QuickView Plus

HTML pages aren't the only type of files you'll discover during your forays through the Internet, but they are one of the few file types that a web browser can handle on its own. That's where the idea of plug-ins and helper applications come in. Unfortunately, though, these apps generally work with only one type of file, meaning that you'll need a separate client in order to view or print each type of word document, spreadsheet, database, presentation, graphic, or compressed file encountered on the 'net. Now imagine a single client with the ability to handle all of the above types of files and more -- over 200 file formats, in fact. Difficult to believe, but the aptly named QuickView Plus is like having the features and capabilities of hundreds of applications condensed into one super-deluxe application. This plug-in/helper application for Netscape and Internet Explorer is actually the commercial release of its younger sibling, the generic QuickView client that is included with Windows 95. QuickView Plus adds many features not found in the original client, and at the same time it provides support for a ton of file types not offered in the regular version. For only $49 you get an application that allows you to quickly view, print, or manage nearly any type of file from within your favorite web browser. Whether it's a Microsoft Word document, Lotus spreadsheet, Paradox database, Windows bitmap graphic, ZIP-compressed archive, or a lesser-known type of file, QuickView Plus can likely handle it. And if it's a file type not supported now, you can expect the soon-to-be-released version 4.0 to cover it when the likes of Novell Perfect Works 2.0, Novell Presentations 3.0, Freelance 96, LZA and LZH compression formats, Word Perfect 7, and Quattro Pro 7 will be supported for the first time. In addition to its web plug-in/helper application capabilities, QuickView Plus also integrates with the Windows Explorer and Microsoft Exchange in order to enable you to view files and attachments without having to launch their respective applications. In fact, you don't even need the application in order to get WYSIWYG viewing for the file from within QuickView Plus. The client also resides in the context menu of each file, giving you immediate access via QuickView. By far the best aspect of QuickView Plus is that it loads much quicker than its counterpart applications, which allows you to access important files faster than ever before. Still, the client isn't totally without its faults. You'll still need plug-ins for files not currently supported by QuickView Plus including Adobe Acrobat, Envoy, Shockwave, VRML, and sound formats. Although it doesn't handle every imaginable file format, QuickView Plus does cover a vast majority of the most commonly used file types. Couple that with outstanding access time and an equally impressive feature set and you get an app that you won't want to live without. Pros: Quickly views, prints, and manages more than 200 different types of files from within your web browser Cons: Lacks support for some newer formats like VRML, Adobe Acrobat, Envoy, Shockwave, etc. Version Reviewed: 3.03 Date of Review: 12/1/96 For the latest information on QuickView Plus, check out: http://www.stroud.com/95plugin.html#quickvw