ST Report: 26-Jul-96 #1230
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 08/02/96-11:08:39 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 26-Jul-96 #1230
Date: Fri Aug 2 23:08:39 1996
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- CPU Industry Report - Corel NEWS - CISCO Buys Telebit
- IBM Chokes at Games - Gov'ts Buy PCs - Motorola Cuts Modem $$
- Control NET, Germany - NEW VIRII Reported - NEW MS MOUSE
- Apple Woes Lessen - People Talking - Jagwire
IBM HAMMERED over Olympics Snafus
Intel Gives Away NetPhones
Human Memory Chip Foreseen
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>From the Editor's Desk...
A quick week for sure.. Even though all five days were there, it seemed
like yesterday was Monday. I still can't get the anger and heartfelt sorrow
I am feeling about the TWA Flight 800 tragedy. I've already written to my
Congressional and Senate Representatives and told them exactly how I feel
about the entire matter. I also included a copy of last week's editorial.
Now, let's see just how "responsibly responsive" they are.
On another front and one I might add brings great joy. Intel has
embarked upon a course to put an end to long distance toll charges. It
amazing how AT&T has made the world pay for the Trans-Atlantic Cable since it
was put in place before the First World War. and got away with it. Well its
all about to come to a screeching halt. Three Cheers to Intel for taking the
bold steps to put an end to the greatest single legal "score" modern mankind
is witness to. Imagine . an end to expensive phone call charges that have
paid for the lines over and over again. I cannot wait to see it happen. AT&T
is restructuring its "rate schedule at this time to offer a flat rate. based
on levels of quality, usage and time of usage. It really is about time they
came back to earth with a realistic rate structure. Thanks again to the
Internet and Intel.
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
IBM Takes a Tumble at the Olympics
IBM is being widely criticized at this week's Summer Olympic Games because of
delays and errors from its highly-touted systems that were supposed to
provide widespread and near-instantaneous access to reams of data. Reporting
from Olympic Village in Atlanta, writer Emory Thomas Jr. of The Wall Street
Journal says IBM has "scrambled . to repair the system," adding company
officials say they were making progress in fixing the problems "in the face
of unprecedented demands for information from the thousands of sports
officials and journalists."
A frustrated A.D. Frazier Jr., chief operating officer of the Atlanta Olympic
Committee, acknowledged he expected some snags with Transportation, but,
"What I didn't expect was this technology mess. That's been a
disappointment." The Journal notes technology has eaten up $223 million of
Atlanta's $1.7 billion budget and still one of the biggest snafus at the
Games has been availability of results from competition. "Results from the
Atlanta Games are fed directly into computers at competition sites," Thomas
writes. "From there, they are sent into Info 96, an internal information
system available to media and others... Dedicated networks also provide data
directly to major news organizations such as the Associated Press. But the
software designed to filter all the incoming data hasn't worked properly,
creating big gaps in information."
Meanwhile, IBM says the delays also stemmed, in part, from information
getting backed up on some slower transmission lines in its computer network.
"In an attempt to keep data from becoming queued up," says the Journal,
"technicians increased the speed of some network lines to 38,400 baud, the
speed of the fastest standard modems available for PCs. The upgraded lines
had been operating at 9,600 baud, slower than the modems supplied with most
new PCs." The paper notes IBM paid tens of millions of dollars to become
both a U.S. and worldwide Olympic sponsor, adding the company now says its
software engieers and systems integration specialists "are working around
the clock to address the problems and are making some headway."
IBM Still Struggling at Olympics
IBM still is angering national and international journalists and officials at
the Olympic Games at Atlanta as the computer giant continues to try to fix
its error-plagued results computers. And it appears Olympic officials may be
losing patience. "The feed for the world news agencies continues to be very
discouraging," spokesman Bob Brennan of the Atlanta Committee told business
writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated Press late yesterday. ""Efforts to
bring it online have not been successful. ... We're not going to rely on it
for the balance of these games." As reported, IBM has tried since Saturday
to fix a complex system designed to give the news media results from each
Olympic event seconds after the event finishes. "For some events, results
are fine, but, for many others, the system produces errors or doesn't
deliver," Ramstad notes.
IBM has even started faxing results to the big news organizations, "which, in
turn," grumbles AP, "have resorted to the time-honored but tedious method of
typing them into their own computers." Six other major IBM systems are
performing without a hitch at the Olympics, "but," says AP, "the glitches in
the 7th have been amplified because of who it serves. Created for 13 large
news organizations, including The Associated Press, Reuters and United Press
International, the trouble with the IBM system has spilled over to thousands
of newspapers and broadcasters who rely on those firms to pass results to
them."
IBM's senior management back in New York is troubled and has demanded
regular updates on the progress toward resolution. IBM spokesman Fred
McNeese told Ramstad, "This is the largest sporting event in the history of
the world and we are responsible for the information technology and we take
that responsibility very seriously." Meanwhile, the European Broadcast
Union has filed a formal complaint to Olympic organizrs, indicated they and
other news organizations may seek refunds for their $3,000 connections to the
results system. Adding to Big Blue's embarrassment is the fact the computer
maker paid $80 million to be an Olympic sponsor, "hoping to impress
customers with new ideas and skills," AP notes. "Advance promotional
materials promised 'bulletproof reliability.'"
Ramstad notes most of IBM's Olympics innovations have worked, including a
ticket-selling method that yield tens of thousands of sales over the
Internet's World Wide Web. Also, spectators have had no trouble seeing
results on the scoreboards at the events, which are posted straight from the
judges who use IBM ThinkPad mobile PCs or the Swatch timing devices that
connect through other IBM machines. But that's little consolation to
massive news organizations with deadlines to meet and no data coming in to
work with.
Perhaps punch-drunk from the frustration, British-based Reuters news service
last night filed a story at least trying to play it for laughs, referring to
the "fickle mood swings of the Olympic results computer" that were driving
its editors crazy. "The multi-million dollar results system which has, by
turn, infuriated and -- eventually -- amused journalists with its bizarre
offerings, began the day in benign mood," says Reuters. First thing
yesterday, "it awarded a track cycling world record to Australian Bradley
McGee and then, in a spirit of Olympic generosity, delivered the same
accolade to Denmark's Jan Bo Petersen. The track cycling begins on
Wednesday."
Later, "it got its bytes and bits in a tangle, turned nasty and spluttered
out a waspishly misleading fencing result. Hungary beat Spain in the
semifinals of the men's team epee event, it said. Wrong, both Hungary and
Spain were eliminated in the quarter-finals about an hour earlier. In fact,
the quarter-final results were wrong too, but that's another story."
IBM Takes Heat for Olympics Snafus
IBM is taking the blame for the chaotic information data system at the
Atlanta Olympic Games. IBM spokesman Fred McNeese told the French Agence
France-Press International News Service, "We are as disappointed as
everyone else. We accept full responsibility. We apologize for the problems."
As reported, Big Blue is red-faced as it continues to anger national and
international journalists and officials because of its error-plagued results
computers.
However, McNeese insists conditions have improved for the 15,000 media
representatives using 1,800 computer data screens at Games venues and in the
main press centers. "The main problem left," says AFP, "is a special World
News Press Agencies results service provided for the four international news
agencies -- Agence France-Presse, Reuter, Associated Press and United Press
International -- and five other clients, including the BBC and other national
agencies and major newspapers."
The agency says it received a letter of apology IBM sent to the nine and
admitted the service to them remains "irregular." IBM said it will carry on
working on the service and that its teams had worked hard to fix WNPA.
Results are now being distributed by paper. The French new service notes
problems of varying degrees continued yesterday with the results service
and with background information. "One boxer is said to be 95-years-old,"
writes AFP, "another is said to be only 50 centimeters (23 inches) tall,
while yet another fighter is said to be more than six meters (18 feet)
tall."
State, Local Gov'ts Embrace PCs
In 1996, state and local governments will surpass the federal government in
the number of PCs in use, with over 2.8 million desktops and more than
300,000 portables, reports International Data Corp. (IDC). Even excluding
education, state and local governments outpaced their federal counterparts in
the purchase of desktop PCs by 50 percent during 1995, says the Framingham,
Massachusetts-based market research firm. IDC notes that purchases of PC
desktops, portables, and servers at the state and local levels are growing at
annual rates of 20 to 40 percent. State and local governments have
traditionally lagged the PC technology curve, notes IDC. But the following
factors are breaking this pattern:
z The transfer of operational responsibilities from federal to state and
local governments.
z Explosive growth in the World Wide Web as a means of
government-government, government-business, and government-public information
access, with transactions clearly on the horizon.
z An experimental attitude among state and local government employees.
"There is major PC infrastructure expansion taking place in state and local
governments," says Steve LeCompte, vice president of IDC's government market
services. "Two-thirds of PC purchases are going to new users. Industry can
capitalize on this strong demand by focusing on the unique mechanisms the
public sector uses to acquire PCs."
International Net Standard Urged
Germany's minister for family affairs says international standards for the
Internet may be necessary to prevent pornographers and neo-Nazis from using
cyberspace to circumvent national laws. Appearing before the United Nations
to discuss ways to protectwomen and children from violence and sexual
exploitation, Minister Claudia Nolte said, "Because the Internet knows no
national borders, we will be able to protect youth only through
international standards." Associated Press writer Robert H. Reid quotes Nolte
as saying the Internet offered "many positive opportunities" for exchanging
information worldwide, but adding the Net could be abused by neo-Nazis and
pornographers operating outside national jurisdictions. The U.N. could play
a role in developing international standards to control abuse of the
Internet, she said. Of course, Internet regulations is a controversial issue
in the U.S. and many other countries because of the potential for infringing
on the rights of free speech. Reid notes publishing or distributing
neo-Nazi or Holocaust denial literature is illegal in Germany, "but it is
unclear how such laws can be enforced in the free-for-all atmosphere of the
Internet."
News Organizations Face Challengers
Traditional news organizations are losing their audiences and are in danger
of increased competition from online services and other news media
providers, warns Digital Information Group, a subsidiary of Stamford,
Connecticut-based market researcher Gartner Group. Without a more aggressive
stance, traditional newspaper chains and broadcasters will continue to be
trounced by technology companies, which are spending hundreds of millions of
dollars creating competitive news services on the Web, says DIG researcher
Maureen Fleming.
"News organizations should consider dropping their new media distribution
alliances until they've fully assessed the risk of each alliance and figured
out better long-term strategies," advises Fleming. "Those strategies include
revenue-sharing arrangements tilted in the news organization's favor,
push-style distribution, and non-compete arrangements." A complete report,
Digital News War, will be available on Gartner
Group's @@vantage Web site on Aug. 15. (http://www.atvantage.com).
Online Ads to Near $2 Billion
Advertising revenues from the World Wide Web and the four largest proprietary
online services (America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and Microsoft Network)
will total $200.1 million in 1996 and grow to $1.97 billion in 2000,
according to new research from SIMBA Information Inc. "The Web advertising
market is experiencing, and will continue to experience, dynamic growth,"
says SIMBA analyst Elizabeth Estroff. "The growth of Web advertising
revenue, which will account for the bulk of online advertising growth, will
be the direct result of the increase in the number of Web user sessions and
page views." SIMBA projects that Web
user sessions will ht 15.79 billion in 2000, yielding 94.76 billion page
views.
The Web advertising market will total $110.0 million in 1996 and reach $1.86
billion in 2000, predicts SIMBA. It notes that the greatest growth will
occur between 1996 and 1997 when Web advertising revenues are expected to
increase 265.8% to $402.4 million. Advertising revenue growth is forecast to
slow between 1998 and 2000 due to the leveling off of Web users. According
to SIMBA, the Web advertising market is dominated by a small, but growing
advertiser pool. Several new advertisers, including Procter & Gamble,
Nissan, Anheuser-Busch and Nabisco, are planning Web ad campaigns in 1996 and
1997.
SIMBA surveyed 38 of the largest national advertisers and found that 33 had
one or more Web sites and 20 of the largest national advertisers with Web
sites were purchasing or planning to purchase Web advertising.
Other findings include:
z Computer and car marketers are early adopters of Web and online
advertising. The next categories of advertisers to embrace the Web are
information-intensive product and service industries such as travel,
pharmaceutical, beverage and retail marketers.
z Future Web site growth will come from established brands.
z Traditional media brands like The New York Times, CNN and ESPN have the
financial and marketing resources necessary to make advertising a success on
the Web. Startups without the advertising sales expertise or the ability to
leverage existing advertisers and audiences face an uphill battle.
Is the Worst Over for Apple?
