ST Report: 17-Jan-97 #1303
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 01/18/97-08:42:01 AM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 17-Jan-97 #1303
Date: Sat Jan 18 08:42:01 1997
Silicon Times Report
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January 17, 1997 No.1303
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Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35
Results: 1/11/96: 2 of 6 numbers, no matches
>From the Editor's Desk...
The fools are at it again! A women's medical center in Atlanta that
happens to also do abortions is diabolically bombed. This is the first
time the bombing plan included a second bomb timed to go off after the
first in an obvious attempt to cause considerable injury to emergency
workers and curios onlookers. This is an outrage. This the "informed age"
of mankind. Yet we see these acts of religious anti-abortion zealots
carrying on as if it were the age of Inquisition. In light of this latest
fanatical anti-abortion viciousness, I strongly urge each and every one of
you to write to your political local, state and federal representatives
urging that a law be written removing all tax-free benefits and status to
any non-profit organization found to be associated in any way to any
organization or group found to be part of these irresponsible, fanatical
religious acts against mankind. There is no doubt in my mind that the
best way to stop these zealots is to hobble their cash flow. What happened
in Atlanta must be regarded as "The Last Straw". Law Enforcement of all
levels must be brought to bear upon these murderous zealots. They must be
brought out, into the light of day, for all to see right along with those
who are financing these heinous acts of wanton violence.
Lloyd E. Pulley, lepulley@streport.co . Our Shareware Editor (among
many other things) underwent Open Heart Surgery this past week. Please
join me in asking the Good Lord to watch over him and bring him through
this safely. I'll keep everyone posted about Lloyd. He's a tough old bird
anyway. Can you tell I've known him for a whole lotta years? He'll be
back, raising sand, as soon as possible.
Office 97 is shipping and what do you know? Certain of my
"colleagues" are busy dubbing the package all sorts of less than humorous
names. This effort on their part can only be seen as a clumsy effort on
their parts to gain some level of yet unattained notoriety through
controversy. Its sad to see a power application software package being
panned for selfish reasons such as this. We have a number of informative
articles in this week's issue highlighting some of the fine benefits Office
97 offers take a look at them and also the Microsoft Office 97 Web Site.
Don't let spin doctors of the lesser variety make up your minds for you.
This package is, simply put, awesome.
Adobe's PageMaker 6.5 ships this week too.. This is the very best in
DTP productivity software one can possibly ask for. Check out our info on
PM 6.5. This puppy won ALL the honors. When coupled with Adobe's
PhotoShop 4.0, `tis indeed the Utopian DTP Situation.
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Dana P. Jacobson Frank Sereno
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Doyle Helms John Duckworth Jeff Coe
Victor Mariano Melanie Bell Jay Levy
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David H. Mann Angelo Marasco Donna Lines
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Apple Eyes Cheaper PCs in '97
The sale of lots of better-performing, cheaper personal computers and the
unveiling of a new global advertising campaign are among Apple Computer
Inc.'s goals for this year, according to Apple chief operating officer
Marco Landi. Speaking at a press conference at this week's Macworld trade
show in San Francisco, Landi adds that as part of Apple's three-year plan
to turn its fortunes around, the company also will continue to simplify its
product lines this year and will introduce powerful laptops and multimedia
computers to compete against a new generation of Pcs. The Reuter News
Service quotes Landi as saying, "The mission that we have set up for
ourselves is to make sure that we are the leader in providing simple to
use, powerful, very high-performance products."
Reuters reporter Kourosh Karimkhany says products to be introduced include:
z A $999 Macintosh to rival PCs based on Intel Corp. Pentium
microprocessors with the same price.
z A high-end Macintosh based on a 533-megahertz PowerPC microprocessor,
a computer chip that the company claims to be one of the fastest available.
z Better-performing PowerBook laptops, traditionally one of Apple's most
profitable products.
Also, Landi acknowledged Apple has made mistakes in selling to consumers,
which account for about 40 percent of its revenue in the Christmas quarter,
but said the company still is in good shape to carry out its product plans
in 1997, adding the $1.7 billion in cash that Apple has on hand is a
"strong, solid base for us to make the investments to execute our
strategy." He said Apple will use some of that cash to launch in January a
global advertising campaign to bolster its image, a campaign based on the
slogan "Give your dreams a chance."
Microsoft Ships Office 97
Microsoft Corp. has launched the latest version of its hugely profitable
Office suite of applications. "While early reviews of Office 97 have been
positive," notes reporter Martin Wolk of the Reuter News Service, "industry
analysts said corporate users in particular will take a hard look before
deciding whether the dozens of new features are worth an upgrade investment
of $200 per seat or more."
Wolk says Microsoft Bill Gates predicts Office 97 will be the biggest
upgrade ever in percentage terms for the market-dominating product, which
has an installed base approaching 50 million users including component
applications such as Word and Excel. "By most estimates," Wolk adds,
"Microsoft dominates the market for desktop productivity suites, capturing
more than 90 percent of revenues." Analyst Scott McAdams of Ragen MacKenzie
projects Office will account for nearly $3 billion of a total $10.2 billion
in revenues for Microsoft this year.
McAdams says the new Office is filled with Internet hooks designed to drive
broader acceptance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, "so it's an
important product strategically." Still, adds Wolk, Microsoft faces
increasingly aggressive competition from Canada's Corel Corp. and IBM's
Lotus unit.
Toshiba Unveils Digital Camera
Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. is entering the digital
photography market with the PDR-2A, a color still camera. Priced at $499,
the PDR-2A is targeted toward the rapidly growing market of computer users
who use a notebook computer as their main information processing tool. The
device comes with a built-in PC Card for transferring images to a notebook
computer, a 2MB removable flash memory card and PC and Macintosh imaging
software. The camera is set to ship in April.
Adobe, Fujitsu Bundles Products
Adobe Systems Inc. and Fujitsu Computer Products of America say they have
signed an agreement that will provide an off-the-shelf solution to easily
convert paper-based and electronic information into high-quality,
searchable electronic documents ready for distribution via corporate
Intranets, the World Wide Web or CD-ROM.
Under the agreement, Fujitsu will bundle Adobe Acrobat 3.0 software with
the Fujitsu ScanPartner 600C, a high- resolution color desktop scanner
intrduced today by Fujitsu. The bundling agreement is designed to provide
customers with a Web-ready document-imaging solution that can support a
broad range of user needs including support for high-quality color content
and multi-page documents.
The companies note that with Acrobat 3.0 and the Fujitsu ScanPartner 600C,
customers can make practically any document ready for distribution on the
Internet through a process as simple and familiar as printing or scanning.
Both paper documents and those created with standard desktop authoring
tools, such as word processors, presentation packages and page layout
tools, can be turned into Portable Document Format (PDF) files with Acrobat
3.0 and posted immediately onto the Web. As a result, customers can quickly
distribute information through external Web sites or corporate Intranets
without learning new tools or spending additional time and resources
reauthoring documents into other formats.
The ScanPartner 600C provides true 600 dpi resolution, single-pass 24-bit
color and grayscale and bitonal scanning supported through scanner's bed
and built-in 50-page automatic document feeder. The Fujitsu ScanPartner
600C is expected to become available later this month for $1,995, including
a SCSI adapter, cables, Adobe Acrobat 3.0 and the ScanRight Image Kit, an
enhancement package that includes support software and an image-capture
utility.
Corel, Netscape Team on Software
A new suite of integrated productivity applications will be marketed
because of a new agreement between Canada's Corel Corp. and Netscape
Communications Corp. Reporting from Ottawa, the Dow Jones news service
quotes Corel as saying it has licensed Netscape Communicator, Netscape's
new integrated suite of client software for open email, groupware and Web
browsing, and will integrate it with Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 and Corel
Office Professional 8.
Corel and Netscape will jointly develop the new products, which Corel plans
to ship later this year, and both companies will work together to market
and promote them, Corel says, adding development efforts will center on
combining the open-standards-based features of Netscape Communicator, such
as email and groupware, with the desktop functionality of Corel's products.
Also, Netscape has licensed Corel's WordPerfect Suite for internal use, the
company says.
Microsoft to Make PC/TV Software
Software to create entertainment and information services for a new
generation of appliances that merge TV and PCs is in the planning at
Microsoft Corp. Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter
David Bank says Microsoft "is seeking to extend the rach of its Windows
operating system and define the standards for the new services, which would
combine TV-style video with interactive features now found on the
Internet."
As part of the plan, the software giant this week unveiled a set of
echnologies at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Microsoft Vice
President Jim Allchin told the paper, "Both the PC and consumer-electronics
industries are predicting the evolution of home computers into home
entertainment appliances," adding his employer hopes to provide a "common
open platform" for the new services.
