Back to Recommended List Table of Contents
| Software | Vendor | Price | In brief (issue reviewed) | Box score |
| BUSINESS | ||||
| Accounting QuickBooks 4.0 | Intuit
800-781-6999 | From $99 | QuickBooks 4.0 and QuickBooks Pro 4.0 ease the chore of starting a new business accounting system. (2/96) | 5.0 |
| Contact Manager WinSales 3.1 | WinSales
206-747-2464 | $495 | Sales reps will appreciate its persistence. (7/95) | 4.0 |
| Expenses Quicken ExpensAble 2.0 | Intuit
520-295-3220 | $49.95 | An envelope metaphor makes sure nothing slips through the cracks. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| PIM ECCO PRO 3.0 | NetManage
408-973-7171 | $139 | Offers great customization, workgroup scheduling and file synchronization. (9/95) | 4.0 |
| Planning/Analysis Cashe | Business Matters 617-899-8700 | $995 | Works with as much information as you can give it. (2/96) | 4.5 |
| Planning/Analysis Microsoft Financial Manager | Microsoft Corp. 800-426-9400 | $99.95 (street) | Deftly joins accounting information with a spreadsheet's modeling, analysis and reporting for small-business planning. (5/96) | 4.5 |
| Planning/Analysis Quicken Financial Planner 2 | Intuit
415-944-6000 | $39.95 | An inexpensive must-have for employees (and employers) as a retirement planning tool. (7/96) | 5.0 |
| Project Management SureTrak Project Manager 1.5 | Primavera Systems 610-667-8600 | $299 (street) | Has tools for budgeting labor and material resources. (2/96) | 4.0 |
| Scheduling OnTime Enterprise | Campbell Services 810-559-5955 | $427 (3 users) | Usability improvements highlight this mature group scheduling product for NetWare 3.0. (1/96) | 4.5 |
| Tax Management TurboTax for Business |
Intuit
520-295-3110 | $69.95 (street) | It may let you smile on April 15. (2/96) | 5.0 |
| COMMUNICATIONS | ||||
| Asynchronous QmodemPro 2.0 | Mustang Software 805-873-2500 | $129 | 2-bit communications software offers support for BBSes, including RIP graphics, inside Windows 95. (12/95) | 3.5 |
| File Transfer LapLink for Windows 95 |
Traveling Software 206-483-8088 | $149 (street) | Simpler use for beginners and plenty of advanced features for pros. (4/96) | 4.0 |
| Remote Control Norton pcAnywhere32 | Symantec Corp.
541-334-6054 | $149 (street) | Wizards link you with what you left in the office. Well integrated with Windows 95. (2/96) | 4.0 |
| Suite FocalPoint 5.0 | Global Village Communication
408-523-1000 | $99 (street) | Provides data, fax, Internet, voice, paging and speakerphone tools; especially good for the traveler. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| Terminal Emulation Extra Personal Client 6.1 | Attachmate
206-644-4010 | $425 (street) | Accessing a host has never been easier. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| DATABASES | ||||
| Entry-Level FileMaker Pro 3.0 | Claris Corp.
408-727-8227 | $199 (street) | FileMaker is now relational. It eschews programming for a script language. (1/96) | 3.5 |
| Professional Visual dBASE 5.5 | Borland International 800-233-2444 | $349.95 (street) | Build databases using point-and-click or code-twiddling. (8/95) | 4.0 |
| DEVELOPMENT | ||||
| Environment Delphi 2.0 | Borland International 408-431-1000 | $500 (desktop) | Adds support for Windows 95 and NT. (3/96) | |
| Environment Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 |
Microsoft Corp.
800-719-5577 | $499 (street) | Everything you need for development in one integrated environment. (4/96) | 4.5 |
| Browser Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0 |
Netscape Communications
415-528-2555 | $79 | Adds editing tools to the great Web browser. (6/96) | 4.5 |
| Web Authoring, Entry-Level QuickSite |
DeltaPoint
408-648-4000 | $99.95 | You no longer need any Web authoring experience to build a site. (5/96) | 3.5 |
| Web Authoring, Professional HotDog Pro 2.0 | Anawave Software 714-250-7259 | $79.95 | Longtime king of shareware Web editors, HotDog offers power and ease of use. (6/96) | 4.5 |
| Web Authoring, Professional Web Publisher 1.1 | SkiSoft Publishing Corp.
617-863-1876 | $495 | Especially for those who need to publish existing paper documents on the Web. (6/96) | 4.0 |
| Web-Site Management WebAnalyzer 1.0 |
InContext Systems 416-922-0087 | $149 | Web-site mapper finds broken links; an important weapon in a Webmaster's arsenal. (6/96) | 4.5 |
| GRAPHICS | ||||
| 3-D Design Extreme 3D | Macromedia
415-252-2000 | $699 | Animation and multimedia capabilities make it perfect for use in both Director and Authorware. (4/96) | 4.5 |
| CAD AutoCAD Release 13c4 | Autodesk
415-507-5000 | $3,750 (CD) | Impressive interface with floating command window and a multitude of tools. (2/96) | 4.0 |
| Charting Harvard ChartXL 2.0 | Software Publishing Corp.
