Stories by Patrick Marshall

MapInfo Adds Depth to GIS

MapInfo Corp.'s MapInfo isn't the most straightforward geographic information system (GIS) program on the market, nor is it the least expensive. But if you are looking to combine data with maps, you won't find a stronger combination of power, ease of use and affordability.

Acrobat Capture Adds Content Quickly

You've got 5,000 pages of human resources manuals your boss wants you to post on the intranet by tomorrow, and the documents must retain the original formatting and be searchable by users. You can either stay up all night scanning, formatting, and indexing, or you can load Adobe Systems Inc.'s Acrobat Capture.

Document Conversion II: ZyImage Adds Choice

ZyLab International Inc.'s ZyImage doesn't have the management tools and extensive scalability of Adobe Systems Inc.'s Adobe Capture, but it does deliver a very solid set of tools for converting documents -- both scanned and electronic -- into searchable text databases. What's more, the product's search and retrieval tools are very powerful and lightning fast.

Document Conversion I: Adobe Quickens Capture

Adobe Systems Inc.'s Acrobat Capture is a program with a very clearly defined mission: scanning hard-copy documents and converting them into searchable Acrobat Portable Document Format files that can be made accessible to users on a local-area network, the Internet or other media. Unlike ZyLab International Inc.'s ZyImage, the other program we tested for this review of scanning/conversion programs, Capture doesn't allow you to include existing document files in the process, nor does it offer the breadth of search tools and output choices that ZyImage delivers.

Allure 2000 Delivers Prefabricated Web Apps

ON THE WEB, as in the rest of the business world, time is money. Every day that your Web site sits idle on the developer's computer, you're losing dollars. If you want to get your Web site up quickly and with minimum effort, consider Commence's Allure 2000.

RightFax 7.0 Cuts Back Mass-Faxing Costs

When you need to purchase an enterprise fax server, AVT's RightFax is a safe and smart choice. If you upgrade to Version 7.0, your users will hardly notice, and therefore will need no additional training -- good news for administrators. Although the interface is largely unchanged, RightFax 7.0 offers a few time-and money-saving enhancements that administrators and IT budget watchdogs will appreciate.

Product Review: Eprise brings order to Web authoring

Most agencies and departments still are treating their World Wide Web sites as high-tech bulletin boards, where data is simply posted by a Webmaster for general consumption. That's like using the telephone to send Morse code. If you want to explore the cutting edge of workgroup Web site authoring, check out Eprise Participant Server.

Product Review: HTML Transit makes Web work a snap

Designing a World Wide Web site for your organisation can be fun, especially if you have the opportunity to employ the latest bells and whistles. The really tedious work, as any webmaster can tell you, rears its head if you need to convert masses of legacy files for presentation on the Web.

Product review: Mobile Essentials 2.0 keeps users connected

One of the biggest headaches for mobile professionals is managing the host of configuration settings that enable them to connect to the home office. Every time you reach a new location and try to call home, it seems you have to reconfigure your computer with a different dialling sequence, calling card number or country code.

Product review: LivePage eases complex Web content mgmt

If your agency has a small World Wide Web site with fairly static pages, you can probably get by without any special programs for managing its content. But if you've got a large site with content that changes frequently, you'll want to consider moving to a Web content-management program.

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