Issue #5 Patrick Grote, Publisher CyberNews is a weekly publication available through and email distribution list and many fine online networks! We feature reviews, interviews and commentary concerning the PC industry. To subscribe, send a message to subscribe@supportu.com with subscribe in body. To unsubscribe, send a message to patrick.grote@supportu.com with unsubscribe in body. Voice: (314) 984-9691 BBS : (314) 984-8387 FAX : (314) 984-9981 All old copies available from anonymous FTP at ftp.uu.net:/published/cybernews ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . . All News (C)opyright Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -=> Digital Claims Alpha a Success <=- -=> "Can I have one," asks Patrick Grote <=- MAYNARD, Mass., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Equipment Corporation (NYSE: DEC) today announced it has shipped the 100,000th Alpha system, and that total product and services revenues from the company's flagship Alpha systems family have surpassed $3 billion. "This milestone clearly illustrates market acceptance for Digital's high- performance 64-bit Alpha RISC systems," said Robert B. Palmer, Digital's president and chief executive officer. "For example, Digital has shipped nearly 13,000 AlphaServe r 2100-class systems in the past twelve months. At this rate, we expect to have reached $4.5 billion worth of Alpha systems and services before our major competitors -- HP, IBM and Sun -- ship their first 64-bit system." Palmer said Alpha systems have experienced much faster initial revenue growth than Digital's VAX systems and Hewlett-Packard's PA-RISC systems. In addition to traditional commercial and technical computing applications, Digital is realizing volume and revenue growth from exciting new areas such as video-on-demand, micromarketing and online analytical processing. "We're enthusiastic about the strong customer acceptance for our new AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 systems introduced today," Palmer added. "Digital has already accepted more than 75 orders worldwide for these powerful high-end servers." 100,000th System Advances DNA Research -------------------------------------- Digital's 100,000th Alpha system, purchased by SmithKline Beecham, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will be used for complex DNA sequence analysis within the company's genomics program. As one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, SmithKline is at the forefront of using molecular genetics and other biotechnology tools to pioneer new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tests. "The AlphaServer 8400 system will allow our researchers to apply 21st-century performance to 21st-century problems. What used to take a week can now be done in a day," said Ron Lego, SmithKline's vice president and director, Computing and Network Technologies. "As a result, SmithKline will speed development of some of the world's most advanced biogenetics programs." 64-bit Computing -- A Complete Solution --------------------------------------- "Digital developed the Alpha architecture from the ground-up to address the need for high-performance, open 64-bit computing," said Enrico Pesatori, vice president and general manager for Digital's Computer Systems Division. "As a result of this early effort, the company has built a complete computing portfolio including all the elements customers require for handling the most demanding applications well into the 21st century." Key to the Digital solution are the world's fastest microprocessor, a full line of 64-bit workstations and servers, a complete 64-bit UNIX operating system, Microsoft Windows NT operating system, and a 64-bit OpenVMS operating system in the near future. With its business partners, Digital offers customers more than 7,000 of the industry's most popular software applications. "With 64-bit Alpha and 64-bit MIPS systems on the market today, and other vendors entering over the next year, the real issue is not just system availability, it's applications," commented Andrew Allison, industry consultant and editor of Inside the New Computer Industry. "The Digital and MIPS experience suggests that it will take other vendors another two or three years to put a useful range of applications on their 64-bit platforms." Long-term Strategy for Customer Success --------------------------------------- Beyond meeting today's high-performance technical and commercial computing needs, the Alpha RISC architecture is designed to support customers' computing requirements for the next 25 years. Computing environments based on the Alpha architecture protect today's investments in systems, operating systems, applications and training. Digital Equipment Corporation is the world's leader in open client/server solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems. Digital's scalable Alpha platforms, storage, networking, software and services, together with industry-focused solutions from business partners, help organizations compete and win in today's global marketplace. NOTE: Digital, the Digital logo, DEC, AlphaServer, AlphaStation, VAX and OpenVMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. MIPS is a trademark of MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. CONTACT: David Farmer of Digital, 508-264-6737 -=> The Little Tots are Coming <=- -=> Wonder if they'll get CNEs? <=- MONTGOMERY, Ala., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- KinderCare Learning Centers, Inc. (Nasdaq: KCLC), the nation's largest child care provider, is offering a state-of-the-art computer program to their preschoolers. Approximately 500 centers are receiving Apple Computers and software designed for young children. Within the next 18 months the company plans to install computers for kids in all of its centers to participate in KinderCare's "MacPlay to Learn" program. Tull Gearreald, KinderCare's Chief Executive Officer and President, said, "KinderCare has made a commitment to develop the whole child and fun is an important part of that development. That's what KinderCare's MacPlay to Learn program is all about. At KinderCare, we take some of the best and most entertaining learning software and put it in our children's hands. While they have fun playing these programs they are challenged to develop at their own pace. This is an important tool in the preparation f or school. But most importantly, it is fun and exciting." Children as young as three years old learn computer skills while having fun with the games which include Broderbund's KidPix, Grandma and Me, Arthur's Teacher Trouble and more. New software is installed every six months as programs for preschool children are developed. Through this program KinderCare and Apple Computer have formed a strong partnership. In fact, Apple is bringing its Power Mac Racing World Sports Car to Montgomery's newest KinderCare Center in Halcyon Park on April 19 so the children can sit in the car and receive an autographed picture of the car from the driver who will race in the International Motor Sports Association's 1995 Exxon World Sports Car Championships throughout the year. Apple is using a racing theme to communicate the power, performance, speed, design, quality and teamwork that the Power Macintosh system offers. The public is invited to come to the center at 6955 Halcyon Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 19, and take a tour of the facility as well as see the race car. They can also visit the Power Mac Racing trailer which is equipped with many Power Macintosh systems to demonstrate education and home office solutions to parents and children. Visitors can register to win a variety of software games and learning programs. CONTACT: Thomas Johnson, Investor Relations, 334-260-7668, or Becky Gober, Field Marketing Manager, 334-260-7654, both of KinderCare/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEBSITE OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to a cool WebSite . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please contact Kay Kasamoto/(808)955-7878 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: HONOLULU (April 7, 1995) The public television news series, "Asia Now," has launched its own home page on the World Wide Web, putting Asia-Pacific resources at the fingertips of computer users worldwide. ASIA NOW ONLINE is a one-stop site on the World Wide Web for Asia-Pacific information, expertise, and video. This month Asia Now Online features video clips from: a story on U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands; the role of dance in Bali; and a little known ancient language just for women in China. Each online feature includes text, images, video clips with audio and an opportunity to interact with the producer/reporter. "Asia Now and Asia Now Online help showcase Hawaii and Hawaii expertise for both the " Century of the Pacific" and the "Age of Information," said Asia Now Executive Producer, Christopher Conybeare. "We are proud to have been Hawaii's first television news program on the Internet and look forward to reaching new audiences with true multi-media programming." Asia Now Online's World Wide Web home page also features the program's broadcast schedule in North America and Asia; announcements of upcoming stories; Asia-Pacific educational resources for teachers and students; and an Asia Now Online Newsgroup. Asia Now Online can be found at the following World Wide Web address: http://www2.hawaii.edu/hptv/ E-mail can be sent to Asia Now Online at: INTERNET: asiaol-l@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu Expansion will come quickly to Asia Now Online. In the works are online forums of hot topics in the Asia-Pacific region; a searchable database of Asia Now program segments and an online series of life on one of Asia's greatest rivers, the Mekong. In addition, the site's online features will change regularly and plans are underway to archive previously featured online segments. "Asia Now Online allows Internet users worldwide access to the video stories of the 'Asia Now' program and access to Asia-Pacific resources," said project coordinator Malia Zoghlin. "Some of this video -- especially the images we have from the Pacific Islands and from remote areas of Asia, such as Mongolia and Bhutan, -- is not available through mainstream media. Our World Wide Web site makes it accessbile to just about anyone." Creation