Traveling Software's Laplink Upgrade Powerful, Easy To Use

It's been seven years since then little-known Traveling Software Inc. in Bothell issued LapLink and changed the face of remote computing.

Now LapLink V is out - a powerful upgrade that also is much easier to use (the two seldom go hand-in-hand). At a time when computer users are doing more work at different sites involving more than one computer, LapLink V promises to make life easier in the same magnitude its original ancestor did.

With corporate America downsizing to PCs from mainframe or miniframe computers, the ability to access the office desktop from another site is increasingly attractive.

If you access office files regularly from on the road, if you work in groups where files are being updated and changed constantly, or if you simply want to maintain file consistency between your desktop computer and home or traveling unit, LapLink V does the job efficiently and thoroughly.

It also comes in handy for "cloning" your hard disk from one computer to another. Network managers setting up many computers with uniform file structures may find LapLink handy as well.

The original LapLink was a bare-bones DOS utility that solved the strategic issue of moving files between laptop and desktop PCs. When it came out, laptops either lacked floppy disk drives or had 3 1/2-inchers, then the newer format. Most desktops had 5 1/4-inch drives of varying density, which could make it just as hard to swap files from desktop to desktop as from laptop to desktop.

LapLink solved all that by enabling a serial-cable connection between two computers. The ensuing split-screen display showed the "home" computer on one side and the remote unit on the other.

You could copy, delete, move and otherwise manipulate files between the two units - one by one or in groups. Most impressively, LapLink was blazingly fast, 115,200 bits per second. At the time, standard modem communication was 1,200 bps. Even today, 9,600 or 14,400 bps is considered fleet.

LapLink made Traveling Software a household name, although its reputation was embellished by its redoubtable chief executive, an inventive globe-trotter named Mark Eppley. Eppley likes to hand out hard hats for plant tours that include a skateboard hallway and training room for mountain climbing and other nonbinary activities.

He has co-written a new book, "HotLinks," describing a incredible universe of computer communications, including wireless technology (Osborne/McGraw Hill, $29.95).

LapLink V brings several new treats to the table, including better Windows compatibility, a more refined Windows-like interface, the ability to tie into office networks remotely, and SmartXchange, its term for exchanging, updating and backing up files between computers.

It's all done by a base program of 269 kilobytes (the whole installation comes on a single disk) - still lean and mean for roadworthy PCs with limited storage space. It also makes installation a snap, with the thoughtful touch of an on-screen display of Traveling Software's help hotline.

LapLink V prompts you to name your base computer (e.g., Phil or Amanda), another thoughtful solution (older versions merely listed "Local" and "Remote," and it was hard to remember which was which when both were in the same room).

You can even install LapLink V remotely. Instructions are clear and easy. In fact, one of LapLink's strengths is the straightforwardness of its on-screen instructions and its manual. Coming on the heels of a two-day wrestling match with a VCR manual, LapLink's booklet was like reading Elmore Leonard's latest.

With LapLink you can access the office directory through your desktop computer. The program allows three levels of security, including a user list, each with his or her own password and drive/directory protocols.

Because the program can transfer files peer-to-peer over Novell NetWare (versions 2.2 and 3.11 are supported), LapLink may prove useful to information-systems directors needing to distribute large volumes of data or new versions of software (at 8 megabytes a minute) - without taking up server space.

Under SmartXchange, you can synchronize, refresh or even "clone" files or disks. Synchronize makes two directories identical, refresh copies newer versions of files from source to target drives, and clone simply places an entire drive on a target drive - extremely helpful for users upgrading to a new computer.

Anticipating inevitable human error, LapLink V has numerous safeguards to prevent overwriting key files. For instance, the clone feature will not let you copy a boot drive onto another boot drive with a different DOS version. (But cloning does erase existing files and you may want to keep a bootable disk with AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files from the target drive.)

LapLink V also includes a powerful Scheduling feature that lets you transfer files at any time or date - even nightly. This would enable you to keep computers at home and work consistent on a daily basis, e.g., having new files you worked on that day waiting for you after dinner at home.

There's a new Recorder feature as well. You can set up command sequences for repetitive tasks, for instance, dialing into a remote computer and updating certain files automatically.

The new features give LapLink V a solid, sensible feel, but its ease of use may be its strongest recommendation. When two computers need to talk, LapLink V is the next best thing to the telephone.

Tip of the week

You're out of the office and need to access your PC, which you turned off before leaving. With Remote Power On/Off (Server Technology, $169, 1-800-343-8080), you can switch the office unit on with just a phone call. (Please put queries in writing to User Friendly, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle 98111. Paul Andrews can be reached at CompuServe 76050,161 or via fax at 382-8879.)

User Friendly appears Tuesdays in The Seattle Times. Paul Andrews is a member of The Times staff.