Same analysts are saying that while Apple Computer Inc. still is losing
money, the worst of the Cupertino, California, computer maker's financial
hemorrhage may be over. Business writer Catalina Ortiz of The Associated
Press notes Apple lost $32 million in its third fiscal quarter, but that's
"actually good news because industry analysts expected far more dismal
results." Said editor Pieter Hartsook of the Hartsook Letter in Alameda,
California, "I'm quite encouraged. When I saw the fax cme through I said,
'Yes -- good for you!'"
AP quotes Apple as saying its loss for the three months ended June 28
amounted to 26 cents a share, compared with profit of $103 million, or 84
cents a share, for the same period of last year. This includes a one-time
gain of $39 million from the sale of Apple's investment in America Online.
"Even so, the loss was narrower than expected," Ortiz notes. Revenue fell 15
percent to $2.18 billion from $2.58 billion, in line with predictions.
"Analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research on average had forecast a
loss of $1.12 a share with estimates ranging from 44 cents to $1.86," AP
observes.
As reported, Apple, the nation's No. 3 computer maker, is trying to turn
around steep declines in profit, market share and stock price, which
recently tumbled to a 10-year low. New CEO Gil Amelio has reorganized the
company and has pledged to trim its product line and focus on such growing
markets as computer networks.
Corel Licenses Java Code
Corel Corp. will add Java support to its Corel Ventura, CorelDRAW and Corel
WordPerfect software. The software publisher says it has licensed Java
source code from Cupertino, California-based JavaSoft, a move that will
eventually allow Corel users to run Java applets in Corel software.
Additionally, Corel Will develop a Java-applet viewer that will allow users
to view Java applets in any application. Corel says it will provide this
technology to JavaSoft for its own use and for redistribution to other
licensees for incorporation it into their applications.
"Java is definitely the platform of the future and we've embraced that vision
at Corel wholeheartedly," says Michael Cowpland, Corel's president and CEO.
"This agreement also shows the faith that JavaSoft has in our ability to
develop premium technology for the Java platform." "Corel has made an
impressive commitment to the Java platform and has done some ground-breaking
work in WordPerfect and QuattroPro for Java," adds Jon Kannegaard, vice
president of products for JavaSoft. "This agreement signals an even stronger
relationship between Corel and JavaSoft, and we look forward to seeing the
further contribution Corel will make to the Java industry."
Intel, Microsoft Target Net Phones
Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have signed a cross- licensing agreement that
aims to help people place multimedia voice, video and data conferencing
calls over the Internet. Both companies say they will work with Internet
white page vendors and service providers to make it easy to find other people
to talk to on the Internet using the open Usr Location Service (ULS). To
help ensure universal interoperability for Internet voice and video calls,
Intel will provide Microsoft with its implementation of the H.323, RSVP and
RTP standards created for its ProShare family of video conferencing
products. Microsoft will provide Intel with its T.120 implementation, the
ActiveX Technologies and the Microsoft NetMeeting application.
The agreement also calls for Intel and Microsoft to jointly promote Internet
phones standards to the software development, PC OEM, independent hardware
vendor, conferencing and Internet services communities. "By aggressively
supporting standards-based communications along with Intel and others in the
industry, we are making great strides to meld the power of the PC with the
global reach of the Internet," says John Ludwig, vice president of
Microsoft's Internet platform and tools division."
"Today's announcement reflects solid progress and the expansion of a great
relationship with Microsoft on Internet technologies," adds Frank Gill,
general manager of Intel's Internet and Communications Group. "With
Microsoft, and the more than 120 companies that are supporting our standards
effort, we're going to make low-cost voice, data sharing and ultimately
video conferencing available to all PC users on the Net."
Intel Gives Away Net Phones
Chipmaker Intel Corp. will give away software enabling users to make
long-distance phone calls via the Internet. The software is based on a
standard used by at least 120 companies, including Microsoft Corp., which
will plug a compatible product, NetMeeting, into its operating systems.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter Dean Takahashi
notes Net calls cost only as much as the local connection to the global
computer network, so that if computer telephony catches on it could
eventually make a dent in the profits of phone companies.
"Many experts believe," Takahashi adds, "that in a few years telephone
companies may actually abandon per-call charges for a set monthly fee based
o the quality of service rather than the amount of usage." An estimated
30,000 people now make long-distance calls using the Internet, with delays in
voice transmission of as much as half a second. "The reason we did our
phone," says Frederick Yeomans, marketing manager for Intel, "was that there
were a lot of Internet phones out there, but the frustration level was high
because the phones didn't talk to each other."
And Internet analyst Jeff Pulver at Pulver.com in Great Neck, New York, told
the paper, "The dynamics of this Internet phone market are about to change
forever. It's going to change from a hobbyist's toy to something business
people and consumers are going to use to get around long-distance costs." As
reported earlier, Intel and Microsoft Corp. have signed a cross-licensing
agreement that aims to help people place multimedia voice, video and data
conferencing calls over the Internet. And the Journal says this morning the
product "provides further evidence that Intel has shifted its strategy to
become more of a computing and communications company, not just a maker of
microprocessor chips for personal computers."
The paper says Intel will make its software available on its World Wide Web
site (http://www.intel.com) starting Wednesday. It will also make use of a
Microsoft technology that helps computer users locate other Internet phone
numbers on the Internet. "Thus, once the technology is widespread, a user
would be able to access the directory service, click on a particular name,
and immediately initiate a call to that person," the Journal adds.
Motorola Cuts Modem Prices
Motorola Inc. has cut prices on its SURFR Series V.34 28.8 modems by 30
percent, bringing the cost of its 28.8K bps ModemSURFR internal model to
$99, including a $20 rebate. All of Motorola's SURFR modems, including the
ModemSURFR, OnlineSURFR and VoiceSURFR, are now available at prices ranging
from $99 to $160, depending on model. "With this move Motorola's SURFR
Series modems are now at a price point within reach of all consumers looking
to go on line with high-quality, technologically advanced products from an
industry leader," says Iain Morris, vice president and general manager of
Motorola's information systems group. All of the modems are bundled with
communications software, including the Windows version of the CompuServe
Information Manager.
Microsoft Reinvents the Mouse
Microsoft Corp. has announced IntelliMouse, a new top-of- the-line PC
pointing device. Microsoft notes that the unit's intuitive functionality
aims to make it easier for users to navigate within the upcoming Office 97
suite of applications as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and the
Explorer feature of the Winows 95 operating system. The new mouse features
a wheel, located between two standard buttons, that provides Office 97 users
with a tool for scrolling, zooming and data zooming.
According to Microsoft, scrolling is as simple as rolling the wheel, or
pressing down on the wheel and moving the mouse. IntelliMouse eliminates the
need to use scroll bars. An AutoScroll feature provides a "hands-free" way
to read documents. This "teleprompter" mode gives users control over the
speed at which a document automatically scrolls. Zooming support provides
users with a bird's-eye view of the work at hand, making it easier to locate
and then zoom in on particular areas of a spreadsheet or document.
Data zooming provides a quick way to collapse and expand Word or PowerPoint
presentation graphics program documents in outline views. "The best
innovations are often the simplest," says Rick Thompson, vice president of
Microsoft's hardware group. "With Microsoft IntelliMouse, users of Office 97,
Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and Windows 95 will experience intuitive
navigational control, enabling complete focus on the work at hand."
IntelliMouse is scheduled to become available in November for $84.95.
Mac Clone Hits the Market
The first maker of an Apple Macintosh clone has hit the market with a model
that it says features the fastest microprocessor available. Power Computing
Corp.'s machines are run by a new PowerPC 604e microprocessor from a joint
venture of IBM, Apple and Motorola. The chip has clock speeds of up to 225
MHz, faster than the top 200 MHz speed of Intel Corp.'s Pentium chip, the
brand found in most PCs. Business writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated
Press says prices for the PowerTower Pro computers range from $4,000 to
$6,300. "Like Dell Computer Corp. and Gateway 2000 Inc.," adds Ramstad,
"Power is a mail-order PC maker, building machines to a customer's custom
wishes in a wide variety of configurations."
z NEC Technologies Inc. has new systems for consumers, most of which come
with built-in ampifiers and equalizers for better sound. It offers two
models in its 7600 series, with prices starting at $1,500 without a monitor,
and seven models in its 9600 series, with prices starting at $1,800 without a
monitor.
z Compaq Computer Corp. is offering business systems, replacing 70 models
with 34 united under one brand name, Deskpro, instead of two. The company
hopes the move will encourage wholesalers to offer its whole line of
business-targeted PCs.
HP Unveils New LaserJet Printer
Hewlett-Packard Co. has unveiled the HP LaserJet 5L Xtra. The new printer
combines fast, high-volume, 600 dots-per-inch printing performance with a
suite of business- productivity software packages specifically tailored for
small-business and home-office users. HP notes that the LaserJet 5L Xtra is
also the first printer to be bundled with Netscape Navigator. "HP is
working closely with companies such as Microsoft and Netscape to make
Internet printing easy and intuitive," says Carolyn Ticknor, vice president
and general manager of HP's LaserJet group. "Our investments in setting new
Internet printing standards will help drive the computing industry forward as
the Internet becomes more ubiquitous." The new printer, which replaces the
LaserJet 5L, is available now and sells for about $479.
Cisco to Buy Telebit Corp.
>From San Jose, Calif., comes word Internet service company Cisco Systems Inc.
has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Telebit Corp. and the
Massachusetts firm's remote access and digital modem products for computer
networks. "These high-density digital communication channels will be
combined with Cisco's software and wide-area network switching technology to
provide customers with scalable, secure network connections," says United
Press International.
Cisco officials told the wire service Telebit's modem technologies business
-- with about 50 development, product management and customer support
personnel -- will become the Dial Technology Division within Cisco's access
business unit in Chelmsford, Mass. Terms of the deal call for Telebit to
sell its analog modem business, NetBlazer and MicaBlazer products, and other
assets and liabilities for a $31.5 million promissory note and $3.5 million
in redeemable preferred stock.
"These products will create a new entity through a management buy-out,
financed by Cisco," UPI says. "At the same time, Ciscosaid it will purchase
the remaining Telebit Corp., which will consist of its patents, intellectual
property and personnel." Subject to necessary regulatory approvals, the
transaction is expected to be completed by the end of October.
Fujitsu Puts MO Up Against DVDs
A powerful computer memory disc with massive storage capacity is being
promised as early as next year by Japanese computer giant Fujitsu Ltd. and
seven other companies, challenging a memory system soon to be launched by a
rival group. Reporting from Tokyo, Yuko Inoue of the Reuter News Service
quotes a Fujitsu spokeswoman as saying the palm-size memory disc will have
greater storage capacity and be "more computer friendly" than digital video
discs (DVDs) that will be launched in the United States and Japan later this
year by a group of major electronic firms including Toshiba Corp. and
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
Reuters notes DVDs, "dubbed the most lucrative consumer product since audio
compact discs or video cassette recorders," are 5-inch optical discs that
can store up to 4.7 gigabytes of read-only data or 133 minutes of film and
sound. The rewritable version suitable for computer memories will be launched
sometime in 1998, with torage capacity of about 2.6 gigabytes. "The firms
in the DVD camp," adds the wire service, "are betting that the huge storage
capacity will eventually make videocassette recorders, CD players and CD-ROMs
obsolete. But the Fujitsu spokeswoman said their new, same five-inch system
based on magento-optical discs will have six to seven gigabytes of
rewritable data."
Says the Fujitsu official, "Our system is more computer friendly because of
larger storage capacity, faster access speed and unlimited capacity for
rewriting data. The two systems, with different strength, would coexist."
Reuters says Fujitsu and its partners -- including Sony Corp., Philips
Electronics N.V., Hitachi Ltd. and Sharp Corp. -- will finalize the MO
format by the end of December. "Smaller-size MOs with about 650 megabytes
capacity ae already used as PC memory devices," Reuters says, quoting a Sony
spokesman as saying improved laser technology will enable denser packing of
data.
"Still," notes Reuters, "many analysts said DVDs beat MOs in versatility and
easy compatibility with CD-ROMs." And Toshiba -- a major player in
development of the unified DVD format -- is cool to the MO technology,
saying the MO's complicated mechanical structure will make it hard to cut
production costs.
Human Memory Chip Foreseen
A memory chip that could preserve a person's thoughts and experiences could
be available in less than 30 years, a group of British scientists say. What
they call the "soul-catcher" memory chip "would be connected to the optical
nerve in the eye," the Reuter News Service reports from London, "and would
store memory and sensual sensations such as smell, sights and sounds in the
form of neuron pulses in the brain that can later be
downloaded into a computer."
Dr. Chris Winter, head of British Telecom's artificial life team that
developed the device, says people then would be able to relive their own
experiences or their memories could be transferred to another person's
brain, adding, "This is the end of death -- immortality in the truest sense."
Said Winter, "By combining this information with a record of a person's
genes, we could recreate a person physically, emotionally and spiritually."
