NETcetera II -- It's not every day that a gem is discovered amidst the debris that makes up a large portion of the 'net, which is why I was so surprised after finding a gem in a program called NETcetera. NETcetera is a fully integrated MDI (Multiple Document Interface) mail client that definitely merits checking out. NETcetera II (the newest version) currently integrates a strong Newsreader, a finger client, and a text editor with its mail application; future releases will integrate complete gopher, ftp, and telnet apps as well. NETcetera is well on its way towards becoming the consummate offline 'net suite, and if the additional clients are anything like the current mail and Newsreader apps, NETcetera could also become one of the best overall integrated 'net suites on the market. Currently, NETcetera II supports SMTP and POP3 email protocols with MIME 1.00 compliance and internal UUencoding/decoding features. NETCetera sports almost as many features as Pegasus Mail, including drag and drop maintenance, mailing list generation, address books, spell checking (with integrated text editor) and quick mail sorting (with more sorting options than even Pegasus Mail). Multiple users, mailing aliases, quick mail redirection, and kill facilities are additional features of NETcetera. The Newsreader also includes a solid array of features including a multitude of sorting options, an integrated spell checker, drag and drop, binary attachment viewing (although this feature could be made more effective and intuitive for New users), the multi-pane appearance common to the Agent Newsreader, search capabilities for articles, and thread/subject monitoring. With so many options and features, New users may have a difficult time initially acclimating to the interface, but NETcetera's overall power will be hard to overlook. One of the most intriguing aspects of NETcetera is its offline centricity -- all mail and news are read and composed offline; there's even a timer to help keep you aware of how long you're online when sending and receiving messages. Perhaps the best aspect of NETcetera is its support -- besides having one of the largest and most complete on-line help systems I've seen for a mail client, the authors of NETcetera guarantee a response by the next day for every message received requesting help! NETcetera does have a few drawbacks, however; the most noticeable of which is the cluttered desktop that can result on smaller (14") monitors. Also, NETcetera lacks the advanced filtering capabilities of Pegasus Mail. With both a freeware "Lite" client and a more feature-rich commercial version ($34.95) available, NETcetera II is an extremely solid combo of mail and news clients, is recommended for all users (especially those constantly searching for ways to reduce their online charges), and is an excellent deal for any user seeking the best in inexpensive but powerful 'net apps. Pros: Strong, feature-rich mail and news clients; soon to add telnet, ftp, archie, and web apps Cons: Lacks advanced filtering, cluttered desktop on small monitors, can be daunting for new users New: Right mouse button and full drag 'n' drop functionality added, News watch and more New options Version Reviewed: 2.50 Date of Review: 4/27/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud