5 comments about Quake 3 Arena (Linux).

1. Graphics are just as good if not better with an Nvidia based card. PLUS!...they sell the Team Area install disk for linux too!!!!



2. Quake three arena is a great game with a new set of 3d-graphics quality, but the game gets boring after a while.Actually the game gets boring really quickly, but i still like it.I like the
   models, the weapons,the maps, the storyline, but once your in the game it gets boring real quick.I RECOMMEND a SHINY New pentium 2, 350 for maxium performance, and 600mb of harddrive space for maxium installation of performance.I recommend a 32mb3d video card.It also has to be opengl 100% compatible.A major powerful a3d sound card.128pcisdram at 100mhrz for map performance.and directx7.But, if you don't care about performance and just wan't to play the game, your requirments:pentium 2:233mhrz, 16mb opengl compatible 3d video card, highquality sound card,45megs of harddrive space for miminum installation,directx6, and 64spcisdram.But, if your a extreme hardcore gamer and wan't quake3arena to work absouloutly PERFECT, these are the requirements I reccomend:pentium3 500mhrz, geforce3 64ddr ram, 700mb of harddrive space, the latest majorist a3d sound card with latest drivers, maxium instllation, directx8.1, and 512pci800mhrz of rdram.take my advice.buy the game, enjoy it.your welcome.I reccomend it.



3. Quake three arena is a great game with a new set of 3d-graphics quality, but the game gets boring after a while.Actually the game gets boring really quickly, but i still like it.I like the
   models, the weapons,the maps, the storyline, but once your in the game it gets boring real quick.I RECOMMEND a SHINY New pentium 2, 350 for maxium performance, and 600mb of harddrive space for maxium installation of performance.I recommend a 32mb3d video card.It also has to be opengl 100% compatible.A major powerful a3d sound card.128pcisdram at 100mhrz for map performance.and directx7.But, if you don't care about performance and just wan't to play the game, your requirments:pentium 2:233mhrz, 16mb opengl compatible 3d video card, highquality sound card,45megs of harddrive space for miminum installation,directx6, and 64spcisdram.But, if your a extreme hardcore gamer and wan't quake3arena to work absouloutly PERFECT, these are the requirements I reccomend:pentium3 500mhrz, geforce3 64ddr ram, 700mb of harddrive space, the latest majorist a3d sound card with latest drivers, maxium instllation, directx8.1, and 512pci800mhrz of rdram.take my advice.buy the game, enjoy it.your welcome.I reccomend it.



4. Quake 3 runs GREAT on my Linux system. That's not saying all that much, I suppose, until you realize that my Linux machine has a 3dfx Banshee as its video card, yet I can run at 1280x1024 without a single stutter or hickup.

   On a technical merrit, this game gets a "5."

   On a gameplay merrit, this game gets a "3." That is, I really enjoy plots... feeling like I'm playing a key role in some momentous event. Half-Life... System Shock (1&2)... Deux Ex... all great examples of this. It's fun, but it's not "absorbing."

   So, I give the game a "4."

   The main thing to take away from this is that the Quake3 engine works GREAT in Linux. I recently installed the Linux binaries of Return to Castle Wolfenstein onto this machine. It also uses the Quake3 engine. Wolfenstein, so installed, is beautiful, and it DOES have a plot.

   ID Software, who developed the binaries for this port and who developed the Quake-series engines, have singlehandedly proven that Linux is a great gaming platform, yet again. The Quake3 engine is being used everywhere these days, and there's no fundamental reason that ANY of them can't be easily ported over to Linux.

   Well, that's not entirely true. It's true that there's no TECHNICAL reason that we can't have those games. And it's true that there's no MARKET reason that we can't have those games (minimal effort to create the port using all the same content, then a secondary distribution channel).

   However, there is ONE reason... the illegal marketing practices of Microsoft. Will this play out like all the other "Competition with Microsoft" activities of the past few years? Stay tuned...