The Journal notes CES is seeing a host of companies -- including Microsoft
rival Oracle Corp., and start-ups such as WebTV Networks Inc. -- exhibiting
TVs and set-top boxes do the Internet's World Wide Web. "In Microsoft's
long-range vision," says Bank, "all television programming and Internet
services will be digitized and delivered via PC/TV devices. Microsoft's
initiative is designed to help entertainment, consumer-electronics and
computer companies create programming, services and features for the hybrid
devices." Endorsing the initiative are IBM, Compaq Computer Corp., Hitachi
Ltd., General Electric Co.'s NBC unit, Sony Electronics Corp. and Spelling
Entertainment.
CE Chip Market Set to Rebound
While the consumer electronics semiconductor makers struggled in 1996, the
market will rebound in 1997 with the emergence of both next-generation and
digitally enhanced consumer electronics, according to Dataquest. The
consumer electronics semiconductor market declined $1.9 billion in 1996,
but the market will grow to $27 billion in 1997, reports the San Jose,
California, market researcher.
"Because of the establishment of industry standards for most of these
products, analog, digital and mixed-signal ASSP products are expected to
find extremely high growth opportunities," says Dale Ford, senior industry
analyst for Dataquest's semiconductor applications markets program. "More
than half of the value created for semiconductors in the next-generaion
consumer electronics market comes from chips directly involved in
processing audio, video and graphics."
Next-generation consumer electronics and digitally enhanced consumer
electronics will drive the total chip market over $45 billion by the year
2000, finds Dataquest. Legacy consumer electronics (products such as
standard color TVs, portable stereos and VCRs) will find markets at the mid
to low-end segments, but the chip shipments in these products will remain
relatively flat. Next-generation consumer electronics products include
digital set-top boxes, digital satellite set-top boxes, 32/64-bit video
game consoles, DVD players, DVD audio players, digital cameras, video CD
players, HDTV-SDTV-ATV receivers, digital camcorders (DVC) and other
products employing advanced semiconductor technologies.
"The poor showing for consumer electronics sales during 1996 has created a
sense of urgency among consumer electronics companies working to employ new
technologies to revitalize a slumping industry," says Ford. "At the recent
Winter Consumer Electronics Show, leading industry executives revealed that
their future plans rely on recapturing consumer interest in their core
products by adding digital enhancements to legacy products and by pushing
the development of a new category of advanced consumer electronics." More
information about Dataquest's programs, descriptions of recent research
reports, and full text of press releases can be found on the World Wide Web
at www.dataquest.com.
New HTML Standard Approved
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has endorsed the use of HTML 3.2, an
updated version of the Hypertext Markup Language, on Web sites. A
statement issued by the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Web standards group says
HTML 3.2 is "stable" and "contributes toward the W3C mission of 'Realizing
the Full Potential of the Web'"
HTML 3.2 was developed throughout 1996 by W3C and industry leaders
including IBM, Microsoft, Netscape Communications, Novell, SoftQuad,
Spyglass and Sun Microsystems. W3C notes that HTML 3.2 offers a number of
new features, including tables, applets, text flow around images,
superscripts and subscripts, while providing backward compatibility with
the existing HTML 2.0 standard.
"For data or applications intended to work across platforms, or having a
lifetime of more than a few months, conformance to HTML 3.2 gives the best
guarantee of interoperability," says Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World
Wide Web and director of the W3C. "If you're looking for a railroad through
the marshes of ranging HTML implementations, HTML 3.2 is it."
W3C is continuing to work on extensions to HTML for multimedia objects,
scripting, style sheets, layout, forms, higher quality printing and math.
W3C plans on incorporating this work into further versions of HTML. "We
are working closely with Member oganizations and recognized experts in the
development, testing and refinement of HTML," adds Dave Raggett, visiting
scientist at W3C and the lead architect of W3C's HTML activity. "By
providing a neutral forum, W3C is playing a key role in bringing players
together to work for the lasting interoperability of the Web."
FCC Considers Wireless Net Links
A plan that could offer schools, hospitals and businesses a potentially
cheaper, wireless way to connect to the Internet is set for approval by the
Federal Communications Commission. The idea, says Associated Press writer
Jeannine Aversa, is "to set aside a large chunk of radio frequencies for
free and unlicensed high-speed communication over short distances." Aversa
adds, "It would then be up to companies to develop devices to use these
frequencies to enable wireless links over a range of about one to three
miles. Since the frequencies would be unlicensed, users would not have to
pay a company for service, as users of cellular phones do. Instead, these
frequencies would be treated like those used to open garage doors
remotely."
FCC officials say schools could use the wireless links to connect classroom
computers to each other. "In this way," notes Aversa, "only one of the
computers would need to be hooked into the Internet via high-speed
telephone line, rather than having a phone line hooked to each computer."
Also, businesses could use the wireless links to tap into a private,
"intranet" version of the World Wide Web. Other possible uses for the
wireless links would be to exchange e-mail, faxes and computer files among
nearby buildings on a small college campus. "And they could be used by
hospitals to link computers in different rooms or nearby buildings to
exchange patient data, X-rays and medical charts," says AP.
Urging FCC approval of the plan are Apple Computer Inc. and a group called
WinForum, which is composed of Lucent Technologies Inc., Motorola Inc. and
Northern Telecom Inc. Says Aversa, "Apple wants to sell radio-equipped
computers that would operate on the wireless frequencies. WinForum's
partners also are interested in selling equipment for the new frequencies."
Attorney James Burger, who has been working on the FCC's plan for Apple, is
disappointed longer-range communications links -- up to nearly 13 miles --
can't be used under the FCC's plan. That would have permitted computers in
a community to be linked. So, he says, the FCC's plan won't do much to help
rural schools because the radio signals would probably need to travel at
least that far to reach a central school office hooked to the Internet.
Also, says the wire service, the technology won't work well in cities
because the signals can't penetrate brick walls or glass very well without
additional equipment to boost the signals.
FCC OKs Wireless Net Plans
As predicted, the FCC has cleared the way for creation of new wireless
devices that could allow people to tap into the Internet and exchange
e-mail, faxes and computer files. As reported, the plan could offer
schools, hospitals and businesses a potentially cheaper, wireless way to
connect to the Net by setting aside a large chunk of radio frequencies for
free and unlicensed high-speed communication over short distances.
Associated Press writer Jeannine Aversa notes it is up to private companies
to actually develop wireless equipment to work on the frequencies. They
would have at most a three-mile range. The FCC made the new frequencies
available at the request of equipment makers Apple Computer Inc. and
WinForum, a group comprising Lucent Technologies Inc., Motorola Inc. and
Northern Telecom Inc.
Motorola spokesman Tim Kellogg told AP his employer also is developing
products but declined to discuss availability or price. "Since the
frequencies are unlicensed," says Aversa, "users would not have to pay for
service, as users of cellular phones do. Instead, the frequencies would be
treated like those used for cordless telephones."
FCC Commissioner Susan Ness told the wire service, "Wireless local area
network and other equipment can now be developed to connect our computers,
laptops and personal digital assistants to each other, to the Internet of
today and to the global information infrastructure of tomorrow. In many
buildings, including schools, a wireless connection will be a
cost-effective alternative to pulling wire through walls and ceilings."
Gateway Adopts Zip Technology
Iomega Corp. reports that it has begun supplying Gateway 2000 Inc. with
internal Zip drives. The devices will be sold as optional storage equipment
for Gateway's desktop Pcs. Iomega's drives allow users to save, use,
organize and manage information on removable 100MB Zip disks. Zip drives
and disks have quickly gained popularity as an alternative to traditional
floppy disk because they provide 70 times more capacity and fastr
performance.
"Today's multimedia applications, operating systems, and Internet services
are creating a greater demand for storage," says Timothy L. Hill, vice
president of worldwide sales and marketing at Roy, Utah-based Iomega. "As
one of the largest personal computer makers in the world, Gateway is
addressing these needs with affordable products that expand their
customers' storage capabilities rather than limiting them." Gateway is the
latest of several PC makers to adopt Iomega's Zip technology in its
systems.
Net Telephone Unveiled
A Silicon Valley start-up called InfoGear Technology Corp. has teamed with
telephone maker Cidco Inc. to introduce a telephone that can surf the
Internet as well as make calls. iPhone can be used to send and receive
electronic mail, visit the World Wide Web and conduct some Web
transactions, writes reporter Barbara Grady of the Reuter News Service. It
features a screen that measures 7.4 inches diagonally and a pop-out
keyboard for tasks like writing e-mail or typing in Web page addresses.
InfoGear President Robert Marshall told the wire service, "This product is
not designed to replace the PC but to get on and off the Web quickly and
allow consumers cheap, easy access. You can use it to order flowers, make
travel arrangements, check stock quotes -- you know, on the way out the
door you want to do something but don't want to spend three minutes booting
up the PC."
