ST Report: 28-Nov-97 #1347
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 12/11/97-09:36:07 AM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 28-Nov-97 #1347
Date: Thu Dec 11 09:36:07 1997
Silicon Times Report
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November 28, 1997 No.1347
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11/28/97 STR 1347 Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary 1987-97!
- CPU Industry Report - RSI "EYED" - UltraEdit Story
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New Site to Fight Net Hate
Forbes Says Hack Cost $100K
Justice Discloses Microsoft File
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>From the Editor's Desk...
Editorials are used for many things. But mostly for sounding off
about various issues, good or bad, that the author feels a need to address.
In the past few weeks we've pointed out the rise of Neo-Nazis. I must
admit I become very intense when I encounter such trash. They have no
place on the face of the earth. Not now, not ever. With that said, its
now time to move on.
With Thanksgiving only yesterday, I still feel the Holiday Spirit.
Although after having read about the actions of The City of Plymouth Mass
against a group of American Indians protesting the treatment of the Indian,
I darn near lost the feeling. Will the "Control Freaks" of this world ever
calm down? I doubt it. What really needs to be done is for the level
headed thinkers (my, my but there is a dying breed) to actively run and
gain the political positions these "Freaks" now hold. Whatever became of
the basic belief of; "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself?"
Nowadays, it appears its "Do unto others first!" Shame on you Plymouth!
Shame!
Christmas and Chanukah are fast approaching. I wonder if everyone
who's looking forward to these wonderful Holidays will embrace the true
spirit of the Holidays. that being to care for one another and especially
look after the less fortunate. When one considers that there are people in
this country who have the means and will go out and drop eighteen million
or more for a private yacht while less than say, three hundred yards away
under a bridge abutment there may live three or four homeless souls. Sure
the person "earned" the bux. well maybe. But one thing is clear in this
country, the person can rest easy that their fortune will remain theirs.
Still. its disturbing to see such opposites. The point is. that if each of
us were to drop off at, say the Salvation Army, a coupla cans of food each
week between now and the close of the holidays.. I cannot begin to imagine
how many hapless souls, men, women and children would be saved from going
hungry. Give it a try! It'll make you feel good and those in need feel
good too!
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Machado Jury Saw Counseling Need
Jurors who deadlocked in the first federal hate crimes case to involve the
Internet have told reporters they felt the 20-year-old California defendant
needed mental health counseling rather than jail time. As reported, the
case against Richard Machado, accused of sending threatening electronic
mail messages via the Internet to Asian students at a southern California
university, ended in a mistrial because the jury could need agree on a
verdict.
Machado was prosecuted under a 1960s-era law that makes it illegal to use
race as a basis for interfering with an individual's attendance at a public
university, which is a federally protected activity. United Press
International reports the jurors in the U.S. District Court of Appeals
trial appear to have been deadlocked 9-3 in favor of acquittal, after
saying they could not agree on whether Machado had a criminal intent in
mind when he sent the messages.
Adds the wire service, "Most jurors said later they believed Machado's
claim that he had been disturbed by the recent murder of his brother and
his own expulsion from the university when he sent the threatening
messages. He called the incident 'a prank.'" Meanwhile, Juror Jack Butler
told The Orange County Register, "There was a lot of feeling that this was
something that should have been settled at the university level."
Even two of the jurors who voted to convict Machado said they hope the
government does not prosecute him again because he seemed to need "love and
care." Look for the U.S. Attorney's Office to announce by Dec. 1 whether
to try the case again. UPI notes Machado's federal defender asked the
judge to send his client to the federal detention facility in Los Angeles
so he could receive psychological counseling. Machado is on medication for
his problems, UPI adds.
Net Hate Case Ends in Mistrial
The federal case against Richard Machado, accused of sending threatening
electronic mail messages via the Internet to Asian students at a southern
California university, has ended in a mistrial. U.S. District Court Judge
Alicemarie Stotler took the action late yesterday in Santa Ana, south of
Los Angeles, after the jury said it was deadlocked. the Reuter News Service
says it is not known if Machado will be re-tried.
The 19-year-old Machado, a naturalized U.S. citizen from El Salvador, was
charged with 10 counts of violating a federal law that makes it a crime to
use race, ethnicity or nationality to interfere with a federally-protected
activity -- in this case, attending school. Reuters says in this -- the
first such case brought under the federal hate crimes legislation --
Machado was alleged to have sent threatening e-mail messages last year to
Asian students at the University of California, Irvine. The former student
allegedly blamed Asians for campus crime and threatened to "hunt down and
kill" them.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mavis Lee said during the trial that Machado
threatened to kill 59 people "solely because of their race, the color of
their skin and their nationality." She called his e-mail message "hateful,
repugnant, degrading and terrifying." Machado's court-appointed defense
attorney contended the suspect had been bored and sent the message to
provoke a response, but had no intention of carrying out his threat.
E-Mail Threat to Hillary Alleged
Charges have been brought against two 13-year-old Cordova, Tennessee, boys
alleged to have sent a threatening e-mail message over the Internet to
First Lady Hillary Clinton. The Associated Press says contents of the
electronic mail to the first lady haven't been released, but U.S. Secret
Service agents are expected to outline them during a hearing this week in
Juvenile Court. The unidentified youths, charged with threatening and
harassing Mrs. Clinton, could face a fine, counseling, community service or
detention. Officials told the wire service it is unlikely that the
president's wife read the message, which was sent last month.
Net Porn Conviction Upheld
The pornography conviction of a Los Angeles man has been upheld by a
federal court of appeals which ruled computer image files count under the
federal child pornography statute. Reporting from San Francisco, United
Press International says the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
graphic .GIF image files qualify as 'visual depictions' under the statute,
along with undeveloped film and videotape.
Mark Stuart Hockings was found guilty of pornography charges prior to 1996,
"when the definition of the statute was expanded to include data stored on
computer disk or by electronic means," UPI notes. He was convicted of
possessing eight computer files containing visual depictions of child
pornography and transporting 16 depictions in interstate commerce. "On
appeal," says UPI, "he claimed the computer GIF files from which
pornographic images could be retrieved are not 'visual depictions.'"
However, Judge Donald Molloy wrote in yesterday's ruling, "It leads to an
absurdity to find that Congress intended to outlaw the transportation of
pornographic visual depictions of children by computer, yet conclude that
Congress did not intend to include GIF files within the definition of
visual depiction." In a 1986 case, United States v. Smith, the court
rejected claims that "unprocessed, undeveloped film does not constitute a
'visual depiction'" within the statute, UPI adds.
New Site to Fight Net Hate
Teaming with a regional Bell telephone company, the nation's largest civil
rights coalition is responding to President Clinton's call to fight hate
crime by creating a site on the Internet's World Wide Web to challenge Net
hate speech. The site (http://www.civilrights.org) was created by the
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and will be maintained for two years
with a $100,000 contribution from Bell Atlantic, says Associated Press
writer John D. McClain.
LCCR Director Wade Henderson told the wire service the idea to create a Web
site was triggered by a proliferation of Internet hate speech by groups
such as the Ku Klux Klan and White Aryan Resistance. And, calling the new
site "an antidote for poison," Bell Atlantic Chairman Ray Smith cited a
study by the Anti-Defamation League showing the number of hate sites on the
Internet has doubled to 250 in the past year, adding the idea is to
"counter the frightening espousal of hatred and violence against Americans
because of their race, gender, religious or sexual orientation."
Henderson said there also is concern for the First Amendment protection of
free speech, adding, "This Web site will respond to hate with information
and competing ideas without seeking to restrict Internet speech." Says
McClain, "In addition to providing information on hate crimes around the
country, the site will explain various strategies to address those crimes
and offer materials for young people, parents and teachers to encourage
diversity."
Clinton Urged to Veto Net Bill
President Clinton is being urged by a group of leading U.S. scientists to
veto a bill that would impose criminal penalties on copyright violators who
do not profit from their actions. Passed earlier this month by both houses
of Congress, the bill would inadvertently criminalize many scientific
publications available over the Internet, says the Association for
Computing's U.S. Public Policy Committee in a letter to Clinton.
Group chair Barbara Simons says in the letter, "This legislation was
hurried through Congress, was poorly drafted, and is likely to have many
unintended consequences." The Reuter News Service notes that under current
law, copyright violators cannot be charged with criminal misconduct unless
they profited from the violations. "If the 'No Electronic Theft Act' became
law," says the wire service, "a person who 'willfully' infringed on
copyrighted material worth at least $1,000 could be subject to criminal
prosecution even if they made no profit."
Reuters adds that software publishers and the entertainment industry pushed
for the legislation as a means of curbing what they described as rampant
pirating of computer programs, musical recordings and other materials on
the Internet. However, the science group says scientists who have research
published in a journal could run afoul of the proposed law if they posted
the same materials on the Internet for peer review. Says the letter, "It
is likely that many institutions will mandate that all copyrighted
documents be removed from the net to avoid having to defend copyright
infringement prosecutions."
Microsoft Launches Web News Site
A computer-focused Web site -- with news from CNET Inc. and Ziff-Davis and
a database of more than 14,000 resellers around the world -- has been
launched by Microsoft Corp. Computing Central
(http://www.computingcentral.msn .com) "represents the latest effort by the
software giant's Microsoft Network online service to create major 'portal'
Web sites free to anyone with Internet access instead of requiring paid MSN
membership," comments reporter Martin Wolk of the Reuter News Service.
Wolk notes the site currently is available in "preview" mode while more
content is added and any glitches are smoothed out over the next several
months. Some 27 forums on computing are featured, "most of which formerly
were reserved for MSN's more than 2.3 million paying subscribers," Wolk
says. Microsoft itself is backing away from original reporting of computer
news, choosing instead to focus its resources on the forums and other
features that build community, senior producer Liz Longsworth said. The
database, provided by TechnologyNet Inc., allows users in 83 countries to
find the computer dealer or reseller nearest to them based on area or
postal code. Another partner is Quarterdeck Corp., which provides an online
computer tune-up service.
Justice Discloses Microsoft File
Turning up the heat in its antitrust suit against Microsoft Corp., the U.S.
Justice Department has disclosed an internal company document that it says
bolsters its case that Microsoft uses its Windows monopoly to push its
Internet software. Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning,
reporter John R. Wilke says the document -- a Dec. 20 electronic mail from
James Allchin, a Microsoft senior vice president -- discusses the company's
strategy for overtaking Netscape Communications Inc.'s Internet software,
saying, "The current path is simply to copy everything Netscape does. ...
My conclusion is we must leverage Windows more."
Allchin wrote that treating it as a separate product "is losing our biggest
advantage, Windows market share" and that "we should think first about an
integrated solution." Wilke comments the email "goes to the heart of the
Justice Department's case," which alleges Microsoft illegally requires
computer makers that buy its Windows operating software to take its
Explorer Internet software as well. As reported, Microsoft argues Windows
and Explorer are integrated into one product.
However, says the Journal, "the document shows that less than a year ago,
executives were still talking about combining the two products. ... The
email makes clear the real reason Microsoft requires computer makers to
install Explorer with Windows, the Justice Department said." In court
papers filed yesterday, the Justice Department contends the Redmond,
Washington, software giant's action have "nothing to do with updating
Microsoft's operating system" or integrating new functions. "Rather, it is
intended to allow Microsoft to use the leverage of Windows to "increase
distribution of Explorer" and win the Internet browser war.
The filing submitted in U.S. District Court last night was the government's
formal response to Microsoft's brief two weeks ago urging the court to
throw out the Justice Department's complaint. As noted, the department
charged last month that Microsoft had violated a 1995 order that settled
earlier antitrust charges; part of the settlement barred Microsoft from
tying sales of Windows to other products.
Meanwhile, Microsoft spokesman Mark Murray told the paper the 1995 consent
decree "specifically allows Microsoft to develop integrated products, and
Internet Explorer has been apart of Windows 95 since the very first version
was shipped to computer manufacturers in July 1995." Saying this is "very
clearcut" and the Justice Department knows it, Murray added, "Integrating
Internet technologies into the operating system is good for consumers and
for independent software developers building applications." He said the
government is misreading Mr. Allchin's e-mail and "the fact that one person
at Microsoft believes integration should have been done in a different way
does not mean it wasn't already integrated."
Forbes Says Hack Cost $100K
A temporary-worker computer technician has been charged with invading and
crashing the computer system of Forbes Inc., the publisher of Forbes
magazine, in an incident the company says cost it more than $100,000. A
criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York and unsealed today
alleges George Mario Parente of Howard Beach Queens NY, whom Forbes had
fired, erased data from Forbes' internal network, causing five of the
company's eight file servers to crash.
Writing for the Dow Jones news service, reporter Michael Rapoport says,
"The sabotage left hundreds of Forbes employees unable to use
server-related applications for a full day and caused many employees to
lose a day's worth of data, according to the complaint." A Forbes
spokeswoman confirmed "an act of technological sabotage" occurred at the
company shortly after Parente was fired. Forbes contacted the FBI, whose
investigation led to Parente's arrest, she added, but referred further
questions to the U.S. Attorney's office in New York.
The complaint says Forbes hired Parente through a Boston consulting service
for a six-month period, but fired him April 18 after only two months for
alleged unprofessional behavior. The break-in occurred three days later.
"Parente denied any involvement in the incident, and his own account on the
Forbes system had been disabled when he was fired," Rapoport writes, "but
he may have used the account name and password of another employee to get
into the system, according to the complaint."
The complaint alleges that when authorities searched Parente's residence,
"they found sensitive Forbes business information, including the 1997
budget for Forbes' information technology department and a series of memos
from a senior manager to a Forbes vice president about network problems and
personnel problems," the wire service adds.
Juno Sues Alleged Spamsters
Internet e-mail provider Juno Online Services is suing five companies it
claims forged its e-mail addresses onto unsolicited commercial e-mail
messages that were actually sent through a different e-mail provider. The
lawsuit charges the five defendants with sending tens of thousands of
pieces of unsolicited "spam" messages bearing forged return addresses that
falsely identified Juno e-mail accounts as the source of the spam. "The
practice of spamming is universally reviled," says Charles Ardai, president
of Juno, which is based in New York. "Spammers insert fake return addresses
in their bulk e-mail solicitations in order to disguise their identity and
to deflect the thousands of angry complaints a single piece of spam can
provoke onto an innocent third party."
Juno's suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
York, seeks $1 million in punitive damages against Strippers, Inc. of
Beverly Hills, California; IMS of Knoxville, Tennessee; Phoenix Interactive
of Hermosa Beach, California; Global Information Services of Clearwater,
Florida; and Scott Allen Export Sales of Somerset, New Jersey. In its
complaint, Juno says it is seeking financial compensation from the
defendants for damage to its reputation, fraud and trademark infringement.
The suit also asks the court for preliminary and permanent injunctions
against the firms.
Microsoft Settles Piracy Lawsuit
Microsoft Corp. has settled a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit
filed against Able Computer Systems Inc., a computer system builder and
reseller of computer software based in Kirkland, Washington. The
settlement follows the filing last July of a lawsuit in U.S. District Court
in the Western District of Washington and is the result of an investigation
launched by Microsoft following customer complaints received on its
anti-piracy hot line.
In the lawsuit Microsoft alleged that Able distributed counterfeit copies
of Microsoft software products, including Windows 95 and Office 97
Professional Edition, and various Microsoft hardware products. In the
settlement, Able agreed to pay Microsoft $50,000. The deal also requires
Able to notify customers that they may have received counterfeit product
and should contact Able or the Microsoft anti-piracy hot line for possible
replacement. This is the first time a Washington-based company has agreed
to replace counterfeit products as part of a settlement agreement, notes
Microsoft.
The case is similar to several other civil cases Microsoft has brought
recently against North American resellers for unauthorized distribution of
Microsoft software. In September, the company filed lawsuits against eight
Los Angeles-area computer resellers, charging copyright and trademark
infringement and alleged distribution of counterfeit Microsoft products.
"We launched this nationwide campaign specifically to confront resellers
who distribute counterfeit software products," says Brian McEachron, a
Microsoft corporate attorney. "This case illustrates that counterfeit
software is a huge problem, even in Microsoft's own back yard."
Repetitive Stress Injuries Eyed
Repetitive stress injuries are unique and they must be treated specially
under the law, New York's highest state court ruled today. In a unanimous
decision that carved out a new category of injury, the state Court of
Appeals also said people who blame hand, arm and neck problems on use of
computer keyboard have a right to more time for filing lawsuits.
