HOC RATING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
MacSOHO
* Requirements: OS 8.6, Ethernet adapter or AirPort (Mac); Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME, Ethernet adapter (PC), Ethernet hub * List Price: $99 * Manufacturer: Thursby Software, Inc., 817-478-5070, www.thursby.com
HOC PERFORMANCE
IF YOU WORK WITH both Mac and Windows computers, chances are you've needed to share files between them. In years past, it was always a question of making sure to save files in just the right format, then e-mailing them or putting them on a floppy. Now, MacSOHO lets you cut wasted time, money, and effort by linking these formerly incompatible platforms to share files.
Installation was painless, and took about 10 minutes. We used the same CD to install the MacSOHO software on both machines. After that, we restarted both computers, and we were done.
Windows users can click on Network Neighborhood to share files from a Macintosh. Mac users can open MacSOHO, or create a clickable bookmark to open a PC folder or directory. If you're worried about security, you can set permissions and passwords on either or both machines, to allow read-only access or deny it altogether. The file-sharing network is so seamless that you might make some early mistakes--you could accidentally delete something on the wrong machine if you're not comfortable with both environments.
Once we were set up, we used Word 2000 on the Mac to open a Word document on the PC just by clicking it. Copying files from the Mac to the PC is a drag-and-drop affair. An entire folder with more than 350 megabytes of data took less than a minute to transfer across a 10/100 Ethernet line.
This is file sharing, not program sharing, so you can't open and run a Windows-only program on your Mac machine or vice-versa. Nor can you share a Windows-only printer. Despite those limitations, this is an easy and effective way to make Steve Jobs and Bill Gates work together.
[pros] Simple cross-platform power
[cons] No program sharing or Windows-only printers
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(a) HOC VALUE
(b) HOC PERFORMANCE
RATINGS
HOME OFFICE COMPUTING rates products on a scale of 1 to 10--with few 9's or 10's--based on value, performance, innovation (medals go to rare standouts in these areas), ease of use, and suitability for home offices. The [pros] and [cons] symbols indicate pros and cons.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Freedom Technology Media Group
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
