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Looks at Borland International Inc.'s Delphi 2.0, released in March 1996. Comparison with Version 1.0; Price range; Recommendation of the product for rapid development of many different types of software products; Application development competitors; Integer Tak speed; Comparison with Visual Basic 4.0 Enterprise Edition and Clarion for Windows 1.5; Contact information. INSETS: Other stars.;PCWeek online.;Test methodology..

Compares Borland International Inc.'s Delphi 1.0 and Blue Sky Software Corp.'s Winmaker Pro 6.0 to Microsoft Corp.'s Visual Basic 3.0. Performance; Development tools; Provision of an on-screen `blank canvas'; Database support; Platform support.

Presents a comparative review of GUI editors examined by `PC Week' Labs. Includes CompuWare Corp.'s Preditor/2 2.0.1; Mansfield Software Group Inc.'s KEdit for Windows 1.0; Microeged Inc.'s Visual SlickEdit 1.72a; Performance; Supported platforms; Editor programmability; Search options; Ease of installation; Warranty; Distribution channels; List price; Contact information; Technical support. INSETS: Test methodology.;Graphical editor boost programming, by P.C..

Evaluates Trinzic Corp.'s Aion Development System/PM 6.4 software. Tools; Applications; Object-programming support; Development and delivery platforms; Installation and support; Comparison with other software products.

Compares three recently releases desktop operating systems. OS/2 Warp Version 3 from International Business Machines Corp.; System 7.5 from Apple Computer Inc.; Windows NT Workstation 3.5 from Microsoft Corporation. INSET: Test methodology..

Discusses the security issue of computerized data on network. Different ways of data theft; Possible solutions; Vulnerability of security measures; Role of ISDN. INSET: Switched networks constitute new breed..

Discusses what computer technicians are doing to correct the year 2000 (Y2K) problem. What is causing the Y2K problem; The difficulty in testing hardware flaws; The problems within applications; The choice of repairing the data or altering the code. A graph of how managers are dealing with the problem; A list of contact points for help.

Evaluates Microsoft Corp.'s Visual C++ 4.2 Enterprise Edition. Features; Visual C++ as the vehicle for Microsoft's amibitions in promoting the ActiveX architecture for downloadable component-based software; Comparison to other C++ products, including Borland C++ Development Suite with Design Tools 5.0, Watcom C/C++ 10.5, and Symantec C++ 7.2. INSET: C++ development systems (strengths and weaknesses and ratings).

Reports on PowerSoft Corp.'s shipment of Optima++. Delivery of Win32-hosted applications; Implementation of standard C++ in the software's language; Support for the developer with an editing and debugging environment; Ease of development of data-driven applications.

Reviews the software, Visual C++ 4.0 of Microsoft Corporation, released in November 1995. Features; Performance in the PC Week Lab test; Price information. INSET: Test methodology..

Reviews Borland C++ for Windows 4.51 from Borland International Inc. Comparison with other C++ offerings of other companies. Development tools; Underlying architecture; Object-programming support; Database support; Platform support.

Features the Alsys Inc.'s ActivAda for Windows 5.1.3 computer software. Combination of ease of use, readability of code and robust semantics for building complex systems; ActivAda's other features. INSETS: Labs scoreboards tailored to address.., by P.C.;Subtract C, add Ada: Results multiply, by P.C..

Discusses the many aspects of computer network security from various points of view. Degree and nature of a company's need for secrecy; Length for which security is needed; Demand for more permanent means of protection; Weighing of goals with national security interests; Dimensions of data integrity; Need for disaster planning. INSETS: Three faces of network security.;Government's controversial role..

Reports on tests performed on Acer America Corp.'s AcerFormula 4400 personal computer. Comparison with Compaq Computer Corp.'s Deskpro 5/60M personal computer; Price; Features; Expandability; Performance; User ergonomics; Serviceability.

Evaluates the Business Forecast Pro XE 4.0 software. Features to guide rapid electronic business expansion; Solution to mathematical loopholes found by users in the software's predecessors.

Evaluates MicroEdge Inc.'s Visual SlickEdit 5.0 computer programmer's editor software. Syntax awareness for source files; Compatibility with different operating systems; Prices for the different platform versions. INSET: Visual SlickEdit 5.0..