Associated Press writer Joel Stashenko, reporting from Albany, N.Y., quotes
the ruling as saying people with RSI-related problems deserve either three
years to sue computer equipment manufacturers from the time their symptoms
appear or from the last time they used an allegedly injury-causing
keyboard, whichever is earlier.
Stashenko says the ruling overturns a narrower lower court determination
that said such lawsuits had to be filed within three years of the first
time a person used the allegedly offending keyboard, no matter when the
symptoms appear. Judge Richard Wesley wrote for the Court of Appeals that
the narrower standard was unrealistic, adding, "It would be absurd to argue
that a person who simply touches a keyboard sustains the type of trauma
that will eventually lead to RSI." However, rejected in today's ruling was
the argument that the state's "toxic torts" law -- which opens up special
windows in the state's three-year statute of limitations for people to sue
for long-ago exposure to toxic substances such as asbestos -- also should
apply to people otherwise barred from filing for keyboard injuries.
Wesley found, "A keyboard is obviously not an inherently toxic or dangerous
substance, and exposure to a keyboard is not a `wrongful invasion' in the
same sense as is exposure to a toxic substance." Therefore, a new category
had to be established to fit the special nature of keyboard injuries, he
wrote. More than 90 people brought the suit against some of the nation's
leading computer equipment makers, including IBM, Apple, Unisys, Honeywell,
Digital, Compaq, Dell and KeyTronic. AP says today's ruling sends the
cases back to the Supreme Court level for trial.
GTE and IriScan Bring Iris Recognition to E-Commerce
With New Iris Certificate Security Standard
Risk-Free Transactions Possible with IrisCode(TM)-bearing Digital
Certificates
IriScan, Inc. -- the exclusive owner and developer of iris recognition
technology for automated biometric identification -- and GTE are beginning
a collaborative process to bring iris recognition technology into the world
of cyberspace. This unprecedented partnership will introduce the potential
for fraudproof electronic commerce by combining GTE's proprietary digital
biometric certificates with IriScan technology to create the electronic
commerce equivalent of legal tender. In essence, transactions will be
biometrically secured, protected, and guaranteed from end-to-end -- both
sender and receiver will be verified and confirmed by their IrisCodes(TM)
before the transaction will be completed. The process combines digital
certificates and biometrics to dramatically reduce fraud, cut costs, and
increase confidence in doing business electronically. The new opportunity
is called Iris Certificate Security (ICS); GTE and IriScan plan to
prototype the Iris Certificate Security in the first quarter of 1998.
"One of the obstacles to the growth of electronic commerce -- especially on
the Internet -- is confidence: A legitimate concern by business and
consumers alike is that transactions are not completely private and that
buying over a network can be risky because of hackers," said Clyde
Musgrave, of GTE's Strategic Development Staff. "We are answering this
concern with unique personal identification of buyer and seller through the
iris, coupling it tightly with public keys and encryption of digital
certificates."
When the iris recognition process is "bound" to the digital certificate,
the entire value of the transaction may be fully insured by underwriters.
These "biometric certificates" have the potential to dramatically change
the way we do business electronically -- whether making a credit card
purchase over the Internet, trading stocks and bonds, sending proprietary
information through e-mail, or executing a wire transfer of money or other
assets -- and also significantly decrease the millions of dollars that are
lost through fraud from impostors and hackers.
GTE and IriScan anticipate global introduction of the combined technology
in cooperation with strategic partners in the information and
telecommunications industries in the U.S. as well as in Europe and Asia.
Recent independent testing of IriScan technology by British
Telecommunications (BT) in the U.K. and NTT Data in Japan -- along with a
product co-development agreement with LG Electronics of Korea -- are
expected to accelerate this process. Earlier IriScan technology licenses
to Sensar, Inc. and OKI Electric Industries of Japan that focus on the
banking industry are also an important aspect of the global use of iris
recognition. IriScan anticipates that the Iris Certificate Security
program will be open and flexible, allowing additional players in the
electronic commerce arena to participate.
The adoption of iris recognition technology into the world of cyberspace
and electronic commerce will evolve into related areas as well. "The
Internet is the key," remarked John E. Siedlarz, President & CEO of
IriScan, Inc. "With the insecurity of PINs, codes, and passwords becoming
more evident, the marketplace is ready for the most capable biometric --
specifically iris recognition -- to confirm the authenticity of the person
(or persons) participating in an exchange. These exchanges include credit
card transactions, ATMs, computer banking, telecommunication services,
database security, social services benefits, and healthcare and medical
records." GTE's Musgrave also emphasized the individual privacy protection
offered by the new certification process: Access to private data -- which
is protected by an IrisCode(TM) -- must include the voluntary participation
of the enrolled and rightful owner of that information.
Terms of the deal with privately held IriScan were not disclosed, but the
monetary and resource commitment planned by GTE was said to be "very
significant."
Wireless Turf Battles Seen
Turf battles among cellular, Personal Communication Services (PCS) and
Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio (ESMR) operators have driven per-minute
wireless user charges down by more than a third in some areas of the
country, according to a study issued by Paul Kagan Associates Inc., a
market research firm based in Carmel, California. Many wireless carriers
in metropolitan areas where multiple cellular and PCS carriers have faced
off for at least nine months have drastically cut rates, notes the study.
In 29 fully competitive PCS-cellular markets surveyed in December 1996 and
again in September 1997, the average cost-per-minute for low-, moderate-
and heavy-usage mobile wireless service fell 6 percent.
According to the study, one Milwaukee operator sliced per-minute charges by
43 percent. In New York, another cropped rates by 33 percent and in
Jacksonville, Florida, two rivals cut their low-usage plans by 28 percent
and 35 percent, respectively. "PCS operators, as well as Nextel with its
ESMR web, are pushing the edge of the envelope, and cellular carriers must
counter PCS moves or risk unacceptably high churn," says Sharon Armbrust, a
senior analyst at Paul Kagan Associates. "The good news is aggressive ad
campaigns and heated price competition are growing the pie for all."
Microsoft Ending Santa Cruz Feud
To end a dispute before the European Commission, Microsoft Corp. is
dropping provisions of a contract that rival software publisher Santa Cruz
Operation Inc. said hurt its ability to compete. Writing in The Wall
Street Journal this morning, reporter Don Clark says Microsoft will release
SCO from provisions of a 1987 contract that required SCO to include
Microsoft code in future versions of its Unix operating system and pay
royalties whether or not it used that code.
"SCO privately complained about the provisions to EC regulators in
January," Clark reports. "The commission in May issued objections to the
contract terms on grounds that they violated European laws governing
competition. The EC is expected to announce Microsoft's action today,
closing a proceeding that hadn't been disclosed before." The Journal says
Microsoft's concessions won't have much financial impact, "but the affair
illustrates how U.S. companies can use Europe's regulatory apparatus to
gain leverage against other American competitors."
Clark says SCO also complained about the contract to the Justice
Department, which is studying several aspects of Microsoft's business
practices, however the EC regulatory division called Directorate-General IV
offered the prospect of quicker action. The concessions will allow SCO to
create a new version of Unix without adding Microsoft technology that SCO
contends serves no useful function.
SCO now is obligated to pay Microsoft about $15 per copy on current Unix
products, and royalty payments totaled about $4 million, or eight cents a
share, in SCO's fiscal year ended Sept. 30. Microsoft contends SCO was
trying to evade an obligation to pay royalties for Microsoft code embedded
in the Unix software, but Microsoft attorney Bradford Smith said his client
agreed to waive the disputed contract provisions after it devised a way to
do so while preserving rights to that intellectual property.
Hyundai Adds New Monitors
Hyundai Electronics America has added new 15- and 17-inch color monitors to
its DeluxScan line. The $250 DeluxScan 5870 is a 15-inch Windows 95
plug-and-play-compatible multiscanning monitor that provides a 1,280- by
1,024-pixel maximum resolution and a .28 dot pitch. The $599 DeluxScan 17S
offers a 1,600- by 1,280-pixel maximum resolution, a .26mm dot pitch and
82kHz operation.
Both models feature digital on-screen controls that allow users to
customize their monitor by adjusting color intensity, display image
saturation and image geometrics to personal preferences. Users can also
select from 5 different languages (English, French, German, Italian or
Spanish). "We are constantly upgrading the features of our DeluxScan
monitors to offer users the latest technological improvements," says
Charles Root, vice president of sales and marketing for Hyundai Electronics
America's monitor division, which is based in San Jose, California.
Hyundai says the new displays meet or exceed worldwide regulations for
safety, EMI and design, and are manufactured under ISO9000 certification.
Hyundai offers a 30-day money back guarantee; a 3-year warranty on parts,
labor and CRT; and free unlimited technical support. Additional details are
available on the Web at www.hyundai-monitors.com/.
Toshiba Drops Infinia Line
Toshiba America will discontinue selling the year-old Infinia
consumer-desktop personal computer when it sells its remaining inventory.
In explaining the move, trade publication CMP's Computer Retail Week says
officials of the company, a unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp., cited a
"dramatically changed" market, especially with the predominance of PCs
priced below $1,000.
Also, says the Reuter News Service, "Several critical miscalculations and a
disturbing drop in market share for Toshiba's core notebook-computer
products made Infinia's demise inevitable." CMP says the firm intends to
remain in the desktop market, but only on the commercial enterprise side.
Toshiba Vice President Ron Crocco told the publication, "We found that
basically the market has changed dramatically over the last year. Sales of
sub-$1,000 PC sales grew by leaps and bounds and caused us to look at what
we are going to do in this space."
Stanford Gets Apple Memorabilia
Thousands of pieces of memorabilia and artifacts that chronicle the unique
21-year history of Apple Computer Inc. have been acquired by Stanford
University. Reporting from Palo Alto, California, the Reuter News Service
quotes Henry Lowood, library curator for the history of science and
technology collection at Stanford, as saying Apple made a gift to the
university of its museum and historical collections, which filled about
2,000 boxes.
The documents, hardware, software and other items illustrate the culture
and history of the iconoclastic company that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
started in a garage in 1976, Reuters. Although Lowood has looked at only
about one percent of the collection, "the nature of the items ranged from
rare to quirky to cheeky," says Reuters. Lowood said an Apple I computer
and prototypes for several other computers that never made it to the
production line were among the more uncommon items.
Adds Lowood, "It's really a longitudinal picture of Apple from its
lifetime. From what I've learned through my contacts at Apple, they were
very interested in doing something with this collection because it just
seemed like the stuff was in danger from sitting around in storage." He
said he and his colleagues will spend the next 12 months sifting through
the collection and drawing up a detailed inventory to facilitate future
research.
'Wizards and Their Wonders: Portraits In Computing'
Offers Intimate Portraits and Profiles of Computer Visionaries
New Book Complements the 'Wizards and Their Wonders' Exhibit
Now on View at The Computer Museum
"Wizards and Their Wonders: Portraits In Computing," by Christopher
Morgan, offers a rare view inside the Information Revolution. The new
book, featuring nearly 200 intimate color portraits taken by Louis Fabian
Bachrach III, contains informative profiles of the engineers,
entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, communicators, and politicians
responsible for the course of the computer industry. The book is
co-published by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and The
Computer Museum and was designed by Gill Fishman Associates of Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
"Wizards and Their Wonders, Portraits In Computing" complements the exhibit
of the same name now showing at The Computer Museum in Boston,
Massachusetts through May 31, 1998. The Wizards project (book plus
exhibit) is the first-ever attempt to chronicle this extraordinary group of
innovators at the prime of the technology revolution.
The book is priced at $49.95 (ISBN 0-89791-960-2) and is available from the
ACM (800-342-6626; http://www.acm.org/catalog; e-mail: orders@acm.org) or
The Computer Museum Store (617-426-2800, ext. 307;
http://www.tcm.org/store; e-mail: store@tcm.org). Further information is
available at http://www.tcm.org/info/exhibits/wizards.html.
"Wizards and Their Wonders: Portraits In Computing" features specially
commissioned color portraits taken by noted photographer Louis Fabian
Bachrach III and an introduction by author and television personality James
Burke. The book and exhibit focus on the human side of computing, offering
an "insider's look" at the people driving the Information Revolution. A
panel of National Medal of Technology recipients, as well as other industry
award winners selected the wizards.
These are the people who sparked and drove the explosive growth of an
entire industry. Yet, while people know who invented the telephone, rarely
do they know who invented the microprocessor. In presenting many wizards'
portraits with their inventions, the book and exhibit provide a rare
educational opportunity for the public to learn about visionaries and
inventors, while many are still innovating," said Alfred R. Berkeley III,
president, The Nasdaq Stock Market, the first electronic-based and fastest
growing market ever created.
"The contributions of the nearly 200 wizards in the book and the exhibit
are indisputable, from the mouse and the microprocessor, to applications
software and the Internet," said Charles House, president of the ACM.
"Their vision has influenced today's commerce, culture and community."
Many of the people depicted are familiar; others may surprise even
'insiders.' Names like Bill Gates -- known the world over -- are
juxtaposed with other important names more familiar to 'insiders' and
aficionados. Nine of the 'wizards' have received the ACM's coveted Turing
Award.
"Both the book and exhibit capture a revolution in progress," said Gwen
Bell, founding president, The Computer Museum. "With the unprecedented
pace of innovation, many of the key figures are still alive and setting the
industry's course. We seized this opportunity to stop time and create a
legacy for the future -- a core part of the Museum's mission." 'Wizards'
was the brainchild of Bell and Bachrach.
The book features photographs of the actual inventions of some of the
pioneers. Artifacts include the Xerox PARC Alto, the first computer with a
mouse and windows, and a front panel from an IBM 360 computer, the most
popular family of computers ever developed. Other highlights include
Federico Faggin's prototype of the Busicom Desktop Calculator using the
first microprocessor, Intel's 4004 chip, and a prototype of the Macintosh
computer. The exhibit was generously underwritten by the international
investment banking and securities firm of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Net Part of Thanksgiving Address
Think the Internet's not pervading all of American life? It's now even
cropping up in the president's traditional Thanksgiving address. After the
usual references to Pilgrims and Native Americans coming together through
the rough Massachusetts winter, President Clinton yesterday brought the
story up to date, saying, "Our children are growing up free from the
shadows of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear holocaust" and "nations
once held captive by communism are learning the lessons of liberty and
democracy." Then, according to United Press International, Clinton
referred to the Internet, saying, "A revolution in technology has brought
the world closer together and holds the prospect of greater knowledge and
prosperity for people across the globe."
MCI to Offer Family Web Workshops
MCI Communications Corp. reports it will offer "Smart-Surfing Workshops" to
instruct parents and children on how to surf the Internet safely and
wisely. The free workshops, which will take place next year in five
cities, will "show families who go online how to evade the bad as well as
be enriched by the good," says Diane Strahan, executive director of MCI's
community relations unit. Strahan notes that the Smart-Surfing Workshops
will educate families on the basics of Internet use, how to effectively
monitor their kids' usage, how to utilize filtering software and how to
encourage the practice of family-friendly Internet navigation.
MCI will release a list of the cities and workshop dates early next year.
"Our new workshops will convey that more is at stake online than child
safety; equally important is child learning," says Strahan. "The Internet
offers wonderful new opportunities for enhancing learning at all levels of
education. By teaching online safety, we ease the way for online learning
-- the more children learn how to navigate the Net safely the more they'll
navigate beneficially. That's the real meaning of smart-surfing."
IBM Chief Agrees to Stay On
IBM Corp. reports that Chairman and CEO Louis V. Gerstner Jr. has agreed to
remain at the company for at least another five years, when he will turn 60
years old. The computer maker's board of directors has awarded Gerstner an
additional stock option grant of 2 million shares of IBM common stock.
Industry analysts have credited Gerstner, who assumed control of IBM's helm
in 1993, with reversing the company's downward spiral. Earlier this year,
IBM stock surpassed a 10-year high. On Thursday, it closed up $1.69 a share
to $104.75 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Packard Bell NEC Grows
One year after the merger between Packard Bell Electronics and NEC Computer
Systems Division, Packard Bell NEC reports it has become the second
largest PC manufacturer in the U.S. The company, based in Sacramento,
California, also says it has created a global customer-driven organization
that is participating in every market segment: consumer, corporate,
education and government.
"With the Packard Bell brand focused exclusively on the home market, where
it is currently the number one seller worldwide, and the NEC brand offering
the broadest product depth for commercial users, Packard Bell NEC is
positioned be a top-tier player in the PC market," says Beny Alagem,
Packard Bell NEC's chairman, CEO and president. "Last year, we seized the
opportunity to create a global computer power with the manufacturing
infrastructure, logistics expertise, market focus and brand depth to lead
the industry. Today, we offer the most innovative technology, highest
quality and greatest value in personal computing to people in every field
of endeavor, in every corner of the globe."