Reuters reports Winter and his team compared the memory chip, which will have
a memory capacity of 10 million megabytes, to the black box in an aircraft
that records flight procedures and information. Said the doctor, an expert
in solid state physics and biochemistry, "With these chips, we wouldn't have
to rely on holiday snaps and our memories, we could simply play our
experiences back to each other." The researchers says the development also
could help people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and be useful in
criminal cases such as rape and robbery if the event is stored in the
victims's memory.
Visa Unveils New Net Security
A digital coding system that promises to allow safer purchases over the
Internet is being unveiled by credit card company Visa International and
Internet-security company VeriSign Inc. Writer Jared Sandberg of The Wall
Street Journal says the two firms have devised "specially scrambled codes
that card holders could use to make purchases, and which would let merchants
validate card holders' identities." Adds Sandberg, "Visa and its partner
are counting on the ne system to close a gaping hole in card security,
particularly as it pertains to purchases via the Internet. Many card numbers
get stolen at the point when merchants handle the transaction. Such fraud at
the merchant level costs U.S. banks several hundred million dollars a year in
lost revenue, and Visa wants to use the new system to keep the same problem
from hitting Internet purchases."
The ideas of the new system are:
z Merchants never actually get a credit-card holder's full card number.
Instead, VeriSign handles most of that information along with the member
banks.
z A card thief would have to not only gain access to a holder's
credit-card number, but would also have to break the digital keys to make a
purchase.
The Journal says an online customer simply transmits a three-tiered computer
message containing a special decoder key, a message with the goods that are
being purchased and their pricing and a "digital certificate," which
contains the user's identity, partial credit-card number and the bank that
issued the customer's credit card. The merchant then uses the key to unlock
the message, and uses the certificate to verify the identity of the buyer
and the buyer's credit. Once the buyer is deemed legitimate, the purchase is
put through and a bill is sent.
Sandberg says that of the various Internet payment schemes now under way, the
Visa/VeriSign system seems to have the most backing, noting the system is
based on technical standards developed by Mastercard International, IBM,
Cybercash Inc., Netscape Communications Corp. and Microsoft Corp.
New Word Macro Virus Discovered
The virus experts at TouchStone Software Corp. have discovered a new strain
of the infamous Word macro virus that reportedly carries even greater
destructive capabilities than its predecessor, Word Concept. The new virus,
called "Wazzu," poses a major threat to computer users, says the company.
TouchStone notes that the destructive code can be successfully detected and
removed with PC-cillin 95, the anti-virus program deeloped by TouchStone
Software and Trend Micro Inc.
According to TouchStone, the Wazzu virus wreaks havoc within infected
documents by changing, moving or adding words. In many instances, the virus
will insert the word "wazzu" at random points within a document. TouchStone
says Wazzu activates faster than previous macro viruses and is much more
difficult to clean manually, thus increasing the potential for rapid
proliferation. It is primarily transmitted via e-mail attached files and is
activated when an attached document is opened.
"Macro viruses have spread like wild fire, and the new Wazzu virus appears to
be the most advanced macro virus to date," says C. Shannon Jenkins,
TouchStone Software's chief technology officer.
McAfee Finds Excel Virus
Discovery of the first Macro virus capable of infecting Microsoft Corp.'s
Excel spreadsheets has been reported by anti-virus software specialists at
McAfee Associates Inc. Speaking with the Reuter News Service, Jimmy Kuo,
director of anti-viral research for the Santa Clara, California, software
company, said he hoped to have a detector for the virus very soon. The
virus "could be far and wide if we don't a handle on it really quick," he
said, noting that Microsoft Excel is the world's most popular spreadsheet
application.
Called ExcelMacro/Laroux, the virus was discovered at two large unidentified
companies, one in Alaska and one in Africa, Reuters reports. The virus can
replicate rapidly under normal spreadsheet use but does not appear to
damage data, Kuo said. "This virus has no destructive payload," he added,
describing it as "an inconvenience." Reuters says Laroux infects versions 5
and 7 of the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application. Desktop operating
systems affected include Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT.
For Immediate Release
Corel Announces Agreement with Packard Bell NEC
Ottawa, Canada - July 24, 1996 - Corel Corporation, an award-winning
developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics and multimedia
software, has announced a new bundling agreement with Packard Bell, the
world's largest consumer PC manufacturer. Packard Bell will pre-install a
special build of Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7 on all Packard Bell PCs
distributed worldwide. The bundling agreement includes Corelr WordPerfectr
7, Corelr Quattror Pro 7, Corelr PresentationsT 7, CorelFLOWT 3, 150 fonts,
and 10,000 clipart images. Each PC will also ship with a copy of the suite on
CD-ROM.
"This agreement represents a huge leap forward in our efforts to increase our
share of the productivity applications market," said Dr. Michael Cowpland,
president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "With more than
30 per cent of retail shelf space and in excess of 15,000 North American
display units highlighting Corel WordPerfect Suite 7, Packard Bell has
offered us an incredible opportunity to showcase our new offering."
This relationship will enable Corel to take advantage of Packard Bell's vast,
worldwide marketing channel, as well as to participate with the computer
giant at upcoming trade shows.
Packard Bell NEC
Based in Sacramento, California, Packard Bell NEC, Inc. designs, manufactures
and markets a broad range of PC-compatible desktop and notebook computers and
network servers. The company's major manufacturing operations are in
Sacramento, California; Fife, Washington; and Angers, France. For more
information on the company regarding news releases, technical support
contacts, product updates, etc., visit http://www.packardbell.com on the
World Wide Web.
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 CorelDRAWT, the
Corelr WordPerfectr Suite, Corelr Office Professional, CorelVIDEOT 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.
Corel, WordPerfect, Quattro, Presentations, CorelFLOW, CorelVIDEO and
CorelDRAW are registered trademarks or trademarks of Corel Corporation or
Corel Corporation Limited. All products mentioned are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
U.S. Official Warns Of "Electronic Pearl Harbor"
Anytime, Anywhere Cash -- But Where?
Nielsen Counts On The Net
Help Wanted: CIOs With Vision
Clinton Loses Silicon Valley Support
Database Used For Neighborhood Evaluation
ACLU Challenges Va. Law On Computer Use
Visa Teams With VeriSign On Encrypted Payment System
Intel Debuts Net Phone Software Microsoft's PC Web
Problems With Olympic Information System
New Theories On Productivity And Computers
System Managers Say Internet Is Overhyped
Cisco Buying Spree Continues, Telebit Targeted
Canadian Internet Use
IBM and Xylan Will Make Network Switches
FCC Wants 23 Channels Back After
Transition To Digital TV
Compaq Cuts Costs With Teamwork
Intelsat To Offer Free Satellite
Time For Education
Cisco Buying Spree Continues, Telebit Targeted
MasterCard And GTE Are Banking On CyberTrust
Pointcast -- Too Much Of A Good Thing?
E-data's Patent Claims Under Scrutiny
Shaw Files Satellite Application
Caldera Sues Microsoft Alleging Antitrust Violations
System Testing Begins When System Is Tested
U.S. OFFICIAL WARNS OF "ELECTRONIC PEARL HARBOR"
Deputy U.S. Attorney General Jamie Gorelick told a Senate subcommittee last
week that the possibility of "an electronic Pearl Harbor" is a very real
danger for the U.S. She noted in her testimony that the U.S. information
infrastructure is a hybrid public/private network, and warned that electronic
attacks "can disable or disrupt the provision of services just as readily as
-- if not more than -- a well-placed bomb." On July 15 the Clinton
Administration called for a President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure
Protection, with the mandate to identify the nature of threats to U.S.
infrastructure, both electronic and physical, and to work with the private
sector in devising a strategy for protecting this infrastructure. At an
earlier hearing, subcommittee members were told that about 250,000
intrusions into Defense Department computer systems are attempted each year,
with about a 65% success rate. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 17 Jul 96
A22)
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE CASH -- BUT WHERE?
Autoteller machines are ubiquitous, but finding one in a strange city can be
a problem. Visa customers (who carry their laptops with them) can now
locate the nearest ATM machine using Visa's GlobaLocator interactive
directory of all domestic and international Visa/Plus ATMs. The service also
offers detailed maps for each machine located in the U.S. Visa operates
more than 280,000 ATMs in 102 countries. <http://www.visa.com >.
(Investor's Business Daily 22 Jul 96 A6)
NIELSEN COUNTS ON THE NET
After triggering controversy last year over its Internet user counting
methodology, the A.C. Nielsen company is back -- with even higher figures.
The company was roundly criticized when it projected some 24 million North
American Internet users, but after going back and reinterviewing 2,800 of the
original 4,200 survey participants, Nielsen now says that the only problem
with the first numbers is that they were a little low. (Broadcasting & Cable
15 Jul 96 p16)
HELP WANTED: CIOs WITH VISION
"Money is no object when it comes to finding a CIO with vision," says a
managing partner with an Atlanta headhunting firm. "At forward-thinking
companies, if there's a $50,000 to $100,000 premium to get one of these
guys, they'll pay it." Indeed, the top technology visionaries are raking in
$750,000 and up, says the president of an IS executive placement and
consulting firm in Santa Monica, Calif. A recent survey shows this level of
salary is certainly not the norm, however. Information Week's May poll shows
more than half of the IS executives questioned earn no more than $100,000,
and a third report $75,000 or less. "Business people hear about Java and
the Internet, and they want to know where these things fit into the company,"
says a VP and CIO for Coty Inc. "To be successful, you have to have a
strategy that can shepherd existing technology investments with emerging
technology." (Information Week 8 Jul 96 p46)
CLINTON LOSES SILICON VALLEY SUPPORT
Because of the positions President Clinton has taken on such issues as
securities litigation, capital-gains taxes, R&D tax credits, and political
reform, he seems to have lost the support of many of the information
technology industry executives who gave him enthusiastic endorsements in the
last election. But an advisor to Vice President Gore suggests that they'll
change their minds because ''I don't know any political leaders in the
world who have invested more time in promoting the future of information
technology than President Clinton and Vice President Gore.'' (San Jose
Mercury Center News 21 Jul 96)
DATABASE USED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD EVALUATION
A U.K. company called Answers is offering house hunters who might want to
know a little more about their potential neighbors a "house investigation
package" that includes a check of computer databases for information on the
neighborhood's house prices, movement of people, its history and good and bad
points. It also searches newspapers and journals for any incidents
involving the area or residents. The head of the ompany says the
information gathered is all in the public domain. "It is just that we have
the professional experience to know what to look for and where to find it.
We do not invade anyone's privacy," he says. (Financial Times 20 Jul 9)
ACLU CHALLENGES VA. LAW ON COMPUTER USE
The Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will challenge a
new Virginia law that bars the use of state-owned computers to "access,
download, print or store any information infrastructure files or services
having sexually explicit content." The ACLU is protesting the statute on
constitutional grounds, saying it restricts the freedom of speech rights of
professors at state colleges and universities. University of Virginia VP
and CIO Polley McClure points out that staff members in her office often get
requests to check out Web sites, and "they don't always know what they're
going to find. We have requested a blanket exemption for the information-
technology staff." The ACLU plans to file its lawsuit this month.
(Chronicle of Higher Education 19 Jul 96 A25)
VISA TEAMS WITH VERISIGN ON ENCRYPTED PAYMENT SYSTEM
Visa International and VeriSign are launching a new system that will allow
Visa credit card users to make secure purchases over the Internet. The new
system handles the transactions by allowing the would-be buyer to fill out a
three-part e-mail message containing a special decoder key, a description of
the merchandise to be purchased and cost, and a "digital certificate," which
contains the user's identity, partial credit card number and the bank that
issued the credit card. The merchant uses the key to unlock the message, and
uses the other information to complete the transaction. The merchant never
actually gets the full credit card number - rather, that part of the
transaction is handled by VeriSign. "This is probably 100 times safer than
what's done off-line in the mail-order and telephone-order businesses," says
VeriSign's president. (Wall Street Journal 22 Jul 96 B2)
INTEL DEBUTS NET PHONE SOFTWARE
Intel Corp. is now marketing Internet phone software developed by Microsoft,
which, unlike competing products from VocalTec and Camelot, can be used over
a broad array of software. VocalTec customers must buy two pieces of
software in order to talk to each other over the Internet. "Intel is seeding
the market. They're going to get people to do more things with their PCs so
they can sell more Pentium processors," says a Forrester Research analyst.