Reviews Microsoft Office 2000 Developers Edition, a suite of office productivity software from Microsoft Corp. The level of integration between the Microsoft Windows operating systems and the suite; Custom development tools in the suite; Pricing and availability; Enhancements; The use of the Component Object Model (COM); Performance; Recommendations; Contact information.

Highlights several computer technologies for their potential as of March 1999. Internet2; Wireless networking; Network backbone technology; The melding of voice and data; Digital-signal processor (DSP) power; Knowledge management; Extensible Markup Language (XML); Metadirectories; Digital subscriber line (DSL); Micropayments; Clustering; More; Brief details about each.

Introduces several articles about the status of year 2000 date conversion projects at 12 companies as of February 15, 1999. What is common to the best-prepared enterprises; Companies like Best Buy Co. Inc., Environments Inc. and Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (3M), and what they have done to prepare; The importance of year 2000 compliance in the business relationship chain; How the year 2000 projects often extend beyond a company's computers.

Looks at the Palm VII pocket computer from 3Com Corp. When it will be available; Size and weight; Battery life; Processor specifications; Wireless connection capabilities; Expected pricing; Contact information. INSETS: Palm VII Is an NC in Everything but Name;Wireless Access: It's Seductive, but Is It Safe?.

Reviews PowerJ Enterprise 2.5, an upgrade to Sybase Inc.'s corporate Java tool kit. Improvements; Pricing; New features; Ease of use; Drag and drop features; The PowerSite hypertext markup language (HTML) editor; Performance; Recommendations; Contact information.

Reviews Parts for Java Professional 2.5, a suite of integrated multiplatform and Windows-specific options for productive team development from ObjectShare Inc. Price; Companies which will benefit most from Parts for Java; Productivity improvements; Coding capabilities; Performance; Recommendations; Contact information.

Reviews Visual Cafe 2.5 Professional Development Edition, a fast and flexible development system for Java from Symantec Corp. Pricing and availability; Performance; Features; Its interface; Recommendations; Contact information.

Discusses Java Virtual Machines (JVM), or the set of instruction codes and arrangement of data storage facilities that allow Java applications to function. Distinctions between the Java language and a JVM; Where Java statements are translated and where they are executable; How the capability of any Java application is limited to the version of JVM being used on a particular platform; The importance of the Java API, a collection of necessary class files.

Presents information on how mobile connection with the help of a Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) can maintain active status even while moving between widely separated points. Challenges to corporate information technology (IT) architects; IP addresses and network nodes; Mobile IP's second level of addressing; Naive implementation of Mobile IP quickly causing serious problems; Discussion of route optimization. INSET: Mobile IP needs wireless freedom.

Presents an overview of network computer security. Comments from Rita Summers author of the book `Secure Computing: Threats and Safeguards'; Importance of good implementation; Problems with data security; The need of designing security into data systems; Problems of overcomplacency of network managers; Several pieces of fact and fiction concerning data security.

Evaluates the Connectix QuickCam VC, an electronic digital camera from Connectix Corp. Features; System requirements; Performance; Limitations; Recommendations; Cost; Contact information.

Reviews Visual SlickEdit 3.0, editing tools software from MicroEdge Inc. Limited hypertext markup language facilities; Features; Tools included; Filtering capabilities; How Visual Slick Edit 3.0 works; Performance; Recommendations; Contact information.

Evaluates Rhapsody DR1, Apple Computer Inc.'s next-generation, multiplatform operating system. Performance; Features; Capabilities; Limitations; Why Rhapsody DR1 is better than the OpenStep system it is based on; The combination of OpenStep and Java; Recommendations; Contact information.

Reviews the professional drafting tool AutoCAD LT 97 by Autodesk Inc. AutoCAD LT 97 being geared toward users who are not CAD professionals; Cost; Features. INSET: AutoCAD LT 979..

Reviews version 3.0 of the computer software application Forecast Pro for Windows by Business Forecast Systems Inc. Features of the software. INSET: Forecast Pro for Windows XE 3.0 Beta..

Compares Microsoft Corp.'s Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) with the multivendor Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). Interoperability options between DCOM and CORBA; The different methods each approach uses; Weakness in DCOM that are not in CORBA; How each works; The role that Microsoft's support of DCOM plays in its use by companies; The implied assumption with CORBA that object request brokers can interact.

