The king of the discount mail order firms, Ehman Engineering, introduced a two page monochrome monitor (it can't do grey scale) at Macworld Expo last August

There has been discussion on Usenet recently of a new trojan horse that is a bit different from the usual sort. Most trojan horses are fairly simple minded in that they try to erase files or entire hard disks, which has become tediously obnoxious

One frustration with the new forms of optical storage is that they are mutually incompatible. At least up to now, if rumors on Usenet prove to be true

Lapsing from our usual watch for news, we came upon a discussion on Usenet about the origin of Apple's name. So no news in this article, just an anecdote. The question first arose when someone wondered about the true story behind Apple's name

We've been adding new references to articles that we wrote some time ago, but a new issue has just arisen. Some of our articles are relatively ambiguous because they are based more on rumor and conjecture than on fact

Apple has finally released the new Personal LaserWriters, the SC and the NT. Ours is on back order, so we can't comment personally, but they are based on the same Canon engine as the HP LaserJet IIP, which means they print at 4 pages per minute (ppm) at top engine speed

IBM has released the PS/1, as their new home computer is called, in several large cities around the country to be test-marketed. The new name has prompted numerous wags on Usenet to remark that at least this computer will be a whole Personal System, rather than the halved PS/2

Several weeks ago we wrote of a potentially dangerous bug in the Backup utility that comes with the new MacTools Deluxe package from Central Point Software

An interesting problem recently arose on Usenet. It seems that an Excel 1.0 user in Holland wanted to upgrade to system 6.0.4, but when he did so, Excel stopped working

A recent discussion on the net regarding alternate pointing devices inspired me to try running my mouse with my feet. It works well, though I need a longer mouse cord to maintain the necessary position for any length of time (the cord is not long enough for the mouse to rest on the floor)

We'd hoped not to have to address this topic again, but it refuses to die on Usenet or in the trade press. Essentially, the argument is whether or not the introduction of Windows 3.0 will make a PC-clone just as good as a Mac, thus putting Apple out of business because the Mac would no longer be worth the money. There are two separate issues here, first, if Windows 3.0 is as good as the Mac interface, and second, if Apple can and should compete with PC-clones on price

John Norstad just released version 2.0 of Disinfectant, his excellent virus checking and removal program. Disinfectant is completely free and is available from most online sources

Apple spun off Claris in April of 1987 because Apple felt it was a hardware company, and the only software it wanted to develop was new system software

Mitchell D. Kapor and John Perry Barlow have established a foundation, called the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), to address social and legal issues arising from an increasing use of electronic forms of communication

It often seems that some of the magic has gone out of Apple in the last few years, what with the new machines offering few innovative features and the managerial musical chairs