ST Report: 10-May-96 #1219
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 05/20/96-05:03:06 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 10-May-96 #1219
Date: Mon May 20 17:03:06 1996
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Murdoch Sells Delphi Service
CompuServe Denies FBI Probe
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>From the Editor's Desk...
I don't know about the rest of the country, but summer is here. As most
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recognized authority when it comes to things called scsi.
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Murdoch Sells Delphi Service
Analysts are saying Rupert Murdoch's decision to quietly sell Delphi Internet
Services just three years after buying the Cambridge, Massachusetts, old-
timer indicates the media czar still is uncertain how to jump into the online
world. As reported, former Delphi CEO Dan Bruns says he is leading a team
of online executives in buying back the Boston area information service from
Murdoch's News Corp.
Writing in The New York Daily News, reporter George Mannes says Murdoch's
decision to sell (for undisclosed terms) "is a continued sign that Murdoch
is struggling to define his Internet-related businesses." Mannes notes that
in February, News Corp. dropped its plans to launch an Internet-based online
service after partner MCI allied itself with Microsoft.
"That service was intended to offer proprietary content and provide its
members access to the World Wide Web and other parts of the Internet,"
Mannes observes. "Instead, the company launched a re-configured service
called iGuide. It is a general-interest site on the web that includes
numerous reviews of other web sites." As reported, Murdoch bought Delphi in
1993, saying it would be the base for the company's online operations, and
would even lead to an electronic version of News Corp.-owned TV Guide.
Mannes says the buyers led by Bruns, are buying the Delphi name, a computer
operations center in Cambridge and a subscriber base of 50,000, which Bruns
described as "very loyal and very active."
Prodigy Buyout Said to Be Near
Word is a deal is imminent for the management team seeking to buy Prodigy
Services Co. from parents IBM and Sears Roebuck & Co. "The price could not
be learned," says reporter Therese Poletti of the Reuter News Service, "but
some analysts speculated that the deal could be as low as $100 million."
Vice President Adam Schoenfeld of Jupiter Communications, a market research
firm in New York, told Poletti, "I have heard no denials coming from very,
very high placed Prodigy executives ... that a deal could be done as early
as Friday."
Reuters also quoted an executive close to the situation as saying some issues
still are to be worked out, that "a deal is not finalized yet, it's still up
in the air." However, the executive added a deal could be reached within a
week or so. Poletti says price and some other terms and conditions are
believed to be the current sticking points. As reported earlier, a
management team led by Prodigy CEO Ed Bennett originally was preparing to
launch a bid in the range of $250 million a month ago.
The team has been working with investment bankers Wasserstein Perella
Securities, based in New York. Says Poletti, "Bennett, who wants to move the
online service to New York City from White Plains, New York, also is working
with other Prodigy top executives that he has recruited since his arrival
there in April 1995, after turning around the VH1 cable channel into a
competitor of MTV."
Currently, president Gary Arlen of Arlen Communications in Bethesda,
Maryland, estimates Prodigy's subscribers are under 1 million. "That would
place them at No. 4," Arlen told the wire service, just trailing Microsoft
Network and far behind industry leaders CompuServe and America Online.
Analyst Emily Green of Forrester Research told Reuters, "I think the biggest
problem they have had is getting IBM and Sears to perceive that the value (of
the company) has dropped."
The two firm invested at least $1 billion in developing the service and
possibly as much as $2 billion, analysts have said. Early last month,
shortly after news of Bennett's move to buy the company from its owners,
Prodigy laid off 150 employees, aimed at getting the Service in shape for
the management-led buyout.
IBM Licenses Mac OS
The IBM unit that supplies components and technologies to other companies has
agreed to sub-license the Apple Macintosh operating system to other Computer
makers. However, IBM officials in Armonk, New York, said the company is not
committed to shipping an IBM product using the Macintosh operating-systems at
this time. The Dow Jones News Service quotes analyst Eugene Glazer of Dean
Witter Reynold Inc. as saying, "It's not IBM's PC unit coming out" with a
computer using the Macintosh system. "That would be very different."
The wire service says IBM is expected to sub-license the Mac operating system
to any manufacturer building a computer based on the IBM PowerPC chip. "It
is similar to an agreement reached in February between Motorola Inc. and
Apple," Dow Jones adds, "but The Wall Street Journal reported last month
that Motorola plans to make its own Macintosh clones in China for sale in
that country and abroad."
Apple Vice President George Scalise says that from Apple's point of view, the
new deal "broadly expands the reach of the Macintosh operating systems.
Analysts told Dow Jones that IBM probably views the new agreement as a way to
increase demand for the PowerPC chip, which was a joint product between IBM,
Apple and Motorola. The wire service notes Apple and IBM also are working on
a sub-notebook product, but they declined to provide more details.
Tandem, Microsoft Team Up
In a move seen as opening potentially huge new markets for both companies,
Microsoft Corp. and Tandem Computers Inc. have agreed to marry their server
technologies. Reporting from Tandem's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, The
Wall Street Journal reports terms call for Tandem to make its networking and
"fault-tolerant" software compatible with Microsoft's hot-selling Windows NT,
over the next year. Both companies will sell the software.
"That would give Windows NT, now used mostly for small and medium-sized
applications, a crack at the $8.5 billion market for massive computer
systems favored by stock exchanges, banks, and other companies that risk
being paralyzed by a single computer snafu," the Journal comments. The deal
means Tandem gets to try for a foothold in the exploding market for low-end
servers, which Tandem Chief Executive Roel Pieper predicts could add "more
than $1 billion" to Tandem's annual sales.
"But the move is extremely risky for Tandem, too," the paper notes. "Until
now, Tandem has used its software as the key selling point for high-end
computer systems that can cost millions of dollars. By selling the software
alone, Tandem may cannibalize at least some of its $1.5 billion high-end
computer business."
Ziff Names Editors, Publishers
Computer magazine giant Ziff-Davis has named new executives at PC Magazine,
MacWeek and ZD Net.
z Nancy Newman has been promoted from national associate publisher to
publisher of PC Magazine, replacing Dan Rosensweig, who is being promoted to
executive vice president of the Internet Publishing Group.
z Peter Longo is being promoted from associate publisher of Computer
Shopper to nationalassociate publisher of PC Magazine.
z Rick LePage is being promoted from editor of MacWeek to the
publication's editor-in-chief. He replaces Mark Hall, who will remain with
MacWeek as the editorial page editor while he works on a book project
concerning the Internet. Hall will also continue to write his online column,
"Off the Record," carried by ZD Net.
z Dan Farber has named vice president and editor-in-chief of ZD Net. He
will continue to hold his post as editor-in-chief of PC Week.
Wired Mum on IPO Rumors
Owners of Wired magazine aren't talking about the rumors that it may be
planning to offer public stock in the three-year- old publishing venture.
"At this point we are not making any announcements and Wired is a privately-
held company," Taara Hoffman, director of publicity and promotions at
Wired, told the Reuter News Service in San Francisco. This follows a report
in the San Francisco Examiner that Wired publisher Louis Rossetto had
retained the investment banking firm of Goldman Sachs & Co. to investigate a
public offering at $10 to $12 a share.
Reuters notes the report didn't say how many shares might be issued or what
portion of the company Wired would be willing to sell, but it did say
Rossetto had held a staff meeting early last week in which he informed
employees of the prospect. (Rossetto is CEO of the magazine's parent, Wired
Ventures Inc.) The San Francisco publishing effort -- founded in 1993 by
Rossetto and Jane Metcalfe and backed in part by Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Media Lab guru Nicholas Negroponte and publisher S.I. Newhouse -
achieved an initial readership of some 53,793. Circulation is now estimated
to top 300,000 and Wired has formed two other units: its online service
HotWired, added in October 1994, and a book publishing division, HardWired.
"But," says Reuters, "one industry source said heavy investment by Wired in
its new businesses had been a drain on the company, and could be forcing it
to consider fresh sources of finance. Industry sources have estimated that
Wired racked up around $10 million in losses last year, largely due to fresh
investments, on revenues of around $30 million."
Adobe Seeks New Look for Web
A series of technologies that will allow Internet publishers to use magazine-
style graphics and typefaces is being unveiled today by software publisher
Adobe Systems Inc., with a boost from Sun Microsystems Inc. and Microsoft
Corp. Noting critics complain current Internet graphics are lifeless and
boring, reporter Don Clark of The Wall Street Journal this morning
characterizes Mountain View, Calif., firm's project, code-named Bravo, an
effort to change the look of the World Wide Web.
"Adobe, which makes publishing software used by newspapers and magazines, has
persuaded Sun to support a new technical format that will spice up Internet
graphics," Clark writes, adding that computer maker Sun has agreed to include
the new technology with Sun's hit Java programming language.
Adobe President Chuck Geschke told the paper widespread use of Bravo will
mean that programmers' Web graphics will appear the same on any personal
computer, regardless of its microchip technology or software operating
system.
Meanwhile, Microsoft and Adobe have said they will combine their technologies
for creating type fonts in order to develop a single standard for PCs and the
Internet, Clark reports, noting the two have competed over type font
technology for more than five years.
"Now, peace appears to have broken out," the Journal observes, quoting Chuck
Bigelow, a typography expert who heads Bigelow & Holmes Inc. in Maui, Hawaii,
as saying the two sides wanted to avoid a standards war of the sort that
consumers saw with video-recording, that "nobody wants to be a Betamax."
Clark says the announcements "reflect a quickening race to make the Internet
more useful for vendors and consumers," noting, "While today's Web pages are
generally static documents, numerous companies are promoting new standards to
make animation and three-dimensional effects commonplace."
The Journal says Adobe's Bravo technology solves a separate problem by
providing a standard way to display two-dimensional objects and type on PC
screens and printing devices.
"Using Bravo with Sun's Java programming language could help create programs
that reside on server computers and are downloaded over networks to any type
of PC," writes Clark. "That technique could reduce the influence of Microsoft
in defining the technical ground rules that other software companies must
follow."
Intuit Offers Free QuickBooks Trial
Intuit Inc. says it will allow small businesses to try its QuickBooks 4.0 and
QuickBooks Pro 4.0 accounting software on a free trial basis. PC users can
obtain the software by dialing 800-781-6999, extension 702656. Beginning May
12, users will also be able to obtain the software by filling out an
electronic form on QuickBooks Small Business Online
(http://www.intuit.com/quickbooks/), a part of Intuit's World Wide Web site.
Customers can use the free Windows trial version 25 times before the program
automatically inactivates. Macintosh users can try a full version of
QuickBooks 4.0 or QuickBooks Pro 4.0 for 30 days on a delayed billing
program. "Our research shows that many small business owners are frustrated
because they've spent a lot of time and money evaluating other accounting
packages that end up not meeting their particular needs," says Scott D. Cook,
co-founder and chairman of Intuit. "We want to solve that problem by allowing
all customers to easily evaluate the market leader for free."
Survey Finds High DVD Awareness
A new survey on digital videodisc (DVD) technology -- the consumer
electronics industry's most hyped breakthrough since the compact disc --
shows that the product has already achieved a high level of visibility in the
marketplace, even though DVD won't reach stores until late fall or next
spring. Results from a Video Business/Chilton EXPRESS poll reveal that 45
percent of the 1,008 consumers surveyed have heard of DVD technology -- a
high percentage for a yet-to- be- released product. The survey also showed
that the respondents with the highest DVD awareness levels tend to be the
traditional "early adopters" -- younger males with higher income and
education levels.
Some industry analysts believe that DVD will change the way people watch
movies outside of the movie theater because of the technology's superior
resolution and audio quality compared to VHS tapes. The new discs look like 5-
inch CDs and hold full-length movies (in eight different language
soundtracks). DVD equipment will also play CDs and can act as computer or
video game peripherals.
"The survey results support what analysts in the consumer electronics
industry have predicted: American gadget-lovers are ready for yet another
product that improves the way they view, communicate and play," notes a
statement issued by Chilton Research Services Inc. of Radnor, Pennsylvania.
"This survey, coupled with the fact that a large number of the 93,000
visitors at the annual Consumer Electronics Show lined up to see the digital
videodisc exhibition earlier this year, indicates that DVD hardware and
software manufacturers may have an open-arms market for this product."
Intel Plans No Boards for Laptops
Chipmaker Intel Corp. says that while it has begun developing more laptop
computer technology related to microprocessors, it does not intend to make
motherboards for portables as it does for desktop computers. Visiting
officials in Tokyo, Intel CEO Andrew Grove told reporters that developing
laptop technology is becoming more difficult because of demands for high
performance, low power and miniaturization, and Intel has been undertaking
designs to benefit laptop makers, who are important customers.
The Reuter News Service quotes Grove also as saying that at the end of 1995,
Intel ended up with more DRAM memory chips than anticipated because of
changing demands from customers. Grove said that when there was a shortage
of memory chips earlier in 1995, customers had asked Intel to supply DRAMs
with the motherboards they ordered, but when the shortage disappeared they
began purchasing DRAMs elsewhere. In other developments, Grove also
predicted future PCs will be networked multimedia computers that delivered
voice, video, 3D and animation data to each other over the Internet.
PC Camera Lets Users Monitor Sites
Marshall Electronics Inc. is offering a color camera that sends images via
telephone lines to any PC. The company says its SECURECam I is designed for
remote monitoring applications and is the first in a series of digital color
cameras that plug directly into standard telephone lines for the remote
viewing and storing of video pictures on any PC. The $599 SECURECam I
allows users to dial up a remote site on their PC and view live images at a
rate of 2 frames per second in a 2-inch window. Users can also snap high-
resolution 640- by 480-dot 24 bit color images.
The camera can work up to 250 feet from the phone line. Five or more cameras
can be integrated through adapters using the same phone line. Marshall
Electronics is based in Culver City, California.
Corel Ships WordPerfect Programs
Corel Corp. says the 16-bit version of Corel WordPerfect Suite for Windows
3.1x is now shipping. The new line of WordPerfect products, which includes
Corel Office Professional, Corel Quattro Pro 6.0 and Corel Presentations 6.0,
was created from the WordPerfect software line Corel recently acquired from
Novell Inc.
Corel Office Professional, Corel Quattro Pro 6.0 and Corel Presentations 6.0
for Windows 3.1x are scheduled to begin shipping in mid-May, while Corel
WordPerfect Suite 7 for Windows 95 is scheduled for release in late May and
Corel Office Professional 7 for Windows 95 is slated to begin shipping in
mid-July.