Notes that mathematician Mark LaDue has written a paper which calls into question the security of the Java programming language. The 1997 National Information Systems Security Conference, where LaDue's paper is to be presented; What LaDue claims about Java; How Sun Microsystems Inc.'s JavaSoft business unit has responded to the paper; The Java Virtual Machine and its class file verification process; How programmers are expected to react.

Presents information on client/server tools available for World Wide Web-compatible extensions that reduce the need for developers to learn new languages such as Java. Developers relying on familiar technology partners; Issues surrounding operating systems; Description of connections, conversion and concoction to connect application development tools to digital surfboards; Common Business Orientated Language (COBOL) and other program languages.

Discusses the potential use of monolithic microwave integrated circuits to unlock vast amounts of radio spectrum for messaging applications. The plans of Triton Network Systems Inc. to implement MMIC in a broadband wireless network; The advantages of the MMIC. INSET: Otherworldly applications for MMIC..

Reviews the Preliminary Developer's Release of Microsoft's Application Foundation Classes (AFC) library. UI and Fx as the two sets of Java classes provided by AFC; Vendor contact point. INSET: Application Foundation Classes preview..

Reports on the developments by IBM and Netscape Communications Corp. and their battle against Microsoft Corp. World Wide Web optimizing technologies from both companies including IBM's VisualAge for Java and Netscape's Visual JavaScript; Features and capabilities of the software; Performance.

Reviews Visual Studio 97, a development tool from Microsoft Corp. How the computer software makes all of Microsoft's development tools push Microsoft's Internet agenda; Features; Summary of the evaluation of product performance; Company contact point.

Takes a looks at Vibe, a Java development tool from Visix Software Inc. The use of a cross-platform Graphical User Interfact (GUI) application; Performance; Pros and cons; Pricing; Conclusions.

Looks at two products from Microsoft Corp. Visual Basic 5.0 and Visual C++ 5.0 Enterprise Editions; Features and capabilities; How they differ from previous versions; Performance; Price and contact point.

Reviews Microsoft Office 97, Developer Edition, from Microsoft Corp. Features; Price; Contact point; pros; Cons; Summary opinion.

Discusses portable software development. The distinction between running according to specification versus running identically from one platform to another; Prospects for multimedia graphical user interface (GUI) portability; The complexities of portable code; Barriers to portable code, including the struggle between completeness and compactness in programming language design.

Argues for the need of the Java operating system, or JavaOS, from Sun Microsystems Inc. Benefits of a dedicated Java machine; How JavaOS would eliminate overhead; The use of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) with the Java.class file format; Arguments.

Reports on the planned release of the 1.1 version of the Java programming language. The release of Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.1 Beta 2; Some of the features highlighted on the new version; Description of the JDK.

Evaluates Blue Sky Software Corp.'s WinHelp Office 4 software with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) capabilities. The RoboHelp module; Price; Difficulty in reviewing; Performance; The Dynamic What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) mode; Company contact information.

Opinion. Discusses the impact that the Internet had on various companies and products in 1996. Lotus Notes and Domino from Lotus Development Corp.; The growth and constant change of the Linux operating system; The increased presence of Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language; The impact of the Internet on Macintosh and OS/2 applications; Non-X86 central processing units; Digital's Alpha processor; The importance of connectivity.

Evaluates version 4.0 of Soft Warehouse Inc.'s Derive general purpose mathematics tool kit. The graphical user interface (GUI) as only a slight improvement over the DOS version; The ease of use; Mathematical symbol palettes; Performance; Price; Problems; Comparison to competitor Maple V; Price of Maple V.

Evaluates Microsoft Corp.'s Visual InterDev software for creating and maintaining World Wide Web server applications. Features; Hypertext markup language capability; Performance; How it works; What it does; Site maintenance and importation; Release date; Access to the beta version.

Discusses common gateway interface (CGI) programming of Web pages. Prebuilt files versus streams of hypertext markup language (HTML) character strings; CGI's benefits to the user; Definition of CGI; Normal user interaction through HTML forms that do not require ActiveX controls or Java applets; Expanded interaction options; CGI's inability to support large numbers of users; The use of APIs for large user numbers.

Evaluates Symantec Corp.'s Visual Cafe, software for use with the Java computer language. Contact information.