5. The game is beautiful and I'm sure it works fine on Linux, but with a simple download from the Quake3 website, you get a fully functional WINDOWS version! In what looks like an attempt to boost sales, they included instructions for doing this in the package, so this is an officially endorsed alteration to the program.
   Don't waste big bucks on the Windows version. Buy this version and apply the patch! It worked flawlessly for me on WindowsXP.

5 comments about Xandros Desktop Professional.

1. I have been using Linux several years now at both work and home. I highly recommend Xandros if you do not want to pay the high price for MS Windows. If you just want to replace MS Windows with a less expensive Operating System then Xandros is the answer. If you want to dual boot your current MS Windows computer and you are willing to read, learn and spend sometime getting Linux to work the way you want, then I highly recommend Ubuntu and Red Hat Fedora.
   
   I also recommend you get the paid membership to Xandros if you want to get support and software application discounts. Purchasing Xandros from Amazon and paying for extra support directly from Xandros, will cost you less than half of what you will pay for any version of MS Windows.



2. Installed without a hitch on its own hard drive. Recognized all hardware and internet connections. Partitioned hard disk. User manual excellent. Downloading applications through Xandros Networks is a snap. Installation or removal of applications is easy. Technical support has been fast and excellent. My only minor gripe is that Networks needs to make available most recent versions of KDE and OpenOffice products. Also, despite excellent tech support, can not get KOffice applications to open. Other KDE products, such as Kmail, KPIM, Konqueror work fine.
   
   Dual boot software for Xandros and Windows works well. I am having fun learning Linux, although a bit of a challenge to me. File management utility takes a little learning. I have not yet tried all the applications, like video playing, photo downloads, disk burning, music, Crossover, so my limited experience to date allows only for a 4-star rating. Have used product for two months.



3. If what you want is a Windows-like experience from Linux, then this distribution will only get you part of the way there.
   
   Good (Specific to Xandros):
   -Easy installation
   -Desktop is much like Windows, and offers some nice extras
   -Comes with some applications which install with a button-push
   
   Bad (Specific to Xandros):
   -Poor audio hardware support
   -Extremely poor technical support from Xandros
   
   Good (Shared by all Linuxes):
   -Freedom from MicroSoft and Apple
   -Stable operating system
   
   Bad (Shared by all Linuxes):
   -Application installation is still needlessly complicated
   
   Xandros may meet your needs if you're already a Linux-type who wants to tinker with the innards of the system, but I would suggest trying something else if you need a Windows replacement for average users.



4. I purchased this as a replacement for 98se and it installed well, but that is about all I can say for it. Functionally works nice for the Internet most of the time although problems with the system make for troublesome anoyances like crashes - just like 98se. Yah, I know some of the reviews say this is a stable system but out of the box its not even close. Applications don't always open and can crash without warning. If the screen saver activates sometimes the only way to get the system to work again is to re-boot.
   
   The there in the lack of hardware compatability. If your printer is ten years old and made by HP you have a chance it will work. If it is a current model and you want to print images you can just forget it since software for this distro is practiclly non-existant. Beyond basic text printing, I wish you luck.
   
   As for software? It does comes with a decent office program as well as a suposably good imaging program but since I can not get a really good print I have not wasted my time exploring it. It also includes CrossOver which lets you run Windows programs. And while I got PS to work it is real clunky and slow.
   
   It come with two disks, one with the OS on it and one with additional software. The software disk would be nice if all the software would load. However when you go to install it Xandros hooks up to the web for assistance which is all well and good except about a third of the Apps did not install because of errors. I did not try to get assitance as this is supposed to be a PROFFESIONAL edition and I should not have to.
   
   So bottom line is that this is a pretty good copy of Windows 98se -crashes alot and makes you spend hours screwing with it to get it right(which it still is not). If working on your computer is fun I say go for it. If having a system that works buy a MAC or Windows XP. At least then you can be reasonably sure you can do what you want even though both those systems cost much more.
   
