!HE INDEPENDENT G U I DE T O PE RSONA L COM PUT I NG OCT O llE R 22, 1996 VOL. 15 NO. 18 U.S. S3.99 / CAN. S4.99/ U.K . !2.9; ~
`C
`• 1
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`Something New
`For the Home
`PC Labs Tests Four of
`The Hottest New PCs
`..,. 24 Printers for Business Color
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`•
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`INTERNET
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`·'
`ENGINEERING LIBRARY
`DISPLAY P ERIODICAL
`Non-circulating until:
`l~U\ 1 3
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`I
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`Page 1 of 39
`
`OpenTV Exhibit 2001
`NFL v. OpenTV
`IPR2018-00463
`
`

`

`Netscape Navigator vs. MS Internet Explorer
`
`COVER STORY
`
`October 22, 1996
`Volumc 15
`Number 18
`•
`UP FRONT
`
`Inside
`Just-in-time reviews ........... 4
`Letters
`
`Trends
`.. Power paging
`.. LCDs on your desktop
`.. combatting Internet-borne
`viruses
`.. A Netscape spinoff .......... 31
`Pipeline
`Identifying suck-ups,
`and other management
`secrets ................................ 37
`First Looks
`.. Net2Phone
`.. FloorPlan Plus 30
`.. Web search engines:
`Excite and HotBot
`.. Dom ino Web server
`.. TallyD070
`ink jet printer
`.. EchoSearch ..................... 39
`
`I
`
`l ~ g
`
`The latest In home PCs: Style,
`performance, and a little
`television (page 39).
`Second Looks
`A kinder, gentler
`PointCast ................... ........ 73
`
`BY MICHAEL]. MILLER, THOMAS MACE, AND AMARENDRA SINGH Out of the scores
`of browsers available today, only two really matter: Microsoft Internet Explorer
`3.0 and Netscape Navigator 3.0. Which browser is the easiest and most flexible
`to use? Which performs the fastest on a network and over modems? Which
`offers the best text rendering and the richest programming features? Which
`one should you choose? Our tests provide an in-depth analysis of the browser,
`mail, news, and collaboration features of both hot new releases ................... 100
`
`Performance Tests ....................... 129
`Browser Generation ................. 108
`Editors' Choice .............................. 103
`Collaboration Tools ...................... 130
`End-User Features ........................ 105 Webmaster Features .................... 112
`Due This Fall: The Next
`Developer Platforms .................... 119 Mail and News .............................. 139
`
`OCTOBER 22. 1996 PC MAGAZINE 7
`
`~
`~
`I ~
`~
`~ I ;!
`COLUMNISTS
`Michael J. Miller
`g
`J .
`From the Editor-in-Chief .... 29
`~ :;
`Bill Machrone
`~
`The End of Common
`e 0
`Experience ............... .......... 85
`f
`John C. Dvorak
`§
`~
`The Digital-TV
`~
`Disaster .............................. 87
`z
`~
`Inside Track ........................ 89
`E
`Jim Seymour
`l
`Window s NT Rev isited ..... 93
`e
`~
`m f
`Bill Howard
`PC Banking Benefits .......... 95
`
`'Ill:
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`e
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`!rt
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`7rl
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`Page 2 of 39
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`~H Ocrober2~ 199b
`! J
`Volumcl 5
`6 - : umbcrlS
`
`FEATURES
`
`BY M. DAYJD STON E Colorful documents have
`ga ined popula ri ty in everyday business use.
`Presentations and repo rts make a better
`impressio n in colo r, a nd graphic arts profes.