of the site was made possible in part by a grant from GTE Hawaiian Tel. and through partnerships with the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Department of Education. Asia Now Online began in 1994 as an educational resource about the Asia-Pacific region for students and teachers. The project draws on the wealth of information captured each week in "Asia Now," a weekly news and public affairs program that covers events in 25 Pacific and Asian countries through stories, interviews and human interest segments. "Asia Now" airs on Hawaii Public Television Fridays at 7:30 p.m. "Asia Now," a joint production of Hawaii Public Television and KCTS/Seattle, in cooperation with NHK/Tokyo, is broadcast by 69 PBS stations nationwide. Asia Now is funded in part by the Hawai'i Community Foundation and Bank of America. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COOL FTP FILE OF THE WEEK | You may need this file . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronic Postal Window(tm) v1.50 US Postal Rates look-up program. Enter the weight of your mailing piece and the postage is automatically displayed. All classes of mail. Comparison feature shows most economical postage. Fun facts about the postal service. Requires MS Windows 3.1 or higher, and a mouse. Shareware from EmmaSoft Software Company, Inc. ===== Product Information ============================== Product: Electronic Postal Window (tm) Postal Rates Lookup Version: 1.54 Version Date: 20-Mar-1995 Product Type: Software Basic Distribution Policy (see License, below, for details): Shareware, subject to distribution restrictions Product Description: Electronic Postal Window v1.50 Postal Rates Lookup Program for MS Windows Enter weight and postage is immediately displayed. Handles all mailing classes, displays fun facts about postal services. Reason for version: Initial Release Address: EmmaSoft Software Company, Inc PO Box 238 Lansing, NY 14882-0238 Phone: (607) 533-4685 FAX: (607) 533-3524 BBS Name: EmmaSoft BBS BBS Phone: (607) 533-7072 AmOnLine: EmmaSoft CompuServe: 71333.1577 Internet: 71333.1577t@compuserve.com You can find this as EPW15.ZIP on the following FTP site: WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU:/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/misc/epw15.zip ------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learning Windows 3.1 Beginning & Advanced Videos from KeyStone Learning Systems Review by Jacci Howard Bear Everyone has their own way of learning. Some prefer books. Others learn best from lectures, hands-on training, or a combination of methods. KeyStone's video training series combine a visual instructor with optional hands-on training to teach computer software programs. This method is ideal for the new computer user who needs the visual instruction but may be reluctant to "try new things" on their own. In Learning Windows 3.1, instructor Mark Wright leads you through the basics of "mousing around" in Windows then explores the primary components and accessories found in Windows 3.1. The "Beginning" tape covers Program Manager, working with icons, the menu bar, group & program windows, Control Panel, and a few of the Windows accessories like the clock and calculator. The "Advanced" tape explores File Manager, PIF editor, and additional accessories like Write, Paintbrush, and Object Packager. If you have been using Windows for more than a few months, you will not find much new. I did pick up a tip or two from each tape, but these videos are primarily for the new computer user or someone moving from DOS to Windows for the first time. I did find them to be a good refresher course for those accessories I rarely use. They help me answer questions from friends and relatives with new computers. The Beginning video starts with a mouse tutorial. Mark tells us that Windows is "faster without the mouse" but "easier with the mouse" giving you the option of learning the method that works best for you. There is even a good excuse for playing games. He recommends playing Solitaire (a game that comes with Windows) to get accustomed to your mouse, drag and drop, and single and double clicking. Try this line at work: "But Boss, I'm not goofing off on company time. I'm learning to use my mouse in Windows to increase my productivity." While the Beginning tape is fairly basic and usually thorough, I did note some areas that needed less explanation (for beginners) and others that could use more attention. Some of the printer options covered while talking about Control Panel applets would be better in an Advanced or "Tips & Tricks" tape, as would the "DOS in Windows" discussion. Based on questions in many on-line Windows forums and magazines, beginners need more details about using the clipboard (cut and paste), adding program items, and moving items between groups. He touches on these only briefly. Mark dwells far too much on the "burn-in"/screensaver issue. He almost scares you into believing that it only takes a few minutes for a picture to "burn-in" to the monitor. That is simply not true for most computer monitors today--especially those found on systems running Windows. The video part of the training is good. Generally, the video