"We expect a very enthusiastic response to the unbeatable value of our new
WordPerfect offerings," says Michael Cowpland, Corel's president and CEO.
"The new Corel WordPerfect Suite gives our customers a value-packed
collection of business applications for the price of a word processor, while
Corel Office Professional adds the strength of Paradox, Group Wise Client
License and InfoCentral to meet all of their database, groupware and
information management needs."
FCC Ponders Internet Phone Calls
The Federal Communications Commission is wondering if it should begin
regulating telephone calls placed via the Internet. Although the FCC hasn't
yet announced whether it will launch formal investigatory proceedings, the
agency will hear comments from interested parties through May 8. Several
software publishers, including VocalTec Inc. now offer programs that allow
computer users to place phone calls through the Internet. While the low-cost
connections can be somewhat tenuous and noisy, the specter of increased
competition has many established phone companies worried.
The America's Carriers Telecommunication Association, an organization
comprised of 160 small-to medium-sized long- distance companies, is one of
the telecommunications industry trade groups supporting government action.
The ACTA recently asked the FCC to create rules governing Internet telephone
service, arguing that such service is identical to the services provided by
ACTA's members, who are regulated.
The ACTA also claims that the anticipated high volume of unregulated calls to
be funnelled over the Internet will overload the Net. Additionally, the ACTA
states that unregulated Internet phone companies don't contribute to
congressionally mandated funding of phone service to low income and rural
areas or to the maintenance of the nation's telecommunications
infrastructure.
Feds Call for Copyright Reform
U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy are calling for an amendment to
the U.S. copyright law to protect intellectual property rights in cyberspace.
Hatch says a change in the law is needed, because of technological advances
that have given users all over the world the ability to make "instant and
perfect copies" of copyrighted works, such as software, books, movies and
musical performances.
United Press International notes his remarks came as artists, publishers,
computer services and users squared off on the issue yesterday at a hearing
of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering a bill to extend
copyright protections to digital transmissions over the Internet.
Testifying at the hearing, director Kenneth R. Kay of the Creative Incentive
Coalition, whose members include most of the bigger media companies in
America, said piracy already costs U.S. copyright owners $18 billion to $20
billion a year.
The group strongly endorsed the Hatch-Leahy bill, which UPI says is
consistent with the recommendations of a Clinton Administration study. The
administration also is proposing a similar approach to international
organizations as a model for international law. The measure would prohibit
the manufacture and sale of devices designed to circumvent copyright
protection systems, which could put an electronic tracer on legitimate copies
that could pinpoint the source of the piracy.
UPI notes online services object to parts of the Hatch-Leahy bill that would
seem to make them liable for the copyright violations committed over their
networks. William W. Burrington of the Interactive Services Association
testified the services cannot monitor everything that is sent over their
networks.
And Robert L. Oakley, law professor at Georgetown University, said a new
copyright law should make it clear that users have the right to make
temporary copies of copyrighted works and have the right to give away, lend
or sell copies they have legitimately obtained.
Survey Finds Poor Computer Security
Many U.S. businesses, government agencies and universities are reporting in a
new survey that their computer systems have been broken into but that they
were poorly prepared to deal with the problem. Reporting from San Francisco,
the Reuter News Service says the Computer Security Institute of computer
security experts did the survey using questions supplied by the FBI's
International Computer Crime Squad in San Francisco.
Says CSI Director Patrice Rapalus, "The survey results serve as a warning.
There has to be a greater commitment of resources to information systems
security and increased cooperation between the private sector and law
enforcement. "The information age has already arrived," he added, "but most
organizations are woefully unprepared." He said technology has made it
easier for offenders to steal, spy or sabotage without being noticed.
The 428 organisations responding to the survey -- including corporations,
financial institutions, government agencies and universities -- "confirmed
that their information systems are under siege," CSI said. Results were:
z Forty-one percent had experienced some form of intrusion or other
unauthorised use of their computer systems in the last year.
z More than half of those who suffered intrusions, or attempted probes of
their internal systems, traced the intrusions to current employees.
Unauthorised probes of computer systems were also prevalent from remote dial-
in sources and Internet connections.
z Twenty-two organizations said they had suffered 10 or more "attacks" on
their system in the past year.
Reuters quotes CSI as saying unauthorized alterations of data - known as
"data diddling" -- were the most frequent form of attack reported against
medical and financial institutions. "Large majorities of those surveyed
considered independent 'hackers' and disgruntled employees likely sources
for eavesdropping, system penetration and spoofing -- attacks in which
intruders forge a return address to gain access to a computer system,"
Reuters reports.
Also, though, more than half cited U.S.-owned corporate competitors as a
likely source of attacks ranging from eavesdropping to system penetration,
"and," says the wire service, "many said that information sought in recent
attacks on their computer systems would be of use to American corporate
competitors."
Internet Users Keep on Searching
A new survey sponsored by Lycos Inc. finds that American Internet users spend
more time searching for information than reading the material they find.
While 80 percent of online users say they believe the information on the
Internet is useful, 54 percent report they spend most of their time
searching for information.
"Surfers, it seems, are finding it's messy out there in cyberspace," says
Robert Davis, president and CEO of Lycos, which runs an Internet search site
(http://www.lycos.com). "More importantly, they seem to be crying out for the
Internet to be useful, and not just fun."
Of all survey respondents, 63 percent say the Internet does not complicate
their life (87 percent of those online and 57 percent of those not online).
In fact, 58 percent of all respondents feel the Internet can simplify their
lives. Additionally, 66 percent of all respondents report that the prospect
of being online is not isolating (87 percent of those online and 62 percent
of those not online).
Study: Cable Industry Must Adapt
The cable television industry can realize new revenue in the range of $3.5
billion to $5 billion by the year 2000 through a combination of new services
including cable modems, delivery of personal communications services (PCS)
and near video on demand, according to SIMBA Information Inc. The market
research firm notes that cable television, like most of the
telecommunications industry, is entering a time of intense redefinition.
The core business of delivering television services over a wire to homes will
not sustain traditional cable concerns in an era of competition and
regulatory changes. While SIMBA states that cable will continue to be the
predominant subscription television service through the year 2000, its
customer base will begin to erode as competitive services boost their
subscriber numbers. One of the first ways cable operators will fortify
themselves in a newly competitive market is through a continuing wave of
acquisitions, trades and mergers.
"Cable operators need to shore up their two most valuable resources which are
their networks and access to the consumer," says SIMBA researcher Rob Agee.
"By 2005, there will be fewer than five primary cable operators controlling
more than 90 percent of all subscribers."
Agee notes that cable operators will also begin to bundle video, data and
personal communications services to compete with satellite, wireless and
telephone company video networks. "Data services delivered via cable enable
operators to leverage their robust and dynamic coaxial fiber networks to
revolutionize a proven and lucrative business almost immediately," says Agee.
But in order to succeed, cable operators have to act quickly and
aggressively. "Failure to deliver high speed cable modem access is not an
option cable operators can afford," says Agee.
Gates Foresees Net as Easy as TV
Dusting off his crystal ball, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates is
predicting that within 10 years, hooking up to the Internet will be as much
a part of everyday life as talking on the telephone or watching television.
For now, though, he notes, traffic jams are becoming increasingly frequent
as more people use the vast global computer network and as more audio and
video are passed along.
Covering an education conference in Bellevue, Washington, The Associated
Press says Gates told educators that as technology develops - including the
advanced types of telephone and cable lines needed to quickly deliver
information -- those traffic jams will cease. "Gates envisions the Internet,"
says AP, "as the place where people will eventually go for information on
absolutely everything."
In his keynote address, Gates said, "Imagine everything being totally
available. In the next couple years, we're going to get pretty close to that
ideal." Noting the conference is intended to train workers for crucial jobs
that don't yet exist, Gates commented that two years ago nobody would have
picked "webmaster" as a hot job in 1996. Now, webmasters, along with
developers, systems integrators, graphic artists and other jobs related to
the World Wide Web portion of the Internet are in high demand.
CompuServe Denies FBI Probe
CompuServe Inc. officials today denied a Columbus, Ohio, newpaper report that
the online service is being investigated by the FBI over a complaint about
adult-oriented data. "We categorically deny that there is an investigation
being conducted by either the FBI or the Department of Justice," CompuServe
spokesman Russ Robinson told The Associated Press.
His statement came after The Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported this
morning that the FBI had begun investigating a complaint lodged by a
Christian watchdog group called American Family Association over what it
characterized as sexually-oriented material.
AP notes American Family, headed by conservative media critic Donald Wildmon,
is the group that last year forced Calvin Klein to cancel a jeans ad
campaign featuring young models in provocative poses. The organization also
pressured companies to drop ads for "NYPD Blue" because of the program's
adult content.
American Family's new complaint centers on CompuServe's Entertainment Drive
forums, which provide various information about entertainment, such as
movies and television programming, and on the MacGlamour Forum, which
contains pictures and movies. AP says the Justice Department has forwarded
to the FBI the group's complaint that the CompuServe services violate the
new Communications Decency Act.
However, Justice Department spokesman John Russell told the wire service this
afternoon that does not necessarily mean there is an investigation. The
federal law in question, part of the massive telecommunications overhaul
signed by President Clinton last February, allows for penalties of up to two
years in prison and $250,000 in fines for violations.
However, as reported earlier, a three-judge U.S. District Court panel in
Philadelphia currently is hearing arguments on whether the decency law is
constitutional and Justice Department officials have indicated they would not
begin prosecuting violators until the case is decided.
As reported here, Judge Ronald Buckwalter issued a temporary restraining
order Feb. 15 that blocked part of the act, declaring some terms used in it
to be too vague. Meanwhile, CompuServe spokeswoman Daphne Kent noted parents
who subscribe to CompuServe already can block access to any area of the
system by requiring a password to enter those areas. However, she pointed
out, so far only 6,000 of CompuServe's 4.7 million subscribers have initiated
parental controls, which Kent said suggests people are not very concerned
about the issue on the system.
FBI Says No CompuServe Probe
Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation have confirmed that
CompuServe is not being investigated because of what a Christian watchdog
group considers adult-oriented material available online. "As far as I know
-- and I should know -- we are not doing an investigation," Theodore
Jackson, the agent in charge of the FBI's Cincinnati office, told The
Associated Press. "That's news to me."
As reported, CompuServe officials also have denied a report in the Columbus,
Ohio, Dispatch newspaper that an FBI probe had been launched following a
complaint from a Christian watchdog group called American Family Association
over what it characterized as sexually-oriented material. CompuServe
spokesman Jeff Shafer called the newspaper account "erroneous." And Justice
Department spokesman John Russell now has told the Reuter News Service,
"They're not under investigation. The FBI has not launched a probe."
WinZip 6.1, featuring the WinZip Wizard
in
Universal Release
WinZip 6.1, featuring the WinZip Wizard, is now available for Windows 95,
Windows NT, and Windows 3.1. All registered users can download a free
upgrade to the English version. Both 32-bit (Windows 95 and Windows NT) and
16-bit (Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups) versions are available.
z WinZip for Windows 95 features improved drag and drop support.
z German language versions of WinZip are now available.
z You can download the latest pre-release add-ons for WinZip from the Beta
Test Information Page
WinZip Features Include
The WinZip Wizard:
This optional feature uses the standard and familiar "wizard" interface to
simplify the process of unzipping and installing software distributed in Zip
files. The WinZip Wizard is not targeted at experienced users, but is ideal
for the rapidly growing number of PC users getting started with Zip files.
When these users gain confidence or want to use more advanced zipping
features, the full WinZip Classic interface is just a click away. The WinZip
Wizard is new in WinZip 6.1.
Windows 95 Features:
WinZip includes long filename support and tight integration with the Windows
95 shell. Drag and drop to or from the Explorer, or ZIP and UNZIP without
leaving the Explorer. Drop files on a printer to print.
Internet Support:
WinZip includes built-in support for popular Internet file formats: TAR,
gzip, and Unix compress. Now you can use WinZip to access almost all the
files you download from the Internet.
WinZip won the Windows Magazine 1996 WIN100 Award, was a finalist for the PC
Computing 1995 MVP Awards at Comdex, and was voted "Best Utility" at the 1994
Shareware Industry Awards. Recent magazine quotes include:
z "No Windows 95 desktop should be without a file archiving utility, and
Nico Mak Computing's WinZip 6.0 is the one to have." PC Magazine 5/96
z "WinZip is THE file Utility everyone should have." STReport Magazine
4/96
z "The best all-purpose file-compression utility for Windows 95 and
Windows NT" Windows Sources 3/96
z "These days everyone needs a good unzipping utility. This is the best."
PC Computing, 12/95
z "The best zipping and unzipping program you can find" Computer Shopper,
10/95
z "The best of the Windows ZIP utilities" PC Magazine, 9/12/95
Do you need to send files to end users who may not have an unzip utility? If
so, click here for information about WinZip Self-Extractor, a finalist for
the 1995 Ziff-Davis Shareware Awards. A pre-release version of WinZip Self-
Extractor 1.1 is also available. This version includes optional support for
Windows 95 long filenames, MS-DOS support (one .exe file works on either MS-
DOS or Windows), and improved automation and customization for software
installation.
Adaptec Power Storage(tm) Hard Drive Upgrade Kit
How to solve your data storage needs, enhance your PC's performance, and open
the way to the hottest new peripheral devices...in One Easy Step. The Power
Storage is the all-in-one external hard drive kit, so it's incredibly easy to
add storage to your PC. And because it's external, you don't have to throw
away your old internal drive that came with your PC.
The Power Storage Hard Drive Kit can be used by you and the kids, in a home
or small office, or for multimedia applications. One of the best things
about the Power Storage Kit is that the hard drive is a SCSI (Small Computer
Systems Interface, pronounced "scuzzy") drive. SCSI peripherals and devices
are known for their superior performance and compatibility.
Expandability For Any PC!
Today's computing requires more data storage than ever before -- for new
Windows(reg) 95 applications, for multimedia and games, for video, graphics,
and those large files you download off the Internet. Now there's an easy way
to solve your storage needs and open your PC to today's hottest new
peripherals.
Adaptec Power Storage kit, gives you the high-speed, high-capacity hard drive
you need for today's storage needs -- and, at the same time, provides a
convenient external expansion platform that lets you add up to six more
peripherals just by plugging in a cable.