"We pioneered the sale of PCs to the home and now are the world's number
one selling home PC," adds Brent Cohen, president of Packard Bell NEC's
consumer and international divisions. "Our goal today is to be the
consumer's best friend: we provide the easiest computers to use at home and
the best service and support to our customers." The company's key priority
is to become a major force in the commercial market. Packard Bell NEC has
embarked on a new distribution strategy called NEC NOW, which utilizes the
company's build-and-configure-to-order capabilities to give commercial
customers a full choice in how, when and where they purchase NEC brand
products.
Telecommuting Web Site Opens
Symantec Corp. has opened a Web site devoted to telecommuting. The
Telecommuting Resource Center Web Site
(http://www.symantec.com/telecommute) provides information and guidelines
that aim to help employers implement a telecommuting solution, including
telecommuting success stories, a telecommuting how-to guide, links to other
telecommuting sites and a guide to Symantec's telecommuting software
solutions. "The launch of this Web site caters to both the IS manager as
well as the end-user who may be interested in telecommuting, and can offer
a wide variety of expertise to help those companies implement the
telecommuting solution that is right for them and for their employees,"
says Matt DiMaria, vice president of Symantec's Americas marketing unit in
Cupertino, California.
Amicus Attorney Product Suite Now Available on CD-ROM.
Toronto, November 26, 1997: Gavel & Gown Software Inc., developers of the
award-winning case management software, AMICUSr ATTORNEY, have released a
CD-ROM version of their Windows product line. Version 2.6 of Amicus
Attorney PRO, Lawyer Office, Assistant Office and Amicus Team, are now
available on CD-ROM, providing users with a simplified installation and
licensing routine. The CD also offers a multimedia tour and a complete set
of on-line documentation. Amicus Attorney will continue to be available on
diskette.
'We are pleased to offer Amicus Attorney PRO on CD. Firms can setup
multiple Offices with just one CD. This facilitates the installation and
licensing process for end-users and for our network of certified
consultants, comments Ron Collins, President of Gavel & Gown Software. We
know that new users as well as existing users who upgrade to Version 2.6
will find the new packaging and distribution method a plusE.
Fulfillment on CD-ROM coincides with the release of version 2.6 of Amicus
Attorney PRO. Version 2.6 includes a sophisticated link with TIMESLIPS
Deluxe, providing a direct post of time sheets and the ability to share
client and file information with Amicus Attorney PRO. Version 2.6 also
introduced a link with WORLDOXr, a document management program by World
Software Corporation. It also includes an enhanced interface with HotDocsr
version 4.1.07 document automation software by Capsoft Development
Corporation Inc., which supports the use of HotDocs answer files.
Amicus Attorney is jurisdiction-independent legal software designed for
private practice and corporate legal departments. It is distributed
throughout North America, England, Australia and other parts ofthe world.
Founded in 1993, Gavel & Gown Software Inc. is located in Toronto and may
be reached at 1-800-472-2289. Gavel & Gown's web site is www.amicus.ca
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
LEXMARK OPTRA C
COLOR
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For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to
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sized envelope please) to:
STReport's LEXMARK Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the LEXMARK Optra C has to be the very best yet in its price range.
It is far superior to anything we've seen or used as of yet. It is said
that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. The out put from the Lexmark
Optra C is worth ten thousand words! Send for the free sample now. (For a
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If you would like a sample printout that's suitable for framing. Yes
that's right! Suitable for Framing. Order this package. It'll be on
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hesitate.. you will not be disappointed. This "stuff" is gorgeous!
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
UltraEdit- The Full Story
This is Our Story. To God be the Glory!
By Ian D. Mead
This is our testimony of God's direction, guidance and provision for us
over the last year. The writing of this was inspired by a good Pastor
friend who had heard of a little of the story. It seems like no coincidence
that this inspiration came just one week before the 1st anniversary of one
of the main events.
This really starts back in late November of 1993. I was an engineering
manager in a well paying job and quite successful in the corporate world.
At that time, I was wanting to better my programming skills, to better
advise others that worked for me, and to maintain my knowledge. I however
was very reluctant however to spend the $200.00 on the software program
that I needed to do this, but decided to proceed. Of course, one tends to
live according to one's means and so money had to be watched. [I realize
this is almost too detailed or technical, but it's surprising how the
smallest of details can be a part of God's much bigger plan].
After buying the development software that was a tool used to develop
software programs I decided to write a small program that would be useful
to me as a learning exercise. This was a simple editor to replace what is
known as "NOTEPAD" in the Windows world.
I spent the next three to 4 months developing this, and found that it was
quite useful. I showed it to friends and colleagues where I worked and they
also thought it was useful.
After some time, it occurred to me that if others liked it they may be
willing to pay a small price for it. There is a concept for software
distribution called Shareware - Basically you try the software for a
limited time for free and if you like it you send a "registration" fee to
the author.
So, I decided to consult a friend and colleague about this idea - he was a
lot more knowledgeable about this at the time, and more aware of the
electronic distribution channels. Well, his advice was not to bother
trying. I would get a lot of people wanting changes and sending messages
and only a few people would register is what he advised - I did as I often
do in a case like this, I thanked him for his advise and decided I was
going to continue and pursue it as planned.
I won't bore you here with all the details, but I uploaded the software to
CompuServe (this was around April 15th 1994), a very large online computer
network and started to receive interest almost immediately. I was stunned
when after just one month a large company was interested in 60 copies, and
after some changes did purchase the 60 copies.
It seemed amazing in such a short time that this editor was progressing
quite well. I just thanked God, not at this point for the monetary gain,
but the satisfaction and encouragement it gave me. My wife and I were
surprised and thankful.
As time went on I continued to develop this editor based on user requests,
putting literally thousands of hours of work into it - God has truly
blessed us, but it is not just handed to us on a plate we should be good
stewards of our time and work hard. As I developed this, I received more
and more interest and recognition as an editor of choice over then next
year or so, and it became clear that something had to change. I was working
two full time jobs, one of them being the work with the editor.
What should we do?
In early 1996 we were convinced that a change was necessary, but what? I
had a good job, good salary, good benefits and generally I was happy with
my job - but I had always wanted to go into business on my own.
We prayed about this, and we felt more and more as time progressed that we
should make a change - surely God had not blessed our efforts with the
editor for us just to say it's too much, but dare we take the step and make
it our full time occupation?
[It's helpful to understand a little of the Shareware concept here -
Basically people would call us, fax us, send mail etc. requesting a
registration for the editor (most recently called UltraEdit) allowing them
to continue using it and they would in turn pay us $30.00]
On March 18th 1996, we had received 11 "registrations'" for UltraEdit. This
was a good day, and of course was an encouragement to us - But will it stop
- is one product enough? This was tough, I didn't have time to generate
more products.
As I went to bed that night, I was praying about the situation, and I just
felt like saying to God "If you give me 20 registrations tomorrow I will
KNOW that I should quit my full time job, that it is your will". As soon as
I said this, I was excited, I felt sure it was going to happen. I also
prayed for forgiveness if I was wrong to ask - I don't like to try and make
deals with God but really wanted his confirmation.
The next day came, I didn't mention this to my wife. This was between God
and I, I would share it with my wife at the end of the day. Needless to
say, I checked my e-mail looking for registrations, and I believe I had
three in the morning - a good start. I was really excited that day, I
called home a couple of times to see how the registrations were going - it
was quiet!
I got home later that day and checked the mail - No registrations! I was
disappointed. I checked the fax machine, there was an order for 10! I
couldn't wait to log on and found additional registrations - a total of
21!!!
I am embarrassed to admit, at this point, being a technical person, I
mentally noted that 21 was not 20 - I had asked for 20.
I shared this with my wife, and we just prayed and gave thanks to God, who
really had answered our prayers - we knew now that this was the thing to
do.
Later that evening, an additional registration came in - that made 22. As
soon as I realized this, I remembered the night before - after asking God
for 20 registrations, I had said to myself (I dare not say this to God -
but he knows our every thought), I should have asked for 22 as it would be
twice the number of the day before. Boy - did I know now that that God was
in control!!!
>From this point we knew that I was going to quit my job. I told a few
people almost immediately. I expected non-Christians to think I was crazy,
but it's surprising how negative Christians can be also.
We started to make the plans, sort out medical and make sure we had
everything in place. It took a while to do this, and I actually stayed
longer than I probably should. I left the company at the end of May 1996.
Many people asked what I was going to do, had comments and opinions. With
only the one product several offered a lot of doubt, but we knew the Lord's
direction.
There were times when I would ask myself, or my wife if this was right -
but nothing could then, or today take away that true knowledge of direction
we had received. We knew this was God's will, he had given us such a peace
and joy about it.
I left the company on May 31st 1996 and since then have been fully self
employed still working on the editor, improving it and enhancing it.
God has opened up so many opportunities with this business, with special
versions of the editor for some large companies. His provision has been so
much more than we would have dreamed.
Today (March 11th 1997) we are swamped with work and orders for the editor.
We pray for God's direction for the future, we don't know exactly what it
holds. We know that it we trust God, he is faithful to us and will show us
his will and direction.
I don't deserve God's blessing as he has provided for us. I don't ask God
why in case he decides to take it away, but I know that I owe it all to
him.
In all that he gives us, we try to give back to him. We don't give our
tithes (a percentage of weekly income given back to God - biblically 10%)
to get more from God, we owe them and more to him, but as we increase our
giving, it seems as we are blessed more and more.
I could have written a lot more here, but I believe this tells the story of
God's direction in our lives, and his provision for us. I truly pray, that
if this is read, it gives encouragement and hope to the reader, and most
importantly Glory to God.
UltraEdit Features:
z Disk based text editing - upto 2GB file size, minimum RAM used even
for multi-megabyte files.
z Column mode editing, Insert columns/delete/cut/add sequential numbers.
z 100,000 word spell checker, with foreign languages support (American
English, British English, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Spanish
and Swedish).
z Syntax highlighting - configurable, pre-configured for C/C++, VB, HTML
and Java, FORTRAN and LaTex options.
z Configurable Keyboard Mapping in Advanced Configuration (32-Bit only).
z Drag and Drop Editing.
z File Sort with ascending, descending, remove duplicate, ignore case -
(works on selected region or complete file).
z ASCII file compare.
z Insert string at regular specified intervals in file - ideal for
Database users.
z IntelliMouse scrolling support.
z Replace in files.
z Replace in all open files.
z Hexadecimal Editor - Allows editing of any binary file, shows binary
and ASCII view.
z HEX Cut, Copy and Paste support, HEX Insert and Delete of characters.
z HEX Find, Replace and Replace All.
z Multiple files open and displayed at the same time.
z Open multiple files at once from the file open dialog (UltraEdit or
UltraEdit-32 on Windows 95).
z Insert file into an existing document at cursor position.
z Save Selection As file.
z Splitter Windows.
z Configurable toolbar.
z Drag and Drop support from the file manager.
z Automatic word wrap at specified column with hard return.
z Insert and overstrike modes for editing.
z Multi-level undo and redo.
z Find and Replace with Regular Expressions - Also allows selection of
text between caret and find target when shift key is pressed.
z Regular Expressions Support tagged expressions for find/replace.
z Word Count in Search Menu (includes line count).
z Goto Line Number or Page.
z Viewing with line numbers on left side of window (View menu).
z Printing of line numbers (Page Setup).
z Ruler for column numbers (View menu).
z Font Selection for display and printer. (Supports all fonts installed
including True Type fonts).
z Print support with headers/footers (with alignment commands), margins
and page breaks.
z Automatic Line Indentation.
z Tab Settings.
z Word Wrap Support.
z Show spaces, tabs and new lines (View menu).
z Bookmarks - Unlimited number of Bookmarks.
z Multiple Windows of the same file.
z Comprehensive macro support, including saving and loading, multiple
macros with Hot Keys.
z Autoload Macro specified from Macro Menu.
z Context Sensitive Help.
z Automatic backup file generated with (.BAK) extension in the directory
of the original file.
z UltraEdit retains its screen position each time it is used.
z Line & column number display (line number display may be disabled).
z Pop-up menus with right mouse button.
z Text conversion to lower or upper case, invert case and
capitalization.
z UNIX/MAC to DOS conversion.
z DOS to UNIX or Mac conversion.
z Auto save files as input format option to allow automatic detection,
editing and saving of Unix or MAC files.
z Convert ANSI to OEM, OEM to ANSI (format menu).
z Auto detect UNIX or Binary/Hex files when loaded.
z Convert Word Wrap to CR/LF's allowing word wrap to be written to file
with hard returns.
z Convert CR/LF's to Word Wrap (removes CR/LF's from file).
z Trim Trailing Spaces.
z EBCDIC file conversions (to/from ASCII).
z Template Support (upto 20 User Templates).
z Find matching braces.
z Spawn a DOS command and capture output - run a compiler.
z Start a Windows Program.
z Tools configuration, up to 10 user tools in advanced menu.
z Support for help files to be referenced automatically from UltraEdit
in keyword searches. Great for adding help support for your programming
API.
z Literal character insertion to insert control codes - CTRL+I.
z Read Only default option and edit menu item.
z Delete Line.
z Insert Date and Time.
z Column markers to display vertical line at specified columns (View
menu).
z Fixed non-scrollable area (columns to the left of the first column
marker) option (View menu).
z Color selection for background, normal/selected text, bookmarks,
line/column numbers (view menu).
z Option to automatically reload the last set of open files on startup.
z Command line option for line and column positioning, Read only, file
lists and more.
z Default save directory and backup directory may be specified.
z INI file selection using command line - Great for multiple
configurations.
z DDE Support with full command line options.
z ASCII Table (View Menu).
z Default Browser button/menu item to show current file in the default
WWW browser (Window menu).
z TABS to select between open files (View menu enabled) (32-bit only).
z Favorite Files List (File Menu).
z And lots more...
UltraEdit v5.00 Changes:
z Option to print two logical pages on one sheet
z Macro editing
z Macro load appending file to existing macros
z Macro delete all
z Warning when quitting without saving macros
z Sum numbers in selected text or columns (Column menu)
z Find whole word only
z Find/replace wraps round at end of file (option in configuration)
z Line/Column display color options
z Custom colors now supported
z Status bar indicator for file type (DOS/Unix/Mac)
z Status bar indicator for HEX and DECIMAL offset in HEX mode
z Delimiter highlighting for syntax highlighting
z Scroll line up/down with Ctrl+Cursor UP/Down
z Select word hot key - same as double click (Ctrl+J)
z Support for up to 5 characters for the block comments
z HTML comments now supported as <!-- ... -->
z Right click menu on file tabs (32-Bit Only)
z Regular expression support '+' to find one or more of the previous
character.
z File insert detects UNIX/MAC files when inserted
z Print output of file compare (Basic support)
z Minor bug fixes and more...
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
Justice Disputes Microsoft's Claims
ITU Says Teledesic Must Share Frequencies
Can Journalistic Ethics Coexist With New Media?
New IBM Computer Sees And Hears
Multiplayer Gaming Market Set To Explode
Net To Kill, Create Jobs By Millions
Is Microsoft Really Smart Or Really Stupid?
Gerstner Re-Ups
Will Andy Be Replaced By An Indian?
Government May Tighten Encryption Rules
Microsoft, Intel Rethink NC
Dow Jones To Charge For Online Quotes
Netscape To Buy Kiva
Learning How We Learn
Cyber Hate-Speech Case Ends In Mistrial
Microsoft Releases Rival Firm From Unix Royalties
Not So Helpful At The Help Desk
JUSTICE DISPUTES MICROSOFT'S CLAIMS
The U.S. Department of Justice disputes Microsoft's claim that
investigators had known for years about its plans to integrate its Internet
Explorer into the Windows operating system. "Internet Explorer was not
designed or 'developed' to be an integrated product with Windows 95," says
a document prepared by Justice's antitrust division. The Justice
Department, which is seeking a $1-million-a-day fine unless the software
developer changes its aggressive marketing practices, accused Microsoft of
attempting "to rewrite history" with this latest explanation. (InfoWorld
Electric 21 Nov 97)
ITU SAYS TELEDESIC MUST SHARE FREQUENCIES
The International Telecommunication Union has granted guaranteed Ka-band
radio frequency access to several proposed multimedia satellite systems,
including Alcatel's Skybridge and Motorola's Celestri. The decision, urged
by European members, reverses a 1995 ITU decision which effectively gave
Teledesic, the "Internet-in-the-Sky" project proposed by Bill Gates and
Craig McCaw, a de facto monopoly. "It has adopted a treaty which will
allow systems to continue to develop and be deployed," says an ITU
spokeswoman. "Competition is assured." The new arrangement means that for
the first time, geostationary, or fixed-orbit, satellite systems will have
to share bandwidth with nongeostationary systems, enabling competing
systems to re-use each others' frequencies. (Reuters 21 Nov 97)
CAN JOURNALISTIC ETHICS COEXIST WITH NEW MEDIA?
