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LANtastic 7.0

SystemSystem
edited February 26 in Product Comments
imageLANtastic 7.0

Lantastic is an easy to use, low cost networking system targeted at small networks and home users. It was very popular and highly rated in the early 1990s. Unlike most LAN networking software of the time, Lantastic required only installation and minimal, straightforward, configuration. Lantastic gives users the ability to share printers and files on a hard drive or CD-ROM. It is considered a "peer-to-peer" network, as there is no need for a dedicated server. Any computer may be configured as a server as well as a client. Lantastic was also very memory efficient, using minimal DOS memory in both workstation and sever modes, enabling users to run most popular DOS applications while Lantastic was running. Lantastic supported Ethernet, ARCNET and Token Ring networks. Artisoft also sold networking kits that included both network adapters and the Lantastic software. Lantastic was avaialble for DOS, Windows, and OS/2. At the time it competed against Novell Netware Lite, and many other small LAN oriented products.

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Comments

  • adlibadlib
    I'd never seen it before so, just to see what it was like, I downloaded Lantastic 7 and installed it on a virgin (ie one without networking installed) Win3.11 computer on VirtualBox. The only problem I had with the installation is that I had to copy a file (PCNTND.dos) directly from the AMD PCNet card floppy image to the installation directory (c:\lantasti). After that it booted successfully.
    Took me a while to realise that Netbeui was the default protocol (duh!). I installed Netbeui on an Nt4 server and shared c:\temp, and much to my surprise it immediately appeared in Lantastic on the Win311 computer and I could access files in the shared directory. There's supposed to be a way to get Lantastic to use TCP, but I can't find it.
    Can't see how it would've been much use even when it was new once Win311 had a decent TCP/IP stack, but it is an interesting addition to my virtual network.
  • 02k-guy02k-guy
    "and much to my surprise it immediately appeared in Lantastic on the Win311 computer .....Can't see how it would've been much use even when it was new once Win311 had a decent TCP/IP stack"

    You fairly well answered your own question, and let me add - context is everything.

    I would not be able to count all the 3-5 user networks I set up in the late 90s, using netbeui, DOS drivers, 8-bit network cards and starlan/10base on twisted pair/coax.

    At that time, computers were not disposable. Businesses kept their XT/AT class computers working right along side the later Pentium machines, but got tired of using sneaker-net.

    No router/switch/server needed or useable - plug the 8-bit cards in, crimp some connectors on TV rated coax and some T-connectors on the cards, load the DOS driver for each machine, and they were done.

    Where we had our computer store was in a suburban sprawl area north of Detroit, and it was overrun with doctor, lawyer, real estate offices - most all used WordStar or WordPerfect, and could squeeze a nickel until the buffalo groaned.

    Lantastic did an excellent job of marketing the "Network in a Box" concept - meaning selling their software and branded network cards on the same shelf.
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