Marshall said he expected the phone to sell for about $500. However, Morgan
Hill, California-based Cidco and InfoGear of Redwood City, California, plan
to sell it initially to telephone carriers to market to their subscribers.
Grady notes, though, the phone will face a lot of competition by the time
it hits the retail market, which is expected by June. Marshall said the
iPhone technology was developed by InfoGear and was based on work started
at National Semiconductor Corp. It uses National Semiconductor chips.
Cidco, which makes advanced telephones and caller ID systems, developed the
telephone hardware.
Netscape Delivers 1 Million Servers
Netscape Communications Corp. delivered a million Internet and intranet
servers in 1996, although not all the deliveries generated revenue, the
Mountain View, California, company says. According to the Reuter News
Service, Netscape noted the delivery total included downgrades of free
trial versions of the software as well as final versions for which it
received revenue. It declined to break out the percentage of servers that
generated revenue.
Netscape officials say the company sees accelerating momentum for the
products, and identified Fortune 500 customers of its software for
corporate intranets, internal networks based on Internet technology. "The
clients included Lockheed Martin, United Technologies' Pratt and Whitney
unit, Rockwell International, in addition to Chrysler Corp., Prudential
Securities and US West," Reuters reports. Netscape Vice President Srivats
Sampath of server marketing told the wire service, "It took Lotus Notes
seven years to get a million seats and in our case it took us a year to get
a million servers."
Netscape Stock Takes a Dive
Netscape Communications Corp. stock tumbled more than 10 percent yesterday
Tuesday), after cautionary comments by a Wall Street analyst regarding the
firm. The stock dropped $4.50 to $42.25 on the Nasdaq market on volume of
more than 6.5 million shares. Apparently prompting the dive was Merrill
Lynch analyst Bruce Smith's research note that Netscape had scrambled to
make its fourth-quarter goals in a way that could hurt its current first
quarter and the outlook for all of 1997.
Writing for the Reuter News Service, reporter Samuel Perry notes this is
the second time in less than a week that Netscape stock has taken a
beating. In fact, "the stock of the Mountain View, California-based
company has lost more than a quarter of its value since the end of 1996,
including a drop of around 19 percent after another analysts' warning last
Wednesday."
Analyst Smith said he remained neutral on the stock but cited industry
sources as saying Netscape had scrambled to meet its fourth-quarter numbers
at the end of 1996, which he said did not bode well for its current
quarter and all of 1997. Added Smith, "They closed a significant amount of
business on Dec. 31 just to make the quarter, which they've never had to do
before." In his research note, he wrote, "We have heard of two major deals
that were closed on Dec. 31, one of which apparently closed late in the
evening."
However, a Netscape spokeswoman rebutted this, saying the company did
complete some of its deals toward the end of the quarter, but denying it
was pushing down to the wir to lock up deals that would make a major impact
on its financial results. "We did no deals that were of materially
significance on Dec. 31," she said. "Sure, we did deals towards the end of
the quarter, like everyone does."
Last Wednesday's tumble came after Deutsche Morgan Grenfell analyst William
Gurley cut his rating on the Netscape stock to "accumulate" from "buy" and
cited risks from its transition to a new business plan and new pricing.
Perry says several other analysts, including Goldman Sachs's Michael Parekh
and Morgan Stanley & Co.'s Mary Meeker, have put "buy" or "strong buy"
ratings on the stock, recognizing near-term risks but remaining upbeat on
the stock in the longer term.
Apple Posts $120M 1Q Loss
Apple Computer Inc., which late yesterday reported a $120 million loss in
its first fiscal quarter, is warning investors it doesn't expect to return
to profitability until September. The struggling computer maker says much
of the loss can be attributed to slow holiday season sales of its Performa
computers. Apple's loss, which equaled 96 cents a share, compared with a
loss of $69 million, or 56 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Sales for
the company's first fiscal quarter, which ended on Dec. 27, fell to $2.13
billion from $3.15 billion.
Apple says it plans to develop additional restructuring programs during the
second quarter with the goal of returning profitability by the fourth
fiscal quarter, which ends Sept. 26. "While we were very disappointed by
the Performa sales results and the associated loss, our financial position
remains sound," says Fred Anderson, Apple's chief financial officer. "We
exited the quarter with $1.8 billion in cash and continued to show
improvements in our inventory management during the quarter." In trading
this morning (Jan 16), Apple was down nearly 3 percent, dropping 50 cents
to $16.75 a share. Apple's shares fell 62 1/2 cents Wednesday, before the
Cupertino, California, company posted its results.
OS Shipments Up 9.6% in 1996
Researchers at International Data Corp. say worldwide shipments of personal
computer operating systems rose 9.6 percent last year to 74.8 million
units. Reporting from Seattle, the Reuter News Service quotes IDC research
director Dan Kusnetzky as saying the increase from 68.3 million operating
systems shipped in 1996 was below the firm's original estimate of a 15.6
percent growth rate, largely reflecting a sluggishness in PC sales.
Adds Reuters, "Operating system shipments closely track PC sales, although
some personal computers have more than one operating system and some
operating system software is sold separately." Some particulars from
Kusnetzky included:
z Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95 easily was the market leader in 1996,
accounting for 62.9 percent of all operating systems shipped, up from 28.6
percent the year before.
z Windows 3.x and DOS operating system accounted for 17.4 percent of
systems shipped, down from 49.1 percent in 1995.
z Microsoft Windows NT Workstation rose to 3 percent of the market from
0.8 percent the year before.
z IBM's OS/2 system fell to just 3.3 percent of the market from 6.2
percent in 1995, while various versions of DOS alone fell to 3.3 percent
from 5.1 percent.
z Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh operating system fell to 6.6 percent
of the overall market from 6.8 percent.
Reuters adds, "The IDC report, which does not count operating system
upgrades, is based largely on figures reported by the software makers
supplemented by interviews with computer manufacturers and others."
Hard Drive Shipments Up in '96
Dataquest Inc. reports that the worldwide hard drive market showed slower
growth in 1996 as unit shipments increased 18 percent over 1995, well below
1995's growth rate of 30 percent. The San Jose, California, market
researcher says shipments reached 106 million units in 1996, up from 90
million units shipped in 1995.
Seagate topped Quantum as the top-selling disk drive vendor as a result of
Seagate's merger with Conner Peripherals early in 1996. Quantum had held
the top position since 1993. "Nineteen ninety-six was a pretty good year,
in spite of a slow start, and we believe that 1997 will be even better,"
said Phil Devin, vice president and chief analyst of Dataquest's computer
storage program. "All companies are producing good volumes of desirable
products and prices are not being driven down to unacceptable levels.
Book-to-bill ratios are the highest in years."
The biggest maret-share gain came from Western Digital Corporation, which
increased its market share 4.7 percentage points from 13.7 percent in 1995
to 18.4 percent in 1996. Devin attributes this strong growth to Western
Digital attracting customers previously loyal to Conner, Quantum, and
Seagate. Dataquest's Web site is located at www.dataquest.com.
AOL Sued by California Users
Five frustrated California subscribers have sued America Online saying that
when they try to log on, all they get is a busy signal. Filed in Los
Angeles Superior Court, the class-action suit seeks $20 million, claiming
negligence and consumer fraud. The Associated Press says the plaintiffs
contend AOL's new price plan boosted the number of users even though the
system was unable to handle the increased load. The suit says the
subscribers have encountered "busy and unavailable phone lines and/or
inaccessible computer equipment" since the company began offering unlimited
access for a $19.95 fee at the beginning of the year.
The action was brought by Richard Basch, Robert Friedland, Jeffrey Rayden
and James Kranz of Los Angeles County and Jason Cartwright of San Diego
County. Their attorney, Louis Marlin, told AP, "They try over and over and
over again to try and get in and they get a constant busy signal. One
client tried 26 times the other night." Marlin said the $20 million sought
is only a minimum estimate "to give warning to the other side that we are
seeking significant monetary damages."
The suit also asks for a court order stopping AOL from selling any more
flat-fee, unlimited-access service until there is "sufficient equipment" to
handle the increased amount of users. Meanwhile, AOL said in a statement,
"We expect to prevail in the class action suits addressing member access to
AOL," adding, "Although we understand the frustration some members are
experiencing at not being able to obtain immediate local access during peak
periods, the average AOL member gets more value under unlimited pricing
than ever before." AOL said in the statment it plans to expand the
system's capacity through a $250 million addition in equipment and services
over the next two months. AP says a similar lawsuit against AOL was filed
in Chicago on Dec. 18.
AOL Hit With More Lawsuits
More lawsuits have been filed against America Online by frustrated
subscribers. And, probably not helping the situation, the Dulles,
Virginia, online service also suffered a computer glitch yesterday that led
to a shutdown of half the system for nearly four hours. Writing for the
Reuter News Service, reporter Therese Poletti says system problems led AOL
to shut down half of its system from 3:45 p.m. EST until about 7:30 p.m. to
find the problem.
An AOL spokeswoman told the wire service, "The system was able to
accommodate 124,000 subscribers." Reuters quotes AOL as saying it usually
accommodates about 258,000 users simultaneously. "The problem," adds
Poletti, "was with an interface board in a router device, which manages the
flow of data in a network, the company said. AOL said its network was back
to full capacity by 8 p.m. EST. The spokeswoman said the outage was not
related to the onslaught of member usage since AOL switched to unlimited
use for a flat rate of $19.95 a month."
Meanwhile, on the legal front, two more lawsuits against AOL have been
disclosed, both filed in New York state court this week, claiming breach
of contract, deceptive trade practices and false advertising, says Reuters.
As reported yesterday, AOL already has been hit with a suit in Los Angeles
on behalf of five subscribers, seeking damages for what they call
fraudulent and malicious representation. A similar lawsuit against AOL was
filed in Chicago on Dec. 18.
And at least one other New York suit has been filed. The Associated Press
reports Ezra Graber of Staten Island brought suit in Manhattan State
Supreme Court, contending AOL subscribers "are greeted with busy signals,
and, once online, encounter serious technical difficulties because of,
among other things, insufficient support," making their subscription
"virtually useless."
"In addition," says Poletti, "at least two state attorneys general have
confirmed they are in discussions with America Online, seeking some
resolution to complaints they have received from consumers about the
continuing problem of network access." Specifically, New York state Attoney
General Dennis Vacco and Wisconsin state Attorney General Jim Doyle are in
discussions with AOL, Reuters says. The suits contend that since AOL began
offering its members unlimited access for $19.95 a month, its network has
been deluged by subscribers, many of whom cannot log onto the system during
peak evening hours or on weekends.
Intel Faces MMX Rights Fight
A copyright fight appears to be in the offing between chip giant Intel
Corp. and its traditional rivals, Cyrix Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices
Inc., over rights to the name of Intel's new MMX chip technology. As
reported, Intel Corp. has unveiled its much-anticipated Pentium processors
with MMX (multimedia extension) technology designed to offer users PCs with
improved graphics, video and audio features.
In The Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter Dean Takahashi writes
that Intel has notified the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that it
intends to trademark the name MMX, which stands for multimedia extension.
However, Cyrix and AMD contend Intel isn't entitled to a trademark on the
MMX name, and both said they intend to use it in their own forthcoming
chips. Said AMD spokesman John Greenagel, "We don't believe MMX is a valid
trademark. We think it is a generic term, and we plan to use the term in
our marketing. We're trying to solve this amicably with Intel."
And Cyrix Vice President Steven Tobak told the paper his employer plans to
introduce an MMX-equivalent chip in the first half of this year and it will
include the MMX name, over Intel's objections. Takahashi says Cyrix cloned
its version of MMX technology, while AMD licensed its version from Intel.
Intel Vice President Michael Aymar said the chipmaker didn't give away any
rights to use the MMX name. In fact, adds the Journal, "Intel will be
including MMX in a redesigned logo as part of a multimillion-dollar
marketing campaign that began yesterday and picks up speed in a couple of
weeks with extensive advertising world-wide."
New York State Sued Over New Net Law
A new state law in New York State imposing restrictions on "indecent"
online material is being challenged as unconstitutional in a suit by the
American Civil Liberties Union and a number of library, publishing and
Internet groups. Filed this morning in federal court in New York City, the
suit argues the law's prohibition on online distribution of indecent
material to minors would effectively ban distribution of the same material
to adults, including works of art and literature, safe-sex information and
"a wide range of robust human discourse" that could include sexually
oriented language.
According to the Dow Jones news service, the suit alleges that because
minors have general access to the Internet, and because Internet postings
and home pages are accessible to New York residents no matter where they
originated, the state's law "effectively would require almost all discourse
on the Internet, whether among New Yorkers or among users anywhere in the
world, to be at a level suitable for young children." The wire service
notes the law, which took effect Nov. 1, makes it a felony to use any
"computer communication system" to distribute material containing nudity or
sexual content and which is "harmful to minors" - anyone under age 18. The
potential penalties for anyone convicted under the law range to up to four
years in prison.
The law is similar in intent to the federal Communications Decency Act,
which criminalizes the online dissemination of "patently offensive"
sexually explicit material to minors. Two federal appeals courts have
declared the federal law unconstitutional, and the U.S. Supreme Court has
agreed to consider the issue. The New York suit seeks a declaration that
the state law is unconstitutional, as well as preliminary and permanent
injunctions barring the state from enforcing it. Besides the ACLU, the
suit's plaintiffs include the American Library Association, the Magazine
Publishers of America, the Association of American Publishers, the American
Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Interactive Digital
Software Association, and three New York-area Internet service providers.
Olivetti Sells PC Division
An agreement to sell its personal computer division reportedly has been
reached by Olivetti, the Italian information systems company. In Rome,
the financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore says the buyers are Centenary Group, a
European takeover company, and Italian businessman Gianmario Rossignolo.
According to The Associated Press, an agreement in principle was reached
late Friday night, and the deal could be announced within a few days. The
Rome newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, says the division could be sold
for about $130 million. AP notes Olivetti, which employs about 28,000
people, has been in talks for several months to sell off the troubled PC
unit. It wants to focus on information services.
New York State Waives Net Taxes
New York's State Tax Department has been directed to exempt Internet access
service from sales taxes as part of Gov. George Pataki's effort to boost
employment in the new industry. The Reuter News Service notes the action
comes after the state tax department conducted a year-long study, required
by 1995 legislation, on issues posed by the Internet, which was submitted
to the governor this week by Taxation and Finance Commissioner Michael
Urbach.
"The report also concluded that because Internet access services were not
telecommunications, their receipts were outside the scope of the Section
186-3 gross receipts excise tax," Reuters notes. The wire service says New
York state will not collect sales taxes from out-of-state or non-U.S. firms
that advertise on the Internet through a New York-based access provider, a
decision designed to make such firms more attractive to such entities.
Said the governor, "New York is the first state in the nation to take this
bold step. We have improved our competitive edge as we compete with places
like Seattle and Silicon Valley in California for Internet-related jobs."
New York State Sued Over New Net Law
A new state law in New York imposing restrictions on "indecent" online
material is being challenged as unconstitutional in a suit by the American
Civil Liberties Union and a number of library, publishing and Internet
groups. Filed this morning in federal court in New York City, the suit
argues the law's prohibition on online distribution of indecent material to
minors would effectively ban distribution of the same material to adults,
including works of art and literature, safe-sex information and "a wide
range of robust human discourse" that could include sexually oriented
language.
According to the Dow Jones news service, the suit alleges that because
minors have general access to the Internet, and because Internet postings
and home pages are accessible to New York residents no matter where they
originated, the state's law "effectively would require almost all discourse
on the Internet, hether among New Yorkers or among users anywhere in the
world, to be at a level suitable for young children."
The wire service notes the law, which took effect Nov. 1, makes it a felony
to use any "computer communication system" to distribute material
containing nudity or sexual content and which is "harmful to minors" -
anyone under age 18. The potential penalties for anyone convicted under the
law range to up to four years in prison.
The law is similar in intent to the federal Communications Decency Act,
which criminalizes the online dissemination of "patently offensive"
sexually explicit material to minors. Two federal appeals courts have
declared the federal law unconstitutional, and the U.S. Supreme Court has
agreed to consider the issue. The New York suit seeks a declaration that
the state law is unconstitutional, as well as preliminary and permanent
injunctions barring the state from enforcing it. Besides the ACLU, the
suit's plaintiffs include the American Library Association, the Magazine
Publishers of America, the Association of American Publishers, the American
Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Interactive Digital
Software Association, and three New York-area Internet service providers.
Inaugural Web Site Launched
Last year's campaign was the first World Wide Web's first presidential
campaign. Now the Net will have its first inauguration in conjunction with
Bill Clinton's second term, which begins Jan. 20. "The Virtual Inaugural"
site (reached at http://www.inaugural97.com) has been unveiled by the 1997
Presidential Inaugural Committee to provide updates and photographs of all
the inaugural festivities.
Presidential Inaugural Committee co-chair Ann Dibble Jordan told United
Press International, "A future generation of Americans will remember
President Clinton's inauguration the same way we remember Herbert Hoover's
inauguration, the first to be broadcast live on radio, and Harry Truman's,
the first to be shown on television." The committee has announced a joint
Internet venture with the Public Broadcasting Service to provide online
lesson plans for middle school and high school teachers, adding students
also can use the web site to study citizenship, democracy and the history
of American inaugurations. Visitors to the site can get information on the
parade, gala or Mall and can their home states on a map and learn about
local participants and other items of interest. The web site will have an
inaugural schedule, accommodation information and details on events.
