Ziff Davis (ZD) publishes several excellent magazines for the personal computer user. I know because I have subscribed to a few of them for years. They also have one of the best web sites on the Internet for computer users at http://www.zdnet.com. Recently ZD held their 5^th Annual Shareware Awards and have published their winners at http://www.zdnet.com/swlib/zdawards/zdawards.html#Winners. Not only are just the winners listed here but all the runner-ups for each category are also listed. Below is a summary of the winners of each of the categories selected by PC Magazine. All of these files can be downloaded from the above link.

APPLICATIONS: NoteTab Pro, Eric G.V. Fookes NoteTab Pro is a powerful editing tool especially suited for programmers and web developers that can open multiple documents of up to 16MB each in their own tabbed window. NoteTab's Editor’s Clipbook tool lets you easily insert any kind of boilerplate text, such as HTML tags, glossaries, etc., into your documents. Many conversion functions are included, such as stripping HTML tags, changing text to HTML, sorting lines, converting between ASCII and ANSI, and changing case. Some features include the ability to open links or view documents in your web browser, search-and-replace text in all open documents or disk files, format outlines to organize notes, and calculate mathematical expressions. The evaluation edition is functional for approximately 30 days. Spell checking and thesaurus functionality are available once you register. Free to try; $19.95 if you decide to keep it.

DESKTOP ACCESSORIES: Judy’s TenKey, Judy’s Applications Judy’s TenKey Calculator is regular calculator, RPN, or ten key adding machine, that uses a tape that can be saved, printed, notated, and even edited. It’s very versatile with a good introductory demo of its many capabilities. It supports scientific notation, and can smoothly exchange data with other Windows applications. This versatile calculator can be nearly whatever type of calculator you need it to be at the time. Free to try; $19.95 if you decide to keep it.

BUSINESS: Power Utility Pak 97, JWalk & Associates Power Utility Pak 97 adds 31 general-purpose utilities, 40 custom worksheet functions, and enhanced shortcut menus to Microsoft Excel 97. Run Power97.xla only when you need the features or install it to the Excel add-in list. This shareware version gives you information and help for all of the features, but they are not all functional until you register. System Requirements: Microsoft Excel 97 and Windows 95. Free to try; $39.95 if you decide to keep it.

COMMUNICATIONS: WinProxy (Ositis), Ositis Software WinProxy lets you connect multiple computers on a LAN to the Internet through a single point. It runs on any Windows 95 or NT. The program walks you through setup step by step, providing guidance all the way. All Internet interactions are then seamlessly routed through the WinProxy server. Save money by using a single Internet account, modem, and dialup or leased line on one station for all Internet accesses. Free to try; $299 if you decide to keep it. (This is by far the most expensive shareware program I’ve seen!)

E-MAIL, NEWSREADERS, CHAT: ICQ (32-bit), Mirabilis Ltd. ICQ means "I-seek-you," And it's free! (And you know how I like free things.) ICQ lets you communicate directly (no IRC) with any other ICQ user on the Internet, either by direct messaging or in a text-based windowed interface for multi-person chat. ICQ has dozens of options such as file transfers and linking to audio/visual chat applications. It's simple, operates seamlessly and is well documented. And it’s FREE!

FILE UTILITIES: Turbo Browser 98, Pacific Gold Coast Corp. Turbo Browser 98 is a file-management replacement that mimics the Explorer interface but adds a viewing window. With support for dozens of file formats, it can convert, print, zip and unzip, and even encrypt files. The system is tightly integrated with Explorer’s options, plus offers all the conveniences, such as drag and drop, rename, cut, copy, paste, delete and more, and it makes the same right mouse menus available to you. Free to try; $69.95 if you decide to keep it.

GRAPHICS & MULTIMEDIA: Screen Saver Toolkit, Stardust Software The Stardust Screen Saver Toolkit can help you to build a professional-quality Windows 9x/NT screen-saver product without programming knowledge. It uses wizard interfaces to create a slideshow or presentation style screen-saver application. The system supports common image formats and .avi videos and includes an image conversion utility. Free to try; $249 if you decide to keep it. (Another expensive one!)

HTML EDITORS: HomeSite, Allaire Corp. Homesite was originally a highly functional non-WYSIWYG HTML editor. Now it has drag-and-drop WYSIWYG editing and an abundance of other features and functions and well-written help documentation, including sections on HTML tags and web page design. Free to try; $89 if you decide to keep it.

INTERNET UTILITIES: WS_FTP Professional, Ipswitch, Inc. WS_FTP Professional is a 32-bit Windows FTP client that provides two intuitive interfaces for easily transferring files and directory structures between FTP servers and your local computer: classic WS_FTP interface and a new Explorer-style interface similar to My Computer. You can group select multiple files and/or directories and transfer them in a single operation. Features include firewall support, UNIX permission switches, basic transfer logging, and a comprehensive logging option. Many display features can be customized. Also included is WS_FTP Pro Explorer, an extension for Windows Explorer that lets you transfer files via FTP. Full online help is provided. Free to try; $37.50 if you decide to keep it.

PROGRAMMING TOOLS: Setup Specialist 98 TG, Byte Software Setup Specialist offers a user-friendly visual development environment that does not require you to learn any script language; you set all options using a wizard-like graphical interface. Setup Specialist provides a training card feature that guides you through each step of creating your 32 or 16 bit setup program in English or in German. Each program you create features the typical Windows 95/98 Wizard. Setup Specialist supports selective installations, uninstall, creation of program groups, and Registry modifications. It can check for a variety of existing requirements -- including minimum display properties and CPU, Windows platform and version. Because it creates a single .exe file, you can easily distribute your applications through the Web, Internet, or even email. Finally, Setup Specialist supports many other features, such as billboards, checking for an expiration date, and efficient data compression. Free to try; $89 if you decide to keep it.

SYSTEM UTILITIES: Take Command/32, JP Software Take Command/32 brings the power and convenience of the popular 4DOS Command.com replacement to the Windows desktop. If you're a diehard command prompt user, you'll find this utility useful for performing tasks such as managing your hard disk, scripting a series of steps with a batch file or alias, or starting programs. The program's many features make it well worth a look by anyone who frequently uses the DOS command line from within Windows. You can try it out for 21 days before registering. Free to try; $69.95 if you decide to keep it.

WEB DEVELOPMENT: GDIdb, Global Data Industries GDIdb is a tool for anyone who needs to create, manage, and present an ODBC database or spreadsheet on a web site. It works from your local PC, with an intuitive, dockable toolbar environment for generating operational scripts containing all the necessary HTML to transform an existing database into a fully functional "data server." The only requirements are the data source and a dial-up connection to your web site. GDIdb even includes a built-in FTP interface and transfer-progress indicator for automatic publication and management of your new pages. You can evaluate this well-documented trial version for 30 days. A sample MS Access database is included. Free to try; $38 if you decide to keep it.