Power Up Your PC
Adaptec Power Storage kit gives your PC a SCSI interface. With SCSI, you'll
get the fastest disk access times available. You'll be able to take
advantage of true multitasking under Windows 95. And you'll be able to add
high-performance peripherals like Zip drives, tape drives, scanners, even
recordable CD-R drives.
Installation's A Snap
Simply install the SCSI connections card in the ISA bus slot of your 386/486
PC, or the PCI slot of your Pentium PC. It takes less than 30 minutes, and
requires no technical skill. Then plug in your new Power Storage hard drive
and other SCSI peripherals, just like that. You'll never have to open your
computer case to add peripherals again!
SCSI: The Secret To Your PC's Future
Inside every PC is an input/output (I/O) interface, which controls the flow
of data between your computer and its peripheral devices (hard drives,
printers, scanners, etc.). Most PCs come standard with an I/O technology
called IDE or EIDE, a workable solution, but slow and very limited.
Computer users today are finding it makes sense to upgrade their I/O
technology to SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) for a lot of good
reasons:
z Only SCSI lets you use high-performance peripheral devices -- fast, high-
capacity hard drives like your new Power Storage drive, recordable CD-R
drives, and removable media devices like Zip drives or magneto-optical
drives.
z SCSI lets you add up to seven peripheral devices to a single expansion
port, just by plugging in a cable. What could be simpler?
z SCSI lets you add external peripherals, not just internal ones (as with
IDE/EIDE).
z SCSI moves data in and out of the system at a much faster rate -
essential for today's demanding applications and peripherals.
z It provides significantly faster disk access and frees your computer's
CPU to work faster at its own tasks.
z Only SCSI supports true multitasking under Windows 95. So while you're
scanning an image or backing up your hard disk, you can continue working (or
playing) on other things.
Take It Outside! The Advantages of External Expansion
PC owners have traditionally been limited to internal expansion - and limited
is the word for it. With Adaptec Power Storage, you can expand externally,
with all these advantages:
z Once you've installed the Power Storage connections card, you can add
additional peripherals just by plugging in a cable. You'll never have to
open your PC's case to add a new SCSI device.
z Take your SCSI peripherals with you when you're working at a different
site -- or when you buy a new system.
z You'll never run out of expansion bays. Add your new high-performance
Power Storage hard drive and up to six additional SCSI peripherals to a
single expansion point.
z No need to trash your old drives -- you can save your existing hardware,
and avoid the laborious floppy-by-floppy transfer of data and applications to
your new drive.
Adaptec Power Storage Key Features
High Capacity:
z One gigabyte external SCSI hard drive.
High Performance:
z Connections card -- SCSI connections card supports 10 MByte/sec Fast
SCSI-2 burst rate on the SCSI bus; (32-bit bus mastering data transfer for
Power Storage/PCI)
Hard Drive
z Power Storage hard drive provides 12 ms average seek time.
Widest Compatibility:
z Adaptec is the industry standard in SCSI technology, the one that
peripheral manufacturers design to. You can count on reliable performance and
the widest possible compatibility.
Easy Installation:
z SCSI connections card installs in minutes into the ISA slot of your
386/486 PC or the PCI slot of your Pentium PC -- no jumpers or switches to
set. One-click software installation; supports Plug-and-Play under Windows
95.
Multi-Platform Support:
z Works under Windows 95, Windows(reg) 3.1, MS-DOS, Windows NT(tm), OS/2,
NetWare, UNIX.
Includes Free Software:
z Adaptec EZ-SCSI(reg) Software -- suite of 32-bit applications for your
Power Storage hard drive and other SCSI peripherals.
z Remove-It(reg) Software by Vertisoft(tm) -- Safely and easily lets you
uninstall Windows and DOS applications and files you no longer need.
Adaptec, Inc.
691 South Milpitas Boulevard
Milpitas, California 95035
Adaptec Europe
Belgium Tel: (32) 2-352-34-11
FAX: (32) 2-352-34-00
Adaptec Japan
Tokyo
Tel: (81-3)-5276-9882
FAX: (81-3)-5276-9884
Adaptec Singapore
Tel: (65) 278-7300
FAX: (65) 273-0163
Literature: 1-800-934-2766 (USA and Canada) (510) 732-3829
Ordering Software: 1-800-442-7274 (USA and Canada) (408) 957-7274
Interactive FAX : (408) 957-7150
Adaptec USA Bulletin Board: (408) 945-7727 (up to 28,800 baud, using 8
bits, 1 stop bit, no parity)
CompuServe: GO ADAPTEC
Microsoft Network: GO ADAPTEC
Internet ftp server: ftp.adaptec.com
World-Wide Web: http://www.adaptec.com/
Copyright 1996 Adaptec, Inc. All rights reserved. Adaptec, the Adaptec logo,
the IOware logo, Power Storage, AHA, and EZ-SCSI, are trademarks of Adaptec,
Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. Microsoft, Windows, the
Windows logo, and Windows 95 are registered trademarks, and Windows NT is a
trademark of Microsoft Corporation used under license. Remove-IT is a
registered trademark, and Vertisoft is a trademark of Vertisoft Corporation
used under license. All other trademarks used are owned by their respective
owners. Information supplied by Adaptec, Inc. is believed to be accurate and
reliable at the time of printing, but Adaptec, Inc. assumes no
responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. Adaptec, Inc.
reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in product design or
specifications. Information is subject to change without notice.
Special Notice!! STR Infofile
File format Requirements for Articles
File Format for STReport
All articles submitted to STReport for publication must be sent in the
following format. Please use the format requested. Any files received that
do not conform will not be used. The article must be in an importable word
processor format for Word 7.0.. The margins are .05" left and 1.0" Monospaced
fonts are not to be used. Please use proportional fonting only and at eleven
points.
z No Indenting on any paragraphs!!
z No underlining!
z Column Format shall be achieved through the use of tabs only. Do NOT
use the space bar.
z No ASCII "ART"!!
z There is no limits as to size, articles may be split into two if lengthy
z Actual Artwork should be in GIF, PCX, JPG, TIF, BMP, WMF file formats
z Artwork (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.)should be sent along with the
article separately
z Please use a single font only in an article. TTF CG Times 11pt. is
preferred. (VERY Strong Hint)
If there are any questions please use either E-Mail or call.
On 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
amount of reader mail expressing a preference for our Adobe PDF enhanced
issue is running approximately 15 to 1 over the ASCII edition. Besides,
STReport will not be caught in the old, worn out "downward compatibility
dodge" we must move forward. However, if the ASCII readership remains as
high, rest assured. ASCII will stay. Right now, since STReport is offered on
a number of closed major corporate networks as "required" Monday Morning
reading.. Our ascii readers have nothing to worry themselves about.
Corel Begins Shipping New WordPerfect Products
for
Windowsr 3.1x (U.S. Versions) in the U.S.
Ottawa, Canada--May 8, 1996--Corel Corporation and its subsidiaries today
announced that the 16-bit version of Corelr WordPerfect Suiter for Windows
3.1x (U.S. version only) has begun shipping in the U.S. This new line of
WordPerfect products, which also includes Corelr Office Professional, Corelr
Quattror Pro 6.0 and Corelr PresentationsT 6.0, has been created from the
WordPerfect family of software programs that Corel recently acquired from
Novell, Inc. Corel Office Professional, Corel Quattro Pro 6.0 and Corel
Presentations 6.0 for Windows 3.1x are scheduled to begin shipping in mid-
May, 1996, while Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7 for Windowsr 95 is scheduled to
be available in late May, and Corel Office Professional 7 for Windows 95 is
scheduled to begin shipping in mid-July. Canadian and international versions
of these products and pricing details will be available soon.
"We expect a very enthusiastic response to the unbeatable value of our new
WordPerfect offerings," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief
executive officer of Corel Corporation. "The new Corel WordPerfect Suite
gives our customers a value-packed collection of business applications for
the price of a word processor, while Corel Office Professional adds the
strength of Paradoxr, GroupWise Client LicenseT and InfoCentral to meet all
of their database, groupware and information management needs."
Corelr WordPerfectr Suite for Windowsr 3.1x:
This integrated suite for Windows 3.1x is an entire office suite for the
price of a word processor. It features Corel WordPerfect 6.1, Corel Quattro
Pro 6.0, Envoy 1.0, AT&T WorldNet Service software including Netscape
NavigatorT Internet browser (US and Canadian versions only), Corel
Presentations 3.0, CorelFLOW 2, Starfish Software's Sidekick 2.0 and
Dashboard 3.0, Corel Screen Saver, thousands of clipart images and 150 fonts.
The Corel WordPerfect Suite will be available in CD-ROM only format and
diskette with a companion CD-ROM format for a suggested retail price of $395
U.S. (CD-ROM) and $449 U.S. (diskette and CD-ROM). The diskette and CD-ROM
version contains Corel WordPerfect 6.1 on the diskettes and all other
applications, fonts and clipart on the CD-ROM. Upgrade pricing is $129 U.S.
for the CD-ROM version and $179 U.S. for the diskette version.
Corelr Office Professional for Windowsr 3.1x:
This professional office suite for Windows 3.1x offers powerful software
solutions, incredible ease of use, OLE functionality and open network
integration. It includes Corel WordPerfect 6.1, Corel Quattro Pro 6.0, Corel
Presentations 3.0, Envoy 1.0, AT&T WorldNet Service software including
Netscape NavigatorT Internet browser (US and Canadian versions only),
InfoCentral 1.1, Borland's Paradox 5.0, a GroupWise 4.1 client license,
CorelFLOW 2, Starfish Software's Sidekick 2.0 and Dashboard 3.0, Corel Screen
Saver, thousands of clipart images and 150 fonts. This 16-bit professional
office suite will be available on CD-ROM only and will carry a suggested
retail price of $695 U.S. Upgrade/trade-up pricing is $295 U.S.
AT&T WorldNet Service software including Netscape Navigator T Internet
browser
AT&T brings to Corel customers its "Internet for Everyone" service, with
directories and topical areas to help people find useful information, guided
tours for newcomers, navigational aids for users of all skill levels and
electronic mail. AT&T WorldNet Service will work with most of today's
popular Internet browsers, although an AT&T-branded version of the Netscape
Navigator browser software, which is included in the package, is
preconfigured for easy installation. The service also includes an AT&T toll-
free, 24-hour hotline and world-class customer care.
Corel Corporation
Incorporated in 1985, Corel Corporation is recognized internationally as an
award-winning developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics
and multimedia software. Corel's product line includes CorelDRAW, the Corel
WordPerfect Suite, Corel Office Professional, CorelVIDEO and over 30
multimedia software titles. Corel's products run on most operating systems,
including: Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, MS_DOS and OS/2 and are consistently
rated among the strongest in the industry. The company ships its products in
over 17 languages through a network of more than 160 distributors in 70
countries worldwide. Corel is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol:
COS) and the NASDAQ National Market System (symbol: COSFF). For more
information visit Corel's home page on the Internet at http://www.corel.com.
All products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademards of their
respective companies. Corel, WordPerfect and Quattro are registered
trademarks of Corel Corporation and its subsidiaries. CorelDRAW, CorelFLOW
and Presentations are trademarks of Corel Corporation. GroupWise and Envoy
are trademarks of Novell, Inc. *All pricing information is current as of
March 29, 1996. AT&T reserves the right to modify the pricing for the AT&T
WorldNet Services at any time.
Dvorak STR Spotlight
Dvorak Development
Founded in 1993, Dvorak Development & Publishing Corporation is the world-
leader in second-generation off-line navigators. Dvorak's mission is to
design, develop and promote the next generations of navigation front and back-
end tools for information navigation and retrieval, agent transactions and
automated "two-way" information exchange on the Internet and on-line
commercial services.
Our Navigators:
Imagine the Internet (or another cybernet such as CompuServe) as a
skyscraper. Once inside, it's a real mystery just to get around. The rooms
have no signs, no one is manning the information desk and even the elevators
are hard to find. A first generation browser (like Netscape) would search
floor-by-floor and room-by-room to see what's there. Dvorak's second-
generation navigators, on the other hand, already possess a blueprint of the
skyscraper's layout and are smart enough to know which floor, room and file
cabinet to search for desired information.
The Products:
NavCIS Pro is a second generation Windows off-line navigator for CompuServe.
OUI is a second generation off-line navigator for the Usenet portion of the
Internet (newsgroups and e-mail). NavStar is a second generation off-line
navigator for the Prodigy Information Service.
Management:
John C. Dvorak: Chairman, is a world-famous PC industry observer and writer.
John currently writes fourteen columns each month which appear in a variety
of newspaper and magazines including PC Magazine and the San Jose Mercury
News. He also hosts a radio show each week and appears regularly on C/Net.
Michael Ceranski: President & CEO, is the co-founder of Dvorak Development.
This is the third successful software company Mike has founded and
bootstrapped. He has also co-authored several books, and currently writes a
bi-weekly column, Inside Cyberspace.
David W. Holmes: 26, Vice President, Engineering, has been programming since
the age of 10. David is responsible for the design and implementation of the
Company's core authoring technology.
In addition, the Company employs 5 engineers, 3 technical support staff, 2
G&A support staff and two marketing staff members. The company also has one
full time employee based near Stuttgart, Germany.
Mike Ceranski ...
is the co-founder and CEO of Dvorak Development. This is the third successful
software company Mike has founded and boot-strapped. The first was co-founded
in 1982 with two partners and $25,000 and specialized in security access
software for the IBM-XT, IBM-AT and compatibles. After growing that company
to 10 people, Mike moved on. In 1989, Mike and a partner founded Athena
Software, which specialized in network utilities for Netware. Athena's
product line was quickly bought by the software utilities giant Central Point
Software (maker of PCTools). Mike worked at Central Point for the next year
in a variety of positions including Microsoft liaison, Global Area Network
designer, product management and strategic planning, before returning to
Colorado.
Mike's interests in cyberspace began in 1982 when he first began surfing
local bulletin board systems. After learning the arcane arts of Xmodem,
Ymodem and Zmodem, he moved onto CompuServe. Mike quickly learned CompuServe
was not affordable unless it was used with an off-line navigation tool.
Unfortunately, only difficult to use and primitive DOS based navigators were
available.
With the early 90's came the Windows revolution and Mike patiently waited for
a Windows based navigation tool to appear.
"It became apparent that no one was going to release a useable, easy-to-
understand navigation tool for CompuServe, so I decided to go ahead and do
it," Mike said, and thus was born NavCIS.