focuses on what is happening on the screen (I have seen some instructional videos that are almost all instructor with brief looks at the material being taught). More focus on the keyboard when discussing shortcut keys or using the calculator would be helpful. The Advanced tape is not particularly "advanced." It is mostly a continuation of the Beginning tape, still aimed at the new Windows user. Mark covers the File Manager well and gives a good explanation of the Paste/Paste Link/Paste Special options when covering accessories. However, like in the first tape, there are some items where he tries to cover too much, leaving other areas inadequately explained. Teaching the Write program is not the place for lessons in typography. Mark does go into a lengthy discussion and demonstration of Object Linking and Embedding, using Write, Paintbrush, and other accessories. It would be nice to have more "real world" examples of how a user can benefit from it. More examples of how Recorder can simplify using Windows would also be helpful. His coverage of the PIF Editor is adequate for the beginner, but for a truly "Advanced" user there is not enough explanation of the various options, especially the advanced options of the PIF editor. Since only DOS programs running under Windows use PIF files, this would also be the ideal place to discuss DOS in Windows, rather than in the first tape. Both of these videos are good for beginners. They suit the new computer users who are still quite timid about touching the keyboard or clicking on the wrong icon. Many of the new computers sold today come with some nice interactive learning programs. However, they often require more familiarity with Windows and mice--just to find the program--than some new computer users may possess. The "watch and learn" then "do as I do" features of the video learning system are ideal for those users. Keystone Learning Systems 125 East 300 South, Suite 205 Provo, UT 84606 (800) 748-4838 PowerHits: BattleTech Reviewed by Don Pellegrino "PowerHits" is a new series by Activision. It is mostly a collection of "shovelware." Shovelware, one of the most recent buzzwords, is the porting of old software onto CD-ROM without altering the software. The "BattleTech" program is a collection of three earlier releases by Activision, "BattleTech: The Crescant Hawk's Inception," "BattleTech: The Crescant Hawk's Revenge," and "MechWarrior." These games are old and the graphic and sound quality can best be described at moderate. If you are running an old system these classics might be a nice addition to the library but there is little chance that a Pentium user would realize their allure. BattleTech: The Crescant Hawk's Inception: ------------------------------------------ This game is a great mixture of action and strategy with just a hint of adventure. The game follows a very interesting story line. Many of the screens are just dialog between the characters or "cut scenes" to develop the story. The is well done and adds to game play. During the game the player must learn to operate a BattleTech and then eventually perform certain missions related to the story line. This development of the character allows the player to slide right into the game with very little manual reading involved. The game itself teaches you how to play. BattleTech: The Crescant Hawk's Revenge: ---------------------------------------- This game continues the story line of "The Crescant Hawk's Inception." Again, this is very well done. The dialog and cut scenes are still there but they are much more impressive. This game is technically a step above its predecessor. Movement and battle got a little more complex and strategy oriented as opposed to the action style of "The Crescent Hawk's Inception." MechWarrior: ------------ This is my favorite of the three games. It has a 3-D perspective like the ones used in Doom and Wolfenstien. The BattleTech story line is not followed into this chapter but the universe is essentially the same. The character plays the role of a mercenary rather than the classic hero depicted in the earlier two games. The game play is great but the graphics and sound are still a bit lacking. Strategy is still a big part of this action game. You must choose the Mechs (robots driven in battle), their armament, and upgrades. Money management is important in this game to keep the Mech in working condition. You must also bargain for contracts from various employers on numerous planets. Playability: ------------ All three of these games are a ton of fun to play even though the graphics and sounds come from the late 1980s. If you have an older system that can not handle the latest technology then this package is a jewel. At $19.95 it is a great bargain. These titles have earned a tall spot on my list of "classics." Shovelware: ----------- If you already have all of these programs do not consider buying the PowerHits release. The programs have not changed at all. They are simply distributed on a different type of disk. You can not even play the games directly from the CD. They must be installed on to a hard drive. System Requirements: -------------------- This program requires an IBM PC or 100% compatible (286-12 MHz or faster), 640 K RAM, CD-ROM drive (150 KBPS, AKA Single Speed), EGA/VGA graphics card, MS-DOS (5.0 to 6.2 supported), and hard disk drive with 4 MB available. It optionally supports a Sound Blaster, Roland, or Adlib. It also supports a joystick, and mouse. Suggested List Price: $19.95 Activision P.O. Box 67713 Los Angeles, CA 90067 Orders: (800) 477-3650 Customer Service: (310) 479-5644 BBS: (310) 479-1335 CompuServe: 76004,2122 or GO GAMEPUB Prodigy: ACTI10B Genie: ACTIVISION America OnLine: MEDIAJAKE Internet: support@activision.