Former Wired VP David Weir says: "There's potential conflict brewing in
branding new media: how to create a successful business and maintain
journalistic values such as honesty, truth, and integrity under the
enormous pressure to reach profitability quickly... In traditional media,
everyone tends to know the ground rules (such as being interrupted on a
semi-regular basis by commercials). But for the Internet, there are no
ground rules: It's a Wild West; it has to be invented. All of the Web
sites are challenged to create a great interface but are limited really in
what they can establish on that interface design to fit on a laptop or
small screen... You have to load on as much marketing and banners -- all in
that small space -- as you can, which is the problem. And there's no
agreed-upon way to solve that problem such as the commercial which
interrupts the news. That certainly was true at Wired," which, he says, is
still trying to figure out its branding strategy. (Tech Investor 21 Nov
97)
NEW IBM COMPUTER SEES AND HEARS
A new IBM computer uses a combination of speech recognition and a small
camera to track the movements of users, enabling the computer to respond to
a combination of voice commands and hand gestures -- for instance, "Take
this paragraph and move it down here," or "Make this logo about this big."
The company anticipates commercial applications in two years. (Investor's
Business Daily 21 Nov 97)
MULTIPLAYER GAMING MARKET SET TO EXPLODE
DFC Intelligence, an interactive entertainment research company, predicts
that the market for online games will expand at an annual growth rate of
66% over the next five years, to $1.26 billion by 2001. The company says
that PC-based games will make up $709 million, with set-top devices and
game consoles comprising the remaining $555 million. The biggest obstacles
to the success of online gaming will be technical difficulties,
particularly infrastructure and bandwidth issues, and developing a
successful business model. (TechWeb 21 Nov 97)
NET TO KILL, CREATE JOBS BY MILLIONS
Clinton Administration special advisor Ira Magaziner told an OECD
conference that millions of jobs will be destroyed around the world as
business computerizes and moves onto the Internet, but that the new
technology will eventually create even more jobs; Magaziner went on to say
that governments need to allow markets to break down barriers to Internet
commerce, even though employment could often be thrown into turmoil as the
information society causes the same kind of upheaval as experienced during
the industrial revolution. Donald Johnston, director general of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said it would do all
in its power to break down constraints on Internet ways of doing business.
Johnston noted there are suggestions from some governments that new taxes
levied on business generated across the worldwide network of computers
known as the Internet would be resisted. (Toronto Star 20 Nov 97)
IS MICROSOFT REALLY SMART OR REALLY STUPID?
While the most of the computer industry has been retrenching on basic
research, Microsoft has been expanding aggressively. Asked to explain why
Microsoft is so at odds with the rest of the industry in this regard,
Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold says: "It means we're
either really smart or really stupid. Whenever you're greatly at odds with
the rest of the world, one of those two things is true." (Fortune 8 Dec
98)
GERSTNER RE-UPS
IBM chief Lou Gerstner agreed to extend his contract as top executive of
IBM at least until his 60th birthday in 2002. Though IBM stock has
increased 500% since Gerstner joined the company in 1993, he considers his
turnaround job only half-way finished, saying that the first half of the
turnaround "was to get from survival to strength" and that "now we need to
go from strength to leadership. I think that is going to take another five
years." (Wall Street Journal 21 Nov 97)
WILL ANDY BE REPLACED BY AN INDIAN?
Intel chief executive Andy Grove says: "If you can telecommute from Boise,
somebody else can do it from India. This can cut every which way. Medical
advice can go from Memorial Sloan-Kettering back to India. That's a
fascinating aspect. A lot of work can be imported and exported. It won't
matter where people work. Trade concepts and pricing will apply to
nonphysical work." (Forbes ASAP 1 Dec 97)
GOVERNMENT MAY TIGHTEN ENCRYPTION RULES
The Clinton Administration is considering a policy that would put new
restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to use the strongest
available encryption technologies to protect electronic transactions. In
favor of such restrictions: Law enforcement agencies worried about strong
encryption being used by terrorists and criminals, and traditional banks,
which want a narrow definition of what a financial institution is.
Opposed: Software companies, securities firms and Internet startups
offering financial services that were formerly provided only by banks.
(New York Times 24 Nov 97)
MICROSOFT, INTEL RETHINK NC
After spurning the Network Computer concept, and coming out with a
slimmed-down NetPC instead, Microsoft and Intel now are exploring the
possibility of manufacturing a diskless version that would download
modified Windows NT 5.0 software from a server. The new effort is being
billed as a "logical extension" of the NetPC, which some industry insiders
say has not been selling up to expectations. One analyst for Goldman Sachs
& Co. notes that the new machine could give the Java NCs from Sun
Microsystems stiff competition: "There is a lot of interest in a thin
client that could still have a Windows desktop. This would co-opt NCs by
providing Windows compatibility." Meanwhile, Novell CEO Eric Schmidt says:
"What Microsoft and Intel did is they took the NC and they refined it into
an NC plus all the applications you already use, a very clever marketing
strategy. The thing missing in their strategy was... that the real problem
with the NC and the personal computer as they exist today is in the back
end, not the front end." (Computer Reseller News 22 Nov 97)
DOW JONES TO CHARGE FOR ONLINE QUOTES
Dow Jones says it will renegotiate contracts with more than 50 outside
companies that use its online and electronic services to distribute
industrial average quotes to customers. A company spokesman says the
change is intended to offset expenses it will incur as it moves to become
the sole provider of industrial average calculations. Critics of the new
scheme say they can access other indicators for tracking the stock market
for free, such as Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, but meanwhile, S&P
says they're keeping "a keen eye" on the Dow Jones situation. (Wall
Street Journal 25 Nov 97)
NETSCAPE TO BUY KIVA
Netscape Communications will acquire Kiva Software for $180 million in
stock, a move that will give the Web browser company a leg up in the
enterprise network market. Kiva makes software that enables companies to
link partners, distributors, suppliers and customers and use large-scale
applications over networks based on Internet standards. "If you want to
deploy mission-critical applications with very high throughput, then you
need something like Kiva. They don't have a parallel in the marketplace
today," says a VP at the Internet Shopping Network. (InfoWorld Electric 25
Nov 97)
LEARNING HOW WE LEARN
The National Science Foundation's new Learning and Intelligent Systems
initiative is aimed at determining how learning takes place and how
technology can help that process along. Grants worth more than $22.5
million have been awarded to 28 institutions for research on how animals
and babies learn from the environment around them, and how older humans
learn theoretical concepts that have not been directly experienced and then
transfer those concepts to situations outside the original learning
context. The unifying theme of the Learning and Intelligent Systems
project, says a UCLA researcher, "is the interaction between the structure
of the brain's learning mechanisms and the structure of the data that
support that learning." One NSF organizer says some research will also be
directed at developing new technologies that will better measure prior
knowledge, thereby providing a shortcut in retraining people for a changing
workplace. (Los Angeles Times 24 Nov 97)
CYBER HATE-SPEECH CASE ENDS IN MISTRIAL
The jury trial of a 20-year-old Latino man who, after flunking out of the
University of California at Irvine, sent mail to 59 Asian university
students telling them that they were responsible for all crime on the
campus and vowing to "kill everyone of you personally," deadlocked with a
vote of 9 to 3 jurors in favor of acquittal. The prosecution charged: "He
thinks Asians get better grades, and blames them for his failure. He
needed a scapegoat." The defense argued: "He sent it because he was
bored. He wanted someone to talk to. He wanted someone to talk to him...
[He] is not a member of the KKK. He is not a member of any hate group. He
has no guns or arsenal at homes. There is evidence to show that he was
bored." (New York Times 25 Nov 97)
MICROSOFT RELEASES RIVAL FIRM FROM UNIX ROYALTIES
Microsoft has said that competing software company Santa Cruz Operation
won't have to pay the royalties stipulated in a 1987 contract that required
it to include Microsoft code in future versions of its Unix operating
system, and to pay the royalties whether or not it used the code. Santa
Cruz had brought the matter before the European Commission, which
determined the contract violated European laws governing competition.
Santa Cruz, one of the few remaining independent operating system software
makers, says the new arrangement will enable it create a new version of
Unix without including Microsoft technology, which it says serves no
purpose in the new product. Under the terms of the 1987 contract, it
would have had to pay Microsoft about $15 a copy on all Unix products.
(Wall Street Journal 24 Nov 97)
For Immediate Release
WinZipr 6.3 sr1 Now Shipping
Subject: WinZipr 6.3 Now Shipping
Award-Winning Zip Utility Now Features
Built-in Disk Spanning and More
Contact: Nico Mak, President,
Nico Mak Computing, Inc.
Internet: support@winzip.com
P.O. Box 540, Mansfield, CT 06268 USA
Media Inquiries: 860-429-3539 (voice)
MANSFIELD, CT -- September 23, 1997 -- WinZipr 6.3, the leading Windows Zip
utility, now includes automatic built-in disk spanning support for multi-
disk Zip files. Other enhancements include better Windows 95/NT shell
integration, so it is easier than ever to zip and unzip directly from the
Explorer, and improvements to the built-in WinZip Self-Extractor Personal
Edition.
"Files keep getting bigger and bigger but most people are still using 1.4
meg floppies", said developer Nico Mak. "WinZip's new support for multi-
disk Zip files helps solve this problem by letting users compress large
files that won't fit on one diskette."
Also new in WinZip 6.3 is an interface to the free Internet Browser Support
Add-on, which lets users download and open Zip files from the Internet
with one click via Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
There is no need to "Save to disk" and then switch to WinZip or to the
Windows Explorer or File Manager to open the downloaded file. In
addition, all files that have been downloaded are automatically copied from
the Internet browser's temporary folder to a folder of the user's choice.
This ensures that a permanent copy of the download is saved on the user's
system, even if the downloaded file is automatically deleted by the
browser.
Key product features include:
z Built-in PKZIP-compatible ZIP and UNZIP, including support for multi-
disk Zip files. (PKZIP and PKUNZIP are not required for any zipping or
unzipping operations.)
z Internet file format support, including UUencode, BinHex, MIME, TAR,
gzip, and Unix compress.
z Windows 95 and NT 4.0 features, including long filename support and
tight integration with the shell (all other features, including the new
built-in disk spanning, are supported in the Windows 3.1 version).
z An optional Wizard interface that steps the user through the process
of unzipping and/or installing software distributed in Zip files.
z Support for self-extracting files, which are ideal for sending Zip
files to users who may not have an unzip utility.
About WinZip:
Best known for providing a familiar Windows interface for Zip files, WinZip
allows users to manipulate Zip files and other popular
archival/compression formats without a complex command line interface. The
first Windows 3.x version was released in 1991, the first 32-bit Windows
NT version was released in 1994, and the first Windows 95 version was
released in August 1995. Recent WinZip awards include:
1997-8 STReport Editor's Choice Award
1997 Shareware Industry Convention "People's Choice" Awards
1997 Home Office Computing "Editor's Pick" Award
1997 Home PC Magazine "Editor's Choice" Award
1996 PC Week Labs "Analyst Choice" Award (December 9)
1996 PC Magazine "Best Utility" Shareware Award
1996 PC Computing "Best of the Internet" Award for compression
In previous years WinZip was a finalist for the PC Computing 1995 "MVP"
Award, was voted "Best Utility" at the 1994 annual Shareware Industry
Awards, and won the Windows Magazine "Win100" Award in 1993.
Requirements
The 32-bit version of WinZip requires Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0; the 16-
bit version requires Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups. The Internet
Browser Support Add-On has been successfully tested with the latest
browsers from Microsoft and Netscape as of September, 1997. WinZip has
built-in support for all operations involving Zip files. No other
programs are required to process Zip files. WinZip also has built-in
support for extracting the contents from gzip, tar, and Unix compress
files, for UUencoding Zip files, and for decoding any file encoded using
the UUencode, XXencode, BinHex, and Base64 (including MIME) encoding
methods. Some optional features (virus scanning, for example) require one
or more external programs. Details are included in WinZip's online help.
Pricing and Availability
WinZip 6.3 is now shipping. Individual copies are priced at $29, including
postage and handling. Both the Windows 95/NT and Windows 3.1 versions are
shipped on the same disk and are covered by the same license agreement.
Immediate online delivery is available for copies purchased on the
Internet. For credit card orders, visit the WinZip web site
(www.winzip.com) or call the Public Software Library at 800-242-4775.
Quantity discounts and site licensing are available.
Fully functional evaluation copies can be downloaded from the WinZip web
site (www.winzip.com).
For further information about WinZip, contact:
Nico Mak Computing, Inc.
P.O. Box 540, Mansfield, CT 06268
Or, send Internet mail to; support@winzip.com, or visit the WinZip web
site: www.winzip.com .
WinZip is a registered trademark of Nico Mak Computing, Inc. Other product
and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.
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Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
fsereno@streport.com
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
Animaniacs Game Pack
Mac/Win CD-ROM
$20
all ages
Funnybone Interactive
P.O. Box 2961
Torrance, CA 90509
800-545-7677
http://www.funnybone.dvd.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 95 OS: System 7.1
CPU: 486DX2/66 CPU: PowerPC
HD Space: n/a HD Space:
N/A
Memory: 16 MB Memory: 16 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics:
256 colors, 13" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: Windows compatible sound card
Other: mouse
review by Frank Sereno (fsereno@streport.com)
The Warners, brothers Yakko and Wakko along with their sister Dot, have
been delighting audiences for more than four years with their zany
television show, Animaniacs. Can their energy and humor be translated to a
set of five computer games? The answer is definitely YES! If you're
looking for a holiday game treat for young and old, Animaniacs Game Pack is
hard to beat.
This collection of games features great graphics, wonderful animations,
snappy tunes and the talented voice characterizations of the actors from
the television series. When the Warners find themselves inside your
computer, they burst into a new version of their theme song that is
complete with hilarious computer references (but without the balogna in
their pants). Each game has a mini-cartoon introduction that is full of
jokes along with hints on the game to come.
The most familiar game is Tee Off, a challenging mini-golf layout that
features several familiar characters from the Animaniacs series. You
control Dot as she hits the links in the search for the perfect round. You
control the direction and strength of the swings with the mouse. Timing
your shots can be tricky because Dot doesn't begin her swing until after
you have finished clicking for the strength of her stroke. Most holes have
moving objects to obstruct the ball's progress toward the hole. One
feature I would like to see added, especially since this is a game for
young children, would be a stroke limit on the holes. It isn't fun to be
stuck behind an obstruction for 10 or 20 shots.
Prop Shop Drop is a race against time. You guide Yakko throw a vertically
scrolling playfield. He starts off riding a bicycle over a course filled
with obstacles. You must weave around or jump over these objects while
running over the designated prop. Powerups are available as faster
vehicles, a motorcycle and a race car. Controls are very simple and only
require the left and right cursor keys while the spacebar makes Yakko's
vehicle jump. You never know what hilarious objects you might see (and run
over) on this path to glory.
Dot's having nightmares! In Smoocher, she has to blow kisses at the bad
guys to freeze them, then buss them on the lips to vanquish them in this
platform game. Different villains require more kisses as you move up into
the progressively more difficult levels. Unfortunately, you only start the
game with ten kisses, but you can get powerups on the screen. The left and
right cursor keys control horizontal movement while the up cursor is for
jumping. The spacebar fires kisses at those dastardly perpetrators of
evil.
Belchinator Too reminds me of classic overhead exploration and survival
games such as Gauntlet and Robotron. The Brain has cooked up another
scheme for world domination, but the robots are running amok in the Acme
Laboratories. Only Wakko can stop them with his gastrointestinal
disturbances. You must save Brain by destroying the robots. Along the way
you can consume various fuels (pop, chili and more) that will create more
powerful belches. Guiding Wakko requires the cursor keys while other keys
fire belches, toggle the map or rotate your weapons.