`sio nals can no w produce handsome color
`comps at a lower cost. In this feature we look at
`the range of color business printers with image
`quality and speed to suit any office or graphics
`activity. The ten colo r laser printers we review
`delive r the clear text business users have come
`to expect, with color to make dazzling reports
`and presentations. For the graphics pro, we
`review four ink je t and eight thermal dye trans(cid:173)
`fer mode ls designe d to de liver striking, near(cid:173)
`photographic o utput for color image proofs and
`artwo rk ........................................................... .141
`
`Color Printers
`
`A Spectrum of Choices
`
`LASER PRINTERS ....................... · ... 150
`Digital Colorwriter LSR 2000 ........ 150
`HP Color LaserJet5M ................... 150
`IBM Network Color Printer .......... 162
`Lexmark Optra C ............................ 167
`OMS magicolor CX/40 ................... 167
`OMS magicolor WX ...................... 167
`Tektronix Phaser 350, 550 ............. 175
`Xerox XPrint Plus 4915 .................. 177
`
`Xerox XPrint Plus 4920 .................. 177
`INK JET AND THERMAL WAX
`PRINTERS ................................... 179
`Epson Stylus 1500 .......................... 179
`Epson Stylus Pro XL ...................... 179
`HPCopyJetM ................................ 182
`HP OeskJet 1600 CM ..................... 182
`Lexmark Color Jetprinter
`4079 Plus ...................•................. 183
`
`Tektronix Phaser 240 ..................... 186
`THERMAL DYE PRINTERS ........... 187
`Eastman Kodak
`Digital Science 8650 PS ............ 187
`Fargo Electronics Pictura 310e .... 188
`Fargo Primera Pro .......................... 188
`Mitsubishi S3600-40U ................... 192
`Mitsubishi S6600·40U ................... 192
`Seiko ColorPoint 835 PS ............... 195
`
`Tektronix Phaser 440, 480X .......... 195
`A Color Printer for Every Need .... 142
`Editors' Choice .............................. 143
`Glossary .......................................... 146
`Guide to Color Output ................... 154
`Performance Tests ........................ 170
`Summary ol Features .................... 182
`Shinko ColorStreams:
`Two More Contenders .............. 188
`
`AT HOME
`Multiplayer Gaming
`
`Application Servers
`
`The
`Power
`Of Four
`
`BY BILL KATZ Quad-processor Pentium Pro-powere d servers
`have arrived, and they're ready to take on the enterprise, for.
`me~ly a space dominated by $100,000+ R ISC boxes running
`Urux. These servers have all the necessary hardware to run in an
`upscale, demanding enterprise environme nt, including an abun(cid:173)
`dance of hot-swappable and redundant compone nts as well as
`voluminous m~mory and disk ca pacities. They're a lso highly
`manageable, with hardware and softwa re solutions designed to
`keep them.up and running whe ther you' re close to your server
`ro~m or miles away. We test eight fo ur-way Pentium Pro appli(cid:173)
`cation servers running Windows NT Serve r 3.51 with o ur indus-
`try-standard test suite ServerBench 3.0 .................................. 197
`
`ALR Inc . ......................................... 199
`Austin Direct .............................. 202
`Compaq Computer Corp ........... 215
`Data General Corp .................... 216
`Digital Equipment Corp ............. 216
`Hewlett-Packard Co . ................ 223
`NEC .............................................. 226
`Unisys PC Division ..................... 227
`
`Editors' Choice .......................... 199
`Suitability to Task ..................... 200
`Price/Performance Index ........ 202
`Sharing the Wealth ................... 207
`Solutions for Managing
`YourServer ............................. 212
`Performance Tests .................... 218
`Summary ol Features ................ 224
`
`8 PC MAGAZINE O CTOBER 22, 1996
`
`......... -...- "=...-..~-.....;,;;....,.,~
`
`Two or More Is War
`
`BY MICHAEL E. RYAN Want to learn more about the Internet's killer
`app? Then be sure to check o ut our roundup of online gaming
`services. We cover four tha t let you play the hottest action and
`strategy games against foes in your area a nd a round the country.
