Author Archive

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Digital Government

RealVideo tries its hand at videoconferencing -

If you can't afford dedicated videoconferencing, the next best thing might be Progressive Networks' RealVideo 4.0. This client-server system streams audio and video over TCP/IP networks. With 28.8-kilobit/sec modems to do the transmitting, RealVideo can display a quality, 10-frame/sec, small-screen video. It really shines on 56-kilobit/sec and faster networks.

  • By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Digital Government

Sportster x2 modem craves the fast lane but often gets stuck in traffic

The Sportster x2 does transmit significantly faster than conventional V.34bis modems. What neither x2 or K56Flex can give you yet is full, bidirectional 56-kilobit/sec throughput [GCN, March 17, Page 65]. There are several barriers within this speed trap. For starters, the x2 delivers full speed only when pushing information downstream from a provider's server to you. When you upload, you're stuck back at the 33.6-kilobit/sec V.34bis rate. That's fine for browsing the World Wide Web or

  • By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Digital Government

Road worriers, you can beat travel travails

Notebook computer users like to share horror stories about $5,000 notebooks left on planes or LCD displays that cracked like an egg after a fall or froze up--literally--in the car overnight. More nightmarish are tales of crucial presentations gone awry in front of senior agency managers. Anyone who displays external video probably has had such experiences. There are ways to protect yourself against them.

  • By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Digital Government

Test Drive: Lotus Notes 4 is like a daisy-now you love it, now you don't

I love Notes, I hate Notes, I love Notes. Notes users know what I mean. This groupware can assemble a team scattered around the country to do otherwise impossible tasks quickly and efficiently. Then there's the rest of the time, when Notes moves like a slug uphill. The best thing about Notes 4.0 is that only changed fields are replicated between documents. You'll never again have to wait while an entire 10K document replicates after

  • By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols