Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ll-xn!husc6!xait!mirror!prism!jib
From: jib@prism.TMC.COM
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: more AppleLink--PE
Message-ID: <242000011@prism>
Date: 27 Oct 88 19:34:00 GMT
References: <760503144@<8810232346>
Lines: 58
Nf-ID: #R:<8810232346:760503144:prism:242000011:000:2597
Nf-From: prism.TMC.COM!jib    Oct 27 15:34:00 1988


RE: AppleLink PE

I have only used Applelink for about 4 hours over the last 2 weeks since
my *FREE* software arrived, so I have only preliminary impressions.  I
have been using GENIE heavily for the last 2 months, have belonged to
Compuserve for over 3 years, although I only use it infrequently.

The following are obviously just my opinions:

(1) The Applelink free software promised at the May Applefest WAS
distributed.  I filled out a card at Applefest, and brought back 2 extras.
I filled out one and mailed a month and a half later since I had heard
nothing -- I gave the other to a friend.  

I received 2 copies of the software and my friend received a copy -- all
in the second week of October -- late, but hardly never.  

(2) From a human-engineering point of view the AppleLink interface is very
user-friendly (for a computer-naive user).  My wife would never bother to
try and learn the protocols for GENIE, COmpuserve, etc., but finds
AppleLink easy to use (although she still has little interest in
 it ;-).
My wife is an intelligent, but not-interested-in-technology person.

(3) The ALPE libraries and forums are still sparce, but it takes time.

(4) I find the delays between messages while the buffers are filling quite
annoying, but the windows do make reading easier.

(5) There is no good way (that I have found) to read all new messages in
an entire forum, or selected folders (as opposed to one).  This is a major
shortcoming.

(6) I had no problems downloading ACU nor using it on my GS (no hard disk,
however).

(7) I find their billing method perfectly reasonable.  Genie's is the
same, and neither Compuserve nor the SOurce (to which I no longer belong)
ever offered me the option of receiving a bill.  Compuserve was willing to
debit my checking account, but I prefer a credit card.

(8) I have found the forum leaders on ALPE very friendly and helpful
although sometimes not fully knowledgable (but who is?)

(9) At this point, I still prefer Genie over the others, but that is
certainly subject to change as ALPE grows.

(10) Economically, ALPE may have a hard time getting renewals if they
really charge a $35 renewal fee.  I do like the fact that they do not
charge a premium for 2400 baud; however for most uses I do not find ALPE
at 2400 baud as fast as Genie at 1200.  (I have not done enough
downloading to compare).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Block		jib@prism.TMC.COM  
{mit-eddie, pyramid, harvard!wjh12, xait, datacube}!mirror!prism!jib

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