`~e also take a close look at multiplayer gaming over LANs and
`Its e ffect on network traffic. Grab your shotgun and load up on
`atomic health- you're not going to want to miss this! ............ 337
`
`DWANG0 .................................... 339
`Kali ............................................... 343
`Mplayer ....................................... 350
`Total Entertainment
`Network ................................... 356
`
`Online Fun for Kids .................... 343
`The Local Multiplayer
`Connection ............................. 346
`Free Net Gaming? ...................... 353
`In the On-Deck Circle ............... 356
`
`Page 3 of 39
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`

`

`PC TECH
`Java Speed Trials
`
`gyRICHARD V. DRAGAN AND LARRY SELTZER
`Our Java performance test suite JMark 1.0
`reveals the strengths and flaws of today's
`' Java environments. Find out whose virtual
`machine and just-in-time compiler exe-
`cutes Java applets fastest.. ...................... 229
`Tutor
`BY JEFF PROSISE From Easter eggs to system
`monitor: A mixed bag of topics prompted by
`you, the reader ............................................ 239
`Inside Windows 95
`BY BARRY SIMON Let Windows answer the
`phone: Voice-enabled modems, TAP!, and
`SYD promise powerful telephony ........... 241
`Internet Tools
`the pro(cid:173)
`BY NEIL RANDALL A look at HlTP-
`iocol that drives the World Wide Web .... 245
`Utilities
`IYOOUGLAS BOLING Power to the right click!
`MenuEdit makes customizing context menus
`asnap ........................................................... 249
`PC SOLUTIONS
`
`'
`
`User-to-User
`IY NEIL J. RUBEN KING Dropping files on a
`.BAT file in Windows 95; adding a rooted
`Explorer view choice to folders' context
`menus .......................................................... 253
`
`ASK OUR ADVISORS
`Hardware
`Why a monitor may be turning itsel f off;
`running a Windows system with a CGA
`monitor; what to do when a new case dis-
`ables your computer ............................... 264
`· Operating Environments
`Setting a default font for Write in Windows
`, 3.l;addingexternal viewers to OS/2 Warp's
`WebExplorer; processing environment
`variables in a FOR Ioop ......................... 269
`Word Processing
`Why your WordPerfect files containing
`graphics double in size each time you
`Update them- and how to avoid this .... 272
`$1)readsheets
`Why entries ending in the letter E may not
`work the way you'd expect in 1-2-3 for
`Windows .................................................. 276
`
`Databases
`
`Toggling between U.S. Z IP codes and
`Canadian postal codes in your Microsoft
`Access forms; making sure the date format
`fns your Fox Pro application .................. 276
`
`AFTER HOURS
`Abort, Retry, Fail?
`BY DON WlLLMOTT .•••.•.........•.•••.•..•.......... 366
`
`ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
`
`PC Direct .................................................... 253
`PC Magazine Marketplace ...................... 298
`Premier ....................................................... 298
`Classified .............................................. 319
`BusinessCard ...................................... 334
`Reader Service Card ................................ 315
`Advertisers' Index: Companies ............... 361
`Advertisers' Index: Products .................. 362
`Coming Up .................................................. 364
`Editorial Product Index ............................ 365
`
`A strange solicitation arrives
`in the daily mail (page 366).
`
`... ;:_. -
`
`u. · :;.;.:.:· -·•.7 1
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`-
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`.
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`-
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`I _ .
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`PC MAGAZINE BEYOND PRINT
`WHATS NEW ONLINE
`~
`1~:,:u
`With all the Internet-related
`I = •
`software available on the Web,
`it's sometimes difficult to
`I li'iii!fmlill mm
`decide what you really need.
`Nothing is more frustrating
`than to spend 20 minutes or so downloading
`a plug-in that doesn't do what you thought it
`would. Here's the solution. Visit lnternetUser
`and find out about the latest browsers, plug(cid:173)
`ins. Internet utilities, and development tools
`before you download. To make it easier for
`you to find and read hundreds of reviews of
`the latest Internet tools, we've entirely
`redesigned lnternetUser. To tell us what you
`think about lnternetUser, send a message to
`Tin Albano at talbano@zd.com.
