CompuServe, the number 2 on-line service, has announced it will introduce flat-rate pricing in the US and Canada. Problem is, the rate ($24.95) is about 25% more than most other services' $19.95 plans. But, as the on-line wars continue, some other ISPs are also increasing their monthly fees with promises of better service, faster access, and proprietary content.

The highly-acclaimed Computer Dictionary from Microsoft Press just got better. The third edition contains 560 pages, representing 50% more material than the second edition, with more than 7,600 entries and 300 drawings, diagrams and photos. With extensive coverage of Internet and Intranet-related terms, and a CD-ROM containing the complete text in a fully searchable format (on-line updates available quarterly), it's bound to be a hit at $29.99. (http://mspress.microsoft.com/)

No, not the one you're trying to upload, but the one that comes up whenever you fire up your Internet browser, be it Internet Explorer, Netscape, or something else. You know, the one with all the ads? You can change your default "home page," either by customizing it (most services let you do this--look for the hyperlink), using any of several sites that offer free custom home pages (such as http://my.yahoo.com), or by selecting your favorite from all that's available in cyberspace. All you need to do is tell your browser what to use for its "home page." Here's how. Be at the page you want to use. I suggest http://www.photosource.com. For Netscape Communicator: Click on the Edit menu, then Preferences, Navigator. From the list, choose Home Page, then Use Current Page. Prior Netscape versions: Click on General Preferences, look under Appearance, Startup, and type in the address. For Internet Explorer (3.0): From the View menu, click Options, Navigation tab, and under Start Page, click the Use Current button. Other browsers will have similar commands.

A frequent problem when Emailing images over the Internet from a Mac to an IBM-compatible is that the IBM can't open the file. An IBM looks at the file's extension to tell it what program to use when opening the file. The Mac stores that info inside the file. So, to increase your chances of a successful transfer, keep these points in mind. Use the "eight dot three" file naming convention (filename.ext), even when sending to a Windows 95 computer. Include the proper extension (such as .jpg, .gif, .bmp), and be sure the file is platform-independent. For example, QuickTime files require the recipient to have QuickTime installed. Many Mac programs have the option to "save as IBM format," so choose that whenever possible. As the recipient, don't try to open the file from your browser. Instead, save the file, and then open it using the appropriate graphics program.

As more and more photographers display their wares on the information highway, highwaymen (and highwaywomen) are surfacing who look for images to enhance their own Web site, promote their products, or to make a buck from someone else's work. In fairness it must be said that in the early growth of Internet use, some of this "borrowing" has occurred with ignorance and without malice, which however does not absolve it from legal redress. We have not personally come across any such instances, but if you suspect you've been the target of such thievery, and you have contacted the involved parties and received no redress or satisfaction from their responses, please contact PhotoSource International with the details. We are compiling a file. Also, you may send for our "Complaint Form." We follow up and go to bat for our subscribers.

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