   Just goes to show you really DO get what you pay for!



5. After evaluating many Linux distributions for my employer and for use at home, this is the only one that I found to be user friendly enough to recommend. A critical area for home dialup users is the modem issue. Many distributions require you to find and download drivers, as well as executing difficult (for the average user) command line routines. Not so with Xandros. It doesn't support every modem, but I had no trouble with it recognizing a 3Com external, and a number of PCI internals. Setting these up was extremely simple. I believe a novice would have no trouble whatsoever.
   
   As for the business environment, recognizing and communicating with an existing Windows network was the downfall of every Linux distribution I tried except this one. Even the highly regarded Fedora/Redhat flunked.
   
   I've converted almost entirely to Linux with this distribution, both at work and at home. I'm now in the process of converting some of our other employee's desktops also.

5 comments about Teacher's Toolbox 4.0.

1. I have taught over 10 years and used this product in its different forms for 8 years. An outstanding way to keep track of grades...allows you to put different values on tests, quizzes and daily grades. Would like it to be a little more user friendly for setup of new school years



2. I have had Teacher's Toolbox 4.0 for a month now and it has greatly increased my organization and my efficiency in calculating (and apportioning) grades. However, I have several complaints: 1. On the "Lesson Planner" page, only three preps allowed. For many teachers, this just isn't realistic. Toolbox cannot be configured to accommodate more preps. 2. If the user decides to divide the marking period into sub-folders (quizzes, tests, homework), then it becomes impossible to view the assignments chronologically. The user can view all the grades by selecting the "Whole Semester" view, but then they must be sorted according to which sub-folder in which they are stored. 3. The print setup page is defaulted to print "portrait". The user can change this to print "landscape" (which must be done if there are more than ten or so assignments in a marking period), but this choice cannot be saved. Every time the user wishes to print a page, he or she must reconfigure the print setup. 4. In programs such as Word or Excel, several documents can be opened at once. The user can toggle between these documents by using "Window" at the top of the screen. In Toolbox, however, can only handle one. Before the user can open the grades for another class, the user must either save a class and then close it, or open multiple versions of Toolbox. If multiple documents could be opened with one program, then a comparison between classes could be done. 5. Once the user has opened a class, Toolbox is configured to open to the "whole year" view instead of the current marking period. Toolbox cannot be configured to open directly to the current grading period. To view the current marking period, the teacher must click on "Reveal tree", which shows a left-hand window similar to Windows Explorer, then select the branch of the tree he or she wishes to see, then toggle "reveal tree" off in order to use the whole screen. A "Next folder up" icon would be quite helpful, or a navigating through a window such as with the "open" or "save" dialogue boxes in Microsoft Word. 6. On the "Grades" page, there are thirteen options that can be selected to define each assignment. These options, displayed in a box at the top of each column, cannot be customized - all thirteen options must show, which takes up about half the vertical space on the computer screen. It would be nice to be able to display only what is needed and leave more space for the grades themselves, thus avoiding scrolling up and down to see the students' grades. 7. Toolbox is very gray. Color-coding would be nice on many of the functions. On the "Events" page, for example, lines designating the folders look identical to line designating individual assignments. On the "Grades" page, when a grade becomes "locked", the description box at the top could be color-coded. On the "Grades" page again, there could be an option to give different each student's line a separate tint, avoiding the possibility of entering grades onto the wrong line. (Another way to solve this problem would be to highlight the student's name as the user scrolls up and down a grade column. This is a standard in Excel). Given the above, I highly recommend teachers to find some software with which to do their grades (if you don't, you're living in the 1980's). You may however, wish to examine the competition.



3. I installed the AbleSoft Teacher's Toolbox and while familiarizing myself with the menus and instructions, a colleague stopped me to recommend a different program he'd "test driven" already and liked.