408-537-3000 | $149 (street) | Outstanding for creating business, financial, technical and statistical graphs in Windows 95. (12/95) | 3.5 |
| Charting (professional) Visio 4.0 | Visio Corp.
800-248-4746 | $149 (street) | Assign data to objects, summarize numbers and use MS Office 95's Binders. (10/95) | 4.0 |
| Desktop Publishing PageMaker 6.0 | Adobe Systems
206-470-7000 | $895 | Frame-free layouts, new drawing tools and plenty of mouse-activated menus. (10/95) | 4.0 |
| Draw/Illustration CorelXARA 1.1 | Corel Corp.
613-728-3733 | $289 | Anti-aliasing, bitmap support and unique special effects. (3/96) | 4.0 |
| Multimedia Authoring Macromedia Director 5 | Macromedia
415-252-2000 | $850 (street) | Director 5 retains its position as the premier multimedia authoring program. (5/96) | 4.5 |
| Paint Fractal Design Painter 4 | Fractal Design Corp. 408-688-5300 | $549 | The most innovative, natural media paint program on the market. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| Presentation/Entry-Level ASAP WordPower 1.95 | Software Publishing Corp.
408-537-3000 | $99 | Great-looking presentations without the pain; plenty of built-in smarts. (3/96) | 5.0 |
| Presentation/Professional Lotus Freelance Graphics 96 | Lotus Development Corp.
617-577-8500 | $355 (street) | Sleek and powerful presentation graphics package for Windows 95. (9/95) | 3.5 |
| Video Editing Adobe Premiere 4.2 | Adobe Systems
415-961-4400 | $795 (street) | A must-have for heavy video in multimedia authoring. (6/96) | 4.5 |
| OFFICE AUTOMATION | ||||
| Forms OmniForm 2.0 | Caere Corp.
408-395-7000 | $349 | Ease of use is enhanced in version 2.0 by the new wizards. (3/96) | 4.0 |
| Groupware Collabra Share 2.0 | Netscape Communications
415-528-2555 | $995 (NT Server) | Uses your installed VIM or MAPI e-mail system to create a groupware environment. (1/96) | 4.5 |
| OCR OmniPage Pro 7.0 | Caere Corp.
408-395-7000 | $499 | The best interface and a clever wizard make this the easiest product to turn the printed word into electronic form. (7/96) | 3.5 |
| Spreadsheet Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400 | $339 (street) | More Wizards and smarts make this one a pleasure to use. For Windows 95. (11/95) | 4.0 |
| Suite ClarisWorks 4.0 | Claris Corp.
408-727-8227 | $49 (street) | Full-featured word processor, database and spreadsheet. For Windows 95. (2/96) | 4.5 |
| Suite Microsoft Office | Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400 | $499 (street) | Takes advantage of the best of Win95, especially the 32-bit-wide data path. (11/95) | 4.0 |
| Word Processor Microsoft Word | Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400 | $339 (street) | Spell-check on the fly and use the terrific customizability. For Windows 95. (9/95) | 4.0 |
| Word Processor WordPerfect 6.1* | Corel Corp.
801-765-4000 | $395 (CD-ROM) | It offers superior file handling and a great interface. (3/95) | 5.0 |
| UTILITIES | ||||
| Antivirus Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus | S&S Software International
617-273-7400 | $125 | Get a healthy dose of preventive medicine for Windows 95. (1/96) | 4.5 |
| Backup Seagate Backup | Seagate Software
407-333-7500 | $99 | Has long-filename support and Registry backup in Windows 95. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| Batch/Macro Keyboard Express 1.1 | Insight Software Solutions
801-295-1890 | $24.95 | Generates an editable keystroke file that can be played back at the press of a hotkey. Great time-saver for Win95. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| Print ColorFast 1.0 | LaserTools Corp.
510-420-1319 | $40 (street) | Includes drivers and excellent color control for popular HP and Canon ink jet printers. (5/96) | 4.0 |
| Systems Enhancer PowerDesk 1.0 | MicroHelp
770-516-0899 | $49.95 (street) | Puts menus, applications and monitors within easy reach on your Win95 Desktop. (1/96) | 4.5 |
| Uninstaller CleanSweep 95 | Quarterdeck Corp. 310-309-3700 | $29.95 (street) | Lose unwanted files easily. (1/96) | 4.5 |
| *WordPerfect 6.1 is no longer sold separately, but as part of the Corel WordPerfect Suite. |
*Not formally reviewed-consensus of WINDOWS Magazine editors.