The new program will be available on the Internet
<http://www.intel.com/iaweb/cpc >. (St. Petersburg Times 23 Jul 96 E1)
MICROSOFT'S PC WEB
Saying that the content of the Web now becomes a fundamental part of your
computing environment," a Microsoft vice president that version 4.0 of the
company's Explorer software, which is designed for navigating the World Wide
Web, will be extended with multimedia capabilities allowing the integration
of video, audio and animated graphics into a single document, which can be
hyperlinked to make it available anywhere on the Web. John Seely Brown, the
director of Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, expressed excitement about the
development, which he sees as the end of the file-and-folder metaphor for
managing information: "We're moving into a new world; we now have a new
metaphor. The beauty of the World Wide Web hyperlink notion is that
everything is represented by a document." Explorer 4.0 will be bundled into
the Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system later this summer and will also
be made available in a standalone version for Apple and other computers.
(New York Times 22 Jul 96 A1)
PROBLEMS WITH OLYMPIC INFORMATION SYSTEM
The "Info'96" IBM computer system designed to deliver instantaneous results
of Olympic competitions to the worldwide press is working for journalists in
Atlanta but not for the journalists worldwide who are supposed to be getting
information from the World Press Feed. Some journalists are angrily
referring to the "Info'96" system as "Info'97." An IBM spokesman said that
"we expect people to judge us from our performance over the long haul of the
games, instead of the first two days." Results are available quickly over
the site maintained by IBM at < http://www.atlanta.olympic.org >. (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Atlanta Games p25)
NEW THEORIES ON PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPUTERS
A Stanford University economist has some new ideas on why investment in
computers doesn't necessarily translate into identifiable economic growth.
The Stanford Computer Industry Project has interviewed more than 80 mid-
level managers in large companies, and findings indicate several reasons why
effective use of technology lags well behind its invention:
1) Information technology must be localized before it has its greatest
impact, and
2) Technology often isn't used to lower costs, but to improve quality. For
instance, ATM machines allow people to bank around the clock, but don't
necessarily lower costs.
The good news, according to the director, is that research suggests many
companies haven't put technology to its fullest use, which means potentially
large benefits may still be reaped. (Investor's Business Daily 23 Jul 96 A8)
SYSTEM MANAGERS SAY INTERNET IS OVERHYPED
A Computerworld magazine poll of 100 senior systems managers found that 36%
have diverted resourrces to Internet projects as a direct result of top
management reading media reports about the technology; 28% spend "more time
than I should" responding to inquiries prompted by other employees exposed to
media coverage of technology; and 16% feel that that "overinflated
expectations about the Internet have caused us to waste money."
(Computerworld 22 Jul 96 p1)
CANADIAN INTERNET USE
The number of Canadians surfing the Internet more than doubled last year,
according to a new survey by Andersen Consulting. The study reveals 29% of
Canadians have used the Internet at least once in the past year, compared
with 12% in 1994, with the majority using the Internet less than 10 hours per
month. It also showed a variety of other new media on the Infobahn --
including the Internet, electronic banking, online systems, interactive
voice-response systems, interactive TV and electronic kiosks -- are being
used by 70% of companies to deliver customer service and support, and by 40%
to sell goods and services. Among the companies surveyed, 25% have a Web
site. (Toronto Financial Post 23 Jul 96 p5)
IBM AND XYLAN WILL MAKE NETWORK SWITCHES
IBM will buy $30 million in network switches from Xylan Corporation and will
jointly develop with that company new switches that they will each sell
independently. (New York Times 23 Jul 96 C2)
FCC WANTS 23 CHANNELS BACK
AFTER TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TV
The Federal Communication Commission wants to achieve the 10-20 year
transition from analog to digital television by assigning each television
station a digital frequency between channels 7 and 51, and then requiring
all stations to yield the analog channels back to the FCC for auctioning off
for other uses. The television industry is anxious to have digital
capability (which will allow transmission of multiple streams of data along
with superb TV picture and sound quality), but says the FCC plan would pack
too many channels into two small a spectrum, causing interference and
reducing the range of local stations. (New York Times 25 Jul 96 C2)
COMPAQ CUTS COSTS WITH TEAMWORK
Compaq Computer is taking a new approach to computer building, and saving
money at the same time. Instead of the traditional assembly line
manufacturing style, the company now uses "cell manufacturing," where a group
of four workers collaborate to build the entire machine from scratch. "It's
like having a whole bunch of little factories on the factory floor," says
Compaq's senior manager, who notes the new process means greater
accountability for defects and bolsters worker pride and incentives to
produce quality machines. In addition, cell manufacturing has resulted in a
17% reduction in the cost of producing the machines, which is passed on to
customers, he says. (Investor's Business Daily 25 Jul 96 A8)
INTELSAT TO OFFER FREE SATELLITE TIME FOR EDUCATION
Intelsat, a consortium of 139 countries banded together to launch and operate
communications satellites, is planning a "Distance Education and Training
Network of the Americas" pilot program that will donate free satellite time
to educational and medical institutions in North, Central and South America
for one year. The organization hopes to charge for the time in subsequent
years. The group must receive a waiver from the FCC in order to operate in
the U.S. Intelsat's effort is spurred by the high prices educators are
paying in the satellite time "spot market," where many nonprofit users must
buy their satellite access. (Chronicle of Higher
Education 19 Jul 96 A25)
CISCO BUYING SPREE CONTINUES, TELEBIT TARGETED
Cisco Systems, which has made three notable acquisitions in just the past six
months, is buying Telebit Corp. and some of its technologies for about $200
million. The purchase will give Cisco access to Telebit's line of high-
speed digital modems and other telecommunications technology. Cisco is the
world's biggest maker of networking equipment. (Investor's Business Daily 23
Jul 96 A9)
MASTERCARD AND GTE ARE BANKING ON CYBERTRUST
Following Visa's announcement this week that it will work together with
VeriSign to offer consumers a secure system for making electronic purchases
over the Internet, MasterCard International and GTE say they are planning a
new system dubbed CyberTrust that will provide MasterCard customers with the
same capability. Both systems will use "digital certificates" that protect
users from unauthorized use of their credit cards. (Wall Street Journal 24
Jul 96 A6)
POINTCAST -- TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?
The PointCast Network, which markets its up-to-the-minute online news service
to businesses and individuals, is catching flak from corporate network
operators who say PointCast uses up too much of the bandwidth available,
causing other functions to slow way down. PointCast is working on the
problem, but several companies have issued restrictions on how and when
employees may used the service, which functions as a screen saver, providing
the news when PCs are idle. "The main problem with PointCast is that it is
so popular that it has grown very rapidly," says an internal Unisys
consultant. To alleviate demand overload, PointCast's I-Server, which will
be available this fall, will act a local broadcast facility, allowing
companies to send internal company news, as well as the external stuff,
across an intranet. That way, "Instead of employees all going against our
central broadcast, the data will only have to be sent once to the I-Server,"
says the company's marketing VP. And next month, PointCast will release new
technology that includes data compression to reduce the network load by 50%.
(Information Week 15 Jul 96 p24)
E-DATA'S PATENT CLAIMS UNDER SCRUTINY
New Jersey-based E-data Corp., which purchased a patent originally filed in
1983 by inventor Charles Freeny that covered the way digital information
could be downloaded over telephone lines, has sued more than a dozen
software and publishing companies over activities it claims are covered by
its patent. Ex Machina, one of the companies sued, is claiming, however,
that E-data's patent was issued in error - and that Telephone Software
Connection, which is no longer in business, was doing the same thing in 1980,
three years before E-data's patent was filed. The defendants are now
arguing that E-data's patent never should have been issued in the first
place, and is based on technology that should be considered "prior art." IBM
and Adobe have already settled with E-data over their claims, and say their
agreements prohibit them from discussing the terms. (Business Week 29 Jul
96 p65)
SHAW FILES SATELLITE APPLICATION
Calgary-based Shaw Communication plans to launch two high-powered satellites
at a cost of $750-million to provide direct broadcast TV service to
consumers. Since its plan requires only one orbital slot, the second would
be available to other players, leading to a competitive satellite industry.
(Toronto Globe & Mail 23 Jun 96 B2)
CALDERA SUES MICROSOFT ALLEGING ANTITRUST VIOLATIONS
The Provo, Utah-based software company Caldera Inc. has filed a billion-
dollar federal lawsuit for antitrust violations against Microsoft, charging
that Microsoft's ''predatory acts and practices'' have shut out competitive
products including DR DOS, an operating system Caldera bought from Novell on
the same day the lawsuit was filed. Caldera is backed by Ray Noorda, the
former CEO of Novell. The lawsuit charges that Microsoft acted to keep DR
DOS from gaining market share by generating false error messages indicating
the product was incompatible with Microsoft's Windows interface. (San Jose
Mercury News 25 Jul 96)
SYSTEM TESTING BEGINS WHEN SYSTEM IS TESTED
Complaining about the computer system that failed in the opening days of the
Olympics to provide timely and accurate information about competitive
events, journalists asked Billy Payne, the president of the Atlanta Olympics
Organizing Committee, "Why wasn't the technology system tested?" Payne
replied that "there is no way to duplicate the totality of the Olympic
condition before the start of the games." (Atlanta Journal- Constitution
Olympic City p34)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu).
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Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
In the News
INVERSE INK ANNOUNCES TITLES FOR FOX KIDS NETWORK BASED CD-ROM COMIC BOOKS
z THE TICK: "The Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold"
z EEK!STRAVAGANZA: "The EeX Files"
z LIFE WITH LOUIE: "Lake Winnibigoshish"
z BOBBY'S WORLD: "One Clump or Two?"
7/24/96 -- MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- Inverse Ink, a Division of TAO Research
Corporation, today announced four new multimedia comic book titles starring
characters from Fox Kids Network's highly acclaimed Saturday morning animated
lineup. Inverse Ink and Saban Entertainment, the worldwide licensing and
merchandising agent for Fox owned properties on the Fox Kids Network
announced a deal to bring the award winning shows "THE TICK,"
"EEK!STRAVAGANZA," "LIFE WITH LOUIE" and "BOBBY'S WORLD" into the digital
comic book era two months ago at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition in
Los Angeles.
Clever story lines and sophisticated humor are at the heart of these titles,
which have been children's favorites for the past several years and received
top ratings in their time periods. Now, these witty animated yarns are being
presented in a classic comic book style. User activated animation, morphing,
and new computer style art add to their broad appeal, captivating kids to
adult comic fans.
Each CD-ROM multimedia title will support both the Macintosh and Windows
formats on a single disk. They are planned to ship this October and will have
an expected retail price of $9.99 each.
THE TICK: "The Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold"
For the first time this 400-pound blue crime fighter is in his native medium,
the comic book, gone multimedia. "The Tick" can now leap out of the comic
book page while bouncing across rooftops, fighting the world's most "unusual"
super villains. Along with his trusty, mothy, smaller sidekick Arthur, "The
Tick" fears no man or beast, so, not to worry.
In this episode the evil Thrakkozog, uses DNA to clone our super hero to help
him in his attempt to take over the world. The Tick and Arthur must recall
their biology lessons and make use of some extra bodily fluids to help defeat
the DNA monster Tick twin on the rooftops of The City.
EEK!STRAVAGANZA: "The EeX Files"
This cat's motto is "it never hurts to help." And that is the beginning of
most of his hilarious troubles.
In this spoof on The X Files and E.T., Eek! finds himself on the way to
England when an unscheduled side-trip out of the bottom of the plane lands
him in a Nevada secret alien spaceship testing ground. Commanded by Captain
Amelia Eirheart, a group of bungling bureaucrats are out to see how much they
can learn from this newly discovered alien. Some quick thinking and luck is
required for Eek! to make it out of the base and on to England.
LIFE WITH LOUIE: "Lake Winnibigoshish"
Louie Anderson, the popular real life comedian, is the likeness for which
this title is based. "Life with Louie" takes Anderson back to his adolescence
in Wisconsin, where his animated character experiences all the hilarious and
heartwarming misadventures of a young boy, mixed with a seasoned professional
comedian's view of the world.
In this episode, Lake Winnibigoshish is the destination when mom, dad and
brother Tommy pack the station wagon and leave for summer vacation at 4 a.m.
Fishing for the monster Husky Musky, flirting with Kelly Bassett, swimming
and diving was the order of the day until the Lanza triplets befriend Louie.
Will he betray his friend Kelly to hang out with the coolest kids at the
lake?
BOBBY'S WORLD: "One Clump or Two?"
Howie Mandel is the voice behind four-year-old Bobby Generic ("That's GEN-uh-
ric") as he experiences life through a preschool alter ego that offers vivid
fantasies and unique observations about life. In this episode, Bobby must
help a friend out of a sticky situation when he gets framed for throwing
clumps of dirt.
Inverse Ink, a division of TAO Research Corporation, is a developer and
publisher of multimedia comic books for Windows and Macintosh computers. The
company brings comic books to life through a process that morphs comic art
panels into live action video or animation. The products are available
nationally through major distributors, retailers and mass merchants, as well
as comic book stores.
