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Technology Analysis--A roundup of expert opinions about new products. Summaries written by freelance writer Suzanne Weixel.
Version 2.0 of Datastorm Technologies, Inc.'s Procomm Plus adds terminal emulations, protocols and a slick interface that reviewers claimed makes even the most mundane communications tasks fun.
Ease of Use: The pull-on menus are intuitive. There is also mouse support and ALT key combination shortcuts. Installation is highly flexible, with over 100 customizable session parameters. There are also 100 preconfigured modem setup strings. Context-sensitive Help does not make up for the incomplete documentation.
File transfer: Zmodem support is new but not reliable. The dialing directory, file-transfer status window and remote mode are well done.
Multitasking: There is no support for background transfers, but the program can run as a DOS application under Microsoft Corp.'s Windows or Quarterdeck Office Systems' Desqview.
Service and support: Free, but not toll-free, technical support is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Value: Procomm Plus ($119) is not the most sophisticated package, but its ease of use and low price make it ideal for basic communications.
Vendor background information
According to Datastorm, Procomm Plus has an installed base of 500,000 to 750,000 copies. The company projects sales from $19M to $21M this year. Datastorm is privately held. It was established in 1986 and has 77 employees.
Datastorm responds
Kyla Nichols, technical support supervisor:
Ease of use: People either love our documentation or hate it.
File transfer: We issued a maintenance release to take care of high-speed Zmodem transfers. The network version allows you to share resources. We have no bug reports on faulty Digital Equipment Corp. emulations.
Mirror III:
Many features but lacks power
Mirror III Version 2.0 from Softklone Distributing Corp. offers a wide range of useful features. Unfortunately, reviewers said, none of them is very powerful.
Ease of use: The pull-down menus are easy to use, but their inconsistency of style can be confusing. Mouse support is a plus. Users can build scripts to automate the log-on procedure for accessing on-line services. Installation is easy and flexible. There are 50 built-in modem setup strings to choose from.
File transfer: File-transfer features are strong, with support for Microcom Networking Protocol error control and data compression, lots of terminal emulations and protocols. There's...