`
`WWW .PCMAG.COM
`
`Stlll the One
`
`.
`-
`
`-
`
`;.;~ti~.:.°ci; .. ,c: (i
`......,.. ____ .. ...____
`• -- mc..-c... ___ .... _
`::.•- --,.. ........... -...-..... ------
`• .., (IC:..-C....
`.........................................
`...... Yo&rOwnWeb ...
`-· , .. , ..
`.
`..., (lc.-.C....
`,, .. , 1.1.,1
`•-11------
`
`......
`
`c::m
`
`\ l ,M I_ . . . .,... .......... _ . . . ._ .... ~ . . . . .
`
`..... a,....,e. ...... w~..-.-... -
`• .., me.....~
`
`WHAT'S NEW ON THE CD
`Pentium Classic: Still the One
`Interactive reviews of over 100 Pentium
`machines, from 120-to 166-MHz CPUs.
`Create Your Own Web Site
`Everything you need to create a Web site,
`from HTML authoring software to database S"*
`tools to servers.
`Portable Property
`Full-motion videos and customizable
`charts help you select the right notebook.
`Adapting to Online
`.
`.
`.
`See how online services embrace and complement the Web usmg our video reviews.
`Gamer's Guide
`Video reviews of the 25 hottest PC games in four categories.
`Utilities and software: Multi Launch associates more than one application with a file
`extension, Hotkey Detective lists hotkeys in use, lnCtrl 3 lets you track system c~anges,
`RUPL adds programs to your Windows 95 Start menu, and Quod tests your gaming strategy.
`
`A full year of PC Magazine in searchable format.
`To order, call 800-335-1195 in the U.S. and Canada or303-665-8930 elsewhere.
`
`OCTOBER 22. 1996 PC MAGAZINE 9
`
`Page 4 of 39
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`

`

`Edilor-in-Ch..ief Michael J. Miller
`
`Editor Jake Kirchner
`
`Enculin: Edilors Rick Ayre. 01ll l1oward. Gail Shaffer, Don Willmo11
`Art Oircclor Laura Baer
`
`Exccu1 ivc Oircclor, PC Labs C. James Galley 111
`Senior Nc1working Edi1or Frank J. DcrOer. Jr.
`Senior Edi1ors Leon Erlanger (Networking and Communications). Thomas Mace (ln1emet. PC Tech).
`Brian Nadel (First Looks). Sebastian Rupley (West Coast)
`
`Managing Editor Paul B. Ross Research l\laru1ger Judy De Young
`
`Senior Assodale Editors Carol Levin (Trends). Sharon Terdcman (Technical Columns). Lance N. Ulanorr (Sortware) Assodale
`Editors Jamie M. Bsales (Hardware). Michael E. Ryan (AC1er Hours). Todd Spangler (Networking and Communica1ions). Carol
`Venezia (PCs) Assistant Managing Editor K1m Schueler Produdion Editor tt1lon1Ca Sirignan_o Cop} Chief Olen Boisseau Becker
`S1aff Edilors Holly Aguirre, Mary E. Behr. Yvonne Koulou1hros. David R. Lambert, D:w1d Lidsky. Ellyn J, MeCasland. John
`Morris, Michael W. Muchmore, Melissa J. Perenson, Sarah L. Roberts, Michelle Schoenung. Anush Ycgya1ari:111 Senior Writer
`Robert s. An1hony S111ff Writers Angelo. Hickman. Cade Metz Senior Copy Editor Joseph N. Le\•inc Co1>Y Edit ors ~cnnircr
`Golub. Regina Y. Kwon. Jill Ugcr. Gerard ~fackcy. Josh Miller, Ann Ovodow Produttion Manager Patricia Perkowski ta,ou1
`Manager Linda Harms Sc.nior Layoul Editor Lillian G.aHncy La}OUI Edilor Barbara McGcoch Prod uction System Sup~ort
`Analyst Nancy Goodman•Slayback Librarian Nancy Sirapyan Ubna.ry Assist1n1 Dolores Williams Editorial Rcst:archers Jcnmfor
`Anderson. Andrew Boscnrdin, Robert Daly, Simon T. E.skow, Josh Lc,•y. Arie Moller, Jeremy Olshan, Eyill Rabinovitch.