HAL Has First Birthday (Again)
Happy Birthday, HAL! The thinking, talking computer -- which reads lips,
plays chess and eliminates astronauts in the sf classic "2001: A Space
Odyssey" -- celebrates a birthday today, well, srta. In Arthur C. Clarke's
original book version of "2001," HAL is activated on Jan. 12, 1997, at the
"HAL Plant" in Urbana, New York. However, the successful film version of
the story shifted the birth year five years forward, to 1992. In both,
notes Associated Press writer Matt Kelley, "HAL became a symbol of
technology's dangers as well as its promise.
The goal of a computer that really thinks is still unrealized. That
doesn't mean computer scientists here aren't trying, however."
Incidentally, when Clarke was writing his tale in the 1960s, scientists at
the University of Illinois still were building Illiac IV, then the largest
and fastest computer in the world. "That computer," says Kelley, "ran at
13 megahertz, less than a tenth the speed of a common PC today, and had
just 1 megabyte of memory, a fraction of what's standard on modern home
computers."
Bill Gates Eyes Gumbel for MSNBC
Word is Microsoft Corp. chief Bill Gates wants Bryant Gumbel, who recently
left "Today" after 15 years on the morning TV show, to play a major role in
MSNBC, Microsoft's joint venture with NBC, home of "Today." No one's
confirming that, but The Associated Press reports Gumbel recent toured
Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, facilities and met with Gates.
In California, Merrill Brown, MSNBC editor in chief, told the wire service
the purpose of Gumbel's visit "was to get more Internet savvy and to
understand what we're doing, both at Microsoft and at MSNBC." Added Brown,
"We did a little demo for him, we let him sit through the news meeting and
he had stimulating things to say about the news and what we may or may not
do about it."
Traditional Modem's Days Numbered
The days of the traditional telephone modem are numbered, predicts market
researcher Frost & Sullivan. "The slow decline over the next several years
in the traditional analog dial-up modem market is a direct result of the
acceptance of the new high speed cable and digital ADSL modem
technologies," says Brian Phillips, an analyst for the Mountain Vew,
California, company. In order to catch users' attention and draw them to
their Web sites, site designers are incorporating more extensive graphics
and animation in their Web pages. This can make the process of accessing a
home page to find specific information tedious, particularly when several
hundred kilobits of graphics must be downloaded along with the desired
information.
This trend will cause a shift in the kinds of modem hardware used for
Internet access, driving the need for higher speed digital and cable
modems. But Frost & Sullivan doesn't expect the change to occur overnight.
"High speed technologies will impact the market in a significant way, but
will not take over," says Phillips. "There will be room for dial-up, ISDN
and high speed access to coexist in the 21st century modem market. Those
companies that stay on top of the market and technology developments and
are able to determine which market niche is best suited for them will be
the most successful."
Netscape sees server momentum grow with new products
Netscape Communications Corporation Monday said it is seeing momentum
accelerate for the Netscape SuiteSpot family of Intranet servers. The
company delivered more than one million servers in 1996. Netscape continues
to build its server momentum this week by announcing the availability of
two more products in the new SuiteSpot 3.0 line: the final version of
Netscape Proxy Server 2.5 and the beta version of Netscape Collabra Server
3.0.
Multi-service access switches adopt ID authentication
Dynatech Communications, Inc. announced Monday that DynaStar multi-service
access switches are available with Security Dynamics' ACE/Server and
SecurID user authentication technologies. DynaStar Access Switches utilize
a packet/frame/cell architecture offering a multi-service capability for
solutions to universal access in enterprise networks and protocol mediation
in carrier networks. DynaStar's scaleable architecture will migrate traffic
from X.25- to-IP-to-ATM as well as carry Frame Relay, ISDN and SDLC data on
one platform.
Adobe and Fujitsu to provide scan-to-the-web solution
Adobe Systems Incorporated and Fujitsu Computer Products of America Monday
announced they signed an agreement to provide a solution to convert paper-
based and electronic information into searchable electronic documents ready
for distribution via corporate Intranets, the World Wide Web and CD-ROM.
The agreement will provide customers with a web-ready document-imaging
solution that can support a broad range of user needs. Distribution will
occur without spending time re-authoring documents into other formats.
AOL spends more on network upgrade as membership soars
America Online Inc., plagued with overload problems and angry members, said
Thursday it will spend even more than planned to shore up its network, amid
another soaring subscriber growth report. The Dulles, Va.-based company has
experienced service outages since it switched its members to unlimited
usage for $19.95 a month in December. The largest online services company
in the world said it will now spend $350 million to upgrade its network,
instead of $250 million as previously planned, to add new modems and build
an 180,000 square foot data center.
Telecoms sign Internet connectivity agreement
Virtual Telecom, Inc., announced Thursday the signing of an Internet
connectivity agreement with British Telecom Ltd., Geneva to acquire dual
high quality Internet connections to the British Telecom/MCI Communications
Corp. worldwide Internet backbone (Concert Internet Plus). This agreement
will allow Virtual Telecom to deliver high-availability "industrial
strength" Internetworking connectivity over its domestic Swiss network.
Virtual Telecom operates as a Swiss-based Internet service and information
provider.
New full-service network offered for rural Colo. Subscribers
RELTEC Corporation and Aware, Inc., have joined to deploy digital
multicarrier technology for telephony to provide POTS, Calling Name and
Number, FAX and data services to Pacific Telecom, Inc. (PTI) subscribers in
an ongoing field trial at Rocky Ford, Colo., the companies said Thursday.
Larry Burton, vice president of RELTEC Loop Electronics, said the PTI trial
represents the first application anywhere of digital multicarrier
technology for telephony. The trial began in mid-September.
Bonn vows to fight neo-Nazis in cyberspace
Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel vowed Thursday that Germany would remain
vigilant in its fight against neo-Nazis and was determined to stamp out
their racist propaganda--even in cyberspace. "We will not allow the
Internet to be used as an electronic meeting place for the extreme right
wing," Kinkel said. Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet approved the bill last
November to protect Internet users' privacy and keep out Nazi propaganda
and pornography--a project the United States and other governments have
largely given up as impossible without compromising civil liberties.
North Korean news agency debuts on Internet
North Korea formally made its debut on the Internet Thursday in what one of
its officials said was a bid to remove "misunderstandings" about one of the
world's most reclusive nations. Reports in English from the official Korean
Central News Agency were made available to Internet users worldwide. The
address is http://www.kcna.co.jp. An official from the Korea News Service
said North Korea also planned eventually to disseminate information on the
web in the Korean and Japanese languages.
Wireless modem jack connects to Internet from AC outlet
FutureNet has developed a wireless modem jack that converts any electrical
outlet into an enhanced jack with a range of 75 feet. A user can plug the
unit into any electrical outlet and connect to the Internet. The wireless
jack is an FM carrier extension system designed to work with computer
modems. All of the control tones and pulses except the ring signal are
transmitted in both directions along with the duplex audio signals. The
power lines are isolated from the phone lines at each end by the use of
high-voltage, U.L. approved capacitors and inductors.
Network Internet access offered through single connection
Microtest, Inc. Monday announced the forthcoming release of WebEtc, a
software solution that allows multiple network users to simultaneously
access the Internet through one modem and one Internet connection. WebEtc
is compatible with Windows 3.x, Windows 95 or Windows NT. It requires no
special client software and operates on either Microsoft or Novell
networks, without the need for a dedicated PC or server. WebEtc
automatically configures itself during installation. It is scheduled to
ship Jan. 31.
Artisoft now shipping Visual Voice Text-to-Speech v2.0
Artisoft, Inc. announced Monday it is shipping Visual Voice Text-to-Speech
(TTS) v2.0. The latest version of Visual Voice Text-to-Speech adds the
ability for software applications to convert ASCII strings or files into
highly intelligible speech. Version 2.0 of Visual Voice Text-to-Speech now
supports Microsoft's Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI),
allowing developers to take advantage of a variety of SAPI TTS engines
offering multilingual support, unlimited vocabulary and nine voice types.
Ziff-Davis launches 10 new international editions
Building on ZDNet's growth in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and
United States, Ziff-Davis Wednesday announced the launch of 10 new,
international editions of ZDNet on the World Wide Web. ZDNet China debuted
Wednesday. Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Russia,
Spain and Taiwan will be online with their local editions of ZDNet in
March. ZDNet Japan will debut in April. Each edition will feature the
10,000-title ZDNet Software Library as well as local translations of
ZDNet's news and buying information. In November 1996, the company said,
34.5 percent of ZDNet's monthly visits came from outside the U.S.