Being a Colorado semi-native, Mike enjoys skiing and mountain biking. Other
interests include raising Burmese cats, gourmet cooking, and wine collecting.
Mr. Huxley, you ain't seen nothing yet
by Mike Ceranski
It seems like only yesterday that the "w" word was an arcane term used only
by computer gurus. Today the "web" is pervasive and web addresses show up
everywhere: newspaper ads, television ads, business cards, junk mail, even
give-aways like pens and refrigerator magnets. This is creating further
pressure, and everyone from the local insurance agent to neighborhood priests
are wondering if they should put up a web site. I can hear them now. "Father,
those darn Methodists have just put up a web site and do you know what they
called it? `www.god_is_us.org'!! We've got to do something!"
I received a call yesterday from a fellow who works for a printing company
which specializes in computer manuals. He called and explained his wife was
moving from desktop publishing to web publishing and wanted to create a web-
based store-front for her services. He went on to describe how hard it is for
new users to figure out how to do this. Even finding out how to locate the
experts is a perplexing and disheartening process. I provided the contacts I
could while explaining I was already overcommitted and unable to help more
directly.
He also mentioned that he'd noticed our company wasn't ordering manuals
lately, to which I explained things were moving so fast with our software
that the only way to keep our documentation current was to write detailed,
built-in help files. He agreed with my reasoning and went on to say the trend
was clear, "printed software manuals are going to be a thing of the past.
that's why I'm learning as much as I can about cyberspace. I'm not going to
be left behind."
This guy realizes that things are changing at a fundamental level and that
the printing company he works for isn't the bastion of security he once
thought. He doesn't know exactly what he'll do in this Brave New World, but
he certainly plans on being prepared for whatever opportunities come his way.
I find that both comforting and alarming. Comforting because it demonstrates
the resiliency of human nature, alarming because it's another clear example
of automation destroying precious jobs. If the web lives up to its potential,
numerous industries will be impacted.
Much of our current economy is based upon distribution: a manufacturer builds
a widget, then sells that widget to a national distributor. In turn, the
national distributor sells that widget to a regional distributor who will
probably sell it to a chain of stores. From there the widget finally makes it
onto a shelf, and is bought by a consumer. If web-based commerce continues
the way it is, manufacturers will sell more and more of their products
directly to consumers. This allows the manufacturer to offer lower prices
while increasing profit margins, gives the buyer direct support and feedback,
and removes three layers of distribution and their associated jobs.
Another area that will be impacted: shopping malls and sales. If people buy
more stuff online, the need to go to a shopping mall will be diminished. As
for the sales people who work in these malls today, where will they go when
the malls close?
Other professions which find themselves safe today may be impacted as well.
take Banking for instance. If your latest copy of Quicken can pay all your
bills online, balance your checkbook to the penny daily, and do other useful
banking chores, the need for personnel at the bank will certainly decrease.
Eventually banks might consist of nothing but vaults stuffed will valuables
and secure-transaction web servers.
Finally, the long distance carriers will be whacked. Why pay 20 cents a
minute when you can use the Internet for long distance calls for a buck an
hour or less? As Internet sound-transmission technology improves, AT&T's
stranglehold diminishes. That's why numerous long distance carriers are
already backing legislature to impede non-text data transfer.
Besides causing job loss, the Internet will provide many new jobs and job
types. Already, people are using new titles such as WebMaster, WebWonk, and
WebSpinner to describe their functions in designing and maintaining web
sites. As this Brave New World unfolds, one thing can be counted on: the
future belongs to the nimble.
c1996 Mike Ceranski
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
NO MERGER IN CARDS FOR BRITISH TELECOM
AND CABLE & WIRELESS
Abandoning merger talks that would have created the world's fifth-biggest
communications group in terms of revenue, British Telecommunications and
Cable & Wireless said that financial and regulatory obstacles were too great
to overcome. However, a business partnership between the companies will
continue, and the chairman of C&W said that "you can do a lot of things
without mega-mergers." (New York Times 3 May 9 C4)
THE SELLING OF ADA
The U.S. Department of Energy is committing $2 million to promote commercial
software products written in Ada 95, a programming language developed with
substantial government support. (Computer Industry Daily 6 May 96)
PENTIUM PRO PC PRICES POISED TO PLUNGE
A senior Intel official predicts deep cuts in prices for computers powered by
Intel's top-of-the-line Pentium Pro microprocessor, from an average of
$4,000 now to about $2,500 by the end of the year. This trend is expected to
spark a new round of corporate upgrading, augmented by new Intel motherboard
and chip set technology that are both cheaper and easier to maintain than
current models. The new technology, called Desktop Management Interface,
uses hardware and software standards designed to facilitate remote diagnosis
of PC problems and reduce repair and maintenance costs.
(Wall Street Journal 3 May 96 B4)
EU TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT THE INTERNET
European Union culture and telecommunications ministers met last week to
discuss ways of controlling access to the Internet to prevent criminal
activity and protect children. "Many member states perceive the need now for
some discipline, some kind of regulatory framework or code of ethics," says
the Italian telecommunications minister. Some European governments, such as
Germany and Great Britain, have already adopted Internet-related laws and
others are considering it. (Wall Street Journal 3 May 96 B5B)
$500 INTERNET PC WON'T FLY, SAYS FORRESTER
A new report released by Forrester Research predicts that the $500 Internet
PC "won't deliver" and aren't cheap enough to qualify as a successful
consumer electronics product. "The technology is not good enough, the
content will be inadequate, and distribution will pose a substantial
hurdle." Forrester says that low-cost full-feature PCs priced in the $1,000
range will present a more viable alternative. (Investor's Business Daily 6
May 96 A6)
THE PC'S A PRINTING PRESS, NOT A TV
Jonathan Wallace, co-author of "Sex, Laws and Cyberspace," (Henry Holt, 1996)
thinks Congress made a mistake in its attempt to ban "indecent" content from
the Internet: "If Congress had taken a deep breath, it would have realized
the correct analogy for the Net is the printing press. Every computer can
be used as a tool to create text or redistribute text created by others.
The analogy is so exact that there's no justification to apply laws that are
different than those for the printing press. What Congress did instead was
to treat the Net like broadcast TV -- a grievous mistake." (Information
Week 29 Apr 96 p12) The Communications Decency Act is now being challenged
in court by the American Library Association, whose legislative counsel Adam
Eisgrau notes, "Fear plus ignorance shouldn't equal public policy."
(Business Week 6 May 96 p58)
CHIPPING AWAY FROM WITHIN
The problem of microchip theft from high-tech industries is so widespread
that law enforcement officials estimate it adds about $150 to the cost of a
personal computer system. Though an increasing number of chip thefts have
taken the form of violent armed robberies, the majority of such thefts are
accomplished by company insiders. A 1994 survey released by the American
Society for Industrial Security indicated that employees were responsible for
57% of all component thefts, with vendors and independent contractors
accounting for another 13%. (San Jose Mercury Center News 5 May 96)
CANADIAN SATELLITES TARGETED
The race into space with direct broadcast satellite TV has created a
regulatory black hole that the U.S. government is struggling to fill. A
plan by Telesat Canada to finance its $1.6-billion satellite program by
leasing capacity to American broadcasters has prompted the Federal
Communications Commission to hold special hearings in Washington to
investigate whether it can regulate the use of Canadian satellites. (Toronto
Financial Post 4 May 96 p1)
"THE FLOPPY IS OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY"
Kim Edwards, CEO of removable-disk-drive-maker Iomega, says the days of the
floppy drive are over: "We believe that the floppy disk is essentially
obsolete technology. It isn't big enough to do anything with, and it's very,
very slow. Software is all shipped on CD-ROM. In fact, it's really shipped
on the hard drive. Gateway 2000 Inc., for example, preconfigures their
machines with software right on the hard drive. Microsoft Crop. Has
announced that they're going to stop providing software on floppies. I
think that's a huge signal. But to make the Zip the floppy for the
multimedia age, we're going to have to do more than just sell the drive as
an external box. We've got to get inside the computers." The Zip drive,
which sells for $200, uses special removable disks that hold 100 megabytes of
data, compared with 1.4 megabytes on a conventional floppy. Iomega's Jaz
drive stores one gigabyte on each disk. (Investor's Business Daily 6 May 96
A6)
PAYMENT BY THE WORD
James Gleick reports that some Web-searching services will now let
advertisers sponsor an individual word. For example, if you search for
"golf"at Yahoo, an ad for golf offers to let you win a set of clubs, and a
click on "golf" at Lycos gets you an ad and a contest offer from Cobra Golf.
Another example: AT&T and Sprint both have bought the word "telephone" from
various search services. (New York Times Magazine 5 May 96 p32)
DIGITAL'S NEW SERVERS DISH UP A CHALLENGE
Digital Equipment Corp.'s new line of computer servers, with prices starting
at $50,000 each, are taking aim at the lucrative mid-range server market now
dominated by Sun Microsystems, IBM and Hewlett-Packard. "This finally gives
Digital a workhorse in the midrange," says an industry analyst, who predicts
that "within an 18-month ramp-up period, they could be doing one billion
dollars of business with this machine." The new products can handle large
memory and database functions previously available only on Digital's high-
end Turbolaser machines, which start at $100,000 each. (Wall Street Journal
3 May 96 B4)
LCD TVs
Sharp's new 43-inch rear-projection TV uses a liquid crystal display panel to
display images. The system is nearly as slim as a conventional 14-inch CRT
TV, and is about 1.5 times brighter than conventional rear-projection TVs.
The TV is currently sold only in Japan (for about $3,600), but will be
available in the U.S this fall. (Popular Science May 96 p12)
IBM LICENSES APPLE MAC/OS
IBM has worked out an agreement to license Apple Computer's Macintosh
operating system, and although it doesn't plan to manufacture Mac clones
itself, IBM will be allowed to sublicense the system to other computer makers
and will be able to offer hardware components, such as the PowerPC chip and
motherboards, to other clone manufacturers. "This will help Apple expand
the low end of the market... where they've had problems," says an industry
analyst. A similar agreement with Motorola, signed in February, will allow
Motorola to make and sell its own Mac clones as well as sublicense the
system. (Investor's Business Daily 7 May 96 A9)
LUCENT'S INFERNO SPARKS INTEREST
AT&T spin-off Lucent Technologies Inc. has unveiled a versatile new
networking software package called Inferno, designed to run over a variety
of networks, including the Internet, private data networks and
telecommunications etworks. The software consists of operating-system
software and a programming language called Limbo, which can be used by
programmers to make compatible software for a broad range of consumer
electronics devices. "With Inferno, any device can communicate and share
information with any device over any network," says the president of Bell
Labs. "Inferno is designed to take the chaos out of the electronic Tower of
Babel," says the president of Infonautics Consulting. Inferno's versatility
puts it in direct competition with Sun Microsystems' Java programming
language, which also works across most platforms. Inferno's advantage lies
in the inclusion of an operating system, which Java does not yet have, and
its lean design, requiring only one megabyte of memory to run, making it
suitable for low-cost hand-held devices. (Wall Street Journal 7 May 96 B4)
EXPANDED UNIVERSAL SERVICE DEBATED
Participants in a May 1 Cato Institute policy forum debated whether the FCC
will expand the definition of universal service to include more advanced
services beyond voice-grade dialtone. "The real motivations of some of these
policies, it seems to me, have very little to do with economics and very
little to do with telecommunications," says Cato's director of
telecommunications and technology studies. "I think they're part of a wider
agenda which says, `Look, we can't have big social program bills any more.
God knows, look what happened to the health care program. But we can tack on
social aspects to other bills, especially ones that are very widely popular,
like the Telecom bill.' So it's sort of social policy by default." A
representative from Citizens for a Sound Economy was a little more optimistic
that market forces would prevail: "The Telecommunications Act is a lot like
sausage made with very high quality meat and a certain amount of fat. What
do you do with a sausage? You put it over the fire and you give it plenty of
heat. And if you do that, you burn off the fat. The meat of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 is to allow for competition." (BNA Daily
Report for Executives 2 May 96 A26)
CREDIT-CARD ACTIVATED COMPUTER SYSTEM INTRODUCED
USA Technologies, Inc. has teamed up with Dell Computer Corp. to produce a
credit-card activated computer system, the C3X. The Credit Card Computer
Express system is targeted at libraries that wish to offer their patrons
affordable access to computer technology and the information superhighway
without having to invest in a time-monitoring and billing system. (The
Heller Report May 96)
ADOBE'S BRAVO GIVES WEB GRAPHICS A NEW LOOK
Adobe Systems' new Bravo technology will bring added zip to the Web, allowing
online publishers to use magazine-style graphics and typefaces. Sun
Microsystems has agreed to include the Adobe software in its Java programming
language. Bravo-produced Web graphics will appear the same on any PC,
regardless of the computer's configuration or operating system. (Wall Street
Journal 7 May 96 B4)
DAYS OF THE SMALL ISP ARE NUMBERED
With the telephone and cable companies entering the Internet service provider
market, the days of the small ISP are numbered, predicts the Yankee Group.
Yankee estimates that of the 1,400 ISPs now in the U.S., fewer than 200 will
still be around by 2000. (Internet Business Advantage May 96 p4)
ASIAN-BACKED GROUPS WIN WIRELESS LICENSE AUCTION
A special Federal Communications Commission auction of wireless licenses for
"small business" yielded more than $8 billion from five companies, four of
them backed by Asian corporations. The biggest winner was NextWave Personal
Communications, which spend $4.2 billion for licenses that will give them
potential access to 93.8 million customers in 56 markets. Other big winners
were DCR PCS, GWI PCS, BDPCS, and Omnipoint PCS Entrepreneurs. (New York
Times 7 May 96 C6)
BELL CANADA WANTS SAME FREEDOM AS AT&T
Bell Canada president John McLennan says his company and other members of the
Stentor alliance of phone companies are handicapped by regulations not faced
by alternative long-distance carriers such as Unitel and Call-Net. McLennan
points out Bell must currently files proposed prices increases with Canadian
regulators where all competitors can review them, and the company cannot
change its charges without first obtaining federal approval. McLennan wants
the same regulatory freedom enjoyed in the United States by AT&T. (Toronto
Financial Post 7 May 96 p 3)
ZENITH RECLASSIFIED AS "INTERNET STOCK," AND SHARES SOAR
Zenith Electronics, after announcing that its partnership with U.S. Robotics
will soon be marketing a new system for providing high-speed Internet access
via cable technology, has been reclassified by traders as Internet stock,
resulting in its stock tripling in value in just a week. (New York Times 7
May 96 C1)
MCI WILL QUADRUPLE BACKBONE CAPACITY
A major switching equipment upgrade will enable MCI to cut network congestion
and offer high-speed multimedia services. The upgrade will achieve an
increase in capacity from 2.5Gbit/sec to 10Gbit/sec without company having to
lay additional fiber. (Computerworld 6 May 96 p1)
MICROSOFT PLANS "DELICIOUS" JOURNALISTIC
ONLINE SMORGASBORD
"Slate," the online journal of opinion being developed for Microsoft by
former Crossfire television journalist Michael Kinsley ("From the Left, I'm
Michael Kinsley") was described in a Kinsley staff memo in April as follows:
"In short, I propose that we embrace our destiny as a new form of journalism
and abandon the conceit that any particular article or feature is attached
to a particular 'issue.' ... Each article in the TOC [table of contents]
could simply indicate the day it was posted and the day we're planning to
archive it... As we and the readers get used to this new form of
journalism, we could abandon the one-week-up convention completely, and
simply have a smorgasbord of stuff to which we add new dishes and remove old
ones on no fixed schedule, but simply to keep the whole meal tasting as
delicious as possible." (New Yorker 13 May 96 p58)
PIPEX TO BLOCK PORNOGRAPHY
Unipalm Pipex, the U.K. Internet access provider associated with UUNet in the
U.S., will provide a means for British companies to block staff access to
electronic pornography. Pipex managing director Peter Dawe said that
corporate users "would be horrified" at the kind of pornography that is
available on the Internet. Mr. Dawe is also the political officer of the
Internet Service Providers Association in the United Kingdom. (Financial
Times 6 May 96 p6)
REGIONAL BELLS WANT RATE HIKES FOR WIRING SCHOOLS
The United States Telephone Association would like to raise the average U.S.
monthly phone bill by about $10 over the next five years to pay for wiring
schools and libraries with new lines for phones and computers, and to
subsidize poor and rural customers. The proposal assumes an $11 billion
cost for wiring schools and libraries, with local phone companies paying
about a third to a half of that. The rest would come from a surcharge on
other services, such as cellular. "No single industry should be held
responsible for fulfilling this major goal," says USTA's president. "Each
has a role and should make a significant contribution to the national
education technology mandate." (Investor's Business Daily 8 May 96 A7)
APPLE WILL FIX FLAWED MACHINES
Acknowledging defects in many of its Macintosh Performa and Power Mac
computers, Apple Computer has pledged to repair any faulty machines over the
next seven years. Users have complained that the systems freeze up, and some
of the monitors change color intermittently. The company also said it will
fix problems found in some of its Power Book laptops. (St. Petersburg Times
9 May 96 E1)
ALLIANCE SEEKS ELECTRONIC SECURITY
An alliance of software companies has established the Electronic Licensing
and Security Initiative to develop a system that uses electronic tokens
linked to a software package to securely track software rentals, licenses and
purchases. The group also plans to develop an electronic clearinghouse to
provide and track licenses. Several major software producers, including
Microsoft, IBM and AT&T have said they will support the Initiative's
technology. (Wall Street Journal 6 May 96 B6)
SENATE ELECTRONIC COPYRIGHT BILL BACK ON TRACK
Legislation on copyright rules for the Internet, sponsored by Sen. Orrin
Hatch (R-Utah), is scheduled for hearings and Hatch has made it clear he
wants the bill to "move ahead." The bill would make any electronic copy of
copyrighted material an infringement, and does not include a fair use
provision for libraries or educational institutions. The Creative Incentive
Coalition, a group of software makers, publishers and entertainment
companies, is supporting the bill, warning that without protection, content
providers will be reluctant to put material on the Internet. The Digital
Future Coalition, on the other hand, opposes the legislation, saying it goes
too far when compared with protections for analog material. "A few horror
stories are not an appropriate guide to public policy... There is middle
ground." The DFC is urging specific amendments, including fair use
specifications, and a statement that makes clear that a temporary copy of a
program running on a computer is not an infringement. (Investor's Business
Daily 9 May 96 A4)
IBM'S INFOMARKET TOLL BOOTH
IBM has persuaded some 30 companies, including Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Reuters,
America Online and Yahoo!, to use its new infoMarket electronic-content
clearinghouse for displaying and distributing their wares. The infoMarket
concept requires customers to pay for only what they use, with the content
providers controlling the information and setting their own prices.
"Charging only for what you want is a very attractive scheme," says one
electronic database provider. The system is based on "Cryptolopes" --
secure electronic packaging that, when opened, bind the user to a contractual
agreement regarding the use of the content. If the content is distributed
beyond that agreement, the technology can track its usage and bill the
original purchaser for subsequent viewings. "It's a complete break from all
other ways information has been published on the Net to date," says an
industry consultant. "It turns pass-along from a business threat to a
business opportunity." (Business Week 13 May 96 p114)
GARTNER GROUP GEARS UP FOR TRAINING
'The Gartner Group plans to purchase three well-known firms that offer
computer-based information technology training to professionals on the job.
Relational Courseware Inc., J3 Learning Corp., and Mindware Training
Technologies Ltd. all have agreed to be acquired by the Stamford, Conn.
technology consulting company. Gartner has no plans to offer classroom-based
learning: "For the busy IT professional, classroom training requires more
time and travel," says Gartner's CEO. "Computer-based training gives IT
professionals the chance to learn in bit-sized portions, at their own pace."
(Information Week 29 Apr 96 p82)
COMPUSERVE & NETSCAPE TO OFFER GROUPWARE
CompuServe and Netscape are joining forces to use the Internet to offer
"groupware" that will allow workers throughout an organization collaborate
simultaneously on documents. The product will compete directly with Lotus
Notes, a groupware program offered by IBM's Lotus group. (Wall Street
Journal 9 May 96 B5)
LOWER-END PENTIUMS STILL POPULAR IN EASTERN EUROPE, ASIA
Although computer makers were left holding thousands of lower-end Pentium PCs
after holiday shoppers bought out the high-end models, there's still a
market for those machines in Eastern Europe and Asia. "If you told U.S.
resellers you'd sell them a 70-megahertz Pentium for $1,000, they'd call you
crazy," says a Hewlett-Packard spokesman. "Those machines are obsolete.
But that offer would be competitive and state of the art in the Eastern bloc
and China." Meanwhile, other regions are closing the technology gap with
the U.S. "The technology time lag between the U.S. and Europe was close to
a year just a few years ago. Now it's between three and six months," says
the president of Creative Strategies Research International, who adds that
the Latin American market is just six to nine months behind the U.S.
(Investor's Business Daily 8 May 96 A6)
PEACE PIPE FOR MICROSOFT AND ADOBE
After feuding for more than five years, Microsoft and Adobe Systems have
decided to collaborate on type font technology, and are now working on a
universal format called OpenType. Both companies hope that others will back
their efforts to make OpenType the standard for software and the Internet.
(Investor's Business Daily 9 May 96 A8)
AOL, MITSUI, & NIKKEI TO OFFER ONLINE SERVICE IN JAPAN
America Online, in partnership with the Japanese trading company Mitsui and
the business publishing company Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), will
establish an online service in Japan offering a broad range of Japanese-
language material. (Financial Times 9 May 96 p17)
NET MCTRIVIA
Shortly after the McDonald's fast food chain began a $1 million-prize trivia
contest last month, answers started appearing on the Internet. About a
dozen Web sites have sizable answer lists to the contest, for which prizes
are being redeemed through May. One teenage McWebmeisers explained:
''Everyone here in the office was playing the game. It was a big deal for
people to try to remember the answers. The more I thought about it, the more
I thought what a great Web page, and the next thing I know I've got hundreds
of people coming to my page every day.'' (San Jose Mercury Center News 9 May
96)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu).
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Typography on the Web
Microsoft and Adobe Collaborate to Deliver Universal Font Format!
New 'OpenType' initiative to create TrueType Open version 2, an extension to
the TrueType format aimed at streamlining the management of existing fonts
and the next generation of type.
What exactly is OpenType?
OpenType is the name being given to an initiative involving both Microsoft
and Corporation and Adobe Systems, Inc. The collaborative effort will result
in the TrueType Open version 2 font file specification - a format that will
make font use and management much more transparent and trouble free.
We've put together an OpenType FAQ designed to answer initial queries you may
have about the OpenType initiative. Please remember that this initiative is
currently in progress and that exact details are still being worked out.
Please do not send questions about OpenType to the addresses listed on this
site - more information will be available here as soon as possible.
For more details please see the OpenType Press Release made on Monday May 6,
1996. Further details of Microsoft's Web font strategy can be found in our
Typography on the Web section.
Microsoft and Adobe Systems
to Deliver Universal Font Format
For immediate release, May 6, 1996
New "OpenType" Initiative to Create Definitive Font Standard
SAN FRANCISCO - May 6, 1996 - Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Systems Incorporated
- today announced they are collaborating on a new universal font format that
will combine today's leading TrueTyper and Type 1 font technologies. Called
"OpenType TM," the effort will streamline management of existing fonts and
provide a font format to handle the next generation of type for personal
computers and the Internet. As part of the initiative, Adobe and Microsoft
will broadly cross-license the Type 1 and TrueType font technologies to each
other and make the OpenType specification available to other operating system
and Internet-based vendors.
OpenType will include compression technologies that will ensure efficient,
high-quality representation of fonts on the World Wide Web. In conjunction
with the announcement, the companies will present a proposal based on the
OpenType initiative for a standard mechanism to embed fonts in HTML documents
on the Internet at the Fifth International World Wide Web conference this
week in Paris. This new proposal is intended to consolidate previous
proposals the two companies have been developing with industry partners.
"OpenType promises to simplify the way customers use today's fonts and set
the stage for significant innovation in the quality of type both on-screen
and in print," said Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. "We look
forward to collaborating with Adobe to advance type technology still further,
and to making the process of installing, and using fonts seamless for all
customers."
"This initiative is great news for users and developers," said John Warnock,
co-founder and CEO of Adobe. "By having both TrueType and Type 1 available in
Windowsr we're providing customers with the best type solution regardless of
whether they're working with print or on-line documents."
Microsoft expects to incorporate OpenType into future versions of Windows
Operating Systems. Adobe plans to support OpenType in upcoming releases of
its graphics, publishing, dynamic media and Internet products, beginning with
an update to Adobe TM, Acrobat TM, due out later this year. Adobe and
Microsoft are also working together to ensure that OpenType works with all
Adobe PostScript TM, printers and on cooperative type development for Windows
95 and Windows NTr operating systems.
Based in Mountain View, Calif., Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ "ADBE") develops
and supports products to help people express and use information in more
imaginative and meaningful ways, across all print and electronic media.
Founded in 1982, Adobe helped launch the desktop publishing revolution.
Today, the company offers a market-leading line of application software and
type products for creating and distributing visually rich communication
materials; licenses its industry-standard technologies to major hardware
manufacturers, software developers, and service providers; and offers
integrated software solutions to businesses of all sizes. For more
information, see Adobe's home page at www.adobe.com/ on the World Wide Web.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products
and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of
making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full
power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, OpenType, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
TrueType is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. Adobe, Acrobat and
PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems Inc.
OpenType initiative FAQ
We've put together a list of answers to questions you may have about the
OpenType initiative announced in the Press Release on Monday May 6, 1996.
Please remember that the exact details of OpenType are currently being worked
out. Please do not send questions about this subject to the addresses listed
here. More information will be available on this site as soon as possible.
Technology issues
Q What is OpenType and how does it relate to Type 1 and TrueType?
A OpenType, also known as TrueType Open version 2, is an extension of
Microsoft's TrueType Open format, adding support for Type 1 data. An OpenType
font can have Type 1 data only, TrueType data only, or both. The Type 1 data
can be rasterized by a Type 1 rasterizer (such as Adobe Type Manager) if
installed, or converted to TrueType data for rasterization by the TrueType
rasterizer. The exact rasterization behavior will be a function of the
rasterizers present in the system, and user preference.
Clearly, this new font format is a superset of the existing TrueType and Type
1 formats, which is designed to provide great support for type in print and
on-screen. In addition, the subsetting and compression technology of OpenType
makes the OpenType initiative especially relevant to the Internet and the
World Wide Web, since it allows for fast download of type.
Q What is the benefit of the OpenType initiative to the end-user?
A So far as customers are concerned, fonts just work. OpenType handles all
fonts with a unified registry, which means that both Type 1 and TrueType
fonts will be reliably supported across all platforms. In addition, by
working together Adobe and Microsoft will drive innovations in quality and on-
screen support, resulting in better more viewable fonts for customers.
Q What will happen to existing Type 1 and TrueType fonts?
A From a customer perspective, all existing Type 1 and TrueType fonts will be
supported by the OpenType initiative. As part of the agreement between
Microsoft and Adobe, however, Adobe will convert popular existing Type 1
fonts to the new OpenType format, and Microsoft and Adobe will jointly
promote and develop new OpenType fonts.
Q If I'm an existing user of one font type or the other, what will I do?
A You should continue working as you always have. OpenType will seamlessly
support both TrueType and Type 1 fonts.
Q What does this mean for all the type vendors who have large libraries of
fonts? Are they obsolete?
A Font vendors don't need to worry. Their existing fonts just work.
Q Will all data types continue to be supported by the OpenType initiative?
A Yes. Because the OpenType font format is a superset of Type 1 and TrueType
font technologies, it will continue to support both standards. In the future,
both Microsoft and Adobe will invest in promoting and developing OpenType
fonts, and as part of the agreement between Microsoft and Adobe, Adobe has
agreed to convert some of the existing popular Type 1 fonts to the new
format.
Q Which vendors will be supporting OpenType?
A The OpenType initiative is an open standard that will generate broad
industry support from publishers, designers, OEMs, printer manufacturers,
ISV's, and operating system vendors. We will be announcing partner support
throughout Q2 and Q3.
Q Will my fonts just work with new releases of Windows? Do I have to do some
kind of funny upgrade? Will things break? Will the fonts be identical between
Windows 95 and Windows NT or will there be incompatibilities?
A Fonts just work. There is no need to upgrade, and fonts will be identical
between Windows NT and Windows 95.