`Richard S. Shim Edilorial Assisranls Laura Llndhe, Mary Paulson Syslcm Sup1,orl M11n11gcr Craig Ellison Network Su11por1
`Analyst Melvin Acevedo Commu.nicarions Manager Diana Garelik Assis1un1 10 the Editor-ln,Chief Tarn Solon Assis1an1 to the
`Edilor Rua Aprahamian Assist:ant to lht" Enculh°t" Edilors Chris1ina M. Evelyn Adminis1r11ive Assi.slnnl Christina Oknng
`SJsop. PC M1gN<1 Ken Hipple
`Con1ribullng Technical Edi1or Neil J. Rubenking Contribuling Editors Bill Machronc (Editorial Director. New Products). Oougla.s
`Boling. Padraic Boyle. Oruee Bcown. Brian Du1lcr, Sheryl Canter. Ray Duncan. John C. Dvornk. Michael J. Mefford, Edward
`Mendelson. Charles Petzold. Stephen W. Plain. Tony Pompih. Alfred Poor. Jeff Prosise. John R. Quain, Sal Ricciardi. StC\'C Rigney.
`Winn L Rosch, Joe Salemi. Jam Seymour. Richard Hale Shaw. Barry Simon, Luisa Simone, Cr.ug S1inson. M. David S1onc
`Senior Associate Art Director Richard Demler Associalc. Ari Diredors Charles Cono,er. Vera Naughton. Michael Scowden
`Assislanl Ar1 Oiredor Le Chau (Beny) Thai Associate Graphics Oiredor David Foster Graphic Artist Mark Tyner Assistonl 10
`the Art Olrecior Frieda T. Smallwood Contributing Pho1ogruphcr Thom O'Connor
`Oiredor, PC Libs, Wcs1 Coasl Sieve Buchler Technical Directors Ben Z. Gottesman (Sortwarc). Nick Stam (l-lardv.,arc), Larry
`Seltzer ( Internet, PC Tech) Director. Operations John R. Delancy Projecl Leadus Richard Fisco (PCs). Jcrr Mace
`(Graphics/Hardware). Jay Munro (Internet, PCTcch). Robert Nonon (Network Edition). Jeffrey G. Will (Nct\\"Orkin g and
`Communications) Associate Projed Leaders L3ura Cox, Dan Smith Programme rs Richard V. Dragan, Kenneth Pmkobclutrt
`Product Tcsling Manager Charles Rodriguez Techni cal Anulysts Russell lwnnchuk. Amy Leung. Margaret A. Piemonte. Rick
`Rovegno. Denis Tom Suppor1 Technicians Bruce Ocodat, Andrew Go. Oliver Kaven, Melanio Lopez. Jacqueline Paredes. Mark
`Valentine, Kevin Young lm·enlof) Control Coordinalors Bryan Hughes, Rob Gra)•don. William Pagan
`PC MAGAZINE CD
`Exccu1i,e Editor Pc1cr McKie Art Director Curtis M. Fields A..uocia1e Edilor Jae Yang
`PC MAGAZINE ONLINE
`Managing Editor Diane D'Angelo Web Ot'Slgner Albert Larew Associa lc Editor Tin Albano Senior Technical Ed.ilors John
`Oyman, Amarendra Singh Tc.thnical Associate Thomas \V Giebel Starr Writer Karen J. Bannan Assis1:1n1 Edilor Tracy Reppert
`
`Publisher Nancy Newman
`National Assodare Publisher Peter Longo Nutional Soles Oiredo r Vickie Pinsky Business Manager Andrew J. Cole Business
`AnAlyst Chrislinc Holsten Evc.nlS Managc.r Dawn Gudelis M11n11gc.r, Promolion and Public Relations Lynne Hasluck
`Senior Ad,·ercisi ng Produdlon Manager Susan Conrad Adverlising Production Manager Robert Joy Assistant Ad,·c.rtising
