User group Newsletter Editors: Utilize this content in your newsletter -- PLEASE ... reference The User Group Network _ / _ UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS_/ _ Info Manager Shareware Manager is coming: YUM! Show us the shareware! The Info Manager is looking for your rumors and tidbits... give him a post! ...or subscribe... see subscription notes below Info Manager - 8/18/Y2K AccessAmerica; StarOffice; MS Reader; AppleSoup; AOL 6; CopyAgent; Eazel **** AccessAmerica AccessAmerica is the Federal government's way to let you know what they are doing on line. Everything from taxes to the Supreme Court to Census to Business and Senior activities. For this on line magazine, go to: http://www.accessamerica.gov/ **** StarOffice Nothing succeeds like free. Once it became understood that StarOffice couldn't compete against Microsoft, the decision was made to give it away. It is available for Windows and a version for the Mac has been announced, although not shipping. IDG.net has an article about how Gateway, Sony and Everex will install StarOffice on some of their PCs to give their customers a full fledge program at low cost. See the story at: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=295559 **** MS Reader Following an agreement with Barns & Nobel to provide e-books, Microsoft has made its Reader for PCs available as a free download. It can be downloadeded from either the Microsoft or bn.com. Get it at: http://www.microsoft.com/reader/ or and http://www.bn.com/ebooks/. (No word on a Mac version) **** AppleSoup will soon be no more. According to USA Today, Apple Computer has sent a cease-and-desist letter to AppleSoup to quit using the name Apple. AppleSoup CEO Bill Bates, one of the original investors in Napster says it will comply. **** MegaPhone MacCentral last week reported that Bing software, the developer of MegaPHone, Phone Pro and Voice Messenger for the Mac that is desidnged to combine Macs and phone systems has been acquired by ID Four Ltd. This undoubtedly means the software will have more financial resources for marketing. The story is at: http://www.maccentral.com/news/0008/11.idfour.shtml **** AOL 6.0 According to Reuters, the next version of AOL software is going to enhance shopping and e-mail for its subscribers. They also talk about greater ability to customize the users interface saying that after a user has been on awhile the AOL software becomes to basic and turns off subscribers which causes them to switch. Obviously AOL would like to keep their cutomers. More at: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2615811,00.html **** CopyAgent Our friend Bob LeVitus has a glowing review of CopyAgent in the Houston Chronicle this week. It is the copying part of Connectix's old SpeedDoubler 8 program. Rather than review it here, I will just point you to Bob's article at: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/tech/635436 But the short report is "Get It". **** Eazel I know you ask, "What is Eazel?" The answer is that it is a company started by Mac guru Andy Herztfeld. The old timers in the Mac community know that Andy wrote the software we refer to as "The Finder" on the original Mac, also wrote software that was used to develop "Multi-Finder" which became part of OS7s ability to keep multiple applications running. Eazel at LinuxWorld showed the software called Nautilus that puts a graphical user interface on to Linus, specifically the Gnome version of Linux. The Register has a good article at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/12616.html **** Web Site of the Week: Want to know how your doctor, hospital or health plan rate? Then this site is for you. http://www.healthgrades.com/ rates all that stuff and more. Gives you the ability to see them as others see them. You can even rate your own "true age". **** Quote of the Week: "They can because they think they can..." ----- Virgil **** pau **** Don't forget ... the Info Manager invites you to use all or part of his column in your user group newsletter. Please let him know, and if possible send an electronic copy for the old scrapbook. Any suggestions for topics and reports of rumors are always welcome. Please me know. Thanks The Info Manager is a veteran of the UGN (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He's been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he's served as volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and many points in between. Currently working with the Apple Corp of Dallas, the Dallas Mac Pack, Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth and TUMS (the Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society) doing newsletter articles and the monthly CD-ROM Update. Post a lead Rumor Manager should follow up on. Subscribe to Rumors@lists.user-groups.net rumors-on@lists.user-groups.net for more information go to: http://www.user-groups.net/ugcommunity/subscribe.html UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS _ / _ UG Library _ / _ UG Bookshelf Article Reprints -- User Group Network Affiliates may reprint articles as long as full credit is given. Other Non-profit or non-commercial publications should contact us. The UGNN cannot guarantee accuracy or timeliness of articles. Many have been forwarded to us by field correspondents, or press release services. All care is taken to assure the accuracy of URLs and email addresses. Some items may be 30 to 60 days old. The User Group Network is an affiliate of the News-Serve Network - All commercial names herein, including publication, product, and company names are assumed to be the registered trademarks of their companies. UGN, UGNN, UGNet News, UG Idea Exchange, are all trademarks for The User Group Network, copyright 2001, all rights reserved. Copyright 2001, The User Group Network, http://www.user-groups.net/News-Service.