The fifth game is Baloney's Balloon Drop. While the game packaging claims
"non-violent game play," one can hardly consider dropping anvils on the
villain to be an exercise in good will. That doesn't mean the game isn't
fun! It will be especially enjoyable for bashers of a certain purple
dinosaur. Baloney is the dinosaur host of a children's television show
and his sugary actions drive the Warners crazy. To get revenge, they drop
anvils on his head. In this Breakout variation, you use the mouse to move
Dot and Wakko under Yakko as they hold a trampoline to propel him up into
the balloons overhead. You will find anvils and various powerups among the
balloons. Drop the anvils on Baloney to gain points. Don't miss Yakko or
Baloney will squeeze a life out of him with a big, smothering hug.
Animaniacs Game Pack has something for everyone. Each member of your
family is sure to find a game (or five) that he will enjoy. All will
marvel at the splendid animation and laugh at the side-splitting antics of
the Warners. Be sure to watch for the special guest appearances by Pinky
and The Brain. As an added bonus, the package includes an Animaniacs
desktop wallpaper, cursors and sound bites. Funnybone Interactive backs
the program with a 30-day moneyback guarantee. If you love the arcade
games of days gone by or are a big fan of the Warners, you'll be sure to
love the Animaniacs Game Pack. It's supery-dupery splendiferous!
In the News
KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURE SHIPS JUMPSTART SPANISH
PROVIDES KIDS AN EARLY START TO LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE
Press Release: In today's increasingly multicultural, global society,
knowledge of a second language has become a valuable skill. As more and
more parents search out effective ways to teach their children a foreign
language, Knowledge Adventure recently began shipping JumpStart Spanish,
new multimedia software designed to provide kids ages 3 - 6 a solid
foundation for a bilingual future. JumpStart Spanish exposes kids to
Spanish at a time in life when they are most receptive to learning and
retaining a new language.
Says Faye Schwartz, executive producer of JumpStart Spanish, "The latest
research on brain development indicates that the optimal 'learning window'
for acquiring a second language is between birth and age 10. Researchers
know that auditory maps in the cortex are largely wired for learning
language skills by age one. The more words a child hears during the first
few years of life, the larger and faster the vocabulary will grow."
Schwartz adds, "We designed JumpStart Spanish to provide children a solid
foundation for mastering a second language during these critical formative
years. The benefits for acquiring a second language at an early age are
tremendous. It's another exercise for the brain to think more clearly and
boost mental development. It also helps a child better understand his or
her native language."
Student-Tested, Teacher-Approved
Throughout the development process of JumpStart Spanish, Knowledge
Adventure consulted with a local immersion public school, where English-
speaking students learn all of their curriculum in Spanish. "We had a
unique opportunity to work closely with the teachers and principal at a
local immersion school on content for JumpStart Spanish," says Schwartz.
"They provided valuable feedback and we incorporated many of their
suggestions into the program."
JumpStart Spanish Overview
In JumpStart Spanish, children join Mr. Hopsalot from JumpStart
Kindergarten on a special visit to his clubhouse, set high in a tree. When
kids arrive in the treehouse, they notice Mr. Hopsalot's affinity for the
Spanish language. As they explore the many colorful items in his hangout,
kids are exposed to Spanish and English translations of over 200 common
vocabulary words. After exploring, children can test their retention of
the Spanish language to earn gold stars, which can be traded for colorful
tropical fish for the clubhouse's aquarium.
A unique feature of JumpStart Spanish is a toggle, which enables Spanish-
speaking children to learn English. In addition, the software offers the
ability to listen to the activity directions in four different instruction
languages: English, Spanish, French and German - enabling native French and
German-speaking children to use JumpStart Spanish to learn Spanish and/or
English.
Mr. Hopsalot's Clubhouse
In Mr. Hopsalot's clubhouse, children can explore 10 activities that
introduce them to over 200 useful words and conversational phrases for
subjects such as:
Numbers
Children learn Spanish/English translations for the numbers 1 - 10 as they
perform fun magic tricks.
Colors
By identifying various colors in Spanish, kids can use their creativity to
color and print over 15 different pictures.
Articles of Clothing
As kids dress their bear friends, they will have loads of fun learning the
Spanish names for different articles of clothing.
Months and Days of the Week
Kids will enjoy singing along with a catchy tune about the days of the
week, and clicking around calendar pages to learn dates as they discover
hidden surprises.
Common Household Items
In the doll house, children explore the kitchen, living room, bedroom and
bathroom, where they learn the names of common household items and food.
Conversational Phrases
Entertaining puppet videos show conversations about weather, food,
feelings, introductions and time of day - helping kids learn common
conversational phrases and build listening comprehension skills.
Neighborhood
Kids learn common vocabulary words by driving around town and picking up
their cuddly friends on the way to a fiesta.
Parts of the Body
Kids click on Frank, the friendly green monster, to learn the Spanish
translations of the parts of the body and make him perform funny tricks.
Music
Kids will get a taste of Spanish culture by listening to traditional folk
songs - such as De Colores and Tengo un Mueca - on the boom box.
Common Vocabulary Words
By matching pictures in this fun game, children learn lots of Spanish
vocabulary words as they uncover typical scenes from Spanish-speaking
cultures.
Key Features and Benefits
JumpStart Spanish offers many unique benefits and features such as:
Introduces children to a second during their critical formative years.
Teaches over 200 basic vocabulary words and useful conversational phrases,
and exposes children to Spanish-speaking cultures.
A toggle which allows native English-speaking children to learn Spanish,
and native Spanish-speaking kids to learn English.
The ability to listen to the activity directions in four different
instruction languages: English, Spanish, French and German.
The options to display word tags and hear instant translations of the
vocabulary words.
Knowledge Adventure's exclusive Adaptive Learning TechnologyT, which
automatically adjusts skill levels to match advancing abilities.
A Progress Report which allows parents to track their child's exposure to
the words presented in the program.
New JumpStart Learning Tools
Expanding on the breadth and depth of Knowledge Adventure's grade-based
series, JumpStart Spanish is the second CD-ROM in the company's new line of
"Learning Tools." This series offers the same integrated approach found in
other JumpStart products to complement a child's education in supplemental
skill areas such as Spanish and typing. Also new in the "Learning Tools"
series is JumpStart Typing, an Olympic-style keyboarding competition
designed to prepare kids ages 7 - 10 for success in today's computer-
dominated world.
Availability, Pricing and System Requirements
JumpStart Spanish is immediately available at most major computer stores
and mass-merchant chains nationwide. The Windows 95/Windows 3.1/Macintosh
CD-ROM is expected to be priced at approximately $30. Customers can call
(800) 542-4240 for sales and ordering information. System requirements for
JumpStart Spanish are as follows:
Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 CD-ROM
486DX 66 MHz or faster; double-speed CD-ROM drive; Windows 3.1 or Windows
95; 8 MB of RAM; SVGA 640x480 at 256 colors; MPC-compatible sound card.
Macintosh CD-ROM
68040 or Power Mac; double-speed CD-ROM drive; System 7.1 or higher; 8 MB
of RAM; 13" or larger color monitor.
Knowledge Adventure, Inc. is a leading educational software publisher best
known for pioneering grade-based software with the best-selling, award-
winning JumpStart Learning System. The company is also known for its
Adventure series and new Activity Center line. Founded in 1991, Knowledge
Adventure is a subsidiary of CUC Software Services, Inc., a subsidiary of
CUC International Inc. (NYSE: CU).
# # #
KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURE SHIPS NEW VERSION
OF THE BEST-SELLING JUMPSTART KINDERGARTEN
An all-new version of Knowledge Adventure's original JumpStart classic
features Kid's Tutor Technology, new phonics activities, updated graphics
and animation, a printable activity workbook and motivational rewards
Press Release: The world's most popular kindergarten multimedia software
program just got better! Knowledge Adventure recently began shipping
JumpStart Kindergarten, an all-new version of the company's best-selling
title which originally shipped in 1994. Covering a full year of
kindergarten curriculum, this exciting new version features innovative
tutor technology, new phonics skill-building activities, a contemporary
look with updated art and animation, a new motivational reward structure
and a printable activity workbook for off-line fun.
JumpStart Kindergarten is the first full-grade JumpStart product to feature
Knowledge Adventure's exclusive Kid's Tutor Technology. This special tutor
appears to help teach skills and reinforce educational concepts in
activities where the child is having difficulty. Kid's Tutor Technology is
also featured in Knowledge Adventure's new subject-based products:
JumpStart 1st Grade Reading, JumpStart 1st Grade Math and JumpStart 2nd
Grade Math.
JumpStart Kindergarten also features Knowledge Adventure's exclusive
Adaptive Learning TechnologyT, which automatically adjusts to the student's
skill levels to match advancing abilities. Knowledge Adventure pioneered
the Adaptive Learning Technology in 1995, and this innovative technology
has since been a unique feature in all JumpStart products. JumpStart
Kindergarten also features an extensive Parent's Progress Report to help
parents monitor their child's progress in all subject areas.
Says Bernadette Gonzalez, executive producer at Knowledge Adventure, Inc.,
"JumpStart Kindergarten helps parents and teachers ensure that kids build a
strong, well-rounded foundation by providing fun-filled activities focusing
on key skills taught in kindergarten curriculum. Customer feedback from
the original JumpStart Kindergarten led to improved game play, educational
content, graphics and animation. "Also an important feature of JumpStart
Kindergarten is our new Kid's Tutor Technology, which provides special
instruction on common mistakes a child may make. For instance, in our
ordering and sequencing activity, children are instructed to arrange a
series of dolls in relation to size. If the child incorrectly arranges
them from biggest to smallest - rather than smallest to biggest, the Kid's
Tutor Technology will pop up and provide an illustrated explanation of the
concept."
A Complete Kindergarten Readiness Program
In JumpStart Kindergarten, children ages 4 - 6 join Mr. Hopsalot the Rabbit
to explore an interactive kindergarten classroom, where fun, music and
games are the rewards for curiosity. Based on nationally recommended
curricula and teacher lesson plans, JumpStart Kindergarten covers pre-
reading, alphabet, letter combinations, counting, quantities, similarities
and differences, ordering, sequecing, problem-solving, shapes, colors and
time concepts. Kids earn gold stars for playing and learning, then trade
them in for a fun-filled trip to the petting zoo.
As children explore Mr. Hopsalot's classroom, playground and garden,
they'll encounter 18 skill-building activites and eight catchy songs such
as:
Phonics
The new JumpStart Kindergarten includes two additional activities that
specifically target phonics. Kids can climb the jungle gym by matching
each word with its corresponding phonetic pronunciation. If they get
enough answers right, they get to ride down the tube slide! Kids can also
participate in a tricycle race by steering through the letters, pictures or
numbers that match phonetic clues.
Alphabet, Numbers and Sequencing
Using building blocks, kids help Jack and Roquefort rearrange the alphabet
and number blocks in the correct order.
Sentence Building
At the chalkboard, kids use picture clues to construct silly sentences and
build their listening comprehension skills.
Size
A set of dolls are going on a train ride; but before the train can leave,
kids must arrange them in the correct order, from biggest to smallest or
smallest to biggest.
Patterns
In the garden, kids help Hopsalot water the plants in the correct order by
recognizing what plant comes next in the pattern.
Shapes and Colors
In this fast-action game, kids can help Brie, a friendly mouse, get some
cheese by matching shapes and colors of falling blocks with the correct
pattern on a grid.
Rhyming, Opposites and Pairs
Kids can help put picture puzzle pieces together by matching numbers,
letters, rhymes, opposites, pairs, shapes, colors, sizes and words to
reveal a picture.
Telling Time
Kids can practice telling time and associating events with the times of day
by clicking a time on the clock and seeing what Bonnie Bunny is doing that
hour.
Listening
Bebop, one very cool hamster, loves to play hide and seek. As kids listen
to the clues about where he's hiding, they'll building important listening
comprehension skills and practice following directions.
Creativity
Kids can develop their creativity in the painting center, which features
over 20 printable coloring book pages of outer space, undersea life,
dinosaurs and more.
Sing and Learn Songs
Kids will have fun singing along with eight catchy tunes that introduce
important concepts such as sharing, months of the year and primary colors.
New Motivational Rewards
JumpStart Kindergarten features a new motivational reward structure. Kids
earn gold stars for successful attempts; when four stars are earned, the
child is rewarded a field trip to the petting zoo. Kids can take pictures
of the animals and look back on their trips to the zoo in a special photo
album inside the classroom.
The JumpStart Learning System
Offering the most comprehensive solution to help kids succeed in school,
the JumpStart Learning System includes nearly 20 titles for children ages
18 months to 11 years. The best-selling, award-winning series includes
full-grade, subject-specific and learning tool products:
JumpStart Full Grades take a comprehensive, methodical approach to
teaching an entire school year. These products cover all the major
subjects taught in that particular grade, assuring an integrated approach
to learning that mirrors the classroom curriculum.
JumpStart Subjects complement the cross-curricular approach of the
JumpStart full- grade products by offering dedicated grade-specific
learning in critical subject areas like reading and math.
JumpStart Learning Tools complement a child's education in supplemental
skill areas such as Spanish and typing.
Availability, Pricing and System Requirements
JumpStart Kindergarten is immediately available at most major computer
stores and mass-merchant chains nationwide. The Windows 95/Windows
3.1/Macintosh CD-ROM is expected to be priced at approximately $30.
Customers can call (800) 542-4240 for sales and ordering information.
System requirements are as follows:
Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 CD-ROM
486DX33 PC or higher; double speed CD-ROM drive; 8 MB RAM; 6 MB available
on hard drive, SVGA 256-color graphics adapter; and MPC-compatible sound
card.
Macintosh CD-ROM
68040 processor or better or Power PC processor; 256-color graphics; 13" or
larger monitor; double speed CD-ROM drive; 8 MB RAM; 3 MB available on hard
drive and System 7.1 or higher.
Knowledge Adventure, Inc. is a leading educational software publisher best
known for pioneering grade-based software with the best-selling, award-
winning JumpStart Learning System. The company is also known for its
Adventure series and new Activity Center line. Founded in 1991, Knowledge
Adventure is a division of CUC Software Services, Inc., a subsidiary of CUC
International Inc. (NYSE: CU).
# # #
Jason's Jive
Jason Sereno, STR Staff
jsereno@streport.com
Postal
Windows 95 and MAC CD-ROM
Street Price: $49.95
For ages 17 and over
(animated blood, gore, and violence)
Ripcord Games
4701 Patrick Henry Drive
Suite 1101
Santa Clara, CA 95054
www.ripcordgames.com
Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, Carmageddon, and any other "violent game" for that
matter, are nothing compared to Postal. This game is by far the most
brutal and ruthless game on the market today. Seventeen beautiful levels
of mayhem are packed into this shooter/strategy. It is enough to turn the
stomach of any seasoned gamer. Behind the blood and gore lies a somewhat
intriguing storyline that keeps you guessing until the very end. Of
course, this game has wonderful multiplayer capabilities so you can go
"Postal" on all of your friends.
Postal is a surprisingly interesting story. You live in a small town in
Arizona. You start to notice a growing number of people that are out to
get you. You realize that you don't have time to think only to time to
stop this conspiracy to kill you. That's when you to fight back against
your hostile neighbors. You notice that there are even more plotting
against you than you first thought. Your only hope is to reach the Air
Force base outside of town so you can napalm the entire city before this
"disease" spreads. The basic idea of the game is to discover if you are
the target of an assignation attempt or if you have just lost your mind.
At your disposal is a wide variety of weapons to take care of the
conspirators. You use everything from fire bombs, grenades, and flame-
throwers as weapons. Even strategically placed time bombs and heat-seeking
missles are at your fingertips in this game. Postal is chalked full of
explosions, screams, and blood.
Postal is of more than just a shoot to kill game. You will need to use
strategy to make it out alive. You use the appropriate weapons at
opportune times. If you just start blasting away at people you will soon
find yourself dead. Certain strategies work better than others too. The
strafe keys come in handy with this game and junk cars along with sides of
buildings make great shields if you are under heavy fire.
Something that really separates Postal from other kill' em all shooters is
the graphics. Beautiful hand-painted backgrounds almost seem like
something out of a cartoon because of their color and detail. Their
shading is great and there are a lot of different textures and objects too.
You may use objects to your advantage, such as barrels of gasoline and gas
pumps. The characters are in real time 3D and have a large assortment of
actions. This combinations really sets Postal apart from others.
Each level is seen from above unlike most of today's shooting games.
Postal is comparable the classic, Cannon Fodder, in this respect. In fact,
there are many similarities between the two games. Except in Postal you
are a one man killing machine as opposed to that classic.