Q Will MS Windows include a Type 1 rasterizer?
A This issue has not been decided yet, and will be discussed in further
detail as the two companies determine how to merge Type 1 and TrueType
technologies.
Business issues
Q Why did Adobe and Microsoft decide to end the font wars?
A Both companies realized that merging Type 1 and TrueType is the best
solution for customers because now both font standards will be seamlessly
supported on the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Additionally, OpenType will
allow the industry to drive font innovation, display quality, and print
output into new publishing arenas, such as the Web.
Q What does the OpenType initiative mean to Adobe's font business?
A The OpenType initiative represents a new opportunity for Adobe to expand
its font business into the Windows market because Type 1 fonts will now work
out of the box on all Windows systems. In addition, because Adobe will
license TrueType technology, it will now be able to develop and market
TrueType fonts.
Q What will Adobe and Microsoft be cross-licensing?
A Both companies will license their respective font rasterizers, production
tools, and conversion software.
Implications for the Internet
Q How will OpenType improve the quality of type on the Web / in printed
documents?
A OpenType will make it possible for Web page creators to include high
quality on-screen fonts with their online documents. The net effect is that
page designers will be able to produce richer documents, and at the same time
reduce the time required to download and display these documents on the
viewers PC. Microsoft and Adobe will jointly submit a proposal to the World
Wide Web Consortium for a standard to embed OpenType fonts in WWW pages to
make this happen.
Q What is being proposed to the World Wide Web Consortium?
A Adobe and Microsoft together will submit a proposal for web page font
embedding using OpenType to the W3C's working group on style sheets. This
proposal supersedes previous separate proposals by Microsoft and Adobe for
font embedding mechanisms based on TrueType and Type 1 respectively. The W3C
membership will be asked to comment on this proposal. Ultimately we hope that
this proposal, or a modified version of it, will be endorsed by the W3C as
the standard way to use fonts on the Web.
Q What does the OpenType initiative mean to the Microsoft font announcement
made in February?
A The OpenType initiative supersedes previous announcements and incorporates
core elements in the Microsoft initiative.
Q Which compression technology will by incorporated into the OpenType
initiative?
A Adobe's CFC compression technology and Microsoft's AGFA compression
technology will both be supported by the OpenType initiative.
Q When will Microsoft Internet Explorer support font downloading?
A Later this year.
Q When will MS authoring tools support it?
A Later this year.
Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
EduSoft Releases New Series of Children's Multimedia Software
EduSoft recently announced the release of Multimedia Kid Playgroundsc, a new
series of interactive educational programs for children ages five to ten.
The series is Windows 95 compatible and will be produced in two versions for
the home and school markets. Additionally, Spanish and Portuguese versions
of the program are being developed. The titles aim to enhance EduSoft's
market share in the school and consumer markets.
EduSoft has a Spanish-English web site at http://www.edusoft.co.il
Edutainment Catalog Goes Online
TEC Direct, publishers of The Edutainment Catalog, have made their catalog
available via the World Wide Web at http://www.edutainco.com. The site
includes promotions, contests, downloadable demos, links to many kid-friendly
web sites and a secure site for online purchases of products from the
company's inventory.
TEC Direct offers software products from more than eighty publishers. Many
sample or demo versions of the programs will be available for "test driving."
In addition, the site will feature software reviews from trade and consumer
magazines, top seller lists and an interactive bulletin board where kids and
parents can ask questions or express opinions.
Essex Interactive Opens Web Site
Essex Interactive Media is the latest software publisher to take its product
catalog to the Internet. Their web site is located at
http://www.essexinteractive.com. The catalog of more than 150 titles is
neatly organized into nine categories for easy browsing and selection. The
web site also has sections including press remarks on Essex products, monthly
incentive programs and company information.
Essex Interactive titles sell at $9.95 and are available from a myriad of
retailers and discounters. In addition to their own web site, Essex
Interactive products are available on the Internet at Online Interactive's
atOnce Software (http://www.atoncesoftware.com) and CD-ROM Inc.
(http://www.cdrominc.com). atOnce Software features ZipLock technology that
allows credit card transactions without sending card numbers across the net.
Diamar Interactive Releases "How To Draw Cartoons"
Have you ever been interested in cartooning or creating comic books? DiAMAR
Interactive has just produced an instruction CD-ROM entitled How to Draw
Cartoons based upon famed cartoonist Christopher Hart's book Everything You
Wanted to Know About Cartooning But Were Afraid to Draw. Hart worked for
several years on Blondie, has been published in many publications including
Highlights Magazine and is currently a contributor to Mad Magazine. The
interactive CD-ROM teaches drawing techniques through a series of easy-to-
learn lessons.
As opposed to other cartooning programs that give you a set of stock
characters to manipulate, How to Draw Cartoons teaches its students how to
create their own pencil and ink masterpieces. The program's lessons cover
more than fifty topics covering everything from basic concepts through
character development to the fine details that characterize a finished
product.
If your browser supports Macromedia's ShockWave, you can sample portions of
the program on the World Wide Web at http://www.diamar.com. The program has
a suggested retail price of $49.95 and is available on a hybrid CD-ROM for
Windows and Macintosh. It is suitable for ages ten and up. For more
information on DiAMAR Interactive products, call 1-800-234-2627.
Mercer Mayer's Just Me and My Dad
Hybrid format CD-ROM for Macintosh and Windows
suggested retail price $39.95
ages 3 and up
Produced by Big Tuna New Media, LLC
Distributed by GT Interactive Software
16 East 40th St.
New York, New York 10016
http://www.gtinteractive.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.1
CPU: 486SX-33 CPU: 68040-33
HD Space: 1 MB HD Space: ?
Memory: 8 MB Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics:
256 colors, 13" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: SoundBlaster 16 or compatible
Other: mouse, speakers Other:
mouse, speakers
reviewed by Frank Sereno
Mercer Mayer's delightful Little Critter character has again been transferred
to multimedia. The first book given such a treatment was Just Grandma and
Me, one of the first titles in the Living Books series. It was a critical
and financial success. Just Me and My Dad is the first program offered by
Mercer Mayer's own company, Big Tuna New Media, LLC. Can they repeat the
past success of Just Grandma and Me? Little Critter's friendly and comedic
manner will certainly amuse your children for many hours, but I feel the
educational content could have been improved.
If you are familiar with Living Books, you will immediately recognize the
basic format and interface of Just Me and My Dad. The program is an
interactive book that is read to the child. He has the option to play in
each page by searching for hotspots in the scene. He will be rewarded with
humorous animation sequences when he succeeds. He can also click to have the
sentence read again or he can click on individual words to hear them
pronounced. In addition, the program also includes a QuickTimeT movie
conversion of an animated Little Critter book.
The program's educational benefits are promoting an interest in reading,
expanding the child's vocabulary, spelling and word pronunciation. I think a
word definition function would be an excellent addition to this program. My
other quibble is that the program doesn't feature safety instruction in
several scenes featuring dangerous situations.
For example, Little Critter and his father have set up camp under a tree.
One hotspot causes a lightning bolt to start a fire across the river. Little
Critter gasps in fear, yet he and his father continue to camp under the tree.
Why not teach children an important safety lesson by showing the Critters
moving the camp to a safer location? In another scene, a bear steals their
dinner while it is cooking over the campfire. Their reaction is
inappropriate in my opinion and I believe that a better means of dealing with
a bear encounter should have been shown. And unfortunately, much of the
humor in this program is derived from the accident-prone Critters' reactions
to mishaps. In the QuickTimeT movie, one of the scenes is a near-accident
that is caused by Little Critter losing a map onto his father's face because
the car windows were letting in the wind. His father continues to drive with
the map shielding his eyes from the road, barely missing a billboard and
traversing across a field before regaining his vision. It's funny, but is
that really the message that kids should get from computer software? Would
we want them to emulate this behavior?
The graphics are delightful. Bright colors and cute characters make for eye-
catching scenes. The animations are smooth and fluid. The program's
excellent production values are carried over into the sound portion also.
The voice characterizations are professionally done. The soundtrack features
many wonderful, entertaining sound effects.
The interface is an example of extreme simplicity and efficiency. It
features point-and-click ease combined with audible help. Perhaps the only
improvement that could be made would be support for Win95's Autoplay feature.
Technical support is available via e-mail, mail and telephone.
Younger children will enjoy the program's beautiful graphics and humorous
animations. Just Me and My Dad will provide many hours of delightful
learning fun. I do think the program should have provided more learning
opportunities and limited the amount of slapstick humor.
All in all, Just Me and My Dad offers a good value in edutainment software.
I've seen it selling at several locations for only $29.95, a very reasonable
price. As a first offering from Big Tuna, this maiden effort is good.
Future efforts can be expected to be much improved.
Ratings
Graphics . . . . . . . . . 9.5
Sound . . . . . . . . . . . 10.0
Interface . . . . . . . . . 9.5
Play Value . . . . . . . . 9.0
Educational Value . . . 6.5
Bang for the Buck . . . 8.5
Average . . . . . . . . . . 8.83
# # #
Piper
Windows 3.1/Windows 95 CD-ROM
For ages 4 to 12
MSRP $39.95
Splash Studios
8573 154th Avenue NE
Redmond, Washington 98052
1-206-882-0300
http://www.splash.com
Program Requirements
OS: Windows 3.1, Win95
CPU: 486/50
HD Space: 1 MB
Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 x 480, 256 colors, local bus
video card
CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 16-bit sound card
Other: mouse
reviewed by David H. Mann
Splash Studios has embarked on a very ambitious project with the 1.5 million
dollar release of Piper. Banking on the popularity of actor Jason David
Frank (the famed White Ranger of TV's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), it is
touted as another "interactive video," or as they put it, VideoActiveT. It
is a twist on the classic Pied Piper of Hamelin. The setting is the American
wild west with giant rats and the piper as the bad guys.
The game starts with a prospector narrator explaining the characters and the
background of the tale set in a small mining town. The giant rats and the
piper dupe the town's inhabitants out of their money by causing a panic with
the rats, and calling on the piper to get rid of the rats, for a fee. While
causing the panic, the rats learn of an abandoned gold mine (full of untold
riches, of course). They plot to double-cross the piper so that they can
have the town (and the gold) all to themselves.
The game has three levels of difficulty and contains four half-hour episodes.
There are two screen sizes to choose from (to aid slower machines) and
practice levels for all puzzles encountered in the game. There are four
puzzles per episode involving logic, hand-to-eye coordination, and problem
solving. The puzzles range from easy to challenging to accommodate the
selected age range.
The backgrounds were rendered, to give a 3D effect to the game, and all the
action was shot using blue screen techniques. There are songs (also included
on a separate music CD) and video sequences (that can be bypassed) to aid in
the flow of the game. The control panel is accessed (after the game is
started) by pressing the ESCape key, the TAB key fast forwards the video, and
all other keys pause and restart the game. There is no save game feature
(each episode is started at the beginning) and there is violence but no gore.
Some of the dialogue is pretty hokey, and the acting overdone, but I guess
that is to be expected in a kids' game.
You do not have direct control over the actors in Piper, but kids can find
hidden items, and interact with actors during puzzles and certain video
sequences. Piper has some replay value because the puzzles have random
sequencing of the action. The interface has some nice sound effects and the
encouragement given in the puzzles, helps children to complete each of the
puzzles. Piper carries the strong moral message, that we can all change our
behavior and become better people.
Although I have never understood the popularity of the Power Rangers,
children love them. Splash Studios may have something by using the most
popular Power Ranger (Jason David Frank, the White Ranger) as the piper. I
don't know if I can call the game "Video Active," but it is easy to play once
installed. The real actors and puppeteer operated rats do add realism to the
game and make you feel like you are playing a movie. I would suggest a
Pentium processor and a local bus video card with VRAM, to speed up the
video.
The Editor's Viewpoint
I also evaluated Piper. I found the program to be very demanding of your
computer. This program would have been reviewed several weeks ago, but I
could not get it to run on my computers. Of five computers it was installed
on, it would only run on one (David Mann's system). I finally got it to run
on one of my home systems by upgrading the sound and video cards. Though
Splash offers excellent technical support through their fascinating web site,
I just didn't have time to track down the problems on three different systems
and moved on to other software. My advice is to be certain your computer
meets the minimum requirements, especially the 16-bit audio card restriction.
My boys, ages five and seven, were fascinated by the video segments in Piper.
The segments are basically acts in a melodrama. As David pointed out in his
review, some of the acting was "over the top." That is the traditional
method for this type of play. The characters were well-defined and
excellently portrayed. The cast is attractive and talented. Besides The
Piper, there are the three young orphans, the beautiful and young school
marm, her handsome and strong blacksmith fianc, the miserly mayor and many
townsfolk. The music was not my favorite genre, but each performance was
excellent and my sons were mesmerized with each tune.
The games are fun and easy to play. A mixture of action and thinking games
are provided to entertain and educate your child. In my opinion, the
educational content isn't as good as it could have been. If you view Piper
as an educational tool, it doesn't measure up, but it has good entertainment
value. The games do have replay value because high scores are saved.
Unfortunately, the program does not track multiple player scores. If your
child finds a favorite game, he can play it repeatedly from the practice
menu. Don't be too surprised if he wants to whack the rats!
Piper features documentation in a gazette using "aged" paper. It helps
enhance the "Old West" atmosphere of the story. It is filled with humorous
entries and important information. The packaging is unique for computer
products. Piper uses a plastic clamshell container similar in style to that
used for Disney videotapes. It stands easily on the shelf. The CD-ROM's are
inserted on plastic hubs on one half the clamshell while the documentation is
contained in a hollow of the other half. This will prevent the loss of
documentation. And as opposed to paperboard cartons, you don't need to
fumble with cardboard reinforcements. I always find these cardboard inserts
to be clumsy and tiresome.
Piper is reasonably priced and is backed by a 30-Day moneyback guarantee.
Splash Studios is also offering a contest featuring a grand prize of a trip
to Splash's Seattle studio to meet Jason David Frank. Piper offers parents a
chance to introduce their children to the old-fashioned melodrama and
morality play in a package featuring games and music. It is very
entertaining to watch Mephisto, the rat king, get his just desserts in the
old gold mine. Most children will enjoy the program and I think many parents
will too. If your machine has the horsepower, Piper can be a good addition
to your entertainment library.
Be sure to check out Splash Studios' web site at http://www.splash.com. It
contains an excellent magazine just for kids.