`Produclion Managers Barbara Adams. Jv1s Fundichely Editorial Production Manager Pamela J. Berkowi1z Coordinator,
`Editorial Produelion Louise Laberge
`
`Advertising Office: One Park Ave .. New York, NY 10016-S802: 800 33 MAG AD, 212-503-5100
`
`Zifr•Oa,i~ Publishing Company
`Chairman and CEO Eric H1ppcau
`Presiden~ Ronni S~nnenbcrg (U.S. Publica1ions). Jeffrey Ballowe (ln1crac1ive Media and Development Group), J.B. l-lols1on 111
`(International Mc~1a Group), Bob B.ro~ (Co~puter lnl~lligcncc/lnfocorp), William Rosenthal (Training and Supporl Publishing
`Group) Vlce-Prcs1dcnlS T1mo1hy O Bncn (Chier Financml Officer). J. Malcolm Morris (General Counsel nnd Secretary). Rayna
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`LWnght
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`U.S. Publications C roup
`Pre!iden~ Ronn! Sonnenberg (U.S. Publications). Claude Shccr(Busincss Media Group).J. Scou Briggs (Consumer Media Group)
`Seru~r V1et:•Pres1dents Lawrence C. ~un;tcin (Consumer AdvcrttSmg). Baird Davis (Circulation) Excct1lh-e Viet:•Presidenl, Business
`Media Group Don Byrnes Vltt-Pres,dcatsTom McCradc (Bus= Manager), Jim Manning (Martcting Services), Bob Soder (Ccn-
`1ral ~dvcrt,smg~lcs). Mark Van ~a.me (Product Tcsting~. Jamcs F. Ramalcy (Circulation Scrvtecs), Al DiGuido (Group Publisher).
`D~nicl Farber, Mtehacl J: Miller, ! aul So~ crson Execu11n Olredor, Li« nsing Gertrud Borchnrdl Oiredor, ZO Labs Bob Kane
`D~tedo~, Rcnchn~a~ O~nt!on 8111 ~tchmgs ZilT-D~vis Magazine Network: Vice,Presidcnt/Munaging Oircelor Joe Gillespie Excc(cid:173)
`uliv~ Dueelo~ Ahcia S~nbahs Mar.kehng Direttor Mike Perkowski Directors Ken Beach, Michael Bird Jeff Bruce Kelly Lowmnn
`Mehnda Maginn, Debbie Moss,Juhe Tu11lc
`'
`·
`·
`
`lnleradive Media and Oe,·elopmc.nt Group
`.
`.
`President ~cff~ey Ball~wc Execu!ave Vice-President David Shnaidcr Execullvc Vicc•Prcsidcnl, lnlemct Publlshin Grou I O•miel
`Ros~nswc1g Vice-President, Business OeYclopmcn1 Tom Thompson Vice-President, Ed.ilor-ln,ChicfZD Net Oanfet Fart!er Vice
`President, General Manager ZD Net James Savage Vice-President ZOTV R' h d F h
`·
`.
`'
`.
`•
`1~ er V1ce-Pres1dent, Creative Services
`Herbert Stern Vlee-Prcsideni, Rne:arch Elda V I Ed'
`.
`'
`IC ar
`. 1 0
`Jocelyn Grayson Oiredor, Public Rela1ions Greg:; Jar;:-•
`,red or, New Products B11J Machronc Croup Business Manager
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`Page 5 of 39
`
`

`

`Page6 of 39
`
`The Navigator platform sets
`1
`the Standard for scripting, plug-ins,
`Java, and browser programmability.
`2 Navigator’s whitebqard and
`ee
`Internet phone let remote conferees
`in ra cs
`sketch things out overthe Internet.
