Mariner

Mariner -- This is the newest 'net suite to hit the market, and it does so at a very competitive point in the industry. With apps like Quarterdeck's Internet Toolbox and Wollongong's Emissary battling for position, Mariner may have a difficult time establishing itself. Fortunately, Mariner consists of a good collection of apps that, while not quite as outstanding as some other suites currently available, should interest many users. Mariner's best feature is the Autopilot, which is simply an easily accessible menu of your favorite web sites, newsgroups, mail messages, ftp sites, and more. Unfortunately, only one of each item can be loaded at a time (multiple web documents cannot be opened concurrently). In addition to www, ftp, mail, and news services, Mariner also offers chat, telnet, and gopher support. The web browser is quick and efficient, but it does lack many of the best features found in Netscape, including advanced tables and attributes. Also, as mentioned earlier, only one document can be loaded at a time. The mail and news clients are both satisfactory; however, neither offers the multitude of features found in standalone apps like Pegasus Mail and Agent. The gopher, ftp, telnet, and chat clients are all common fare for internet applications, not really excelling in any one area. While the interface is quite intuitive and easy to use, the more exotic interfaces of Emissary and Internet Toolbox are likely to garner more attention and admirers. The Autopilot is the one feature that keeps Mariner from being just another average 'net suite. With this registry of information you can easily organize and manage your favorite sites to visit without the need to load separate clients for the specific task at hand. While I definitely like this approach, I think Netscape has already implemented it better with SmartMarks. Overall, I like the approach that NCD has taken with Mariner and its autopilot feature; whether or not this client can compete in the suddenly congested 'net suite market remains to be seen. Pros: Solid collection of apps, unique and useful Autopilot feature Cons: No single app stands out in terms of features, can't load concurrent documents New: Enhanced Autopilot, Windows 95 version, improved interface and speed, many bug fixes Version Reviewed: Win 3.x - 1.0AB. Win 95 - 1.0 Beta 1 Date of Review: 1/11/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud apps conference Main Menu