We sometimes wonder if Internet Explorer hadn't come along (free!), what Netscape would be charging today.

INTERNET EXPLORER FOR MAC
Microsoft has released their latest version for Macintosh. Taking advantage of native Mac multimedia and networking support, IE3 for the Mac is a fast browser, operating in as little as 4Mb of RAM. The new browser includes such popular features as HTML 3.2 enhancements, Java applet support, personalization, ActiveX Controls, and multimedia support. Get your free copy of IE3.0 for Mac from Microsoft's web site: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/.

WOW! IS NO MORE
Less than one year after CompuServe (the nation's oldest on-line News service at 27 yrs.) launched their much-touted WOW! Internet service for families, it has collapsed. Grappling with the sea of Internet providers, CompuServe decided to pull the plug and concentrate more on their "core customers," the business users. The funeral will be Jan. 31. Existing WOW! users will get 2 free months (with up to 10 hrs. each month free) on CompuServe's "regular" service. One of the major benefits of WOW! was a flat-rate $17.95/month, multiple mailboxes, and child lockouts designed to appeal to families. But instead of the occasional use by family members, die-hard sophisticated users spent hours on-line News every day, resulting in larger than expected costs for CIS. There may be a message in this for other service providers such as Microsoft and AOL. Appealing to the masses may not be as profitable as first envisioned.

THE FASTEST WAY TO GO
So, you think that modem speeds of 28.8K, 33.6K, or even ISDN are too slow for you? Check out http://www.directpc.com (1-800-DirecPC). They're offering a satellite system, just like DirecTV, only for computers. Monthly service isn't too bad ($39.95 in addition to your regular ISP), with unlimited access evenings and weekends. However, you have to purchase the equipment (around $600, though discounts can be had), and the 18" dish has to be mounted with an unobstructed line-of-sight toward the skies over southern Texas. With this arrangement, your computer transmits data to your ISP via your existing modem, but the downloads come in via the satellite dish at around 400K! If you or someone you know tries it out, let us know how it goes.

UNAUTHORIZED PHOTO USAGE
As more and more photographers display their wares on the information highway, so too do highwaymen (and highwaywomen) ply their trade, who search for images to enhance their own Web site, promote their products, or to make a buck from someone else's work. If you suspect you've been the target of such thievery, have contacted the involved parties, and received no satisfaction from their response and/or redress, please contact PhotoSource International with the details. We're compiling a dossier. Also, you may send for our "Complaint Form." We follow up and go to bat for our subscribers.

THE TAX MAN IS COMING, THE TAX MAN IS COMING...
Remember about 13 years ago or so, when on-line News services were just starting out and phone companies wanted to charge customers extra just to use a modem over their lines? Well, that "tax" was quickly trounced. But now that the Internet is going like gangbusters, state governments (sales tax), municipalities, and yes, the Phone Companies, are again casting their taxing eyes on the Internet, looking for sources of additional revenue. It's a serious, controversial, and complicated issue, especially with the booming growth of selling of goods and services ($1.14 billion estimated for this year) over the Internet. Throw in foreign commerce, and it really gets complicated! Where does the "sale" take place? Who should collect the tax? Will local phone companies be permitted to charge "access fees" (the "modem tax") to Internet service providers, who will in turn increase their rates to end- users? Be forewarned: The tax man IS coming.

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