`CerRUC ‘it
`:
`UU eeeLACM CMLeR 4)a
`application.
`4 ActiveX devgjopmentbrings a powerful
`new programming standard to the Web.
`5 Mail and news clients are recent addi-
`tions to.Microsoft’s browser.
`6 Internet phoneseand application sharing
`are high pointsof Internet Explorer 3.0's
`strong collaboration tools.
`bs(0) © Mean cn tan bd pare (ane): 1 een 0)
`*
`
`3
`
`1~/~
`~
`I
`
`Page 6 of 39
`
`

`

`Page7 of 39
`
`.~
`WeteneraNENGtetOe
`he battle of the browsers has PartieamenemeCOaL duel. OF
`the 30 products TenerMnCltm etmaoas review (“Just
`Browsing.” March 12. 1996), only two seem to matter any-
`Aieeerlecoucon
`Selacaas Deca
`more. Netscape Navigator remains the overwhelming market
`3.0 clonesits features and leader, the product most MTeOeLS think of as synonymous with Web
`browsing. It defines the Web's de facto standards for HyperText
`Markup Language AMMO earsniceUe Java, andscripting.
`adds significant new retee
`NECEDNoeretncanahin vanilla is flavoredfor use with Nav-
`:
`nology. The winnerwill
`igator. Thelatest POTerC NERUtTCOMEROnrieens collaboration features,
`dictate the future ofthe Web.
`
`ad(asTe
`
`a aS
`mae
`os,
`,
`OCTORER 221996 POMAGAZINE TO
`
`a
`
`eer erafinnwrtarcadestnYo4Pe
`!
`Spthoneattan)errhe
`
`'
`
`. ,
`
` te
`
`ri
`
`yr
`
`Page 7 of 39
`
`

`

`COVER STORY
`Browsers at the Crossroads
`
`Join Us Online
`as PC Magazine editors
`and representatives from
`Microsoh and Netscape answer
`your questions about the cu,rent
`and future state of browsers.
`
`ffl.PCMAG.COM
`
`IN THIS STORY
`End-User Features ................................................. 105
`Webmaster Features ............................................. 112
`Developer Platforms .............................................. 119
`Performance Tests ................................................ 129
`Collaboration Tools ................................................ 130
`Mail and News ....................................................... 139
`
`ready working on their next major re(cid:173)
`leases, expected as ea rly as this fall.
`
`IT'S A NETSCAPE WEB
`In theory, the We b is based on open
`sta nda rds. In practice, an enormous
`amount of Web conten t is tailored to
`leverage
`proprieta ry
`features
`in
`Netscape Navigator browsers. These
`fea tures cove r almost every aspect of
`content delivery.
`Netscape extensions to HTML are
`widely used by page designers who want
`better formatting control and more display
`options than what vanilla HTML provides.
`Plug-ins, another important Netscape stan(cid:173)
`dard, give vendors a way to add almost any
`conceivable functionality to the Navigator
`browser-everything from streaming audio
`broadcasts to multimedia. JavaScript, Net(cid:173)
`scape's widely used scripting language,
`gives We b developers a way to embed
`small but highly useful programs into their
`pages. JavaScript can be used to manipu(cid:173)
`late programmable elements of the
`Netscape browser and the docu(cid:173)
`ments it displays.
`
`plorer comes out ahead in many of these
`comparisons, you may be surprised that
`Ne tscape Navigator is our Editors'
`Choice. Our decision rests on the fact
`that Navigator is still the best tool for ac(cid:173)
`cessing the huge number of Navigator(cid:173)
`e nhanced sites on today's Web. Inte rnet
`Explorer is in many ways a technically
`supe rior
`product,
`however,
`and
`Netscape will have to work hard to keep
`its lead. Neither browser displays the
`kind of rock-solid stability we expect
`from other software, a legacy of the
`frantic pace of Web development. While
`we wil l see increme ntal upgrades to the
`curre nt versions, both vendors are al-
`
`WEB BROWSERS
`
`II With th e exception of the
`
`multimedia , YRML support , and im(cid:173)
`proved inte rne t mail and news.
`Microsoft internet Explorer 3.0 is the
`first version of Microsoft's browser that is
`truly competitive. The new Windows 95
`and Windows NT releases not only match
`up well with Netscape's HTML, plug-ins,
`Java environment, and scripting standards;
`they also add support for ActiveX, a tech(cid:173)
`nology for bringing Windows-style applica(cid:173)
`tions to the Web. Internet Explorer also
`matches or exceeds Netscape's offerings in
`collaboration tools, multimedia, YRML,
`mail, and news. Microsoft is giving its
`browser and development tools away for
`free (Netscape Navigator sells for $49) and
`has
`concluded
`aggressive
`bundling deals with several of
`the largest online services and
`providers.
`service
`Internet
`Today, Internet Explorer's mar(cid:173)
`ket share hovers around 10 per(cid:173)
`cent, but it is sure to grow.
`Which browser should you
`use? The choice may seem triv(cid:173)
`ial, but it has enormous implica(cid:173)
`tions. The company that domi(cid:173)
`nates the browser market will
`dictate Online standards and
`change the way we use the Web.
`To help you choose-and un(cid:173)
`derstand the implications of
`your choice-we provide in(cid:173)
`depth analyses of both browsers
`from the perspectives of the end
`user, the Webmaster, and the
`applications developer. We also
`look at the performance of each
`browser's HTML- and graphics(cid:173)
`rendering engine,
`test each
`browser's collaboration tools,
`and compare the pair's respec(cid:173)
`tive mail and news features. A
`companion piece in this issue,
`"Java Speed Trials," gives de(cid:173)
`tailed test results involving both
`browsers' Java environments.
`Given that Inte rnet Ex-
`
`BROWSER FEATURES
`THAT DRIVE THE WEB
`
`r.'11 WEB NAVIGATION has only gotten easier. thanks to both
`~ browsers' clean interface design. Internet Explorer comes out ahead
`on interface customization, while Netscape Navigator offers better options
`for low-bandwidth users.
`r.'11 HTML standards drive the look of the Web. Internet Explorer's
`~ adoption of the powerful Cascading Style Sheets Level 1 standard
`will give Webmasters typographic control they've never had before. but
`Netscape Navigator is the faster of the two at actually rendering pages.
`r.'11 VIRTUAL REALITY, in the form of VRML, is available through both
`~ browsers. Both also support in-line audio. Internet Explorer goes
`one step further with ActiveMovie, a native video playback module that
`handles multiple formats.
`
`r.'11 JAVA AND PLUG-INS remain the accepted standards for extend(cid:173)
`~ ing browser functionality. Both browsers support them, although
`Internet Explorer's plug-in support is less than perfect. Microsoft's ActiveX
`technology is a powerful alternative.
`
`r.'11 COLLABORATION TOOLS, including an Internet telephone,
`~ remote whiteboard, and chat, are standard features of both
`browsers. Internet Explorer also offers application sharing, a powerful
`feature for linking remote coworkers.
`
`102 PC MAGA ZINE OCTOBER 22. 1996
`
`Netscape HTML extensions,
`none of these technologies are
`true standards, and many are
`undocumented . These propri(cid:173)
`etary technologies give Net(cid:173)
`scape e normous leverage, let(cid:173)
`ting it steer th e direction of
`Web development and lock
`out potential competitors.
`
`MICROSOFT: CLONE MAKER
`No company has understood
`the power of Netscape's "mo·
`nopoly" better than Microsoft.
`(Cynics might observe that
`Microsoft has long enjoyed
`comparable control over the
`Windows platform. ) Rather
`than fighting established stan(cid:173)
`da rds, Microsoft Internet Ex(cid:173)
`plore r 3.0 offers a clone of the
`Netscape platform. It provides
`a plug-in runtime environ·
`J avaScript
`ment, supports
`(which