There's more to the Internet than surfing sites, downloading music and buying stuff. ProComm Plus, a must-have shareware application back in the pre-Web days, still fulfils its functions of old, allowing users to telnet (which is useful for, say, configuring a router), dial in to BBS's (bulletin board systems for the uninitiated; these were the equivalent of personal Web pages and download servers), and more. In addition, ProComm Plus is a powerful terminal emulator, offering support for 36 terminals. It also features a fax applet, FTP ability, an email program and even a Usenet news reader. Even for all its functionality, ProComm Plus isn't for the faint of heart. Its interface, consisting of pulldown menus and unlabelled icons whose commands are identified only by mouseover tips, is a throwback to the days when user friendliness was a rarity. Its terminal emulation, mail, FTP, Usenet and other functions reside in different executables, yet you can make system-wide setup changes from most of them. ASPECT, its scripting language, is powerful, and a handful of sample scripts are included--but manually editing scripts is akin to full-on programming.
Even with its daunting interface, ProComm Plus is a diesel-powered machine for businesses and power users alike. Its fax applet is surprisingly robust, and even includes a number of cover sheets. Its Internet e-mail module is sparse compared to Outlook or Eudora, but it gets the job done with simple grace. Likewise, its FTP applet won't threaten to put CuteFTP out of business, but it allows you to move files easily to and from servers.
Mainframe-based businesses will love its boisterous terminal emulation capabilities. It emulates dozens of terminals, including popular WYSE 50, 60 and 100, VT 220 and 230, IBM 3101, 3160 and 3270, and more. It allows users to determine how the terminal is displayed, scrolled and otherwise used. The terminal emulation applet also allows power modem users to punch in manual AT commands.
Merging high-performance business applications with a robust suite of Internet functions, ProComm Plus 4.8 draws its strength from its range of abilities. Its outstanding terminal emulation and big bundle of applets make it a terrific utility--for the right users.--Joel Durham, Jr.,Amazon.com
A special note to Windows XP users: ProComm Plus 4.8 is advertised for Windows 9x, NT and 2000; XP is not included on its list. We only experienced one problem under XP: it crashed while downloading newsgroups. However, check with Symantec before you purchase for XP.