Every stage you fight in contains an amount of hostiles and civilians. To
finish each level you must kill a certain percentage of the hostiles. They
carry bombs, guns, dynamite, and the occasional missile-launcher. However,
you are not penalized for killing civilians. Civilians include a number of
men, women, and even a marching band in one scenario. You can choose to
avoid these innocents or watch as the brass flies in a symphony of death.
Every character in the game may beg for their life from time to time. It
is your duty to put them out of their misery.
This game is terrific in multiplayer. You can battle on Heat, over modem,
or LAN with over 16 players at once. Now you can destroy your best
friends, or worst enemies on a special multiplayer level or one of the
seventeen levels in the game. There is a level editor you can use as well.
You have the power to add hostiles, civilians, and every other object in
the game. You can also alter the personalities and weapon of each person.
One fun idea is enclosing a homicidal maniac with a flame-thrower in a
circle of gasoline barrels. All you have to do is watch the light show!
You may use one of your custom levels in multiplayer too.
Postal is not a game for weak stomachs. It is a game that a lot of people
have been waiting for though. There are no mutants, monsters, or aliens
just good old fashion carnage. The abundance of weapons, adversaries, and
levels make this game a real winner. It is ideally made for multiplayer
games and the powerful level editor lets you add your own sense of havoc.
If you love nonstop action, then you will love Postal!
WIN 95 Requirements
Windows 95 or NT 4.0, Pentium 90MHz processor,
2X CD-ROM Drive, 16 MB of RAM, 256-color SVGA (640x480),
sound blaster or 100% compatible 8-bit sound card
MAC Requirements
System 7.1 or higher, 68040 Processor, 2X CD-ROM Drive,
16 MB RAM (With virtual memory on)
Men In Black
The Game
Windows 95 CD-ROM
Street Price: $39.95
For ages 13 and over
(animated blood and violence)
Southpeak Interactive
One Research Drive
Cary, NC 27513
www.southpeak.com
Just in time for the release of Men In Black on video, Southpeak
Interactive has released Men In Black: The Game for Windows 95 users. This
game brings all of the action of MIB The Movie onto your computer screen.
You can choose to play as Agent K (played by Tommy Lee Jones), Agent J
(played by Will Smith), or Agent L (played by Linda Fiorentino) in three
top secret missions. Your huge arsenal of weapons will prove useful
against the slew of aliens you will encounter. However, your wits will be
tested by the large abundance of puzzles in the game. This is a very
entertaining venture and a great buy for fans of the movie.
In the first portion of the game, you play as James Edwards (Will Smith).
It is reminiscent of the beginning of the MIB movie. You shoot up bad guys
and a small amount of aliens in New York before you meet up with Agent K
(Tommy Lee Jones). He takes you to MIB headquarters and that is where the
real fun starts.
>From then on you can play as any of the three agents. They do talk and move
uniquely but none of them really have any predominant strengths or
weaknesses. It is just fun to play as the different characters. All three
really resemble their real life counterparts. They even give those great
one-liners from the movie.
There are three missions after the New York initiation. You first travel
to the Arctic MIB Listening Station to see why there haven't been any
signals for the past month or so. Of course there are aliens that have
taken over and it is your job to take care of them in the second part of
the mission. Next, you travel to the Amazon and try and find information
about an idol that Agent J found in New York. This also takes two parts to
complete. Finally, you journey to Frales Island to defeat a fellow by the
name Skip Frales and complete the game.
If it sounds easy then you are mistaken. While trying to conquer MIB: The
Game you have to destroy a huge amount of aliens in over two hundred
extraterrestrial and polygon filled settings. To help you in this task,
MIB headquarters has equipped you with a large variety of weapons. You may
choose to carry a standard MIB gun because of its large amount of ammo or
use a noisy cricket which can really pack a punch. To help take full
advantage of your weapons, MIB headquarters offers a virtual firing range
to make you a sure shot. If all else fails you may resort to hand to
tentacle combat. But either way, the key to beating this game is to save,
save, save!
I must recommend this game to fans of the movie. It is very entertaining
and full of one-liners from all of the cast. Battling aliens has never
been so fun. The variety of levels and settings add dimension to this
game. The hostile aliens and thugs pose a threat that is really fun to
take care of. So put on your Raybans and get ready for some action with
MIB: The Game!
Program Requirements
PC CD-ROM, Pentium 100MHz, Windows 95,
16 MB RAM (32 Recommended), Quad Speed CD-ROM,
2 MB Video Memory, 10 MB free disk space,
Soundblaster 16 or compatible.
Test Drive 4
Windows 95 CD-ROM
(also available on Playstation)
Street Price: $49.95
For all ages
Accolade
5300 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Suite 500
San Jose, CA 95129
www.accolade.com
Jim Barnett, the president and CEO of Accolade Incorporated said, "Test
Drive 4 will be our top selling title this season." And why shouldn't it
be? Test Drive 4 was said to be "the clear choice for Best Racing Game of
1997" at the E3 Best of Show Awards. It is the fourth title in the Test
Drive series and combines the power of the past with today's greatest
supercars on six truly accurate city raceways. You will find many
different ways to race and have fun with Test Drive 4 from Accolade.
The Test Drive series has longed captivated the gaming world with high-
priced automobiles cruising at even higher speeds. It seems now that Test
Drive 4 is ready to amaze a new breed of racing fans on the PC and
Playstation. This new addition gives a total of ten cars on six exotic
tracks.
The cars are divided into two categories: Today's modern supercars and the
muscle cars of the past. The modern cars include the high speed Jaguar XJ
220, the hugely popular Dodge Viper GTS, the always pleasing Chevrolet
Corvette, the sleek TVR Cerbera, and the sporty Nissan 300ZX. These cars
can all handle their own against each other but can they stand up against
the power of the past?
The muscle cars include the '69 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the open top Shelby
Cobra 427, the intimidating '71 Hemi Cuda, Chevrolet's '70 Chevelle SS 454,
and the immortal '69 Chevrolet Corvette 427. These cars were every young
man's dream in their prime but can they perform with today's cream of the
crop?
One question that will not have to be answered with this game is if the
cars race as they do in real racing situations. The answer is in the
gameplay. Pitbull Syndicate when developing Test Drive 4 included an
accurate recreation of each vehicle's unique performance characteristics.
The driving is very real. At high speeds the turns are harder to make and
the crashes usually produce more airborne vehicles.
The courses are real recreations of six cities. In San Francisco you move
through highway traffic until you reach a series of huge hills that prove
very difficult to maneuver through. One hit from crossing traffic and you
are in for a tumble. Keswick, England gives you the chance to race on
England's trickiest country roads. In Bern, Switzerland uphill climbs
result in an adrenaline filled downhill race. In Munich, Germany you can
push maximum speeds on the Autobahn. The population density shows in the
number of cars on the streets of Kyoto, Japan. The last course is in
Washington D.C. where national monuments would make great scenery if you
were not traveling at 200 mph!
When you race you are one of six competitors. However those are not the
only automobiles you have to worry about. Oncoming traffic and the
occasional police cars will cause you problems too. If a police officer
stops you your car will have to slow down until it reaches a complete stop.
You may then continue on your way.
Test Drive 4 has many different ways to play. You can run a single race,
world circuit, challenge cup, or use multiplayer capabilities for up to 8
players on LAN. TD4 has a drag race feature too. You compete on a , mile
racing strip. Racing by yourself is fine but when you add other players
and modes it really makes racing fun.
Test Drive 4 is no doubt the best of the Test Drive series. The realism is
something that no other racing sim has. I recommend this game to racing
fans or people looking for their very first racing simulation. There's no
better place to start than the top. Since Christmas is coming soon, maybe
you should start your shopping now. Look for Test Drive 4 from Accolade.
It should be at the top of everyone's list.
Program Requirements
IBM and 100% compatible, Windows 95, Pentium 90, 16 MB RAM, 2X CD-ROM, all
major sound cards supported, supports: Thrustmaster T2 Driving Controller,
Mad Catz Analog Driving Wheel, Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad, Gravis
Gamepad, all major joysticks and keyboards.
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another note. the ASCII version of STReport is fast approaching the "end of
the line" As the major Online Services move away from ASCII.. So shall
STReport. All in the name of progress and improved readability. The
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rmariano@streport.com
STReport International Online Magazine
Gaming Hotwire STR Feature - The World of Contemporary Gaming
The Future is With PCs & 3D Accelerators
With a financial universe built on Donkey Kong and Bandicoot, Sony and
Nintendo are the mech warriors of gaming. Some of its competitive moves
have made the Microsofties look_ well, like softies by comparison. But
Nintendo and other console companies may be heading for a fall. For years,
Nintendo seemed to ignore economies of scale. Its prices never seemed to go
down. A while back, the U.S. government was smart enough to catch Nintendo
leaning on retailers to keep the price pumped up, but stupid enough to give
the game maker a penalty that was more like a reward. Nintendo had to give
consumers rebates if they bought even more Nintendo products.
Meanwhile, personal computer-based games had more depth, but their
appeal was limited by high computer prices and low graphics quality. Stand-
alone game consoles enjoyed a graphics edge, always keeping a step ahead.
This trend was just reinforced by Intel's MMX, a powerful technology that
greatly enhances many of the Multi-media functions. The gaming platform
is improving for PC gamers. New 3D accelerators mean you don't have to
spend heavy money to get a system that can deliver. 3D graphics
accelerators plug into your existing computer along with your existing VGA
card. They can make the 3D graphics in your games look great. For
instance, with a graphics accelerator the chunky, pixilated view of Quake
is replaced by smooth surfaces. Install a graphics accelerator and then
compare what you see to console games, or even arcade games. You'll like
what you see_ especially for the price. Earlier cards cost more than
standalone game consoles, but now you'll find some great products at $100.
Maybe less if you're a good shopper.
Not all your games will look better. You'll still have to deal with a
mish-mash of competing formats -- GLQuake, OpenGL and DirectX Direct3D DirectDraw. Some cards have special versions of games bundled with them, so you can be sure they'll run properly. Or "patches" that modify existing games to run with that card. There a number of value favorites right now. For the budget conscious, it's the Matrox m3D, SRP $99. It includes OpenGL patches for Tomb Raider, Quake and others, along with Hexen II Blackmarsh, and a great-looking racing game called Ultim@te Race. With a stree
Less Expensive computers and the Internet mean more households will be
buying computers. One good way to save money? Forget buying a game console.
With computer games designed for graphics accelerators, Nintendo, Sony and
the rest of the game console makers have, no doubt, met their match. Like
it or not, the mighty mech warriors are getting rusty. very rusty and will
soon fall by the wayside.
What IS MMX?
Multi-Media Extensions
MMX is a group of additions to the processor instruction set for enhanced
multimedia functions. It takes commands that would have required several
instructions and combines them into a single instruction to reduce
processing times.
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
>From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
BURP!!
'Scuse me, but I had to get that out of my system! Here I sit,
plopped into my comfortable chair a couple of extra belt notches opened up
to compensate for all of that turkey and fixings we had a few hours ago.
Our first Thanksgiving in the new house. It was quiet - just the two
of us with the puppy whining because we wouldn't let him in the dining
area; and the two parrots banging away in their cages - their way of saying
they wanted some of the food also! Of course, guilty as all three of them
made us, we relented and brought them all something.
We have a lot to be thankful for this year. First of all, we were
healthy. We have the new house even if it's still not the way we want it
yet. It will take time, but at least it feels more like home than it did a
couple of months ago. We adopted a puppy a few weeks ago, saving it from a
shelter; but more importantly, brought in a new member to our family. He's
like the child that we can't have (sometimes worse according to other puppy
owners we've talked with!). We're both working, although we're not always
happy with the jobs! And we're together as a family something to really be
thankful for these days.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. We all, in some way
or another, have something to be thankful for this holiday season. It's a
great time of year; and most of the time we take for granted those things
which make us what we are. It sometimes takes a holiday like Thanksgiving
to give us some time to reflect on the really important things in life. I
hope you all had a terrific and safe holiday. And now it's time to sit
back and relax; I still don't have room for any leftovers yet... <g>
Until next time...
Oregon Research Liquidation Sale
From: Oregon Research <orres@user1.teleport.com>
Date: 26 Nov 1997
Oregon Research Atari Equipment and Inventory Liquidation
After 10 years of developing and supporting the Atari platform with
the highest quality software and hardware available, we are forced to
permanently close Atari operations. This is done with a sad heart and only
because we can no longer make a living selling Atari software and have been
forced to take other jobs.
As part of the shut down we are liquidating our entire inventory of
Oregon Research and HiSoft software at cost. We are also selling all of
our Atari hardware to the highest bidder. In addition, we will be offering
for sale the source code to Diamond Back 3 and Diamond Edge 2. Bids,
orders, and inquiries can be e-mailed to atarisale@orres.com
Gaming Section
Nintendo News!
New GameBoy!
"NCAA '98"! Interact!
"Postal"!
And much more!
>From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
Well, it's just about that time of the year when the gaming industry goes
all out to promote the latest and greatest for this year's holiday season.
The ads have already started; it appears that console owners are going to
have a terrific opportunity this Christmas season!
And akin to the television ads, game companies are going full tilt with
their print campaigns as well. In this week's issue you'll find just the
beginning of what I see as a really big holiday news season. There's lots
of stuff coming your way - enjoy!
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
NCAA GameBreaker '98 "Breaks" the Mold
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Nov. 20) BUSINESS WIRE - Nov. 20, 1997 - Sony Computer
Entertainment America Inc. today announced that NCAA(R) GameBreaker(TM) '98
is now available exclusively for the PlayStation(TM) game console -- with
all division 1-A college teams, 40 all-time great teams, 130 college
stadiums, life-like 3D real-time rendered animations and the fastest most
intense gameplay of any college football videogame on the market.
NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 is credited as being the first and only fully
polygonal college football videogame with all-new motion captured
animations, which make it possible to incorporate real player movements
into the gameplay. Additionally, NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 is also the only
college football videogame with Total Control Passing(TM), which allows
gamers to lead or underthrow receivers in any direction.
Real player attributes and sizes have also been included to enhance
gameplay realism. In fact, Warrick Dunn, the former Florida State
University and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers star running back (pictured on
this year's box art) consulted on NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 to ensure the
game's playbook was totally comprehensive and true to each team.
"We used the name 'GameBreaker' because it refers to players who possess
physical abilities far beyond the typical football player," said Peter
Dille, senior director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment
America. "Just like those college football standouts who have the ability
to 'break' the game wide open or 'break' a big play any time they touch the
ball, NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 'breaks' the mold of the traditional college
football videogame."
The speed of the gameplay in NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 separates this title
from all other college football videogames. The level of intensity is
heightened with no waiting in between plays and real-time rendering, which
are all accompanied by beautiful graphics. Most importantly, the gameplay
in NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 captures the pure fun that makes college
football so popular.
NCAA(R) GameBreaker '98 -- Key Features
z All Division 1-A teams, plus 40 all-time great teams including USC '72
and Notre Dame '88 with a number of authentic fight songs and chants
z 1997 team rosters
z 130 college football stadiums as well as more than 19 Bowl Games
z Specific team playbooks so each team coaches and plays like its real
life counterpart
z More than 2,000 new updates offensive and defensive plays
z Comprehensive team and player stat tracking in 50 categories
z The most realistic 3D polygonal player animations deliver unparalleled
detail
z Realistic player attributes and sizes represented
z All new motion captured animations include: belly run and pitch, fake
pitches, stutter steps, jukes, high and low tackles, and quarterbacks heads
moving as he calls signals
z Total Control Passing(TM) -- lead or underthrow receivers in any
direction
z Analog Camera System(TM) -- the user can mimic a player's line of
sight with the Analog controller
z Atmospheric effects -- wind, snow, rain, altitude and playing surface
all affect gameplay
z End of season awards - The Heisman Trophy(R), Jim Thorpe, Bronko
Nagurski, Top 25 and the Football Writer Associations' "College
All-American Team"
Monster Gameboy Comes to U.S.
A version of Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s popular Pocket Monster Gameboy software
will be launched in the United States next year, officials with the
Japanese game software maker say. Reporting from Tokyo, the Reuter News
Service notes the Pocket Monster, which can be played on the company's
Gameboy computer, has been hugely successful in Japan since its release in
February 1996.
"The game allows players to search for monsters in a field and to capture
and train them," Reuters adds. "It has generated a multi-million dollar
spin-off business that includes trading cards, toy figures and even food
products."
PlayStation Demonstrates its Creative Freedom
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Nov. 24) BUSINESS WIRE - Nov. 24, 1997 - Expanding the
boundaries of videogame development, Sony Computer Entertainment America
announced today the release of Parappa the Rapper, a first-of-its-kind,
music videogame, exclusively for the PlayStation game console.