Frank Sereno
The Playroom
Windows/Mac CD-ROM
for ages 3 to 6
MSRP $39.95
Broderbund
500 Redwood Blvd.
Novato CA 94948-6121
1-415-382-4740
http://www.broder.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.0.1
CPU: 386DX/25MHz CPU: 68030/20
HD Space: 1 MB HD Space: N/A
Memory: 4 MB Memory: 5 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics:
256 colors, 13" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed recommended CD-ROM: Double-speed
recommended
Audio: 8-bit Windows compatible sound card
Other: mouse, printer optional Other: printer
optional
reviewed by David H. Mann
The Playroom is one of three programs in the Active Mind series produced by
Broderbund for kids. It is classified as letters and numbers (the other two
are math), and is a great start for pre-schoolers to kindergarten.
The program gives kids two animated mice (the female Ginger and the male
Pepper), to guide them through activities.
When the program starts, Ginger and Pepper are playing and singing outside
The Playroom. A child selects one (with the mouse cursor) and the playmate
leads them into the Playroom. Once inside there are a variety of activities
to choose from set up like a kid's room filled with toys. With the cursor, a
child can select either major or minor activities (some toys are just there
for fun), with Ginger or Pepper as a guide. The two give encouragement and
act as peers (or playmates) in the activities. This, I think, helps to keep
children from becoming bored.
The Shape/Color Toy (located in a trap door on the floor), is a toy that
creates shapes and allows children to experiment with primary colors by
changing the color of the shape. The Sign (a whale bulletin board), allows
children to view and hear safety words, and view animations associated with
the words. The Clock allows kids to pick, view, and hear time in analog and
digital. The Computer is composed of an on-screen keyboard and monitor.
Words or pictures are displayed on the monitor that can be spelled out on the
real keyboard. The Mixed-up Toy allows kids to experiment with mixed up body
shapes and colors, and print them out on a color printer, or in black and
white to color later. The Mousehole one or two children can play against the
computer (or each other) one of three hopscotch games, that deals with
numbers three through nine respectively. The ABC Book, is setup like a real
two-story house (with family, pets, and furnishings) with the ABC's on the
top, directly relating to things in the house. The Spinner Toy is an
activity with two spinning wheels, one of items and one of numbers. In
direct relation to each other, the dials show the number of characters (or
items) animated in screen above the spinners.
The Playroom helps children explore counting, letter recognition, number
recognition, word recognition, phonics, vocabulary, spelling, keyboarding,
addition and subtraction, telling time, problem solving, and creativity.
There are parental suggestions on what activities to follow up on, and
difficulty levels to go to as a child progresses. This is an excellent
program for parents with small children.
Portable Computers Section
Marty Mankins, Editor
EDITOR'S NOTES - May 6, 1996
Boy that was a long week wasn't it? I was supposed to have reported sometime
ago, which was back on February 23rd. But my life as a network consultant
keeps going on. Setting up networks for small busnesses and installing T1
lines for Internet access have taken the lion's share of my time these past
few months. The Internet is a hot thing today and people are scrambling to
get out there. Most settle for a SLIP connection at first until they outgrow
that and need the expanded capabilities of a leased line. Anyway, enough of
that. We've got lots of coverage this week. The first piece is the story of
how busy I've been as a network consultant. Thank goodness, it has slowed
considerably this last week, which has freed me to continue my writing
career. I outline pretty much what I've been doing, along with some
advantages and disadvantages of putting networks together. And as a bonus,
I'll talk about my use of portable computing, which without it, network
administration is simply not possible.
REVIEWS GALORE!!
As promised, we have PlayStation reviews. As I write this, there are two
reviews here for your reading. with quite a few more on the way. This game
system is hot and has pretty much taken over as the game machine of choice in
the retail scene. My constant visits to stores like Software Etc., Toys R
Us, Incredible Universe and others has shown more PlayStation exposure than
any other game system.
SOFTWARE ETC. UPDATE
It seems people are interested in my little blurbs about Software Etc. I
guess it's become some measuring point for local sales here in Utah. Well,
the latest from the Orem store is that they have now removed the Sega Saturn
section, replaced by more PlayStation games. When talking with the manager,
he simply said sales were not good enough to justify leaving the games in
stock. The other Software Etc. store I visit often is in Murray, which is
part of Salt Lake valley. They have removed all games except for PlayStation
and some closeout titles for the Super Nintendo.
ULTRA 64 UPDATE
Nintendo has finally told us, the gaming audience, when to expect the new
Ultra 64 game system. Unfortunately, September 30th is much longer than we
expected. The last delay pushed the unit back to April. Well, that's just
about gone and we know the hype hasn't been at our local store. Let's hope
they learn some lessons for waiting so long. Nintendo has been at the top
before. Let's see if they can knock Sony from their coveted tower. We'll do
our best to cover the N64 when it reaches these shores with game reviews and
more.
PORTABLE COMPUTING NEWS
Laptops are becoming a standard piece of society, as well as in the home. I
got talking with a friend from Los Angeles this last month. He mentions how
sales of laptops at Fry's Electronics, Good Guys and CompUSA have increased,
with a good 40% of those sales going to people who will use the machine at
home. Most of these people used their own money to buy the laptops. There
were no specific brands that dominated in these sales, but it appears that
all purchases were to satisfy a need to be mobile. It would be nice to see
what sort of other portable electronics these people have been using. My
guess would be a cellular phone, a pager or both. Also, the growing number
of PDA users who find that a PDA is not the toy they thought it would be, but
actually a usuable device for keeping track of notes, names and calendar
functions. These mini-electronic PIM units are gaining their acceptance
without hype, but pure usability.
OVER AND OUT
Well, that's all for this week. Next week (I promise) we'll take a look at
portable storage media. It's the hottest thing around and with numerous
choices, there are many options to consider. And more game reviews are being
worked on. Stay tuned.
As always, if there are any questions or comments or suggestions, feel free
to e-mail me at 75300.1770@compuserve.com.
Marty
[Personal Info on Marty: owner of Perfection Applied, offering publishing and
freelancing services. Our web site is currently under development, as is our
new World Wide Web publication, Megafone Expressus. Stay tuned for web site
updates. Also co-owner of InfoStream, providing network consulting and web
site management, as well as publishers of printed and online periodicals.
Check us out at http://www.info-stream.com ]
Atari Interactive - software/Jaguar/Computer Section
Dana Jacobson, Editor
>From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Atari stock is climbing .. what an oxymoron if I ever heard one! <g> There
are apparently some things being planned with JTS that are positively
affecting these current trends in Atari stock. It's nice to see the
investors realize some fruition from their investments for a change. It
would be nice to know what's really generating this interest; I
certainlydon't see the Jaguar as having much influence.
This past week, I came across a few references to Atari's 10K filing, so I
thought I'd re-post what I found, here. I've been delinquent with regard to
the computing section (again), so it seemed a likely spot for this material
in its stead.
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a good weekend for a change. The
weekend will start off with a charity fund raiser golf tournament which
should be fun, and for a good cause. I also need a break from "things Atari"
for a change of pace .nice weather is a perfect excuse to do so. <grin>
Until next time...
Gleanings from Atari's latest Form 10-K, dated April 11, 1996:
From: Frans Keylard
:Atari's latest Form 10-K, dated April 11, 1996:
Atari has placed no manufacturing orders for the Jaguar console since mid-
1995. Based on current and expected sales and inventory levels, Atari does
not intend to pursue additional Jaguar manufacturing. Atari currently has a
substantial inventory of finished products and product components for which
there are no orders.
Sales of Jaguar continue to be disappointing, and Atari is test marketing
different price points and software bundles for the Jaguar in an attempt to
sell its substantial inventory of such product. Atari expects sales of Jaguar
and related products to decline substantially in 1996 and thereafter.
Marketing and distribution expenses for 1995 were $12.7 million compared to
$14.7 million for 1994.
Atari believes that most of its competitors have greater experience and
expertise in 3D graphics and multimedia technology and have substantially
greater engineering, marketing and financial resources than Atari.
Atari's current development efforts are dedicated to developing a very
limited number of Jaguar software titles and porting certain existing Jaguar
titles to the PC platform. Atari is not aware of any current development of
Jaguar titles by independent software (i.e., third-party) vendors and does
not expect any such development in the foreseeable future.
As of March 31, 1996, Atari had approximately 25 employees in the U.S.,
including five in engineering and product development, 12 in marketing,sales
and distribution, two in purchasing and six in general administration and
management.
Atari is currently a plaintiff in a civil action against Phillips Laser
Magnetic Storage for "breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of
good faith and fair dealing arising out of Phillips' failure to deliver goods
to Atari."
Atari is a plaintiff in a civil action in the United States District Court,
Northern District of California brought against Probe Entertainment Limited
and Acclaim Entertainment for, "breach of contract and related claims."
Countersuits have been filed against Atari in both cases.
In connection with the restructuring of Atari's business in 1992 and 1993 and
Atari's decision in late 1995 to significantly downsize its Jaguar
operations, Atari has terminated and plans to terminate numerous contracts
and business relationships, including several related to software
development activities. The termination of contracts and relationships has,
from time to time, resulted in litigation, diverting management and financial
resources. There can be no assurance that the parties to such contracts will
not commence or threaten to commence litigation related to such contracts.
Any such litigation or threatened litigation would further divert management
and financial resources and could have a material adverse effect on Atari's
business, operating results and financial condition.
Atari's % beneficial
Stockholders ownership
Jack Tramiel 19.6%
Time Warner, Inc. 13.6
Sam Tramiel 8.9
Leonard Tramiel 8.2
Bear Stearns & Co., Inc. 7.4
Sega Holdings USA Inc 7.4
Garry Tramiel 6.4
August J. Liguori <1.0
Michael Rosenberg <1.0
Leonard I. Schreiber <1.0
Laurence M. Scott, Jr. <1.0
Base rent, for Atari's new offices at 455 South Mathilda Ave.; Sunnyvale, CA
94086; (408) 328-0900:
$6126.80 per month ("Base Rent"), payable on the 1st day of each month.
Comments & Reactions from the Usenet:
"Atari is currently a plaintiff in a civil action against Phillips Laser
Magnetic Storage for "breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of
good faith and fair dealing arising out of Phillips' failure to deliver goods
to Atari."
Sounds like something to do with the Jaguar CD ROM. Wasn't Phillips the
manufacturer of that?
"District Court, Northern District of California brought against Probe
Entertainment Limited and Acclaim Entertainment for, "breach of contract and
related claims."
Uh oh ... this has to do with the Jaguar version of Mortal Kombat III, I
think! Probe is the developer, Acclaim was the licensee.
Here's some more relevant information from form 10K:
"The Merger. At the Effective Time (as defined in Section 1.2) and subject to
and upon the terms and conditions of this Agreement, a Certificate of Merger
prepared in accordance with Delaware Law (as defined herein) and Nevada Law
(as defined herein) and reasonably acceptable to counsel to JTS and counsel
to Atari (the "Certificate of Merger"), and the applicable provisions of the
Delaware General Corporation Law ("Delaware Law") and Nevada General
Corporation Law ("Nevada Law"), Atari shall be merged with and into JTS, the
separate corporate existence of Atari shall cease and JTS shall continue as
the surviving corporation. JTS as the surviving corporation after the Merger
is hereinafter sometimes referred to as the 'Surviving Corporation.'
Jaguar Section
Myst Review!
Tips/Cheats for FFL
Ultra Vortek & Iron Soldier!
>From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
It's been a really lean week for Jaguar news and information. Fight for Life
is still receiving lots of feedback, and mostly positive still. That's great
news and a relief for the many that heard that the game was poor, as of a few
months ago. We hope to have this one reviewed in the near future, as well as
others. A long-awaited Myst review appears this week, so we hope that you
check it out.
I've managed to sneak a peak at Battlemorph this past week. My wife was busy
doing some other things so I grabbed the opportunity. So far, I like what
I've seen/played. As others before me mentioned, even if you didn't like
Cybermorph, this sequel is more impressive, and challenging.
I hope to get a quick glimpse of Baldies over the weekend, if I'm able to
move after the golf tournament this weekend (second time out this year after
a year lay-off)! I hope to get a lot of playing time in for an upcoming
review, as well.
So, enjoy the issue and get some playing time in of you're one of the
unfortunate who won't have nice weather this weekend. You deserve some
relaxation with your favorite game machine of choice!
Until next time...
Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Myst"
-= Available Now =-
By Thomas Sherwin
Developed by: Cyan
Published by: Atari
Price: $59.99
Unless you've been locked in a closet for a while, you've probably heard
about the puzzle game "Myst". At the start of the game, you find yourself on
an island with no idea about where you are or what you're doing there. Your
job is to explore the island, unlock its secrets, and find out what happened.
Sounds easy? Don't get your hopes up. Clues are everywhere but it's not
readily apparent what they mean... until you've learned enough. I've known
people to spend MONTHS on this game so if you're not the patient type of
person, don't even try it.
Actually playing the game itself is very simple. You just point to where you
want to go and click on the button. Movement simulated through a series of
stills, all developed with ray tracing/texture mapping software. It's the
puzzle aspect of the game that makes the game such an attraction. I'd
continue on with the puzzle part, but I don't want to give away any clues. ;)
Graphics:
All of the stills are at least 16 bit color... better than the PC version
which made Myst so famous! If you've ever tried to make ray traced pictures,
you can appreciate the effort that they must have put into the stills. Some
of them are simply gorgeous. Animation is sparse but what is there is
simple and smooth. My only gripe is that sometimes the load time from the
CD causes small pauses in some animation sequences.
Sound FX/Music:
Sound FX are also rather sparse. Most of the FX are background noise as you
change scenes (birds in the forest, waves near the ocean, etc.). There's
also some noises when you do something, like turn the page to a book or flip
a switch. Nothing outstanding but a game like this doesn't need it.
Control:
Very simple. Just point your cursor and click. Response time may sometimes
seem to lag, but so far, I haven't discovered anything that requires
lightning fast reflexes.
Manual:
You actually get three booklets with Myst. The first is the standard "This
is how to work the game" booklet. It's clear enough, though you hardly need
it. The second is a little book they provide for you to take notes. The
beginning of the book says that almost any detail can be an essential clue
towards solving the overall riddle of Myst. Thus, you should use the little
book to jot down everything you can. Trust me, you WILL make us of it. The
third has three hints for those who are hopelessly stuck. FWIW, those three
hints are a START, but not much else.