Brooktrout to accelerate Internet
telephony standards development
In a move to accelerate development of standards in Internet telephony,
Brooktrout Technology, Inc., has proposed to extend existing International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) standards for real-time transmission of fax
on packet data networks. The proposal extends the existing standards to IP
networks including the Internet. Broadening its participation in Internet
telephony standards development, Brooktrout also announced that it has
joined the Voice Over IP (VoIP) Forum. The VoIP Forum is a group of 40
computer and telephony vendors to ensure and promote industry-wide
interoperability of Internet voice communications products.
Exabyte announces 8mm technology available
Exabyte Corp. Wednesday reported that the Exabyte EXB-8700LT is now
available to end users within the United States. The field proven 8mm tape
drive is designed for high-end desktop and network applications, has a
capacity of 10GB (compressed) and a transfer rate of 60 MB per minute.
Exabyte Corp. says the EXATAPE 8mm data cartridges are readily available
and more cost effective than the 4mm DAT counterpart. Exabyte storage
products provide cost-effective compact data storage in one of the fastest-
growing segments of the computer industry.
Peru hostage takers call for support on Internet
Marxist rebels holding 74 hostages in the Japanese ambassador's residence
posted a message on their Internet web page Wednesday urging supporters to
help pressure President Alberto Fujimori to release their imprisoned
comrades. Fujimori has refused to give in to rebel demands to swap the 74
hostages for 400 jailed MRTA members. The MRTA web page gave the address
and fax number of Fujimori's Government Palace and electronic mail
addresses of local human rights groups, the International Red Cross and
news organizations.
E-9-1-1 compliance solutions proffered
AccuCom, a San Diego-based provider of wireless location solutions, said
Wednesday it can solve infrastructure cost concerns involved in compliance
with Enhanced 9-1-1 mobile services rules the Federal Communications
Commission issued in June. In complying to the two-phase FCC ruling,
wireless carriers were faced with "who pays?" and "how much?" questions in
deploying the technology. AccuCom President Paul Bouchard said in exchange
for providing hardware, AccuCom would contract with carriers to provide
and/or re-sell various location-based services and applications as well as
share a 9-1-1 surcharge. Beta testing could begin later this year.
China eases Internet blocks but keeps careful watch
Beijing has loosened controls barring Chinese Internet users from accessing
foreign news sources but is keeping watch for politically suspect content
on the worldwide computer network, an official said Wednesday. Blocks
imposed last year on Internet Web sites operated by CNN, the Wall Street
Journal and other news providers had all been removed, industry experts in
the Chinese capital said. China is eager to be part of the technological
revolution, but officials have long been concerned that the information
superhighway could bypass strict communist control of the media and fuel
internal dissent.
Office 97 STR Overview
Office 97 Top NEW Features
A quick overview of the top new features in Microsoft Office 97.Get
organized with a unified workspace and tighter integration between all
Office applications
z Microsoft Outlook - Provides an integrated desktop where you can
organize and manage your e-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, and files in
one place.
z Auto Journal - Logs Outlook communications and Microsoft Office
application activities.
z Address book integration - Stores your address book contacts in one
location for easy access from any Office application.
z Multiple views - Allows you to view information in any Outlook folder
by icon, table, card, timeline, or calendar, or to customize your own view.
z Complete portable solution - Takes your Outlook information with you
by way of paper planner, laptop computer, personal data assistant, or
Timexr DataLink watch.
z Office Binder - Stores all your files for a project in one place-you
can even add common headers and footers so they look and print like one
document.
z Get connected with Internet-ready software that enhances interactive
collaboration.
z Adding Hyperlinks - Creates live links to a file or site automatically
when you type the URL or UNC address.
z ActiveWeb - Allows you to author and view documents in their native
format on your corporate intranet or the Internet Full-text searching
Enables you to find information on your network quickly and easily.
z Web toolbar - Brings the navigational and searching tools of the Web
to your Office applications.
z Save as HTML in Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and
PowerPointr - Saves your Office documents into HTML format with the click
of a button for posting to the Internet or corporate intranets
z Web templates in Word - Provides custom templates to design great
looking.
z Web pages Document Versioning in Word - Tracks and stores all previous
version of your document in one file.
z Web Queries in Microsoft Excel - Pull real-rime information from Web
sites directly into your worksheet.
z Publish To The Web in Microsoft Access - Converts your data or reports
to HTML so you can create dynamic, interactive database pages and share
them across a company intranet or the World Wide Web.
z Save to URL in Microsoft Excel - Allows you to save to a Web server by
simply specifying the URL address.
z PowerPoint Animation Player for ActiveXT - Lets you publish
presentations to the Internet as a Web page with animation and narration.
Get results with a personalized desktop and intelligent software.
z Office Assistant Provides interactive advice, help, and tips to help
you learn as you work and it's completely customizable so you can choose
the Assistant and the options that best suit the way you work.
z Grammar Check and Spell It in Word - Proofread your documents for
spelling and grammatical errors as you type, and correct errors with one
click of the right mouse button.
z Enhanced Auto Correct in Word - Corrects common multiple-word
typographical and grammatical errors, fixes capitalization mistakes, and
creates handy shortcuts for frequently used text and graphics.
z Natural language formulas in Microsoft Excel - Allow you to use your
own terminology when building formulas.
z Multiple Undo in Microsoft Excel - Allows you to undo multiple
commands.
z AutoPreview in Outlook - Lets you view the first three lines of each e-
mail message.
z IntelliMouse support in Office 97 applications - Takes advantage of
the IntelliMouse Wheel for enhanced navigation, close-up viewing, and
panning left and right (hardware sold separately).
z Office Art - Gives you drawing tools to easily design sophisticated 3-
D effects, shadows, multicolored fills, textures, and Bezier curves.
z Images and fonts on CD-ROM - Includes approximately 3,000 clip-art
images and 150 fonts.
One Window to Your World of Information
Microsoft Outlook 97
Introducing Microsoft Outlook 97, a breakthrough in workgroup and
individual desktop information management. With Outlook, you and your team
can organize, integrate, and manage electronic mail, calendars, tasks,
contacts, documents, and scheduling-all from one window. Microsoft
Outlook 97 desktop information manager for the Windowsr 95 and Windows NTr
Workstation operating systems helps you communicate, organize, and manage
all of your information with one centralized application.
Get organized.
Organization begins with the Outlook Bar-the user-friendly navigation tool
that creates shortcuts to your e-mail inbox, calendar, contacts, tasks,
mail folders, favorite World Wide Web sites, and documents. With the
Outlook drag-and-drop feature, you can quickly move data, schedule
appointments, and prioritize your tasks. You can even use drag-and-drop to
create new Outlook items automatically from existing ones.
Communicate with ease.
Outlook provides the e-mail functionality you've been waiting for! You're a
step ahead with e-mail features such as Auto Preview, which displays the
first three lines of each e-mail message so you can scan through and
prioritize them quickly. You can also use Message Flag to mark your e-mail
messages with due dates or follow-up actions, and Voting and Tracking to
tally your team's opinions on issues. Outlook 97 also gives you powerful
personal contact management tools. You can store extensive information
about each contact, including multiple phone numbers, addresses, e-mail
addresses-even an Internet URL.
Use the revolutionary Outlook Journal to maintain an itemized log of your
activities and to track your phone calls. Now you can track and find
Microsoft Word documents and e-mail messages based on when you last worked
on them, instead of searching for the file names or locations.
Use Outlook with all of your Microsoft Office applications. Outlook is
fully integrated with Microsoft Office 97 so you can organize and
communicate seamlessly across your applications. To take full advantage of
this integration, use the new Office Assistant for easy, interactive
guidance. Information and communication have never been so intuitive.
Outlook works the way you do-you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
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A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
Shareware Treasure Chest STR Feature "The Latest & Greatest"
Shareware Treasure Chest
By Lloyd E. Pulley
lepulley@streport.com
Lloyd will be back in a few weeks. He underwent Open Heart Surgery this
past week. Your prayers and good wishes are appreciated.
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
Beeper Madness
Time Warner Offers Internet Coaching In The Classroom
FCC Designates Wireless Spectrum For Schools, Others
DOE's Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative
Try This Bus For Speed
European Union Wants Sales Tax On Telecom Services
IBM Internet Service Experiences Some Problems
BellSouth Targets Cellular Market In Latin America
Programmer Pleads Guilty Of Defrauding AOL
Internet Deadbeats
Lotus Tunes Up Notes; Netscape, Corel Double-Team Microsoft
Encryption Export Policy Won't Work, Says McAfee Boss
ABA Appoints Electronic Banking Committee
Engineering Ed, Via African Virtual U.