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK | Interesting people you should know about . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To talk with Dan Veaner is to get a glimpse of the American Dream -- or the American REM Cycle. Dan owns EmmaSoft, an independent software company that primarily markets through the shareware channels. Their main product is Catalog on a Disk, the best tool for marketing your products electronically! Their new release is what caught our eyes, though. It is their first Windows product and really fits a niche in the market! (See our cool ftp file of the week for more info!) We interviewed Dan electronically. His answers are not only insightful, but inspiring to those in the shareware industry. If you have comments for Dan you can send them to him at 71333.1577@compuserve.com. START INTERVIEW --------------- PG: What are your main shareware products? What was the inspiration? DV: My first shareware product was Darn! Don't Forget!, an annual event reminder. I am terminally absent minded, and originally wrote it because my mother gets very touchy if you forget her birthday or anniversary. It has actually made me very popular in my family because I never forget any more (or so it seems...). My in-laws thought it was me for a while until I gave them copies of the program. My main product is Catalog-On-A-Disk(tm), a tool kit for making and distributing electronic product catalogs. It was actually suggested by a Darn! customer, who sells funeral supplies. He wanted to buy Darn! as a giveaway, and after reminding his customers of their events he wanted it to ask "Do you want to order any funeral supplies today?" If they answered yes he wanted a catalog to pop up. I did some research and found there was nothing much in the way of catalog software. Most people were stringing file viewers together with batch files, so COAD was born. I didn't realize it at the time, but basing the program on customers' suggestions was to become the secret of its success. People almost immediately began writing or calling with ideas for the program, and it has been very much driven by users needs. For example, an Austrian rightly pointed out that internal prompts should be adaptable to other languages, and now the product is used to sell just about anything you can imagine all over the world. I know of French, Spanish, and German catalogs, among others. English, Canadians, Australians insist on adding "ue" (catalogue), and the program allows it, as well as date formats, etc. You can even translate "Press Any Key..." I am not a marketing genius, but customers ideas about everything from pricing techniques to shipping options to display formats (like submenus, or showing pictures of products) have made COAD a very effective selling tool. I have just released Electronic Postal Window, a US postal rates lookup program -- my first for Windows. I plan to release several smaller Windows programs, including a new Darn! (which should be ready for release early this summer. I just got the main display working yesterday - it is showing symbols to differentiate events, like a balloon for birthdays, wedding cake for anniversaries, a car for car payments. I'm having fun!). There is also a COAD for Windows in the works. PG: Why did you choose shareware as your marketing method? DV: My first entry into the software business was a vertical market commercial product for theatrical technicians. Quarter page ads in technical journals cost over $800 each. I was loosing my shirt. Shareware offered a low overhead way to stay in the software business, and it appealed to my life style. It was a good possibility for being my own boss. PG: Has the ASP (Association of Shareware Professionals) had a significant impact on your marketing? If so, how? DV: Yes, enormous. Interestingly it is the warm and fuzzy aspect of the ASP that has had a lot more impact on my business than the tangible membership benefits (such as the monthly CD). From the beginning experienced members have been immensely generous with their time and advice on marketing and business issues as well as programming problems. They offered themselves as resources, and pointed me to other valuable resources. My background was in theatrical design (sets and lights), so I didn't know anything about selling stuff. Folks like Paul Mayer, Marshall Magee, or Randy Maclean were always willing to talk about things they had tried, and whether they had worked. Ross Greenburg helped a lot with security programming ideas when a user bragged to me that he had hacked my copyright notice in COAD. Also, ASP helped me separate the myths about shareware from the reality