Cyberdog v1.0
Review

Cyberdog v1.0
Estimated price: Free (So far!)
Company: Apple Computers Inc.

By Adam Karneboge-Icon Master

If you have ever been looking for an all-in-one internet tool suite, Cyberdog is what you have been looking for. CyberDog integrates the various aspects of the Internet (web browsing, ftp, email, etc.) into a very easy-to-use Finder interface. Cyberdog is a Power Mac only application that adapts Apples new OpenDocâ„¢ Technology. With Cyberdog, Apple has made the task of using the Internet a whole lot eaiser.

By implementing Cyberdog as a collection of specialized software components, represented with OpenDoc containers, Apple has created an all-in-one Internet application users can customize or even use pieces of in future OpenDoc-compliant software.

Easy Interface
Cyberdog’s interface is based on Apple’s OpenDoc technology. The interface is very attractive and user-friendly. You begin working with Cyberdog by double clicking on the OpenDoc document called “Internet Starting Point.”
From here, you can choose from several Net options. You can search the Net, browse the Web, or view ftp sites with the Cyberdog browser. You can read any e-mail, scan newsgroups, check where you have been online recently with the Cyberdog Log, or jump to one of your favorite spots with the Cyberdog Notebook.

Once you’re familiar with Cyberdog, you can personalize your Internet Starting Point. Simply drag and drop Net-related objects (newsgroups, URLs, or graphics, for example) into an OpenDoc container. Each time you open Starting Point, Cyberdog connects to the Internet and gathers any new information. In later versions of Cyberdog, Apple plans to add Apple Guide support, which will make Cyberdog much eaiser to learn and use.

Web Work
Each “Cyberbutton” has a specific function that defines what it does. For the buttons Explore and Search, the item that it opens up is a URL, opening up the brower window, which in turn connects to that specific site. Clicking on other buttons, such as Starting Point’s Log and Notebook buttons, invokes special functions.

Once you enter the browser, you are greeted with a very simple interface, which gives way to a slow, but stable browser. Clicking on the “explore” button launches up on a cyberdog help page which lists various search engines and a host of internet links to the most popular topic and service directories. Apple also has a couple of paragraphs which help you learn to use Cyberdog.

CyberMail
The Cyberdog mail system is the best and most creative mail system that I have ever seen. This is my favorite part of Cyberdog. To use the mail system, you need a POP3/SMTP internet account. Once you have the system configured, you can start sending and receiving e-mail. The mail system’s speed is decent, but the interface is very graphical. There are great icons, that actually stand for what they represent, and Copland style push buttons and windows.

When you set up the mail system in the preferences, you also have many other choices. Of course you can change the font and the style of the type, but my favorite part is the speech capabilities. If you have English Text-to-speech 1.4 installed, you can have Cyberdog speak the name of the sender when receiving mail, or play any of the regular system sounds!!

When typing a new message, you have the option of choosing different letterheads to be placed in the body of the mail. Some letterheads are “Sent by Cyberdog”, “Hot News”, or just a blank document. Once in the message, you can choose the font, style, and color of the text to be typed. The color part contains 11 new colors such as “screaming green” and “royal blue.” You can also pick any color by selecting other from the menu. Getting your e-mail addresses is a snap. All of the addresses are saved in the notebook file, which can be easily reached from any opened message.

Installation
To install Cyberdog, you need a Power Macintosh with OpenDoc 1.0.4, Mac TCP 2.0.4 or Open Transport 1.1, which is recommended by Apple and included with System 7.5.3. You can download both Cyberdog and OpenDoc free from the Apple Web Site (http://www.apple.com).

The Summary
Overall, I was pleased with Cyberdog, and I feel that it is a success, as long as Apple continues to support OpenDoc. Cyberdog, though slow and unstable in some aspects, represents the future of OpenDoc and the Macintosh communications platform. Apple has created a program that does more than just let you access and manage Internet resources, it lets you personalize the way you use the Internet. If you still like using the different internet utilities, as I do, I wouldn’t recommend Cyberdog. But if you have been looking for a simple, all in one internet application, then Cyberdog is worth a try.
-Adam Karneboge