Fox Kid's Network is currently the top-rated children's programming service
in the United States. Its 19 hours of weekly (Monday-Saturday) programming
are seen by more than 35 million kids and teens each month. Saban
Entertainment, Inc. is devoted to the development, production, acquisition,
distribution and merchandising of children's products and the development of
other entertainment areas, including publishing, video games and live events.
NOTE: BOBBY'S WORLD and (c)1996 Fox Kids Network, Inc.; the character "Bobby"
is a trademark of Alevy Productions. LIFE WITH LOUIE and (c)1996 Fox Kids
Network,Inc.; EEK!STRAVAGANZA and (c)1996 Fox Kids Network, Inc. THE TICK and
(c)1996 Fox Kids Network, Inc. and Ben Edlund. All Rights Reserved.
Quiet On The Set!! ... Rolling!!
Children Create Their Own Movies And Develop
Reading and Expressive Writing Skills with
Write, Camera, Action! From Broderbund Software
Fifth Addition to the Active Mind SeriesT empowers kids to finish and promote
a blockbuster movie
NOVATO, CA (July 23, 1996) - Lights! Camera! Action!! The radiant Fann
Fatale skips joyfully into Sam Shovel- Private Eye's office, reaches
into her purse and pulls out a macaroni collage picture frame of her
precious and furry feline, Malcolm. CUT!! You have just entered the
studio for the filming of a scene in Broderbund Software's (NASDAQ:BROD)
new Write, Camera, Action! The newest member to the Active Mind Series
offers rich animation, a colorful cast of characters and exciting
dialogue in a new CD-ROM focused on improving literacy through
integrated reading and writing activities.
Write, Camera, Action! encourages children ages 8 to 12 to develop their
reading and expressive writing skills on an interactive and comical
Hollywood movie set. Golden Fox Studios is the setting for the "The Case
of the Maltese Malcolm," a mystery about a well-to-do and precious cat
that is missing. The player, hired as the new director, must finalize
the film and bring it to its blockbuster premiere. Children edit
scripts, direct rehearsals, write news stories and movie bits and record
dialogue to create box office success and see their film rise on the
Billboard charts. The product encourages vocabulary growth and breaks
down storytelling and character development into easy to understand
activities and offers a gentle introduction into the world of creative
writing.
"I can't think of a more entertaining way to develop children's reading
and writing skills than by writing, directing and creating their very
own movie," said Laurie Strand, Executive Publisher Broderbund's
Education Studio. "Write, Camera, Action! encourages children to have
fun with movie-making, but more importantly, enables them to explore the
possibilities of their writing and creative expression."
Product Features
The Back Lot - On the Back Lot of the Golden Fox Studios, kids expand
their creative expression by writing, editing and directing their
Hollywood film. Their input on the dialogue, mood, set, sound effects
and character action of the film will be immediately played back to them
as they direct the rehearsal and shoot the scenes. Because it is a
mystery, children must place clues and target them, consistently,
towards a specific character.
The Studio Office - This area is the writing center for Write, Camera,
Action! As the premiere approaches, children promote their film by
writing and creating movie synopses, news stories and publicity posters
which they can print out in their very own newspaper. Also included are
dozens of script starters and movie ideas that encourage kids to write
their own scripts from scratch. The more writing activities that the
child completes, the more fanfare she will have at her premiere and the
higher the product will move up the Billboard charts.
Audio Dubbing Booth - Write, Camera, Action! allows children to step
into the Audio Dubbing Booth and re-record dialogue, music and sound
effects using their own voice or that of their friends. It also lets
children change the dialogue and narrations so that they can create
their own original script.
The Screening Room - Children can check closeups, quick cuts and music
by previewing finished scenes from their film in the screening room.
Using the play, stop, rewind and fast forward interface, kids can double
check their selections before they finalize the scene.
Box Office Success and the Billboard - Box office success is based on a
variety of factors. Children must align the clues, finish the script
editing and premiere the film - and a minimal box office success will
follow. Increased success is based on participation in the writing
activities and recording new dialogue. When players release their film,
their points are internally tallied, the review is generated and their
film is ranked on the Billboard.
Help is always available - Throughout the production of the film, help
is always available. Bailey, the Assistant Director, pops up at various
times throughout production to let the child know that there may be a
problem with his script consistency or to encourage the child to
complete more writing exercises. Along with Bailey's help, the child is
also assisted by a Director's Notebook. This notebook is filled with
information about the film, such as which scenes need to be filmed or
edited, which clues have been placed in the script and to whom they
point, and what writing exercises have been completed.
Active Mind Series
The Active Mind Series is an innovative line of software that motivates
children to develop essential learning skills. Each product is developed
in conjunction with educational specialists to provide an enriching
educational experience. Write, Camera, Action! is the fifth title in
this series. Other titles in the series include the recently released
Logical Journey of the ZoombinisT, James Discovers MathT, The Playroomr,
Reading GalaxyT and Math WorkshopT.
School Version with Teacher's Guide
The school version of Write, Camera, Action! was prepared by
Broderbund's Educational Marketing Division, classroom teachers and
educators. This edition will release in September as a Windows/Mac
hybrid disk. The educational version and teacher's guide are designed to
provide numerous ways to integrate the program into school curriculum.
Eighteen activities have detailed plans for further learning away from
the computer, as well as activities to support learning while on the
computer.
Reading Galaxy becomes the sixth member of the Active Mind Series
Reading Galaxy helps children ages 8 to 12 develop their reading
comprehension and problem solving skills through a game show format that
incorporates excerpts and synopses from 30 favorite works of children's
literature. The player's goal is to outsmart a panel of "Alien Guest
Celebrities" on an interstellar game show by using knowledge of the
books and authors in question. The product features over 400 passages
from children's classics and Newbery award winners, including The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web, and more.
Initially released as Alien Tales, the product remains unchanged and
true to the critical acclaim it originally received. It becomes the
sixth member of the Active Mind Series because of its emphasis on
reading comprehension, literary appreciation, spelling, vocabulary
building, reading strategies and logical thinking.
Availability, Pricing and System Requirements
Write, Camera, Action! and Reading Galaxy are currently shipping for
approximately $40. Both products require at least Windows 3.1 or Windows
95, 486SX 33Mhz, 8 MB RAM, 3 MB hard disk space, double speed CD-ROM
drive, SVGA and Windows compatible sound device. Reading Galaxy is also
available for Macintosh and requires System 7.0 or higher, 68030 25Mhz
or Power Macintosh, 8MB RAM, 6MB hard disk space, double speed CD-ROM
drive. Recording features require use of a Windows/Mac compatible
microphone. Printing features requre use of a Windows/Mac compatible
monochrome or color printer.
Broderbund Software, Inc. develops, publishes and markets a diversified
line of consumer software for use in homes, schools and small
businesses. Since its founding in 1980, Broderbund has pioneered
innovative award-winning products that take advantage of the latest
technologies. Broderbund has a successful track record of identifying
and capitalizing on emerging trends through its studio development
approach. Broderbund's web site is located at:
http://www.broderbund.com.
Broderbund and The Playroom are registered trademarks of Broderbund
Software Inc. Write, Camera, Action!, Logical Journey of the Zoombinis,
James Discovers Math, Math Workshop, Reading Galaxy and Active Mind
Series are trademarks of Broderbund Software, Inc.
Broderbund Unveils the New StoryQuestsT Line of Children's
Adventure Stories Featuring Gregory and the Hot Air BalloonT
and Darby the DragonT
New Line Of Challenging Quests and Fun-Filled Games
That Captivate, Entertain and Teach
Novato, CA (July 23, 1996) - Broderbund Software (NASDAQ: BROD), introduces
its new StoryQuests line of kid-activated adventure stories with the
simultaneous releases of Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon and Darby The
Dragon. Developed in partnership with Capitol Multimedia, the StoryQuests
series allows children ages 4-8 to embark on challenging adventures through
enchanted worlds while helping them obtain essential learning skills, such as
logical reasoning, problem solving, phonics, creative arts, letter
recognition and counting. As the stories unfold, children encounter whimsical
characters who guide them on their journey and help them discover clues and
play fun-filled games. Exquisite animation, graphics and original music
enhance the experience by bringing the stories to life.
"The StoryQuests line offers kids exciting story adventures which challenge
them to think and have fun," says Laurie Strand, Executive Publisher of
Broderbund's Early Learning Studio. "Now kids will be able to control the
action in the story and will be asked to use their problem-solving skills to
move along the plot."
Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon
Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon stars Gregory Chuckwood, a precocious young
woodchuck, and his trusty pet lizard, Newt , who live in the make-believe
town of Acorn Hollow. This adventure story for children ages 4-7, begins when
Gregory andNewt take a wild ride in a hot air balloon and are whisked away to
a far-off land. It's up to the player to help Gregory and Newt find their way
home by solving puzzles and searching for objects to help them accomplish
that goal. The keys to the solution lie in a local carnival Gregory finds
near the balloon landing site..
The program is filled with fun activities kids can explore for hours
including challenging games, musical interludes and clever clues to help them
solve their quest.
Great Mentallo's Guessing Game: Children build their phonic skills by
coupling letters with pictures that begin with those letters in this fun
matching game.
The Fun House: The Fun House offers three exciting rooms for kids to explore
and have fun. The scary room provides a variety of musical ghosts and
goblins; the trampoline room is where Gregory can have fun jumping on a
number of trampolines; and the mirror room provides an amusing game, where
kids can create their very own image of Gregory by changing the reflections
in the mystical mirrors.
MacMoo's Ice Cream Parlor: Mrs. MacMoo invites kids to join in and create
their own ice cream sundaes. By choosing their own flavors of ice cream and
quantities of nuts, candy and some gooey toppings, children can construct
their ice cream creations.
The Great Maze Home: Help Gregory and Newt travel back to Acorn Hollow by
guiding them through a maze of mountains. Different puzzles allow kids to
play the game multiple times.
Ferris Wheel: Kids can observe the sights and sounds of the Carnival by
taking a ride on the ferris wheel.
Acorn Hollow Bookstore: Children are encouraged to read along with the
narrated storybooks that are on display in the town's bookstore. Three
stories can be accessed, including Gregory and the Giant, Gregory Goes
Fishing and Gregory Cleans His Room.
Darby The Dragon
Darby the Dragon is a friendly dragon prince who lives in the enchanted
kingdom of Dragondale with his father, mother and big sister, Sparkle. Upon
discovering a magic wand, he mistakenly casts a spell on Sparkle which
shrinks her to a small size.
Children, ages 5-8, must find the wizard to learn of the reversal potion and
then set off on their quest to find the magical ingredients. Traveling
throughout the streets of Dragondale, Dag's Desert and the enchanted forest,
kids will interact with traveling minstrels, street vendors, a variety of
trolls, fairies and giants.
As kids explore the kingdom in search of magical ingredients and secret gold
coins, they are challenged with thought provoking puzzles and problem-solving
activities. The program also teaches valuable life lessons about cooperation
and helping others and features original music, sung by a variety of
characters.
The Wizard's Magic Spell Hut: Kids can enter the wizards hut and create their
very own magic spells. Choose from a variety of ingredients and place them
into a boiling cauldron to see the results of the potent potion.
Singing Minstrels: Wandering minstrels sing playful songs throughout the tale
that provide important clues.
Amanda's Puppet Theater: Kids can design the stage for their very own puppet
show and then watch the exciting show played out before their eyes.
Mask Maker's Hut: The Mask Maker's Hut is a fun activity which lets children
create their own magical masks by picking from a variety of eyes, nose,
mouth, ears and much more.
Dag's Desert Hut: Children discover an arcade style game that exposes the
player to counting while strengthening hand-eye coordination. Kids fill a
basket with a variety of flowers as they pop up and then disappear quickly.
The Desert Oasis: Take a trip to the oasis and create pictures of Dragondale
and beyond. Choose a letter and a character or setting will appear which
begins with the letter of choice to offer kids a creative way to learn to
recognize letters.
Tales of Dragondale: The castle's library houses a collection of narrated
storybooks about the colorful characters of Dragondale in which kids can read
along. Three stories can be enjoyed, including A Tale of Dragondale, Jethro
Giant and the Honeybees and The Two Trolls.
Pricing and Availability
Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon and Darby The Dragon are available on a
Windows and Macintosh hybrid CD-ROM format for approximately $30.
Hardware Requirements
Windows CD-ROM: Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, 33Mhz 486 or faster required, 8MB
RAM for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, (Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon requires
12K hard disk space) (Darby The Dragon requires 1.2MB hard disk space), 2x CD-
ROM drive or faster required, SVGA monitor/display card 640x480, 256 colors,
Windows compatible sound device
Macintosh CD-ROM: Macintosh and Power Macintosh, System 7.1 ore higher, 33Mhz
68040 processor or faster, Power Macintosh requires 8MB RAM, 3MB free,
(Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon requires 12K hard disk space) (Darby The
Dragon requires 1.2MB hard disk space), 2x CD-ROM drive or faster required,
Monitor: 13 inch or larger color, 256 colors.
