WEBARRANGER KEEPS TRACK OF YOUR LIFE.Byline: Charles Haddad Cox News Service Talk about a timely idea. CE Software has cobbled cob·ble 1 n. 1. A cobblestone. 2. Geology A rock fragment between 64 and 256 millimeters in diameter, especially one that has been naturally rounded. 3. cobbles See cob coal. tr. the tools of cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. onto a personal information manager. The result is a program called WebArranger, which keeps a list of contacts, tracks to-do notes, launches Web sites, reads news groups and downloads files. CE Software, the maker of QuicKeys and QuickMail, may be on to something. Apple Computer is trying to do something similar with Cyberdog, a supercharged su·per·charge tr.v. su·per·charged, su·per·charg·ing, su·per·charg·es 1. To increase the power of (an engine, for example), as by fitting with a supercharger. 2. Web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. that will be part of its next operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. . Actually, the core technology of WebArranger is not new. It's based on a personal information manager called Arrange. Arrange was like a digital erector set Erector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that was wildly popular in the United States during much of the 20th century. Like Meccano, it consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, . It kept appointments, contacts, memos, notes, to-do lists and much more. Each thing was the same, so you could link them together. The organizational possibilities were endless, and you could customize Arrange endlessly. CE Software has kept all that and added Internet tools. WebArranger can save and organize your Web addresses. You access them right from WebArranger if you have a Web browser such as Netscape's Navigator. WebArranger can keep track of changing Web addresses and track your path across the Internet. It lets you jump back to an interesting site you stumbled upon but forgot the location of. Other Internet tools in WebArranger include something called WebWhacker. It lets you copy a Web page, including graphics, to your hard drive, where you can read it off line. WebArranger is easy to use, once you grasp the underlying system. And it's stunning graphically. But it's not perfect. In fact, the weaknesses are glaring. The worst is the Find command, which is weak compared to Now Software's DateBook date·book n. A notebook or calendar for listing appointments, events, and other work-related or social information. , Touchbase, Up-To- Date and Contact products. Sometimes WebArranger fails to even find something within its vast database. In addition, WebArranger won't let you look up appointments and contacts without running the program, which requires a massive 12 megabytes of RAM. DateBook and Now products let you see your schedule from an icon in the menu bar. And there is no easy way to find duplicate contacts and other items. Both Datebook and Now products can do this. But if you're a big Web cruiser, WebArranger might be worth a close look. |
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