Nextel Cuts "Roaming" Rates
Indictments For Child Porn On Net
NCR And Computer Associates Form Alliance
Internet Job Register
Gateway 2000 Victimized By X-Rated Sabotage
Blank Slate
FBI Offers New Proposal For Digital Wiretaps
China Loosens Restraints On Internet Access
Suit Seeks $20 Million From AOL For Busy Signals
Nortel, Baby Bell Have Internet Traffic Control Deal
Just Say No To Cybertaxes
Computers & Jobs
Autodesk Blueprint Targets Home Improvement
HP Cozies Up To Informix, Cisco
Our Love Affair With E-Mail
Phone Fraud In England
Microsoft, Intuit Set The Pace For Internet Banking
BEEPER MADNESS
A technical glitch on Thursday caused the SkyTel paging network to send
erroneous call-me-back messages to more than 100,000 customers. The
problem was exacerbated when some diligent subscribers returned the call
and left their phone numbers so that whoever had beeped them could call
back. The result was a 26- minute major phone traffic jam as thousands of
other SkyTel customers then called those numbers. Apparently, the whole
mess started when a customer desiring a new PIN (personal identification
number) was mistakenly assigned one linked to a secret code that the
company uses to beam Dow Jones News Service information out to 100,000
customers. The PIN, a seven-digit number that looked like a phone number,
was zapped to the Dow Jones subscribers, many of whom then tried to dial it
as a local call. Others recognized it as a PIN, and called SkyTel to
retrieve the "caller's" number, jamming the lines there. "One frequency of
our one-way nationwide network experienced an anomaly in the database that
caused customers to be paged erroneously," says a spokesman for SkyTel's
parent company, MTel, which has apologized for the snafu. (Wall Street
Journal 10 Jan 97 A1)
TIME WARNER OFFERS INTERNET COACHING IN THE CLASSROOM
As part of its 1995 settlement negotiated with the Federal Communications
Commission over cable rate complaints, Time Warner Cable has launched
"Cable Connections," a combination of teacher training materials and
workshops designed to assist teachers in incorporating Internet access and
cable programming in their lesson plans. The company already provides
free cable hook-ups to about 90% of the schools in its service areas,
which receive 500 hours a month of commercial-free educational programming
through the industry's Cable in the Classroom program. Now Time Warner
will provide free connections to its ROAD RUNNER high-speed Internet
access, including a free cable modem and service throughout the school
year. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 8 Jan 97 A19)
FCC DESIGNATES WIRELESS SPECTRUM FOR SCHOOLS, OTHERS
The Federal Communications Commission has set aside 300 megahertz of
spectrum for free, unlicensed, short-range wireless communications by
individuals, schools, hospitals and libraries. Metricom's Ricochet
network already provides its subscribers with wireless data communications
and Internet access using an unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum.
The FCC anticipates similar services proliferating, as well as educational
and medical applications, such as teachers using the designated airwaves to
call up student background records and grades from the schools central
database using handheld machines or doctors calling up X-rays from a
hospital database and ordering drugs from the pharmacy. (Investor's
Business Daily
10 Jan 97 A21)
DOE'S ACCELERATED STRATEGIC COMPUTING INITIATIVE
The reduction of the arms race is causing a computer race, as the U.S.
Department of Energy steps up the pace of developing high-performance
computers. "In this program, we have to work with the computer industry
to compress the length of time between... generations of computers," says
the DOE deputy assistant secretary for strategic computing and simulation.
The high-powered machines are needed to perform the complex calculations
that are used to assess factors such as the impact of aging on weapons and
their ability to perform. The DOE says it will need supercomputers
capable of performing at least 100 trillion operations per second by the
year 2004. To accelerate the process, the agency has established the
Academic Strategic Alliances Program to create and fund university "centers
of excellence." (Science News 4 Jan 97 p7)
TRY THIS BUS FOR SPEED
Intel plans to add a 100-MHz bus to its Pentium Pro microprocessors,
allowing the company to bump up chip speeds to 400 MHz by next year. The
GTL+ bus will appear later this year on Pentium Pro chips with clock
speeds of 300 MHz. Meanwhile, the company will continue to enhance
existing Pentium Pro processors that use the 66-MHz internal bus -- in the
next few months, Intel will introduce 233-MHz and 266-MHz chips.
(Information Week 6 Jan 97 p24)
EUROPEAN UNION WANTS SALES TAX ON TELECOM SERVICES
The European Union is planning to adopt a rule that allows EU governments
to impose value-added taxes on all telecommunications services - including
telephone "callback" systems that have been devised to circumvent high
European phone rates for international calls by allowing Europeans to call
a callback service in the U.S., which immediately hangs up the call,
returns it at the much-lower U.S. phone rates, and then connects the
caller to the number originally dialed. Theoretically, the rule could also
require U.S. companies selling goods over the Internet to pay value-added
taxes on merchandise sold to European customers. Such taxes are in excess
of 20 percent in some EU countries. (New York Times 11 Jan 97 p27)
IBM INTERNET SERVICE EXPERIENCES SOME PROBLEMS
IBM acknowledged that it has experienced some problems with e-mail delivery
on its Internet Connection service, which has been ranked by PC World
magazine as one of the best Internet access services. A number of
messages were delayed, but IBM said it had "no reports of significant mail
loss." IBM is working on a major upgrade of its servers in order to
quadruple capacity. The number of current users on IBM's Internet Connect
is reportedly in the low thousands. (Reuters 10 Jan 97)
BELLSOUTH TARGETS CELLULAR MARKET IN LATIN AMERICA
BellSouth, which already claims 450,000 of the 2 million cellular customers
in Latin America, is rapidly expanding its activities there, and has just
bought a majority stake in the Peruvian cellular phone company called Tele
2000. The overall customer base in Latin America is expected to increase
to 19 million within the next five years. BellSouth's president for Latin
American operations calls the use of cellular phones a "cultural
phenomenon" and says: "In the United States, people often leave cellular
phones in their cars, but in Latin America, people carry them everywhere
they go." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 12 Jan 97 G5)
PROGRAMMER PLEADS GUILTY OF DEFRAUDING AOL
A former Yale computer science student has pleaded guilty to defrauding
America Online and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a
$250,000 fine, and restitution to AOL for using that company's services
without paying for them. AOL estimates it lost between $40,000 and $70,000
in service charges because the student distributed his computer program,
which he called AOL4FREE, to hundreds of other computer users. (UPI 9 Jan
97)
INTERNET DEADBEATS
Network Solutions Inc., the authorized collector of fees paid for Internet
addresses, reports that it's about $10 million short of the $20.7 million
that should be in the account, based on the number of addresses registered
since payment was first mandated in 1995. The unpaid fees are partly
attributable to "speculators and resellers who have no intention of
paying," says a spokesman for the National Science Foundation, the federal
agency that appointed Network Solutions Inc. and oversees its work. Thirty
percent of the money collected is earmarked for the "preservation and
enhancement" of the "intellectual infrastructure" of the Internet, but so
far, none of the funds have been spent. "The sooner that the money is
spent on the good of the Internet, the better, in my opinion," says the
president of the Internet Society. Meanwhile, a chemical engineering
professor at Virginia Tech has called for a public accounting of the $10.7-
million shortfall: "I think NSF has a tiger by the tail, and the prudent
action is to let go of the tail." (Washington Post 11 Jan 97 D1)
LOTUS TUNES UP NOTES; NETSCAPE, COREL
DOUBLE-TEAM MICROSOFT
Lotus is revamping its Notes mail client, building in new calendar and
scheduling features, in anticipation of competition from Microsoft
Outlook. "Microsoft is getting ready to carpet bomb America with Outlook,
which ships free with Office 97, and Lotus has to ready itself for that,"
says a Gartner Group VP. Lotus is also considering unbundling its Domino
Server, giving users a choice of Internet standards-based servers for
smaller clients. The announcements will be made later this month at
Lotusphere 97. (InfoWorld Electric 10 Jan 97) Meanwhile, Netscape and
Corel are producing their own rival to Microsoft's Office 97, based on
Corel's WordPerfect suite of applications programs. The new version, due
out in April, will incorporate Netscape's Communicator groupware software,
which includes e-mail, conferencing and other collaboration products.
(Wall Street Journal 14 Jan 97 B10)
ENCRYPTION EXPORT POLICY WON'T WORK, SAYS MCAFEE BOSS
McAfee Associates CEO Bill Larson says the U.S. government's latest
approach to encryption product export just isn't going to work: "The
question the administration has to ask itself is: Does it want to have an
American encryption industry or not? If it does, it has to allow
competition and free commerce to take place. If there were any terrorists
who wanted to get 180-bit encryption, all they would have to do is walk
into any U.S. store and buy our PCCrypto product. They could put one
floppy into a briefcase and get on an airplane... All the governments --
the Russians, the Chinese -- already have their own internally developed
180-bit encryption." And the difference between 56-bit and 180-bit
products is significant: "Basically, 48- to 56-bit encryption can be
broken by a supercomputer in a matter of weeks. As you move up over 120-
bit encryption, you're talking about months with a supercomputer. And 180-
bit is a huge effort -- over six months." (Investor's Business Daily 13
Jan 97 A6)
ABA APPOINTS ELECTRONIC BANKING COMMITTEE
The American Bankers Association has created a Payments System Steering
Committee to advise members on electronic banking and commerce issues. An
ABA task force last fall recommended that only insured financial
institutions should be permitted to issue stored-value card products, such
as smart cards, and other forms of electronic money. "Technology and
electronic payments are absolutely critical issues to the future of the
banking industry," says the committee's chairman. (BNA Daily Report for
Executives 13 Jan 97 A8)
ENGINEERING ED, VIA AFRICAN VIRTUAL U.