   Fine, I had no stake in the AbleSoft "Teacher's Toolbox" program yet, so I decided to remove the program from my computer before getting too deeply into it and to have a look at my cohort's suggested program first.

   Well, damn! These AbleSoft people are clever devils... or maybe they're sinister bastards, who knows? Hard to guess about these things these days.

   Turns out that there's no UNINSTALL file in their program. You're stuck with removing the damn thing bit by bit, byte by byte, file by file... and still there are hidden and residual traces of the program that won't go away. That's pretty irritating.

   In short, I don't like people who write and market incomplete, inefficient, ineffective or "system capture" programs. These are either "bad boys" or fools. So even if this AbleSoft program has some useful functions, I wouldn't reward these scoundrels by buying their products. That's my opinion. You're free to form your own, of course. Good luck.




4. Do not waste your money. The program is not user friendly and does not offer anything I can't find on any other program.



5. For me, this was a comprehensive and easy to use program. In my former school system, we had to use paper gradebooks. Fortunately, the school where i was stationed allowed teachers to use software packages like this one to input and print grade reports.

   Teacher's Toolbox was used EXPRESSLY for calculating grades. It proved efficient and easily accessible throughout our school building. I would recommend this program to anyone who is techno-illiterate or just needing something to use instead of paper, pencil and calculator. If you need lesson plan writing and test-making software, use what is already available on the market. Don't expect Teacher's toolbox to do everything you might want.

   So, if you need grade calculations, and nothing extravagant for gradebook and progress report production, Teacher's Toolbox is your tool to use.

5 comments about Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover.

1. It's a wonderful CD Rom! I love giving myself new looks without taking the risks. It's so funny to see the creative hairstyles, like Frankenstein or a mohawk. It's perfect for if you want a certain haircut because you can just print out the one you want!



2. My sister and I bought this software, mostly for fun, but also to try out new looks. It was pretty easy to set up and use. As for complaints that it moved slowly, we didn't find that to be the case at all. The hardest part was getting the picture of my face lined up just right. Other than that, the Cosmopolitan Makeover software has been a success. I highly recommend it. Besides trying out hairstyles, it's just fun to mess with pictures of your family.



3. This game is okay if you like to play around with looks. It'd be better if you had more makeup choices, or other brands. The hairstyle choices are wide ranged but some hairstyles are hideous! If you are buying this game to make-over yourself be sure to have a digital camera of some sort or it won't be much fun. The other versions of the game are pretty good to as well because you can do more, but this game sells pretty cheap so if you are looking for a simple makeover then try out this orginal makeover game!



4. Don't believe the claim that this is mac compatible!!!!! WINDOWS ONLY... UGH!!!!!!!!



5. So it wasn't perfect, but it was sooo much fun. We did not use it for makeovers. We used it to give beehives to my husband. And afro's to my toddler (we're white...). It was actually pretty easy to use. Get the hair off of your face and stand against a white background and get your base picture (use plenty of flash).
   
   Using it for makeovers would not have been easy, I suspect. That's why we wound up just goofing off with it. But it was worth it for that!

No comments about Sesame Street Letters (Jewel Case).

1 comments about USA Explorer.

1. This was a great learning tool for my 11 year old son that was in fith grade. State history and capitols are the focus of learning in his fith grade class. This was a great means of study for him. Fun and chalenging.

1 comments about Compton's Interactive Bible.

1. This software is excellent for both the hard core studier and the person who just wants a little info here and there. Containing photographs, drawings, maps, sound and videos, there isn't anything that can't be found easily using the programs excellent search capabilities. Beautifully done, worth every penny.

No comments about Freddi Fish Maze Madness.

4 comments about Hotfax Message Center 3.0.

1. Used version 3 and 4. Choices of mail boxes, answering calls,paging, and faxing. The first PC answering machine we used wasFaxWorks on a Packard Bell PC. In contrast, every other package we have tried performs a great deal of secondary options, yet they are less than adequate on answering phone calls for small businesses. Furthermore, if you listened to a message on HotFax and wanted to replay, you need to open another menu. Possibly for you if you don't need the voice service. It is also difficult to set up simultaneously with an All-in-One printer (HP OfficeJet). END



2. Tried V4.0, did not reliably answer calls and it caused problems with my system seizing up when answering.



3. For a fax program that is better than the windows version, this program is a no brainer. I have no trouble sending and receiving faxes. Good product to buy, no problems yet.



4. I have used HF Message Center v. 3.0 since 1999, on versions of Windows from 98 up to my present XP Pro and have yet to have a single problem with it. I use it daily to fax work reports and have grown to love being able to group my business contacts and fax to them all with one click. In addition, I use the voice mail to answer my phone while I'm at work and it works perfectly every time. I like the pre-recorded messages that came on the installation cd and have used them exclusively. A few are muffled sounding, but the main greetings (male and female) sound just fine. Version 3.0 also has support for data transmissions and receipts, but those functions are pretty well outdated now that the internet is established. Still, it's a bit nostalgic to open up Host mode and dream of connecting to a BBS. For the price, I cannot imagine a better product exists! Some folks have complained about having to change screens to get to the voice mail files, but, honestly, NOBODY puts all their functions on one screen. It's too messy that way. Smith Micro did a good job on this package and I would have given them ten stars if that were an option. Incidentally, I have used WinFax v. 8.0 and liked it too. Both programs give good service. I prefer the phonebook used in WinFax but overall I like HotFax better.

5 comments about Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body.

1. As with most MSB CD's, my 4-yr old found this to be a very exciting adventure. The CD takes you through all parts of the body. He has learned about all the parts of the body and the various functions they perform. In fact, as we eat these days he explains to me the whole digestive process. Only negative I, as the parent, found was you have to change the color format on the CD to 256 color in order for it to work at all (thus the 4 stars). Aside from that, I would highly recommend it!



2. When I was 11-12, my best friend had this game and we played it all the time. I became fascinated with the digestive system because of this game. It actually lets you travel down the large intestines (so cool to a kid). I am now 22 and have thought about that game many time as I study anatomy and work in an Emergency Room. I am so glad that I can have the game for my own nostalgic reasons. I highly recommend this sofware. Kids will be enthralled with this game. I know I was (and still am).



3. Ok, I'm about 11 1/2 years old and I have grown up with the magic school bus. Watching,playing,reading, I'd never let any of these go. I feel that buying the magic school bus human body is a great choice for the msb lover. I was a little dissapointed when my windows xp wouldn't run it in the way I used to enjoy it, but if you run it on a windows 98, traveling sequences will be full screen, the way that I used to view it. The graphics for the game are good quality, and these are a keepsake considering they are so very rare to find now, I'm lucky I still have my old games and are playable. The games are awesome and quite challenging. Sure I'm saying this because the magic school bus is one of the best things that happened in my life, but these games seem incredibly hard to find these days and they will become valuable in the distant future. To keep it short, (which I haven't done this entire paragraph) if you and your children want to be able to learn ahead of the other kids who could care less about what I'm saying and have fun with lovable characters and experiment without the mess, go ahead and buy this unforgetable keepsake.



4. In my day health class was the most boring place to be but with this kind of game, kids will love it so much because this game makes learning all the more fun and is presentable in an age-appropriate manner to them with all their graphics, colours, music, facts and so forth



5. The game is great! You get to explore the mouth,esophagus,stomach,liver,kidneys,brain,skin,heart and lungs. You can even play games,transform the bus and do experiments. You can also pull out the periscope and the "Arnold-Vision" screen to see how he is doing. And if your "Bony," this game is for you,because you can connect bones back to the skeleton. The only drawback is an unexpected ending sequence. If you put the volume too loud the player might get scared!