Entertainment:
Myst was designed to be an "all consuming" game and it comes darn close to
that. Even though you don't move in 3D "real time" (a la Doom), it really
doesn't matter. You still get sucked in and find yourself losing track of
time. It's not quite virtual reality, but it does a lot to get you involved
given its simple delivery.
As a puzzle game, it excels for those who prefer much more complex mysteries.
If you're looking for something with "simple" strategy, Myst will be way
over your head. Each single puzzle is part of a much larger puzzle. The key
is to figure out how the puzzles/clues all fit together. If the worst
happens and you just don't want to discover things on yourown, there are
strategy guides for Myst which should apply to all versions.
A warning to those with low patience levels: this game CANNOT be played for
just a few minutes at a time. If you're going to play, have at least an hour
and a lot of paper to spend.
Other Tidbits:
With a game of this complexity, you really ought to purchase the memory
track. Technically you don't need one as it comes with a sophisticated
password system. But the password system doesn't save EVERYTHING you've
done so you may have to repeat steps each time you start. Some of these steps
can take several minutes you might be best off investing in the memory
track.
Graphics: 9.0
Sound FX/Music: 6.5
Control: 8.5
Manual: 9.0
Entertainment: 9.0
Reviewer's Overall: 9.0
If you've been looking for the puzzle game that will keep you wrapped up for
a while, Myst is what you want. It's complex enough to keep you going for
weeks (at least for ME it is) and has nice graphics to boot. It's extremely
simple to play but very tough to figure out. So give up those weekends,
kiss your spouse/S.O. goodbye, and explore the Island
of Myst.
Jaguar Cheats, & Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles!
>From CompuServe:
While playing around with FFL this morning (about 2 hours or so), my brother
and I found out some more codes:
codes we already knew:
z IWANTPOWER
z JAGUARTIME
new stuff: (name in bracket are the ones who were chosen when we put in the
code....)
z GIVEMETIME (KARA)
z GIVEMEMOVE (KARA)
z GIVEMEPOWR (MRG)
z GIVEMEXXXX (POG)
z IWANTDRUGS (LUN) Weird code, huh? (I was looking at my medicine
bottles when I found this one!)
z IWANTPINKY (POG)
Anyone working on an FAQ?
juan
--
Juan M Gonzalez
gonzalez@lainet.com
Here are some cheats for IS and UVortek:
IRON SOLDIER
z Cheats (at Options Screen, unless otherwise noted):
z All Weapons & Levels: 3,7,6,6,8,2,4,2 (border flash confirms)
z Unlimited Ammo : 2,7,2,8,3,7 ("CRATES" on phone pad)
z Extra fast rotation : A+C while turning (during gameplay)
z Repair : Hit yourself with a Cruise Missile (only during the low energy
warning!)
z Mission Pass/Fail : 2,8,8,8,6,6,7,7,3,7,7 (then during gameplay
press: = Fail, # = Pass)
z Easter Eggs (at Options Screen, unless otherwise noted):
z Insane Difficulty : 6,8,2,4 ("OUCH" on phone pad)
z Display Mission Stats: 8 (during gameplay)
z Single-Frame Advance : Pause, 1/3 (during gameplay)
z Swivel Mech View : At mech configuration screen, select add or
remove weapon then press 1 or 2 to swivel mech.
z Scroll Title Screen : At "Iron Soldier" logo, use joypad to manually
scroll screen up or down.
ULTRA VORTEK
Cheats (at options screen):
"Uppercut" Annihilations (during "Annihilation Time"): Uppercut opponent
(D+Punch). Works with any character only on the "Stoned Poseidon", "Hell's
Kitchen", or "Temple of the Vortek" stages.
"Anvil" Annihilations (during "Inner City Chaos Stage" only):
Do this far from opponent so you don't get crushed by the anvil that drops
from the sky. D, D, D, then:
z Punch (for Lucius, Dreadloc, and Skullcrusher)
z Kick (for Volcana and Grok)
z Jab (for Buzzsaw and Mercury).
Easter Eggs:
z Enable speed selector option (at title screen): 1+5+9 ("fight"
confirms) (can select "normal" or "turbo" speed)
z Hidden Backgrounds (during background select screen): Subway Passage:
Hidden Palace : #
Hidden Characters:
z Carbon: Must be on Hard or Killer level, one-player mode, "Earthquake
Zone" stage, win a double perfect, perform Annihilation near "NO fighting--
this area only". Carbon will be on "Subway Passage" stage.
z Enable voice modem (at title screen): 9,1,1 (emergency on phone pad)
CODE: D-Down U-Up T-Towards Opponent Aw-Away From opponent Charge-Hold button
in direction given a second or so
Hidden Moves:
Buzzsaw
z Airgrab & Slam : (in air), D + Punch
z Bolo Low : T, T, Jab
z Gut Grinder : (in close), Aw + Punch
z Gut Spear Uppercut: Charge Aw, T, Punch
z Hi Buzzsaw : T, T, Punch
z Pain Machine : Charge Aw, T, Kick
z Ricochet Blades : (in air but not T), D + Jab
Annihilation
z Bolo Beheading : T, T, T, Jab
z Core Breach : (not close), D, T, Punch
Dreadloc
z Angle Spear Dive : (in air), D, D, Punch
z Back Off, Man! : T, Punch
z Come to Daddy : T, T, Punch
z Fire Breath : T, Aw, Punch
z Speed Slice : Charge Aw, T, Punch
z Spin Staff : D, T, Jab
Annihilation
z Clean Slice : (not close), Aw, T, Jab
z Jamaican Shish Kebab: (not close), T, T, T, Jab
Grok
z Boulder Bounce : Jump T, D + Jab
z BoulderMorph : Charge Aw, D + Jab
z GroundPounder : Charge Aw, release, Jab
z The Tenderizer : (in close), Aw + Punch
Annihilation
z Avalanche Crush: Jump over opponent, D + Kick.
z Rocky Uppercut : (in close), charge (& hold) D, Jab.
Lucius
z ElectroTherapy : (in close), T, Aw, Punch
z Ground Spark Wave : T, T, Kick
z Hawk Attack Low : Jump, D, Jab
z Hawk Attack High : U, D + Punch
z Hawk Teleport : Jump, Jab
z Lightning Blast Low : D, T, Punch
z Lightning Blast High: U, T + Punch
z Spinning Back Kick : Aw, Kick
Annihilation
z Electric Death : (in close), T, T, Aw, Punch
z Hawk Decapitation: U, Aw, Aw, Punch
Mercury
z Big Gooey Pounder : (in close), Aw, T, Punch
z Porcupine Spike : D, D, Kick + Punch
z Sawblade : Charge Aw, T, Kick
z Spinning Blade Sweep: D, D, Kick + Jab
Annihilation
z Ground Beef : D, T, Jab
z Rock'em Sock'em : (not close), T, T, Punch
SkullCrusher
z Brain Fryin' Microwave: T, T, Punch
z Charged Particle Blast: Aw, T, Jab
z Choke & Thump : Charge Aw, T, Punch
z Creeping Ground Blast : T, T, Jab
z Grim Dive of Death : Charge D, U
z Knife Head Butt : (in close), Aw, T, Punch
z Stride & Slide : T, Kick
Annihilation
z Fatal Grip : (not close), T, T, Aw, Jab
z Head, Well Done : Charge Aw, T, Jab
Volcana
z Fire-Bomb : (in air but not T), D + Punch
z Fire-Breath : (in close), Aw, Punch
z Fireport Behind : D, Aw
z Fireport Uppercut: Charge D, U
z Fire-roll : (in air), T, Jab
z Fire-wall : Charge Aw, release, Kick
z Flame Blast : D, T, Punch
z Flying Firedive : Charge Aw, T, Jab
Annihilation
z Blowtorch : (in close), T, T, Aw, Punch
z Shake 'n Bake : D, T, Jab
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
compiled by
Joe Mirando
73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors...
Neighbors... now there's an interesting term. (What the heck, a couple of
issues ago I did an introduction with a "FRIENDS" theme, why not neighbors?)
Since I became "online-enabled" all those years ago, I came to think of
everyone in the United States who had a modem as a neighbor. Then, as the
fad of telecommunications caught on in Europe, I came to think of the
British, French, Belgian, German, Swiss, and Spanish with modems as neighbors
too.
But now, out of nowhere, I get email from someone in Central America.
Alejandro is from Costa Rica and was nice enough to drop me a line to share
his thoughts. He made some very astute observations and I enjoyed reading
his message. I immediately replied to him and asked if he would mind if I
posted his message here in this column.
Unfortunately, two days later, I got a message from the Internet Mail System
telling me that the reply could not be delivered. So I tried it again.
Same response. So, Alejandro, if you are reading this, please feel free to
write to me soon and often, anytime you feel like it (and please state if I
can post parts of your email here in this column). That also goes for any
reader. If you've got something you want to say, something you want to ask,
or just want to vent, feel free to drop me a line. What the heck, we're
neighbors!
Well, enough of that. Let's get on with the reason for this column in the
first place... All the great news, hints, tips, and info available every
week right here on CompuServe.
>From the Atari Computing Forums
On the subject of CompuServe's "Send" command, Isaac Moore posts:
"I've been greeted several times by others, in this forum, but do not know
how to respond. Can you explain?"
Sysop Don LeBow tells Isaac:
"Assuming you're using the regular ASCII based interface, and not one of the
CIM programs, you can respond with the SEN command. There's a short text
file in the Forum Help & Info library (LIB 1) named USTSEN.TXT that shows how
to use it."
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Isaac:
"You can use the send command ...
send <user number> <your message goes here>"
It really is that easy. Meanwhile folks are asking about how to access
CompuServe and all of its new "HMI" options using their Atari computers.
Markus Dillinger asks P.Walding:
"I have read that you have a full access to CompuServe with your Atari. I am
also interested to get such an access with my 1040ST. Would you please
forward some information to me?"
P.Walding tells Markus:
"I am sorry , but my Compuserve access is via my Mac. I haven't tried the
Atari on here , so don't know how well it would go. There are a couple of
Navigator - type programs for the Atari on here somewhere , but I don't know
how graphically advanced they are. I'm sure I have them noted here
somewhere if you can't find them."
Dennis Bishop adds:
"Well, I vist at lest 6 other areas here on CIS, and when they have gone to
the new software and it just leaves this area for me to use, I will then
have to figure if the money is worth it or not, I do have access to the
Com.Atari.ST of the Usenet for a whole $20 a year, this includes all the
Usenet newsgroups I want. It's a shame that they can't do the same thing
that the other platforms are doing. No wonder people jump ship. Doesn't seem
to have any good programmers around these days."
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine jumps in and posts:
"I know they have said the source code is available for those who wish to do
other platforms. I do not know what is involved when it comes to licensing,
etc, etc. I believe it was said the CIS was swamped by requested for info on
getting the source code."
Mark Kelling tells Albert:
"Looks like the best non PC or Mac system programmers will get is a document
showing what each HMI subroutine expects in the way of data and what it
sends to the user. Maybe an outdated "framework" program showing how it all
works together and that's all!
Still, us talented Atari, Amiga, UNIX, etc., programmers would be able to
whip something out that would be more than acceptable if CIS would just give
us a chance!"
Albert tells Mark:
"It should not be that bad. There is a HMI section in the (GO IBMCOM) forum
which might prove useful. At least a document/spec is better than trying to
reverse engineer everything. <grin>"
Mark tells Albert:
"Reverse engineering is the American way! <grin> The docs available online
are minimal at best, severely outdated at worst. But you are right -- better
than nothing! <grin>"
On the subject of transferring files between an ST and a Mac Andrew Dawkins
asks:
"I need to transfer Atari based text files on to a Mac using a floppy disk.
Any ideas on how this may be achieved?"
Frank Heller tells Andrew:
"This is an easy thing to do. If your Mac is running system 7.xx it can
format also format floppies with a PC format. Use these PC formatted disks
to transfer the data from the Atari to the Mac. The final step is running the
MAc control panel: PC Exchange. This will set up the Mac so it knows which
Mac word processor to open when it sees a particular kind
of Atari extension...ie: .TXT, ASC...etc. I use this all the time and it
works quite flawlessly."
Robert Studzinski posts:
"I have a Supra hardisk 60mg with 5 partitions on it,the problem I am having
is with the C: Partition it has many bad block's on it , how do I get rid of
these bad block's?"
Albert Dayes tells Robert:
"It depends on what type of problems you are having. Have you checked your
cables on your hard drive? Also you might purchase a program like Diamond
Edge v2.x if you do not already have it. It is like fixes many different type
of disk errors (floppy and hard drive). If the problems still continue it
might be best to reformat the entire hard drive (after backing everything up
of course)."
Dick Pelland posts:
"I hope someone can help with the following:
1. What is TOS error #35
2. How do I tell the version of TOS on my machine (Mega ST 2)
3. My Mega won't keep the time with the power off. It usually gives the
time it was last shut off. The batteries are good...in fact, what are the
batteries for?
4. My Mega has Warp 9 installed. Why can't I use the ST without it? Even
with a new boot disk or no disk it reboots if I move the mouse into the menu
bar. Is Warp 9 doing anything useful besides holding the machine hostage?
5. Does anyone have a copy of Dr.T's KCS Omega for sale?"
Albert Dayes tells Dick:
1. TOS #35 error usually means the file or program is corrupted.
2. There is a program in the library called SYS-INFO or something similar
that will tell you almost everything you need to know about your Atari ST.
3. For your mega clock did you try different batteries and see if that is a
possible cause of the problem?
4. That can be due to loose cables between your ATARI and your hard drive
if you have one. It can also be due to loose chips such as glue,mmu or
shifter in your computer. Have you tried reseating those 3 chips in your
computer? Have you tried copying Warp9 from the original disk to your boot
disk and see if that works? What version of Warp9 are you using? The latest
version is 3.8x and it works fine on my Atari. Another thing you might also
consider is the order of programs in your auto folder could be causing
conflicts with Warp 9. Try changing the order of programs in the auto folder
and see if that helps."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. I've tried to make sure that I've
included more posts that are not CompuServe- specific, because as Alejandro
pointed out to me, not everyone who reads STReport has a CompuServe account.
Y'see that? You can always learn something by just listening. See you next
week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are
saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
STReport International OnLine Magazine
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Since 1987 Copyrightc1996 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1219
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