Broderbund Software, Inc. develops, publishes and markets a diversified line
of consumer software for use in homes, schools and small businesses. Since
its founding in 1980, Broderbund has pioneered innovative award-winning
products that take advantage of the latest technologies. Broderbund has a
successful track record of identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends
through its studio development approach. Broderbund's web site is located at:
http://www.broderbund.com.
Capitol Multimedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDIM, CDIMW) is a Bethesda, Maryland-based
createor, producer and licensor of high quality entertaining and educational
CD-ROM software for the children's consumer market. Capitol Multimedia, with
additional offices in Concord, MA and St. Petersburg, Russia, employs more
than 175 professionals including, animators, artists, producers, software and
audio engineers, writers and game designers. St. Petersburg- the home of many
well-known art and technical universities and the historic cultural center
for the arts in Russia- lends itself well to development of animated
adventures such as Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon and Darby the Dragon.
Broderbund is a registered trademark of Broderbund Software Inc. StoryQuests
is a trademark of Broderbund Software, Inc. Gregory and the Hot Air Balloon
is a trademark of Capitol Multimedia, Inc. All other trademarks and
registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Math Workshop
Dual format CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh
street price around $30
for ages 6 to 10
Broderbund
500 Redwood Blvd.
Novato, CA 94948-6121
415-382-4740
http://www.broder.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.0.1
CPU: 386DX/33 CPU: 68030/16
HD Space: 4 MB HD Space: 1
MB
Memory: 4 MB Memory: 4 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics: 256 colors, 12" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 8-bit Windows compatible sound card
Other: mouse, printer optional Other: mouse, printer optional
Broderbund has been a leading name in the edutainment field for many years.
Math Workshop carries on this tradition of excellence with the breadth of its
content and its engaging activities. With an easy-to-use and friendly
interface, the program will be a joy for any child to use as he learns a
multitude of math facts and skills.
Poly Gonzales is the animated host of Math Workshop. She provides verbal
assistance with a click of the help button. She will also provide
competition in the Rockets game. Her control room is easy to operate. Poly
will help your child get the most of the program.
Math Workshop consists of seven activities. Bowling for Dollars is a fun
drill exercise that teaches basic math problem solving and estimation skills.
Players solve math problems by choosing from multiple answers. After
correctly answering a number of questions, Gus the bowling gorilla will roll
a strike in several amusing ways. Players are encouraged to get more strikes
and to advance through twenty-five levels of competition. They can even
print out certificates of achievement!
Hidden Picture Puzzles is a modified tangram puzzle. Children will be given
a number of shapes that they must fit into a rectangle. As they rotate and
fit pieces, they will uncover a picture within the rectangle. This activity
promotes increased comprehension in the areas of pattern matching, spatial
organization and problem solving skills.
Puzzle Patterns is an activity that will teach pattern matching, problem
solving skills and spatial orientation. Fit the pieces into the puzzle with
only the border serving as a clue. Some parts must be rotated to the proper
orientation. This challenging game has three levels of play.
Super Sticklers is another puzzle activity. An image is displayed on the
sticky easel while beside the easel are the sticky lines that will outline
the image. The object is to place the sticky lines on the image. Children
may need to rotate parts to get the proper fit. This activity places an
emphasis on pattern matching, shape recognition, spatial orientation and
problem solving.
Your child will build cool tunes while learning to work with fractions in
Rhythm Shop. The Fractionaire 2000 is all-purpose woodworking machine that
cuts, glues and melds fractions to create short tunes. The tune will be
represented by one length of wood divided into various fractional blocks.
Your child must duplicate those fractions by cutting another block and then
make more cuts or combine smaller pieces to complete the puzzle. Children
will learn equivalencies, fractions, problem solving and a bit of music
appreciation.
Pattern Windows is a creative activity. Your child can make "stained glass"
windows by painting the geometric tiles of each pattern. Children can save
three windows from each pattern and print their completed masterpieces. They
will learn pattern recognition, shape recognition, spatial orientation and
symmetry. Including a few example windows might have provided children with
some inspiration.
Rockets is the final activity. This is a competitive game in which the
players take turns firing a number of rockets. To win, the player must fire
the last rocket. You can play with different numbers of rockets and the
maximum launch number can range between two and five when playing Poly and up
to ten when playing a friend. This game teaches addition and subtraction,
strategy and problem solving.
The program benefits from sharp, colorful graphics that will grab your
child's attention. The sound and music portions of the program are excellent
also. The user interface is wonderful in both its simplicity and user
friendliness. With several skill levels, gratifying rewards and fun play,
Math Workshop provides high play value. The educational value is great too.
Math Workshop provides an excellent value to consumers with its modest street
price and fantastic 90-Day moneyback satisfaction guarantee. It's tons of
fun to play and offers an abundance of learning opportunities. If you're
looking for a math program for your kindergarten through third grade student,
you should give serious consideration to Math Workshop.
Ratings
Graphics 9.0
Sound 9.0
Interface 9.5
Play Value 9.0
Educational Value 10.0
Bang for the Buck 9.5
Average 9.33
STR Editor's Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
Editor's MailBag
Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 07:58:40 -0700
From: Charles Manske <cmanske@netscape.com>
Reply-To: cmanske@netscape.com
Organization: Netscape Communications Corp
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0b5Gold (Win95; U)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: rmariano@streport.com
Subject: Arrogant attitude
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-UIDL: b2d736c6ff86e74297b4e6d90d95b5e3
Yea, I can tell you real unbiased:
>The users hold the solution in their hands. Let them decide which
>browser is the top banana. There is no doubt that Microsoft's
>Internet Explorer will dominate.
And I love the way IE associates every graphics file extension with itself
and destroys my associations with my graphics editing programs.
--
Charles Manske
NetscapeGold programmer cmanske@netscape.com
or at Third Eye Multimedia cm@third-eye.com
We are such things as dreams are made on.
Netscape SPEAKS! ??
Atari: Jaguar/Computer Section
Dana Jacobson, Editor
>From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Whoever invented vacations was a genius! However, the person who invented
having to return to work should be exiled somewhere far away! <g> It was a
relaxing two weeks, and I'm ready for another one!
I got quite a few responses to my editorial last week in which I was
"soliciting" people to contribute to this section within STReport. A couple
of them were of the "why bother supporting Atari computers?" variety, but the
majority of mail was very supportive. And, we did get a number of offers to
contribute - I'm currently putting together a list of article topics and
going over those that were offered. I hope to hear from more of you in the
coming weeks.
This week's news is limited. However, on an off-topic note, if you get a
chance to view some of the events at the Atlanta Summer Olympics, I recommend
that you do. This year's competition has been very enjoyable.
I'm not a big summer games fan, but I found myself drawn to this year's
games, especially the women's events that have started to equal those of the
men. The women's swimming and gymnastics teams have shown us the true spirit
and excitement of the Olympics! Best of luck to all of the athletes at this
year's competitions.
Until next time...
Toad Computers STR FOCUS!
Toad Computers, MIST, and Gemulator 4.15m!
Toad Computers was pleased to be a part of the 8th annual MIST show in
Indianapolis, held last weekend. It was a great success! One of the great
things we were able to bring back from the show was a very special offer on
Gemulator 4.15m, the latest and greatest Gemulator from Branch Always
Software.
Gemulator 4.15m offers unprecedented flexibility in Atari ST emulation. Rn
the MagiC OS from hard disk, or run TOS 2.06 off of a Gemulator ROM card --
it's your choice! That's right, the Gemulator ROM card is now OPTIONAL! And
to celebrate this, we've got some special deals you just can't refuse!
Removing the card makes things significantly less expensive, and we can pass
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That's right, for just $99, you can take advantage of Atari emulation on your
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For use with the Gemulator Gold CD ROM and its PC Xformer 3.5 software,
nowyou can attach 8-bit 1050/810/Indus disk drives to the parallel port of
your PC!! That's right! Boot Atari 8-bit disks right from an 8-bit disk
drive! It's incredible!
The GEMULATOR 4.15m FAQ!
Q: What's MagiC? Why don't I need TOS?
A: MagiC is a reverse-engineered clone of TOS from Germany. Atari's assembly
code in TOS was so poor, it was possible to de-compile it to get a good
approximation of the original 'C' source code. A group of skilled German
programmers optimized it, added features like multitasking, and then further
optimized the assembly code. The result is a multi-tasking TOS that's faster
than TOS. It's disk based and acts as a replacement for OS on ROM. So TOS is
not required. MagiC is all that's needed for Gemulator to run TOS programs!
Q: What's new in Gemulator 4.15m?
A: As always, it's the latest and greatest, and it includes support for MagiC
as well as TOS ROMs that current Gemulator owners may be using.
Q: Can I use it on a desktop? What about my notebook?
A: Gemulator 4.15m works on desktop machines or on notebook computers.
Q: How compatible is MagiC?
A: Very. Because you're already running an emulator, you won't be able to run
programs that access ST hardware directly. MagiC is fully compatible with
those programs and is great for publishing (Pagestream, Calamus) and all the
programs that people use Gemulator for most!
Q: Is it in stock?
A: Yes! Gemulator 4.15m, MagiC, and the Gemulator Gold CD are all available
NOW for immediate shipment!
To order, send email to "orders@toad.net" or call (800) 448-8623 in
USA/Canada, (410) 544-6943 (international), or (410) 544-1329 FAX. We accept
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THIS OFFER GOOD ONLY THROUGH 7/31/96!
Gemulator 4.15m -- it puts the "Atari" into your PC!!
Thanks,
Dave Troy
Toad Computers
STR Atari Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
Editor's MailBag
Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
True, there has not been much Atari stuff in STR, but there is enough of
interest to fill the space. While I notice that atari.archive.umich is
getting not as many weekly uploads as it used to, it is still much easier to
get in there as amiga.archive or msdos archive, and change directory, than
to try atari.archive, which is all filled up almost every time I forget to
use another door.
Atari never was a mass market machine, and never will be. I am not a
mass-market person, and have noted that the clue-level in Atari groups is
higher than in other groups. It does not seem to be widely known, but the
two original monitors, the 96 dpi mono and the RGB color, were also being
used on NCR bank machines. Thus, if you screw up a tube, it can get
re-gunned if you can find a crt re-gunner shop, because there are a lot of
spare guns around for the bank machines.
In other words, they were and are professional monitors, not toys for the
average consumer. Atari is not a machine for the average consumer, so
Atarians are necessarily badly outnumbered. But there seems to be a lot
of new activity, with four TOS machines being produced, even though Atari got
out of the computer business more than two years ago.
Oops, that's five: Hades, Medusa, two from Computer Direct, and the German
Falcon.
So, we are not doing too poorly, and perhaps just a bit better than when
Atari invented the concept of "vaporware". We are just in the numerical
minority, with so many new people using computers at work, and buying one
like that to pirate programs.
jimd1
jimd1@primenet.com
Jaguar Section
Jaguar Shareware Movement Continues
>From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
Last week's focus on the Underground's Jaguar shareware effort netted a
number of responses, both online and private mail. I also received responses
from both "primary" supporters of the Underground which I will also include
this week along with various other online activity.
I also understand that there has been an initial conversation between the
Underground's Steven Scavone and Atari's Don Thomas. I would imagine that
there will likely be further discussions on this project. At least we can
say that there's an attempt for all involved parties to move forward in a
responsible fashion, and see what happens.
Until next time...
Jaguar Online STR InfoFile - Online Users Growl & Purr!
The Jaguar Shareware Topic Continues...
[Editor's note: some editing has been made for clarity]
Sb: #116331-Shareware on the Jag?!?!
Fm: Don Thomas 75300,1267
To: [ICD, Inc.] 76004,1600
Tom,
>>Don, Since you have been following the history of the market, perhaps you
could comment on the lawsuit that Atari had with Nintendo over Nintendo's
right to do just that by controlling who published what for their 8-bit game
system. <<
As I recall, that was related to Tengen Games which was (is) a division of
Atari Games (now owned by Williams) and pretty much unrelated to us at Atari
Corporation other than how the decision sets a precedent for
other issues later.
>>I wasn't following the game market that closely at the time but I believe
that it was over a lockout type chip that was required to make cartridges
run on a stock Nintendo system. Atari reverse engineered it thus breaking
their encryption. <<
It sounds like you did follow it pretty well. Nintendo sued Atari Games over
the issue and Atari Games lost the fight.
>>I completely agree that developers should approach Atari and work with them
on encryption which is what we have done and are planning for BattleSphere.
