By David Strom
(appeared in Infoworld, 3/31/97)
I've always been a fan of HyperAccess for OS/2 and glad to see them finally delivering some value with the 32-bit Windows world. If the software seems familiar, it is because it is the full-featured cousin of HyperTerminal, which comes with every copy of Windows 95 and NT.
There are several reason why you should upgrade:
HyperAccess is not just an asynch comms emulation program, but also includes the ability to communicate via TCP/IP and telnet as well. Earlier versions of the software had support for IP connections, but they have been substantially improved and integrated into the product. And unlike the version of telnet that is included as part of the basic Windows software, you have the ability to automate your session login and capture text in a buffer. I was able to connect to CompuServe via my modem, or telnet across my LAN to my ISDN router, all from the same software. That is flexibility.
About that buffer. Hilgraeve calls it "backscroll," and you always have this available for every communications session. Did you ever wish after doing some task that you'd like to copy something that had already moved off the screen? Now you can. You can set how much stuff gets saved in a dialog box under Preferences.
Automation routines abound in HyperAccess, and have been improved from earlier versions. You can record keystrokes using either VB Script or Javascript, and then edit or replay them later as you wish. This is a much better alternative than some other communications packages that use their own scripting language that you have to learn. I was able to automate simple things such as dialing CompuServe, starting a telnet session within CompuServe with my Unix server, and running some Unix programs. All of this more over was done with two extra mouse clicks to start and stop recording. You can automatically dial up a host computer, send your login ID and password information, and run a script with a single click of the mouse on the host's icon. Or you can set up more complex routines that can run with minimal manual intervention.
Part of the automation system is what Hilgraeve calls Comm Sense, software that detects parity, stop bits, and data bit settings for asynch communications. This is a welcome addition, as anyone who has tried to figure out these settings when calling a new host can testify.
There are some other nice navigational things to notice: for example, after creating a PhoneBook entry, you can drag its icon to your desktop and start it by clicking on it. And you can drag toolbars from the top of the screen to more appropriate locations. Or you can hotlink to a URL inside any emulation screen and bring up your web browser (HyperAccess includes both Internet Explorer and Netcom's version of Netscape Navigator on its CD-ROM, just in case you don't have a handy copy of either).
HyperAccess has always had the ability to function as a dial-up host, and now that has been extended via TCP/IP. This means that you can telnet to your computer over the Internet and perform basic functions such as delete, transfer and rename files in a character-mode command session. Also included with the product is a simple graphics viewer application.
Finally, if you have a Microsoft Intellimouse, HyperAccess will support scrolling with its roller wheel. Individually, these aren't earth-shattering features, but taken together it shows that Hilgraeve has been thinking what frequent communicators need.
I tested HyperAccess on a 486/66 Compaq running Windows 95 and an IBM Pentium Pro running NT version 4, and it installed quickly and without any problems on both machines.
Not everything is gravy, however. I didn't like all the DLLs HyperAccess installed in my \windows\system directory, and also wasn't happy to have it crash occasionally. One major omission that I'd like to see added is support for the ftp protocol. Given that HyperAccess supports various X, Y, and Z modem protocols as well as CompuServe B, it would be a nice addition.
Price: $129
Platforms: Windows 95, Windows NT (4.0 only), (Note: a 16-bit version of HyperAccess for Windows 3.1 is included on the CD, but it doesn't have all the features of the 32-bit software)
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copyright 1997 Infoworld Publishing Co.