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There are some things worth waiting for. When we conducted our July 20, 1992 (page 64), comparison of Windows communications software, neither of the products we look at in this review was in a position to set the world on fire. Data Graphics' Unicom was a product that needed some work to be ready for prime time, and Hilgraeve Inc. didn't even have its HyperAccess for Windows on the market. In both cases, the wait produced positive results. Unicom is much improved, and HyperAccess may be the best Windows communications package available.
Unicom, Version 3.1 and HyperAccess for Windows, Version 1.01 bring to Windows users communications environments that are easy to use, flexible, and ready to fit in to most users' workplaces. Producing an excellent communications product for the Windows environment is not easy, however.
There was once a time when Windows communications packages were considered good if they managed to keep up with their modems and not lose characters too often. Now they must follow Windows standards, work with network communications servers, support Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), and have a scripting language that is sophisticated enough to log on to any system anywhere while keeping users informed and supporting other tasks during the log-on process.
Users have also learned that some communications packages, such as Procomm, seem to support every modem ever made and every file transfer protocol ever developed. This means that they expect every package to have this level of support. Companies that can't keep up with Procomm's flexibility are clearly not part of the race.
We tested both packages using the criteria established in our July 20, 1992, comparison of communications software for Windows. We used a Gateway 2000 4DX2-66E computer that was connected to a Telebit T-2500 and a Hayes V-series 9,600-bit-per-second modem. We also made sure that these packages would connect via a network modem pool on a Novell Inc. NetWare, Version 4.01 Ethernet network using INT14.
We found that both packages are capable, but HyperAccess is clearly the better of the two. In fact, HyperAccess was so good that by the time the review was over, we found ourselves never wanting to go back to Procomm Plus.
HYPERACCESS, VERSION 1.01
Hilgraeve has a reputation for top quality...