pretty quickly. I had a fuzzy-brained notion that shareware was a lovely kind of software, but I quickly learned it is simply a method of marketing, and when treated as such it can be a very effective one. PG: No one can just "do computers" all the time. Do you hit the golf course? Play a little ping pong? What? DV: I play Celtic (Irish) harp. In fact I played it professionally when I started the software business to help pay the bills. I even have a couple of albums out. I like to play with my two small children. They are fun to play with, and they let me play with their toys. I still like theatre and movies, although after designing and teaching for so long I only want to see good stuff any more (you see a LOT of bad theatre when you teach it). PG: Do the words Pearl Jam mean anything to you? What type of music are you in to? DV: Clam dip, right? ;-) Obviously I like Celtic music, and I've also been listening to Julia Fordham and Gloria Estefan lately. PG: Do you live off your shareware marketing? If so, for how long? If not, what do you do during the day? DV: I started EmmaSoft Software Company in 1989 as a full time (not counting the time off for harping) business. So mostly I sit here programming all day, thinking about how I should really put more effort into marketing. I do have some non-shareware programs, but shareware is responsible for most of my sales, and those are my favorite ones. The reason is that shareware sales make for happy customers, since they already decided they liked the product before they bought it. They also have a notion of how it works, so the support is easier on them and on me. Also shareware customers are more vocal about the programs than commercial customers, so I learn a lot about what they like and dislike and what should change in the next version. I have also gotten pretty good at Windows Solitaire. PG: Do you see the internet as being a viable marketing platform? Have you thought about integrating COAD with the internet? DV: Yes and no. I think it is being misunderstood by a lot of business people who think it is a huge market waiting to be milked. I'm not convinced the Internet culture will permit that -- I think it will go through a lot of changes before it settles down, so that makes developing for it tricky. I do think that on-line marketing and other activities will be very important whether they take place on the Internet or some alternative network. My opinion is that COAD can work well in the laid back Internet environment. People can download a catalog and order from it at their leisure. It wouldn't be hard to write a Catsend script that calls an Internet address to upload orders. One of my users, Joe Rinehart of config.sys (a CD-ROM seller) has been making the most innovative use of COAD on the net (and elsewhere). He told me that within 12 hours of putting his catalog on a ftp site he received a $300 order from the Netherlands. He also reports that the catalog files are easily adaptable to HTML - he used them to set up his Web page. My approach is to make COAD adaptable, and I have been very sensitive to writing in ways to adapt it to Internet and other new media (Joe sent me the first two COAD catalogs I know of on a CD-ROM a week or so ago). PG: Ok. Just like everyone asks a car reviewer or mechanic what kind of car they drive, what is the configuration and type of your primary PC? DV: Dell Pentium/90 with 1 gig hard drive, 3 1/2" floppy, CD-ROM drive running the Windows95 beta. I use 4DOS in dos windows, and like Drag and File for file management. PG: Who has inspired you the most in the shareware industry and why? DV: I think Eric Isaacson (Zipkey, A86 Assembler) is the ultimate shareware author. He is the living myth - if he writes it they will come. He actually does no marketing - he just write really useful, excellent software and the checks flow in to him. He makes a very comfortable living this way, and while he could surely be a millionaire if he marketed his products he is happy with the success and the life he has. Marshall Magee's story made me consider shareware in a broader context - he wrote Automenu and released it as shareware hoping someone would see it and offer him a programming job. He's turned it into a hugely successful company that has branched out from shareware quite a bit. This made me think a lot about where I wanted to end up, and about being more flexible about my approach. Paul Mayer (Grab Plus) is the most energetic person I know, and a genius for finding little things it would be nice if a computer could do and turning them into products. Gary Elfring (fonts) and Rosemary West (probably the most prolific shareware author living) have both found niches in the market that work very well for them. These folks' stories have made me seriously consider the direction of my products and business as a whole. I've recently decided that any new products (starting with Postal Window and Darn! for Windows) must meet three goals - they must be useful, they must have a well defined scope, and they must be fun to use. This came from thinking a lot about what has made Paul, Rosemary, Eric, and others successful. 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