But there will always be the fringe developer groups out there... the
hackers... like Dave Small and Magic Sac... people who find ways around the
lockouts while remaining legal or at least at the fringes of legality. <<
I realize that. There are also fringe groups that sell T-Shirts with
unlicensed copies of Disney characters on them too. When they become known,
they are dealt with. I believe very strongly in the rights of companies to
protect their rights to make money on technologies they design. It's not
right that I would design some technology, protect it's design in every
legally appropriate manner and have someone else exploit it for profit and
finding ways to cut me out of it. As I understand it, many of the emulators
out there (not being an attorney, I dare not be specific) were 100% illegal,
however, there's also the issue of being practical to sue someone who does
so little business, there's nothing to gain.
Also, many of the emulators out there were (are) legal because the boards
they developed include the essential chips purchased legitimately.
I think if anyone has any questions on theses issues, they should contact an
attorney to make sure they conform to the law. Doing something against the
law simply because they don't like it does not justify what they do.
>>Respectfully, this is where I really don't agree. It is only pirating if
they have stolen and/or are using Atari's code. <<
Which they will have done if they sell something that runs on the Jaguar that
has not been properly licensed. The encryption process will require the
purchase or theft of specific proprietary codes to accomplish that.
>>I think that we all agree on this one. Let's have more Jaguar games!<<
ditto.
--Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
Sb: #116333-Shareware on the Jag?!?!
Fm: Don Thomas 75300,1267
To: [ICD, Inc.] 76004,1600
Tom,
>>It is a good thing that Gamewire has the first amendment to protect them.
:-) Respectfully Don, I get upset with most of the news coverage in the
world these days. Much of it is unbalanced. But that doesn't make the
news media partners in crime. When BET was reporting about the OJ trial, I
didn't think that they were guilty of murdering Nicole. <<
Many issues of moral responsibility are not adressed by written law. While
your argument may have legal protection, it doesn't change my opinion that a
publication showing inferred endorsement of a product or service by providing
it a lot of coverage, but purposely ignoring other pertinent issues makes
them morally responsible.
If I make and sell clothing and ask the press to print my press releases,
what should the press do if they find out the clothing is made in child
detention sweat shops? Are they legally wrong not to report it if they know
it? Probably not. But, in my opinion, they have a moral responsibility to
reveal what they have discovered.
>>I don't know what these shareware guys are up to and it is probably just a
pipe dream on their part but I will give them a chance to do their work and
rally the user base. You can always sue them when you feel they are doing
something illegal. <<
I have no desire to sue them at all. I do think if they are telling the
public what they are doing and making it sound like they have Atari's
blessing, support, endorsement or otherwise, it's my responsibility to point
out that we officially know nothing about it and no one has contacted us
with what they have in mind. I also still think it's silly not to consult an
attorney or, at least Atari, with what their plans are before
spending/investing a lot of resources doing something they may likely not be
able to use or implement. To me, that's just common sense. Now, if they are
doing it just for personal fun, then why are they trying to raise everyone's
hopes that what they're doing will benefit them?
>>Remember the Atari Revolution? :-) <<
Yes, and I also recall being in touch with Atari with everything I did. In
fact, when I was hired by Atari, I was asked to sign a document primarily
designed to protect them from any potential I would steal trade secrets. I
appended the document to include protections for me and Artisan Software as
well. I also became a legitimate developer before marketing Artisan Software
products although that scenario was different an I really didn't have to.
I know you go out of your way to do things right with ICD also. I've seen you
do it over and over.
I don't think you and I really disagree on this, but I am obligated to have
at least 51% of my feet planted on the side of protecting Atari's interests
first. You on the other hand, while I know you don't want to take unjust
advantage of Atari, probably don't view our interests with the same priority
as your own. Hopefully you have at least 51% preferred interest in ICD. <g>
I know if the Underground was finding ways to embed crucial Battlesphere
code into a project they were working on behind your back, your ears would
probably perk up? No?
--Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
Sb: #116310-#Shareware on the Jag?!?!
Fm: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. 72637,745
To: Joshua P. Arnold 102073,1613
Joshua,
I just got off of your webpage (a nice looking and laid out page) and read
the article that you've been discussing. After reading the article (and the
info on the Jag Server site), I find that much of what you've said here to
be misleading - at the least.
Also, I would expect the editor-in-chief of a game magazine to have a better
understanding of what piracy really is. From the comments in the interview
and the Jag Server site, it is obvious that they created the Jag Server by
reverse engineering. That _is_ illegal (without permission of Atari - which
they didn't and admitted they didn't). It doesn't matter that they had
nothing but the best intentions in mind, it's still illegal. Having "no
intention of breaking the law" is irrelevant - it's the actual act that is
important.
In fact, they're _selling_ the Jag Servers (want a list of the prices?).
You said, "According to the underground, they will not go into final stages
without Atari's blessing". That was a very misleading statement on your
part. Here's what was _really_ asked and said...
GameWire:
I know legal procedures are an issue. Have you asked for cooperation from
Atari or any other companies yet? If so, have you gotten any favorable
responses?
Steve:
We haven't even gotten that far. I hope Atari will work with us. We would
rather they cooperate with us as much as possible. We just want games for
the Jag and since they are no longer willing, someone needs to take over.
This can ultimately be another consumer program exchange prospect for the Big
Fuji. :)....
Hmmm...they haven't even talked with Atari yet. (But there are already two
games that you can download from their Jag Server site. Since they aven't
talked with Atari, that means those programs were created _illegally_.) All
they say is they _hope_ Atari will work with them - but they don't say
they'll stop what they're doing if Atari won't work with them.
Steve:
We are not at all looking to violate anyone's rights. WE simply want more
games for the Jaguar than Aari has given us. I do know there is a version of
Tetris you can play on your Jaguar. It's pretty good too! WE may develope a
cart (with Atari's blessing) that would allow any computer with a parallel
port to upload and download games to and from there Jaguars. The cart would
have its own parallel port so a simple cable between host and Jag would do
it. The cart may have extra ram (possibly expandable) and a small OS for
uploading and downloading. Who knows? We may finally see that web browser
after all. :)
Nothing was said about not going into the final stages [of producing Jaguar
shareware] without Atari's blessing. They said they MAY develop a cart with
Atari's blessing that would allow any computer with a parallel port to
upload/download games to and from their Jags. That is entirely different from
what you said and implied.
>From reading the article (and the information on their website), I get the
impression that Atari's blessing would only be 'icing on the cake' and isn't
what will be the deciding factor on whether they continue with their
shareware plans or not.
Personally I don't care one way or the other, I think they're 'beating a dead
horse' and wasting a lot of time and money. But to claim what they're doing
isn't illegal (or bordering on being illegal - if you want to be generous)
is ignoring the facts. I'm sure they have only good intentions in mind, but
you know what they say about that - "The road to hell is paved with good
intentions."
Portions of the interview were reprinted under the Fair Use Doctrine.
-Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
Sb: #116347-Shareware on the Jag?!?!
Fm: Albert Dayes 70007,3615
To: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. 72637,745
Lloyd,
Reverse Engineering is not illegal. If you take the clean room approach one
should not have any problems. The only other issue would be patents. Chips
and Technology, Cyrix, NexGen and others have reversed engineered Intel Cpus
without too many problems.
-- Albert
Sb: #116352-Shareware on the Jag?!?!
Fm: Don Thomas 75300,1267
To: [ICD Inc.] 76004,1600 (X)
Tom,
The other technical aspect is that attaching any unlicensed product to the
Jaguar is inappropriate. I've looked into this Jaguar Server these
programmers are using and it requires an internal modification to the Jaguar
(illegal) and the attachment of an illegal board that fits to the cartridge
port of an Atari 16-bit computer as well as the Jaguar cartridge port
(illegal). It actually sounds pretty cool. If I had time to play with it, I'd
probably buy one.
Now mind you, I don't always drive the speed limit either. My pointing out
that these things are technically illegal doesn't mean I personally don't
think they're cool. I own a copy of T-Tris for the Lynx and they not only
broke the Lynx encryption illegally, but they have pirated Star Trek sound
effects and music in the game. I think what they did was wrong and I
especially don't endorse it as an Atari employee, but that in no way changes
the fact that it's a very cool game and very well done. <g>
--Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
And from the Underground, in response to some recent questions that I had
forwarded to them last week [some spelling corrections have been made for
clarity]:
> Steve/Roine,
>I've seen a posting on CompuServe from GameWire's Joshua Arnold pertaining
to your endeavor to achieve "shareware" games for the Jaguar. He also
mentioned an interview on the Web, which I have just read. I've also seen
message traffic on CompuServe pertaining to Joshua's comments.
I am glad to see it is getting around. :)
>With GameWire's initial posting and the subsequent message traffic (and the
interview), I have a question or two that I hope you can answer.
I'll do my best.
>It's my impression that the Underground intends to follow through their
plans with approval from Atari in order that you do not violate any
copyrights or other legalities. According to my contacts at Atari, no one at
Atari knows anything about your plans.
This is because we haven't contacted them just yet.
> Why wouldn't the Underground approach Atari before going through the >
trouble of doing a lot of work getting this project underway?
It is better to approach someone with a more concrete project than just an
idea. We are not at all rich but are hackers not willing to see the Jaguar
perish. We feel we need to show Atari the still possible potential in Jag
technology( potential they know exist.) The machine has potential that is
just waiting to be properly tapped. We have Battle Sphere(tm) as a testimony
to that. There are four other games in Atari Limbo right now that should
have been released that would have show what Jag technology can do. What I
hope this can turn into is a rebirth of Atari's old consumer software
exchange program. They would [not] need to produce anything. They would get
a cut of all the software we sell via shareware. The hardware for this would
be minimal and simply require Atari to encrypt the rom for it for us.
I also have a list if any Jaguar user want to join. It is a list to ecourage
Tele Games to pick up those just about finished titles sitting at Atari.
They are willing to see where the petition goes. In less than a month of
simple net contacts, I have managed to get nearly 400 signees so far. The
list is growing exponentially.
>If Atari doesn't give its approval, wouldn't you have wasted time and effort
from all of the work you've done thus far?
It is our hope that we can work something out with Atari. If they are not
willing, I doubt it will completely stop us. We will still not violate any
of Atari's rights.
>And, if you do have Atari's blessing in this project, why would you need to
"reverse engineer" the Jaguar to achieve your goals?
We do not have Atari's blessing as of yet. Atari does not know about this
fully yet.
>It's also my understanding that any game that gets released for the Jaguar
must be encrypted by Atari before going into production. How do you folks
plan to get around that process?
If you go about using carts, this would be true. We are looking into ways to
make it possible to "download" games to your Jaguar via a PC/ST parallel
ports.
>Any other comments that you can provide would be appreciated.
We are simply working to protect the investments we all made when Atari
promised us the best machine ever. Unfortunately, Atari broke those promises
to us and now we only want them to allow us to at least let us make games if
they wont any more. They should have come to us "underground hackers" in the
first place. If they simply gave a few of us kits at first, they would have
had some really happening apps. Now we have to figure all this shit out
ourselves unless they give more info. The faster we know the sooner you will
see results. They need to let some one else take a shot at management of
Atari. The loyal users
deserve this shot this time. It is the user that gives the name Atari
any real life, not the Tramiels.
Thanks,
Steve
I forgot to mention there are 2 games out. Tetris and Painter but
you need a server to run them for nw. If Don Thomas could get in touch
with me, I think I can interest him. Atari has a potential consumer
software exchange possibility.
> With GameWire's initial posting and the subsequent message traffic (and
the interview), I have a question or two that I hope you can answer.
It's my impression that the Underground intends to follow through
their plans with approval from Atari in order that you do not violate
Nothing is decided yet. Right now, the Jaguar Server exist and that is enough
to make games and spread them in any way possible. However, the Jaguar
Server needs slight rebuilding of the Jaguar, and that is not that good if
we are aiming for a big market. We need something like a cartridge with a
serial or parallel interface to up and download programs. And this cartridge
isn't even in the design stages yet, and perhaps never will be. So, I think
that before we can have a mass market sellable system, some engineering has
to be done. But remember, if you want to modify the jaguar right now, the
Jaguar Server fits every need.
> any copyrights or other legalities. According to my contacts at Atari, no
one at Atari knows anything about your plans. Why wouldn't the
Really, this shareware thing has blown big without any real good plans from
our side. The shareware idea might work, but at the moment no structured
plan exist. What started out as a idea among others became "national news"
all of a sudden.
> Underground approach Atari before going through the trouble of doing a lot
of work getting this project underway? If Atari doesn't give its approval,
wouldn't you have wasted time and effort from all of the work you've done
thus far?
The work already done (the jaguar server) is working since about a year,
without Atari's blessing. With it, two games are available, a Tetris and a
Quix clone. But if we are to go big, with some form of cartridge, we need
Atari's blessing...
> And, if you do have Atari's blessing in this project, why would you need to
"reverse engineer" the Jaguar to achieve your goals?
As it is now, pretty much has already been reverse engineered in the previous
year. We have very good programming guidelines to program the Jaguar. A RISC
assembler is available and another one coming. Atari UK was contacted about
1.5 years ago. We asked if they where interested of a cheap dev. system. They
where not, they already had two (ST and PC), and wasn't interested of a
third. Then Atari where skipped, and all was reverse engineered and tested
out to this point today.
> It's also my understanding that any game that gets released for the Jaguar
must be encrypted by Atari before going into production. How do you folks
plan to get around that process?
Yes, if we where to release a cart to an _original_ Jaguar, this would be the
case. Now, with the Jaguar Server a game are uploaded to Jaguar main RAM
memory. In RAM, there is no encryption. Releasing a cart without encryption
is possible with a slight rewrite if the Jaguar bootROM, but then requires
some soldering to change
the chip inside the Jaguar.
> Any other comments that you can provide would be appreciated. As you know,
I am the Atari editor for STReport. I want to be able to keep my readers
up-to-date on this project so I will be publishing material that I've
gathered from message activity as well as GameWire's Website. I'll also want
to include your answers to these questions.
I've been reading STReport longer than I remember. Very good. I'm
suggesting that you look at this text file and the WWW page mentioned
below...
/ Roine@stacken.ct.se
----------------------------------------- 960427 --
- Info about the Jaguar Server Development Kit. -
---------------------------------------------------
- Current Hardware Revision B. -
- BootROM B001, JagOS/Shell Version 1.08 -
- -
- A "|" means new stuff typed since last file... -
---------------------------------------------------
The Jaguar Server project started out in August '94. The goal was to make a
cheap developer kit for anyone that wanted to program for the Jaguar.
Atari's own developer kit was $5500 and that was WAY to much if you just
wanted to hack and program the Jaguar just for the fun of it.
The very first prototype was built around the Mega ST's 'MegaBus' All of it
was hand wired together using a total of 21 IC's. I can tell you that this
board had VERY little empty space on it.. This prototype was soon scraped,
as I begun work on the Rev A board, using a different approach this time. It
was built for the cartridge port and could then be used on all Atari
computers not just the ones having a 'MegaBus'. To keep the cost down, I
aso decided to use the Jaguar's 2MB main memory and not include any expensive
RAM chips in the Jaguar Server hardware.
The Rev A board was up and running with very simple software in February '95.
As the Rev A board had some small flaws, I made some changes to the layout
and came up with the Rev B board.
More serious work now begun on the Software - The Shell running on the Atari
computer and the JagOS - Running on the Jaguar.
General Info.
* Use the Jaguar Server Kit to develop Jaguar programs !
* The Jaguar Server runs on all Atari ST/STE/Falcon/TT computers.
* The hardware plugs into your computers cartridge port. From the
cartridge hardware goes a 40 pin ribbon cable into the Jaguar.
* Uses a slightly modified standard Jaguar. Modify your own
Jaguar or send it to me, and I'll send it back to you.
* You can change between 'modified' and 'original' Jaguar by the
flick of a switch. A reset button is also installed.
ABSOLUTELY _NO_ compatibility problems with Jaguar games.
* No programming restrictions apart from a 2Mb main memory limit
in the Jaguar. Future software updates will be able to upload
data at the command of a running Jaguar program.
* You use the Jaguar Server software to upload programs/data to
the Jaguar. The software looks best in resolutions over 640*400.
* Software updates to JagOS (Jaguar Operating System) are possible
without burning a new EPROM chip simply by using newer software.
* Upload transfer rate is currently 83 Kbytes per second on a 8 MHz
Atari ST and 131 Kbytes per second running at 16 MHz.
* Use the Devpac 3 assembler or any other code generator to write
programs.
* A remote debugger and RISC assembler is under development.
The RISCY assembler are available for RISC assembler programming.
* Software updates and info are available on Internet World Wide Web
at http://www.edu.isy.liu.se/~z94patsa/jsdata/jserver.html
and by file request with any FidoNet compatible mailer to
STacken BBS on FidoNet 2:204/219 under the magic name JSERVER
* A Jaguar Server Developer Mailing list are available for
programming discussions. NOT open for anyone.
E-mail to nat@zumdick.rhein-main.de for more info on how to join.
* The Jaguar Server development kit contains this...
+ Jaguar Server cartridge (hardware)
+ Jaguar Server Shell & JagOS (software)
+ Switches, ribbon cable, connectors and everything else
that you need to start programming right away.
| + A few Jaguar (*.JAG) programs, utilities and example source |
code.
| + Klaus RISCY assembler.
| + Nat!?s excellent Underground Jaguar Technical Documentation.
* IT DOES _NOT_ CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING... You have to get these
things yourself....
| - No 68000 assembler.
| - No Atari corp. Jaguar utilities or RISC assemblers.
* 'Hacker' experience and good knowledge of assembler programming
is STRONGLY recommended. Programming the Jaguar is done almost in 100%
assembler.
* The Jaguar Server is NOT connected to Atari Corp. in ANY way.
* The Jaguar Server Development Kit price is :
Jaguar Server Kit, do modification by yourself.
1300 SKr, 290 DM, $190, GBP 125
Jaguar Server Kit, Send Jaguar to me for modification.
1800 SKr, 400 DM, $260, GBP 175
Jaguar Server Kit, Including new PAL Jaguar.
3200 SKr, 720 DM, $470, GBP 310
All prices includes shipping anywhere in the world. (Well, almost!)
[Editor's note: technical info and Jaguar modification info deleted]
Misc. Info.
If you have more specific questions or want to order,
write me by E-Mail...
Roine@stacken.ct.se
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
compiled by
Joe Mirando
CIS ID: 73637,2262
Well folks, it's finally here: The vacation that I've waited for all year.
I wish you could see me right now; sitting on a sugar-white beach watching
the waves roll caressingly over the Caribbean shore, sipping a tropical
drink as I watch a beautiful young bikini-clad woman coming toward me with a
smile as warm as the mid-afternoon breeze....
Ahhhrrrr! My wife just smacked me in the head and told me to get up off the
couch and fix the livingroom window before I waste my entire vacation away.
Well, it was nice while it lasted. It seems that I'm always looking for an
Oasis! That's a little inside joke for those of you who know how hard I've
been trying to get Oasis v2.05, the Web Browser, to work on my MegaSTE.
I've had no luck yet but, with the state of support that the authors and
others affiliated with the program provide, I'm sure that it's only a matter
of time. Well, let's get on with the reason for this column... all the
great news, hints, tips, and info available every week right here on
CompuServe.
>From the Atari Computing Forums
When Dennis Bishop mentions the modem he saw that would only work under
Windows95, Dave Hudspeth asks him:
"What modem is that--the USR Winmodem? I believe it'll work with any
computer that has a standard serial port--only it's plug 'n play features
would be disabled. BTW, a lot of "Windows" printers are starting to appear
as well--the manufacturer saves a few bucks by not putting any native printer
fonts in it..."
On the subject of CompuServe moving from a proprietary interface (HMI)
to something more standard (HTML, the WWW format), Dave adds:
"You might be surprised to know that the Microsoft Network is moving from a
proprietary interface (that worked only in Win95) to an HTML interface, a
lot faster than CIS or AOL or Prodigy are... In fact, the switchover might
be completed by September, from what I hear."
Yves Debilloez asks:
"Will we finally get connected to the internet using the PPP compuserve
connection?"
Our own Atari Section Editor, Dana Jacobson, tells Yves:
"My impression is that is quite possible. Personally, I don't have the
expertise/knowledge to do so. I'm hoping that some of my fellow users here
are successful, and pass along that information so more of us can
access the net. <grin>"
Actually, it's more that possible... it is a reality. I've spoken with two
people who have used Oasis to access the internet (including the World Wide
Web) via CompuServe. I haven't found out exactly what the trick is, but
once I do, I'll pass it on here and we can all meet in CyberSpace!
Patrick Wong posts:
"I know this is the Atari forum but I also know that a lot of Atari owners
(like me) have a PC too so I thought I'd write here first before going to
the IBM forums. Does anyone know what BinHex4.0 is? It's suppose to be
some sort of PC program that let's your translate their picture (done on a
Mac presumably) into a GIF or JPG format? Anyway someone sent me a JPG of
herself and I need to convert it to a GIF or JPG format before my PC can
view it. I think she went to one of the film stores that'll make a GIF for
you for a price. I can't believe they would use a Mac to convert the
picture. Anyway, can anyone help?"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine asks Patrick:
"What type of picture file is it? I assume on the Mac it is a PICT type
graphic file? I would think there should be something on the PC that can
read most MAC graphic files directly. I believe PaintShop Pro (shareware) or
CSHOW (shareware) would work. The other issue is if the file has a MAC binary
header on it or not. I have not used BinHex4.x it sounds like the name of a
unix program but I would think it is not the same thing. Have you tried
using the shareware graphic viewers and see if it can read it?"
Patrick tells Albert:
"When the file was downloaded it was saved (by the computer) as "noname.dat".
When you try to view the program with a GIF or JPG viewer it'll tell you
there's a format problem. Opening the program (in the notepad) will tell
you that you need BinHex 4.0 <frown>."
Michel Vanhamme tells Patrick:
"Binhex is a Mac file format for encoding binary files to be sent over the
internet (kinda like uuencode). You need a program to decode it. I am almost
sure I have seen references to such programs running on PCs, but I
don't know them. A PC File Finder search here on CIS should probably find
it."
Sysop Jim Ness adds:
"BINHEX is one of the formats used to send binary files over the (ASCII)
internet. There are several encoders/decoders available in the internet
forums (GO INETNEW) for this and the other formats." The word is out that
the SyQuest EZ135 is now selling for $130.00 and under... That's a 135 meg
removable hard drive. And cartridges for it are around $25.00 each... the
mind boggles!
When someone asks about the legitimacy of a particular ad in a newspaper,
Dana Jacobson tells them:
"The $30 rebate at CompUSA is legitimate. I also know someone who is selling
them at $115 and offering the rebate coupon ($85 final cost). Great deal!"
Robert Aries asks Dana:
"So who is selling them for this price? I'm ready to buy..."
Dana tells Robert:
"The $115 price? The company is Corporate Computer (1-800-975-1955). Ask for
Kevin and drop my name. He's a former Atari dealer (back in the "good" old
days!)."
Robert Courtney asks for help:
"I've had my atari ST 1040 for about 5-6 years. Yesterday the built in disk
drive stopped reading. Does anyone know a reliable repair service preferably
East Coast /greater Phila area? My greatest need is to be able to get much of
the data which is now on 3.5 disks in what would be "regular" atari mode
written by WordWriter. I own a PC with 3.5 floppy drive available for I/O if
there is a way to read the atari disks in and somehow convert them to
Windows Word Perfect form but I truly would like to get the Atari fixed -
Please help!!"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Robert:
"You can try the shareware product Marcel (in the library) it can convert
word writer, st-writer, and other Atari ST formats to RTF which you can load
into most MS Windows word processors. This programs runs on the Atari ST.
Toad Computers is on the East Coast and should have what you need. There is a
file of Atari dealers in the library called NADEALER.TXT which has the phone
of Toad and others."
Dennis Bishop adds:
"Just find yourself a DS/DD floppy drive from some ibm user and most times
they'll work in the 1040. I've replaced my that way."
Robert Glass asks for help from a friend:
"A friend of mine has just recently bought an Atari Falcon and has heard that
the original drives that Atari used in the Falcon were prone to break down.
My question is: What is the recommend replacement drive and where can it be
found? From what I understand this is a 2-1/2 inch drive. Also, can any PC
style 1.44 meg Floppy be used to replace the floppy drive? As a side
question, can anyone tell me approximately how many Falcons were sold world
wide by Atari?"
Albert Dayes tells Robert:
"The IDE drives in the falcon are 2.5 but there was an adapter that can
handle 3.5 inch drives. You should should try an Atari dealer for a
suggestion on which IDE drive would work best. Toad Computers is one such
dealer and there are others listed in the file (in the library) NADEALER.TXT.
That file is a list of Atari dealers in North America. Almost any PC style
1.44 meg floppy drive should work as a Falcon030 replacement. No idea on the
number of Falcons sold in the US."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. I think I'll just go back to that
Caribbean dream. In the meantime, tune in again next week, same time, same
station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
"We hardly find any persons of good sense save those who agree with us..."
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
"There is no conversation more boring than one where everybody agrees.."
Michel De Montaigne
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