Parappa the Rapper has already garnered attention from the music and
entertainment industry, as well as by PlayStation gamers around the world,
who are turning the game into a cult hit. Available in stores nationwide,
the game is selling at a "power price" of $39.95 MSRP.
"The PlayStation is the only videogame platform conducive to creative
expression and freedom, allowing us to open the door to whole new arenas of
gaming," said Andrew House, vice president, marketing, Sony Computer
Entertainment America. "Parappa the Rapper is unlike any other videogame
on the market, perhaps defining a new genre; music games. It offers a
quirky twist to gameplay by blending humor, music, player rhythm and fun.
We believe in supporting and encouraging a variety of game choices and
Parappa the Rapper is definitely a title we feel has the capability to
generate a wide following."
Parappa the Rapper, which features "Simon Says" style gameplay, requires
players to press the game controller buttons in time with Parappa's rapping
and game music, or by improvising their own rhythms. The game's unique
look, variety of fun, animated characters and six musical stages of
original gameplay first captivated audiences in Japan who have bought more
than 850,000 units of Parappa the Rapper, creating cult-like status for the
original PlayStation title.
The entire original music score for Parappa the Rapper is produced by a
leader in the multimedia music industry, Masaya Matsuura, who is the
developer of the game concept and design, as well as responsible for
composing all the lyrics and dialog featured throughout the game. All of
the 2D visuals and characters, including its star, Parappa, were designed
by the pioneer in the computer graphics industry, Rodney Alan Greenblat.
"Parappa the Rapper is indicative of an emerging trend that we're seeing
within the entertainment industry, whereby some of today's most popular
entertainment and music artists are turning to the multimedia industry as a
place to present their creative expression," said House.
"Entertainment artists are gaining greater recognition and popularity
because of their entry into videogames. The Parappa the Rapper music
soundtrack, which is being sold separately in Japan, has become an
incredibly hot commodity. The game's music has become a popular dance mix
being played in underground rave clubs throughout Europe and most recently,
in certain areas around the U.S. This is a trend we're sure to see more of
in the next few years," added House.
Parappa the Rapper, a light-hearted and funny music game with an addictive
plot is set in an animated three-dimensional gaming world with
two-dimensional flat "paper-like" animated characters ("parappa" means
"flat" or "paper-thin" in Japanese). The title features the
well-intentioned and passionate Parappa, who longs for the affections of
Sunny Funny.
Parappa, who can't seem to get enough of Sunny (and rapping) travels
through his peaceful hometown of Rodneytown, continually getting himself
into trouble as he bumps into various "teachers" in an attempt to win
Sunny's heart. In a valiant effort to become a grown man and impress his
one love, Parappa's many adventures take him to such places as the karate
dojou, flea market and various other places. Various levels are set for
all ages to enjoy, offering challenging and addicting gameplay as players
try to rap with the host of "Master" rappers.
"AeroFighters Assault" Puts Turkey Day In Its Flight Schedule
CYPRESS, CALIF. (Nov. 24) BUSINESS WIRE - Nov. 24, 1997 - It's time to take
to the unfriendly skies as Video System, USA, launches the first flight
sim shooter for the Nintendo 64 platform -- "AeroFighters Assault," which
lands, as scheduled, over the Thanksgiving weekend at major retailers
nationwide. Working in tandem with simulation specialists Paradigm
Entertainment, Video System, USA has delivered an aerial adrenaline-rush
fusing the best of the sim and arcade genres.
Gamers who have waited for an opportunity to fly high utilizing the N64's
dynamic analog controller -- while simultaneously taking-on enemy targets
-- will not be disappointed. Incorporating development software created
specifically for the N64 platform, co-developers Video System, USA and
Paradigm Entertainment have rendered a hyper-real environment where flying
skills and sensibilities are put to the ultimate test. Based on the "Sonic
Wings/Aero Fighters" series, "AeroFighters Assault" represents the
inaugural stateside N64 title for Video System, USA, which also served as
publisher and producer of the title.
"We wanted to bring something to the N64 platform that had not been done
before," said Video System, USA President Mitsuo Kimura. "'AeroFighters
Assault' represents an aggressive, exciting use of the technology that
should keep players returning for more as they discover and enjoy the
detailed environment we have created for them." Key Features of
"AeroFighters Assault" include:
z Single and two player modes
z Four pilot characters plus two hidden characters
z Multiple aircraft choices with distinct characteristics including:
F-14; A-10; FSX; SU-35 and two bonus aircraft
z Three wingmen to add to strategic gameplay
z Seven primary missions and four bonus missions
z Six enemy aircraft including: Rafael; SU-25; MIG-31; F-22A;
Eurofighter 2000 and Kafir
z Other enemies include: Submarines, frigates and helicopters
z Seven bosses, including: Heavy Armored Walker, Flying Fortress and
Stealth Submarine
z Several levels of AI challenge different skill levels
The backstory of "AeroFighters Assault" has players piloting aircraft that
are part of "Operation: Project Blue," a United Nations peace-keeping force
fighting a mysterious military organization known as Phutta Morgana.
Already flooding major world cities by exploding a bomb at the Antarctic
Ice Cap, the evil force is throwing the world deeper into chaos through new
military operations. As the world's ground units are immobilized,
"AeroFighters Assault" player/pilots are mankind's last hope!
Heavy Gear Launches Retail Offensive
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 26 (UPI) - Activision Inc., a publisher of
interactive entertainment software, begins a retail offensive the
Thanksgiving weekend as its "Heavy Gear" game is offered in 10,000 stores
in the U.S. and Canada, and 48 other countries. The company says Heavy
Gear is the most sophisticated and advanced combat simulation title to
date.
The marketing campaign will include broad-based advertising, as well as
online and retail-based promotions. The game has a suggested retail price
of $49.95. The game immerses players in a brutal civil war on Terra Nova
in the 62nd century. Piloting a sophisticated, agile battle chassis known
as a Gear, gamers must progress through the infantry ranks of the
Confederated Northern City-States or the Allied Southern Territories to
gain honor, and earn more powerful Gears.
Postal Game Pulled from Shelves
Postal, a computer game that continues to generate controversy over its
violence, has been pulled from the shelves at CompUSA Inc., one of the
nation's largest software retailers. Reporting from the Dallas
headquarters of the superstore chain, The Wall Street Journal quotes
President/CEO Jim Halpin as saying, "This one just didn't pass our own
company's sniff test. There's lots of software and games to carry, and this
is one we felt we could just live without."
Halpin said the game was selling "fairly well" before it was removed from
shelves about a week ago. The paper notes Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also refuses
to sell Postal, which features a gun-toting character who goes berserk and
kills innocent bystanders. Adds the Journal, "The game draws its title from
the colloquialism, 'going postal,' which refers to a series of shootings by
postal workers. No postal employees are in the game."
Comdex - Space Age Controllers For Space Age Games
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1997 NOV 21 (Newsbytes) -- By Craig Menefee,
Newsbytes. InterAct Accessories is one of those young, enthusiastic
companies filled with young, enthusiastic staffers so far on top of their
field they design gear to standards that haven't even been dreamed up yet.
InterAct's field is gaming and multimedia accessories, and a short visit
brings it solidly home that gaming is where the action is for PC graphics
and sound.
But getting to the graphics and sound takes control, and that's the niche
where InterAct has carved itself a solid position. This year, the InterAct
staffers are excited about two new controllers and some very innovative
speakers. The controllers show where the sloppy joysticks of mid-1980's
shoot-em-ups have evolved. The speakers use new patented techniques to pack
5.1 channels of three-dimensional (3-D) sound into two elegant wedges of
solid and innovative engineering.
The field of gaming stopped being "just games" a long time ago. Many firms
make big money in that field and analysts speculated that you won't find
more careful engineering anywhere in the industry. That said, it's also a
very youthful realm and it was clear during a visit by Newsbytes that the
InterAct staff was having a great time at Comdex.
InterAct was founded in 1991 by a 24-year-old named Todd Hays but started
to take off in 1995, after it was picked up by Florida-based Recoton Corp.
At about that time, it launched a line of gaming accessories that have
since become a kind of standard for gamers. With Recoton's resources and
the new affiliation with other Recoton subsidiaries like Advent, the old AR
speaker company, InterAct was able to really show what it could do.
It turned out to be a smart acquisition for Recoton. The new InterAct
controller devices would seem equally at home in an end-of-millennium jet
fighter or a George Lucas special-effects action saga. The Vortex 3D
controller is actually a form of upside-down joystick designed for flying
and action games, said Michael Rothman, the firm's vice president of
marketing. It has a column mounted platform on top that gives full pitch
and roll control in flying games, can double as a steering wheel and, when
detached, can serve as a game pad.
The UltraRacer PC looks more portable, a hand-held steering device for
racing games. It is based on the RC (radio control) remotes used with the
self-propelled model cars and planes that can be seen buzzing around urban
parks. The firm also makes a full-sized desktop steering wheel for racing
games, complete with foot pedals, but sometimes a desktop gets crowded,
explained Rothman. A lot of racing gamers are more familiar with RC remotes
than with real steering wheels, said the company.
There is an art to these devices. They combine the strange but somehow
comfortable-seeming curves of careful ergonomic design with an unmistakable
sci-fi look of black plastic, red buttons, and rubber thumb wheels.
InterAct makes controllers, memory cards, CD caddies, blaster "guns," and
other accessories for Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Super Nintendo, Sega
Genesis, Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Sega Saturn platforms, as well as
for PCs. The firm has a Web site at http://www.interact-acc.com .
INTERACT: Ban road rage -- With the V3 Racing Wheel
NOV 21, 1997, M2 Communications - Already a huge hit with Nintendo 64
garners, the V3 Racing Wheel is now available for the PC. This
ergonomically designed and robust steering wheel incorporates all of the
enhanced features serious games players have come to expect from InterAct
products, plus many more never before seen.
The V3 Racing Wheel is an analogue steering wheel with 3000 of rotation and
a circular digital direction pad. The wheel attaches to a table top or
secures under the driver's legs for added control. With an auto-centering
wheel, adjustable wheel tilt angle and height, steering sensitivity control
and a separate analogue foot pedal unit, the V3 Racing Wheel will
accelerate users through any game.
In addition, InterAct's expertise in programmable controllers has led to
the introduction of the unique button relocation function. This new feature
allows the user to program any button to perform the function of any other
button, permitting complete customisable buttons and peddle configurations.
To top it off, the V3's internal memory saves these settings even when the
computer's power is off or the controller is unplugged.
"The V3 Racing Wheel is nothing less than the best from a company that has
pioneered some of the premier accessories on the market today," said Andrew
Shephard, Managing Director of InterAct UK. "The V3 Racing Wheel
outperforms the competition in every category, and it works great with top
PC hits like International Rally Championship, Screamer Rally and F1 Racing
Simulation". The V3 Racing Wheel is available now for the PC and 100%
compatibles at a suggested retail price of GBP 69.99. Versions for the
PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 are also available.
Reality Quest "Grabs" a Hold of Video-Game With "The Glove"
LONGMONT, COLO. (Nov. 24) BUSINESS WIRE - Nov. 24, 1997 - National retail
outlets are getting their hands on The Glove by Reality Quest this week,
putting the revolutionary new video-game controller on the shelves just in
time for the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping season. Fitting snugly
over a user's right hand, the leading-edge peripheral makes executing cool
moves on the hottest video games easy.
Developed and licensed for the PlayStation game console, The Glove lets
users move objects up, down, right, left or diagonally on the game screen
with just a bend of the wrist, without the need to aim. Arcade-style
buttons are located at the finger tips, allowing consumers easy access and
one-handed control, unlike conventional controllers requiring the use of
both thumbs and hands.
The result is that any user, from the grizzled game buff to the first-time
novice, can now execute difficult moves, quickly whipping their opponents
in no time at all. "The Glove is going to be one of the hottest gifts
under the tree this holiday season," said Adam Ullman, co-founder, Reality
Quest. "The lucky owners will be the toughest video-game competitors on
the block."
All actions previously requiring two thumbs on a traditional keypad can be
executed with one hand using The Glove, allowing the player to make faster,
more accurate movements. A durable, built-in ABS plastic casing cradles a
user's fingers and houses arcade-style buttons, activated with a simple tap
of a finger.
Reality Quest's controller is fully compatible with the entire PlayStation
game library. The PlayStation game console recognizes The Glove as a
standard controller, ensuring compatibility with all of the hottest games
this fall. The glove-like design also accommodates most hand sizes, ages 12
and up.
Reality Quest is offering the new controller at major retail outlets
nationwide, including Babbages, Best Buy, Electronics Boutique, Fred
Meyers, Meijers, Sony Stores and Toys R Us, at an estimated retail price of
$89.95. Additional information on ordering The Glove is available at
www.theglove.com or by calling 888/96-GLOVE.
"Duuuude! That's da' Bomb!"; Survey Reveals
Most-Wanted X-mas Gifts
REDMOND, WASH. (Nov. 24) BUSINESS WIRE - Nov. 24, 1997 - Of all the hassles
of the holidays, among the most vexing is deciding what gifts will score
with kids. But now there's help. A brand new survey(a) of more than 750
kids in shopping malls and other high traffic areas across the country
indicates that the names Nintendo, Star Wars and The Simpsons are the
surest bets to bring smiles on Christmas morning.
Scoring at the top of the list for most-wanted presents were the video game
Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64 and music CD's from the hit group Hanson.
When respondents between the ages of 6 and 18 were asked what they would
most like to do with an hour of free time, they chose playing video games
number one, followed by watching TV, listening to music, surfing the
Internet, talking on the phone with a friend, and playing sports. Asked to
select their favorite brand name in specific categories of recreation and
entertainment, their top choices were:
Clothing or shoe brand: Nike
Movie: Star Wars Trilogy
Singer/group: Hanson (followed closely by Puff Daddy)
Sport: Basketball (slightly ahead of football,baseball
and soccer)
TV Show: The Simpsons
Video Game: Diddy Kong Racing
Video game system: Nintendo 64
Within the lead category of video game play, significantly more respondents
chose dedicated consoles over the personal computer as their technology of
choice; and three times as many respondents chose group competition over
single-person games as their favorite method of game play. Asked to rank a
list of leading names connected to youth entertainment, respondents named
the following choices in order of preference:
1. Nintendo
2. The Simpsons
3. Star Wars
4. Sony
5. Jurassic Park
6. Toy Story
7. Spy vs. Spy
8. M & M Characters
9. Little Penny Hardaway
Although the surveys demonstrated that every kid has a slightly different
definition of what's cool, certain marquee names hold the best bet for
generating lots of smiles this holiday season.
Note: (a) Surveys were distributed to all interested party on selected
dates between Nov. 8 and Nov. 22 in consumer venues in Atlanta, Chicago,
Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Results reflected in
this release represent nearly 800 valid surveys filled out by respondents
aged 18 or under. No prize or other consideration was offered to
respondents. No product purchase was required.
Buy a Great Game, Not a Turkey!
New GameSpot and VideoGameSpot Sites
SAN FRANCISCO (Nov. 26) BUSINESS WIRE - Nov. 26, 1997 - With over 1,000 PC
and video games to choose from this holiday shopping season, picking the
best games and accessories can be challenging for hard-core gamers, let
alone for those trying to shop for a gamer friend. And trying to pick
between a Sony, Nintendo, Sega or PC gaming system is even tougher.
To help busy holiday shoppers get the best in interactive entertainment,
leading web sites GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com) and VideoGameSpot
(http://www.videogamespot.com) today released their holiday game buyer's
guides for 1997. These buyer's guides, which will be updated weekly
through the end of the year, contain all the information you need to know
to:
z Choose the best gaming system for you
z Pick the best games for each system
z Know what hardware accessories will make your gaming even more fun
z Get the strategies you need to beat the games you buy
The VideoGameSpot Video Game Buyer's Guide was developed in conjunction
with Electronic Gaming Monthly, the world's leading video game magazine,
and features in-depth looks at the top console gaming systems, and the
leading software and accessories that run on them. In the next few weeks,
the buyer's guide will expand to include a guide to the best bargain games,
tips on all major games, and users of the site will be able to vote for the
games they think are best.
The GameSpot Computer Game Buyer's Guide profiles the top-rated PC games
out this fall, and the best graphic boards, sound boards, speakers and
controllers that make your PC a better game machine. In the next weeks,
the buyer's guide will expand to include a holiday guide to online gaming,
a section on new hardware products, and the industry's top editors will
pick their personal favorites.
While at GameSpot and VideoGameSpot, you can enter the monthly contests,
which each month give away tens of thousands of dollars worth of games and
hardware to hundreds of winners. Special for the holiday season, GameSpot
is giving away a full Micron PC gaming system. GameSpot and VideoGameSpot
reach more gamers worldwide than any other game sites or network, according
to Media Metrix (formerly PC Meter.) The two sites were named Best Gaming
Sites by Entertainment Weekly last month, and GameSpot is the winner of a
Gold Invision award for Best Online Magazine.
Nintendo Sues Over Game Copier
Nintendo of America Inc. today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in
Los Angeles against two companies that make and sell a Nintendo 64 video
game copying device. According to the lawsuit, Bung Enterprises Ltd., a
Hong Kong manufacturer, and Carl Industries Inc., a Florida- based U.S.
distributor, have participated in "willful, direct and contributory
infringement" of Nintendo's copyrights and trademarks by the advertisement,
distribution and sale of the "Doctor V64" system.
Nintendo, based in Redmond, Washington, is seeking actual damages, treble
profits and an immediate injunction to stop the manufacture, distribution,
advertisement and offer for sale of the Doctor V64. According to court
papers, the Doctor V64 is used for the copying of Nintendo 64 video games
from the original cartridge format to a writable CD-ROM or to the hard
drive of a personal computer. The Doctor V64 also permits the play of real
or illegally copied video games.
The suit against Bung and Carl is the latest action in Nintendo's
continuing war against video game piracy. In recent years, Nintendo has
filed hundreds of lawsuits against video game counterfeiters, winning a
number of significant victories worldwide. Most recently, Nintendo settled
its case against Games City of Monterey Park, California, a U.S. retailer
selling the Doctor V64. The production and sale of counterfeit video game
products cost Nintendo, its publishers and developers an estimated $810
million in sales worldwide last year.
Nintendo Sues Over Alleged Game Copying Device
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, USA., 1997 NOV 21 (Newsbytes) -- By Bob Woods,
Newsbytes. Nintendo Co., Ltd. subsidiary Nintendo of America Inc. said it
is suing two companies over the alleged illegal copying and selling of
Nintendo 64 video games. Both companies are involved in the manufacture and
distribution of the "Doctor V64" console. The companies are Bung
Enterprises of Hong Kong, which makes the Doctor V64, and Miami-based Carl
Industries, distributor of the device. Carl Industries uses phone sales and
a World Wide Web site to help sell the Doctor V64, Newsbytes notes.
Nintendo's lawsuit states that Bung Enterprises and Carl Industries "have
participated in willful, direct and contributory infringement of Nintendo's
copyrights and trademarks by the advertisement, distribution and sale of
the Doctor V64."
Nintendo said it is seeking actual damages, treble profits and an
immediate injunction to stop the manufacture, distribution, advertisement
and offer for sale of the Doctor V64. The Doctor V64 is used for the
unlawful copying of Nintendo 64 video games from the original cartridge
format to a writable CD-ROM or to the hard drive of a personal computer,
Nintendo maintains. The Doctor V64 also permits play of Nintendo of real or
illegally copied video games, company officials said. A Carl Industries
spokesperson told Newsbytes that the Doctor V64 unit his company sells does
not "do any back-ups" of games, because Carl sells the unit without this
ability. He said that if people are using the unit to back-up or copy
games, they are doing it without the permission of his company.
The spokesperson also said parts of Nintendo's complaint are incorrect, and
that Carl Industries has contacted a lawyer to prevent the suit from doing
"any damage" to his company. Carl Industries' World Wide Web site said
that the company sells the Doctor V64 for $399, and that the unit itself is
"the perfect cartridge emulator for use in developing your software for the
Nintendo 64!!"
"Why pay Nintendo $3000-4000 more for their development kit that does about
the same thing? Equip 10 or more programmers/playtesters for the price of
one Nintendo SDK (software development kit)," the site also said. "The
Doctor V64 is the ultimate accessory for experimentation, homebrew
development, or educational purposes involving the powerful Nintendo 64
game console. Probably the last thing on the planet Nintendo wants you to
own, much less know about." Before a unit is sold, Carl Industries said it
makes all buyers sign a waiver that "indemnifies (Carl) of any and all
liabilities related to the use, non-use, possession, sale, importation,
shipping, and/or transfer of the Doctor V64 unit . . . The Purchaser also
certifies that the Doctor V64 unit has been duly presented and explained to
the Purchaser by Carl as a product designed for video game enhancement,
experimentation, and educational purposes only."
The agreement also states that if bought, the purchaser "understands that
the unit is to be used for VideoCD playback, 3D sound enhancement,
experimentation/programming ONLY, and NOT for use with licensed Nintendo 64
games without the express permission of Nintendo of America/Nintendo of
Japan. Purchaser understands that the unit is to be used only for the
purposes above and not for fraudulent, illegal, grey-market, or any such
questionable purposes as defined by US and International copyright, patent,
and/or intellectual property laws and regulations." "Should Purchaser
break this agreement, Purchaser agrees to assume responsibility for all
such legal wrongdoing and absolves/indemnifies CARL of all possible legal
responsibility connected to such wrongdoing," the agreement says.
Newsbytes could not obtain any information on Bung Enterprises via the Web.
Newsbytes did find a copyrighted frequently asked questions (FAQ) page at
the Games Domain Web site (at http://www.gamesdomain.co.uk), which calls
the Doctor V64 a "device manufactured by Bung Enterprises. It's primary
purpose is to copy and play games in conjunction with a Nintendo64. The
Doctor V64 can also play Video CDs, CDIs and audio CDs."
Among other things, the FAQ said the Doctor V64 "uses its internal RAM to
store the game data. This data can be loaded into RAM by either the
CD-drive, through cartridge or through parallel cable. After the data is
loaded, the Nintendo64 can be turned on. The 'game tape adapter' routes the
signals of the lockout-chip (included in the original cartridge) to the N64
and by doing so effectively 'tricks' the N64 into thinking it is playing a
perfectly normal cartridge. The actual game data is provided through the
N64's expansion port."
"Through the clever use of an upgradable bios and the 'game tape adaptor'
this copier has the ability to adapt to protective measures Nintendo may
apply to their games in the future, such as new lockout-chips," the FAQ
also reported. Nintendo of America's World Wide Web site is at
http://www.nintendo.com. Carl Industries' Web site is at
http://www.carlind.com .
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Here I sit, like a beached whale,
hoping that all the turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings I gobbled down
today will soon stop making themselves felt. I really did overdo it this
year, but heck, it IS only once a year.
To make this day even more complicated than it has been in years past,
my sister decided to have a birthday party for my nephew after the huge
feast that she had prepared. Needless to say, everyone turned the most
interesting shade of green when the birthday cake was brought out.
Everyone except for my nephew Peter, that is. Since it was his birthday
party, and since he is only five years old, he decided that TWO pieces of
cake was what he wanted. As you may have guessed, his eyes were bigger than
his stomach and half of the second piece went uneaten.
The adults were content with coffee or tea and a quiet spot in the
living room, and an eerie quiet descended upon the household. Now, I don't
know if you can picture the unease that comes upon you when you realize
that there are 13 youngsters in the house somewhere that, for some unknown
reason, are NOT making noise, but believe me it is usually cause for
concern.
A few of us took to looking around for the children and it was my
sister that found them. They were sitting in the basement watching a video
that Peter had gotten for his birthday. All of them being perfect little
ladies and gentlemen, sitting in relative silence while watching TOY STORY.
Thank goodness for home video.
Why am I telling you this? I have no idea. It is just a picture that
will be etched in my mind for a while and I thought I'd share it.
Well, let's take a look at what's going on with UseNet.
David Bolt asks:
"Are there any problems using GFA basic with Magic or Geneva?
If so, what and can they be easily solved?
Second, what are the advantages/disadvantages of using Magic
and Geneva?"
Levien van Zon tells David:
"Just get the GFA patches and don't forget to free any memory
you don't need at the start of the program (eg. use RESERVE
<new amount of mem>). And you'll have to write clean GEM
code. (don't use GFA's window routines for instance, although
I don't know why...) And don't write into memory that doesn't
belong to your program.
Advantages: you get, among other features, multitasking and
cool GEM extras, and (at least with MagiC) a nice speed
increase.
Disadvantages: Takes up a bit more memory than plain
TOS+GEM, shouldn't be any problem with 4 Mb though..."
"Bill" asks about Multi-Tasking on the ST:
"I'm a long time user of the ST. I have a 2 meg 520STe with a
colour monitor and a 240meg HD and the one piece of software
I have been looking for all these years is the multitasking
software package GENEVA. I can't seem to find out who sells
it,any idea where I could pick it up and how much?"
James Haslam tells Bill:
"Looking at the latest issue of Atari Computing (published
here in the UK), I've found that Titan Designs here sell it
in a bundle with Neodesk for 79.95 UK Pounds + carriage. The
contact details follow:
Postal Address:
Titan Designs Limited
6 Wetherford Way
Selly Oak
Birmingham
B29 4AX
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)121 693 6669
Fax: +44 (0)121 414 1630
email: TITANWEB@compuserve.com
Website: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/TITANWEB/
For anyone who may be interested, Dan Wilga of Gribnif Software is
available on the internet. While orders cannot be placed online,
you can send Dan email at gribnif@pair.com and place orders or ask
questions. Geneva and NeoDesk are available for $69.95 USD each,
or $129.95 USD. I must say that this combination is my setup of
choice even though I have now purchased MagiC. The integration of
NeoDesk and Geneva is almost seamless, so once it's set up, you
don't even have to think about it. Now back to our regularly
scheduled program. <grin>
Bertil Persson asks about using WENSuite with MagiC:
"Wensuite doesn't seem to work with Magic 5.13. I can start
the program,but the windows doesn't react to the mouse.It's
just the closerbutton that works. With TOS there is no
problem. Any suggestions as to why ? My system is Falcon
030/Magic 5.13"
Roger Cain tells Bertil:
"I have the same problem here, Bertil, under Magic v2 and
v4. I think the diagnosis is that Wens does not work with ANY
Magic since Wensuite v1.7. I have tried all sorts of
re-configurations and have found it is OK with TOS and with
MiNT on my TT but any sort of Magic just throws it.
My symptoms are similar to yours:
You need to click about 8 times on the first hypertext link
before it responds.
After hypertext links start working a store protection error
occurs after just a few links "User memory block destroyed".
I have reported this to oxo but have had NO reply.
I find it hard to believe that they can produce s/w which is
NOT compatible with Magic."
Another personal observation... MagiC is not the BEST at
compatibility. It is, however, the fastest. To get the speed (and
to be able to write MagiC at all, I guess) TOS had to be
re-written and optimized. Some software just doesn't like that.
While that doesn't make MagiC a bad operating system, it does keep
it from being my OS of choice.
As a quick explanation of what NVDI is, Emmanuel Curis posts:
"NVDI = New VDI, a replacment for VDI & GDOS, often quicker
and having the capabilities of SpeedoGDOS. Edited by
Application Systems. There's a "special" NVDI-version for
ET-4000-boards, which is _not_ available at ASH.
Try to get in contact to the "Behne brothers" (2B); the
authors of both NVDI versions."
Since we're on the subject, someone asks:
"How is compatibility with GEM apps? Specifically, I want to
run CAB 1.5 or the demo of 2.0 at 800x600 in 256 colors.
Currently, using the TOS ET4000 drivers the browser chokes.
Is there any reason to believe that the ET4000 version of
NVDI might address this?"
Theo Hopman tells them:
"Yes [NVDI addresses those problems]. I was unable to run
CAB reliably under the drivers that came with my Crazy Dots.
With NVDI ET4000, however, CAB works perfectly. I actually
found that some applications (an older version of Kandinsky,
for example) worked better on the graphics card than they did
in TT Hi.
You should be aware that the version of WDIALOG that comes
with NVDI ET4000 4.11 (or my copy anyway) is incompatible
with Geneva, so you won't be able to run some of the
utilities for NVDI. Get an updated version of WDIALOG (I
forget where it's available) and you should be problem-free."
Okay, okay. So not EVERYTHING works with Geneva, but most things
run just fine. And I was able to easily get the version of WDIALOG
that works with my favorite multi-tasking system easily. What
WDIALOG does is to give whatever OS you happen to be running the
ability to use pop-up windows like MagiC does. An application has
to be written to take advantage of this, but if you have such an
application, it will only work if you have either MagiC or WDIALOG
running.
Since I've mentioned MagiC, C.A. Workman asks:
"Can anyone tell me if I can get programs with the file
extension .APP to run automatically when Magic 4 boots up.
I've tried putting such programs (e.g. appline.app or
duetmc.app) in the "APPS" and "AUTO" folders on my C: drive
but Magic boots as normal and nothing runs. Any help would
be greatly apreciated."
Thomas Binder tells them:
"Well, what did you enter in magx.inf and what is your
Apps-path? Remember that the path for autostart applications
you find in the default magx.inf after installation changed
(in MagiC 4, IIRC) from \auto\apps\ into
\gemsys\magic\start\"
The problem here is that MagiC needs to do some things in a
particular way. It has its own special folder from which it runs
MagiC-specific programs (like StartMeUp and APPLine). These are
programs that deal specifically with MagiC and, therefore, MagiC
needs to run them from within itself. If you run into this
problem, do as Thomas suggests and check where MagiC is looking
for applications.
Jan Harald Hagen asks for information:
"I am going to by a new scsi-hd (external) for my flacon. I
have heard that there are some types that do not work
properly. Does anybody know?"
Dr. Uwe Seimet (the author of HDDriver) tells Jan:
"Any drive works. There is only one thing to remember with
Quantum Fireball drives: You can't boot from these drives.
This doesn't matter if you boot from IDE, of course."
Mike Freeman posts:
"I just ordered a 33.6 modem for my C-Lab Falcon MK-X before
realizing that I may only be able to reach 19.2, at least
according to the old Atari Falcon Manual they gave me (they
didn't have the C-Lab ones written yet). I was wondering if
the C-Lab machines have this same serial speed limitation,
and if they do, how can I get that upgraded to work with the
new modem I am getting soon?"
Daniel Rojo tells Mike:
"If I recall correctly, the Falcon modem port can reach up
to 230Kbps. I use my MK-X with a 28.8K modem under MagiC and
have no problems (115K modem-computer communication). For TOS
you will need HS modem though."
Mike now posts:
"I just read that someone's Falcon came with MultiTOS. Was
MultiTos supposed to come with my machine, because it
apparently didn't. I have a C-Lab Falcon. Does this make a
difference? Can I still get MultiTOS from somewhere? Would
that solve some of my Mint problems?"
Jo Even Skarstein tells Mike:
"Go to Katherine Ellis' homepage (www.primenet.com/~kellis/)
and download the KEMD-package. It includes the latest
(unofficial) GEM.SYS from Atari.
Then download a MiNT-kernel (1.12.6 or newer) from any good
ftp-site (ftp.funet.fi is a good place to look)...
[As far as the MiNT problems go,] What problems exactly?
MiNT and singleTOS isn't generally a good idea (for some
reason it runs in supervisor-mode a lot and hogs the CPU
under MiNT), so running the latest GEM.SYS should improve
things."
Well folks, the turkey is still letting me know that I've eaten too
much, and I just want to go crawl into a cave somewhere and sleep it off.
<grin> I hope your Thanksgiving Day was as good as mine was. See you again
next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are
saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
THE OUTRAGEOUS TREATMENT CONTINUES..
IN THIS DAY AND AGE!!
Thanksgiving Arrests of American Indian Rights Activists
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (Reuters) - An American Indian rights protest at the
birthplace of Thanksgiving turned into a melee Thursday, and more than two
dozen people were arrested, police said. Indian rights activists have
marked Thanksgiving Day for nearly 30 years with protests over the
treatment of Indians since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620. On
Thursday, police confronted between 150 and 200 protesters when they tried
to march down a street that authorities had ruled off-limits to them,
officials said. The demonstrators were ordered to disperse and became
unruly when officers began to make arrests, Capt. William O'Meara said in a
statement. Twenty-five people were arrested on disorderly-conduct and other charges. Local news reports said police used Mace on some protesters and several people were injured.
To the City of Plymouth; we graciously extend a heavily sarcastic;
Well Duhne!!
God forbid we should do the right thing for the American Indians.
Who cares that they were here first!
STReport International Magazine
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contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use
or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained
therefrom.
STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" November 28, 1997
Since 1987 Copyrightc1997 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1347
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