The African Virtual University, sponsored by the World Bank, is providing
engineering students the opportunity to take courses in electrical
engineering from a professor at the University of Massachusetts at
Amherst. The professor's stateside course is videotaped and transmitted
via satellite to participating institutions in Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania,
Uganda and Zimbabwe. The professor is available by telephone three times
a week to answer questions that the on-site instructor can't answer, or for
which clarification is needed. Eventually, the African Virtual U. will be
available in more than 40 countries on the African continent. (Chronicle
of Higher Education 17 Jan 97 A24)
NEXTEL CUTS "ROAMING" RATES
Nextel Communications is trying to pull ahead of the wireless pack,
announcing it will eliminate for about 300,000 of its one million
customers the exorbitant "roaming" rates charged by many cellular
companies. The new plan begins February 1, and affects calls made from 50
different cities. "We've been somewhat of a stealth wireless company, but
now we're about to emerge," says Nextel's CEO. "By the end of this year
our second-generation digital network will address 70% of the U.S.
population and 85% by next year." The company has already spent $1.85
billion to construct its digital network and plans to channel $2 billion
more into efforts to secure nationwide coverage. (Wall Street Journal 14
Jan 97 B1)
INDICTMENTS FOR CHILD PORN ON NET
Ontario police have charged several people with downloading child
pornography off the Internet. The police refuse to reveal the techniques
they use to build cases against people caught with huge stockpiles of child
porn, and defense lawyers and legal experts say constitutional issues
surrounding the state's right to monitor a person's private computer will
surface as the cases come to court. Defense lawyer Marie Henein finds it
"a little frightening" that you could be sitting at your computer at home
while the police are assessing what you're doing. She and another lawyer
represent an Ontario man charged with distributing child pornography on
the Internet after police seized 20,000 computer files containing photos
and video clips. (Montreal Gazette 13 Jan 97 A5)
NCR AND COMPUTER ASSOCIATES FORM ALLIANCE
NCR Corporation, which was recently spun off from AT&T, has struck a deal
with Computer Associates International (the world's second-largest
independent software company after Microsoft) that would encourage NCR's
large retail and financial-industry customers to use CA software to manage
their systems. Last April Computer Associates worked out a similar
arrangement with Digital Equipment Corporation. (New York Times 14 Jan 97
C4)
INTERNET JOB REGISTER
The Canadian government has introduced an Internet employment network for
students and recent college and university graduates, called the National
Graduate Register < http://ngr.school-net.ca/ >. The service is free to
students and employers, but in 1998 employers will be asked to pay a small
fee to make the service self-supporting. The service cost $750,000 to
develop. (Ottawa Citizen 14 Jan 97 B6)
GATEWAY 2000 VICTIMIZED BY X-RATED SABOTAGE
A video distributed by Gateway 2000 Inc. to promote its new big-screen PC
that performs TV, cable and stereo functions was found to contain 30
seconds of explicit sexual material, forcing the company to recall 20,000
copies of the tape. A company executive says it's a case of sabotage by
some disgruntled employee, but is not sure whether the target of the
sabotage was Gateway 2000 itself or the video house that produced the
tape. (Wall Street Journal 14 Jan 97 B1)
BLANK SLATE
Michael Kinsley, the editor of "Slate," a Microsoft-supported Web-based
political/cultural magazine, has abandoned plans to charge readers who
visit its Web page. "Even in our headiest moments, we couldn't convince
ourselves that people lust for political and cultural commentary the way
they lust for sex and money," says Kinsley, who still plans to use e-mail
to deliver a printable version of the magazine for $70 a year. (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution 14 Jan 96 B5)
FBI OFFERS NEW PROPOSAL FOR DIGITAL WIRETAPS
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released for public comment a new
proposal for facilitating tapping of digital phone calls by law
enforcement officials armed with court orders. Under the new proposal,
which is significantly more modest than what the Bureau had asked for in a
earlier plan, law enforcement officials would operate under a formula in
which (for example) 523 phone lines could be monitored simultaneously in a
place such as Manhattan. Privacy advocates oppose the FBI's plan as an
unacceptable expansion of electronic surveillance. (New York Times 15 Jan
97 A8)
CHINA LOOSENS RESTRAINTS ON INTERNET ACCESS
China has restored access to many Western media Internet sites, but
barriers remain intact for sites that Beijing considers politically
sensitive, particularly those containing news and commentaries from Hong
Kong and Taiwan. Chinese language sites and those sponsored by Chinese
dissident groups are also off-limits. The move to relax restrictions
comes several months after access to some 100 sites was blocked last fall.
The government has said it plans a more selective approach to Internet
censorship in the future. (Wall Street Journal 16 Jan 97 B4)
SUIT SEEKS $20 MILLION FROM AOL FOR BUSY SIGNALS
Five California men have brought a class-action suit for negligence and
consumer fraud against America Online, charging in a Los Angeles Superior
Court that AOL introduced flat-fee pricing that increased activity well
beyond what it was prepared to handle, so that subscribers encountered
"busy and unavailable phone lines and/or inaccessible computer equipment."
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution 15 Jan 97 B6)
NORTEL, BABY BELL HAVE INTERNET TRAFFIC CONTROL DEAL
Northern Telecom has signed a deal with American phone company SBC
Communications introducing the first service to eliminate phone line
"bottlenecks" due to exploding Internet use. SBC, which owns Southwestern
Bell, will use Nortel's Internet phone service to route Internet calls to
less-congested parts of its phone network. Nortel is the first equipment
maker to address what carriers say is a growing problem -- too many
Internet users tying up phone lines for too long. Nortel's new offering
removes Internet calls from the voice network and places them on the
carrier's data system, which is better able to handle such traffic.
Nortel is talking to all U.S. and Canadian regional phone companies, and
some British carriers, to sell its new Internet product. The potential
market for Nortel's service is somewhere between $1- and $2-billion, he
added. (Toronto Financial Post 16 Jan 97 p8)
JUST SAY NO TO CYBERTAXES
Representative Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
plan to propose a moratorium on any new federal, state or local taxes on
electronic commerce. The Cox-Wyden bill calls on the Clinton
Administration to develop a comprehensive Internet policy. (Business Week
20 Jan 97 p41)
COMPUTERS & JOBS
A new study prepared by Canadian Policy Research Networks concludes the
spread of computers in the work place is wiping out job opportunities for
unskilled workers. It points out that although computers have created
more jobs than they have destroyed, employers have used computer-based
technology to eliminate unskilled jobs, and have not given the displaced
workers the training they would need to move into the new high-skill jobs.
Currently, there is a sharp dichotomy in the employee make-up of computer-
oriented vs. non-computer-oriented firms. In low-tech companies, managers
and professionals comprise about 15% of all workers, while 36% are
unskilled. In high-tech firms, 31% of workers are managers and
professionals, and only 10% are unskilled. The biggest winners in the
shift in job types are people who know their way around computers: about
15% of the new jobs created went to managers in engineering, architecture,
science and information systems, while another 21% went to mathematicians,
systems analysts and computer programmers. Overall, managers and
professionals accounted for 53% of the new jobs created but only 9% of the
jobs eliminated. The biggest losers were in "intermediate" jobs, mainly
clerical jobs in corporate purchasing and accounting departments, and in
banks and insurance companies. They accounted for 22.9% of the new jobs
created by computers, but fully 60% of the job types eliminated. (Toronto
Globe & Mail 15 Jan 97 B3)
AUTODESK BLUEPRINT TARGETS HOME IMPROVEMENT
Autodesk is launching a new product that offers a do-it-yourself approach
to designing kitchens, and plans to follow up with software for designing
homes and bathrooms. "This really is a huge category," says the CEO of
Books That Work, another do-it-yourself software maker. "It really is a
productive use of computers." The software allows users to experiment
with various photo-quality combinations of cupboards, countertops and
appliances, and view the result from various angles. (Wall Street Journal
15 Jan 97 B5)
HP COZIES UP TO INFORMIX, CISCO
Hewlett-Packard has cut deals with database maker Informix Corp. and
networking giant Cisco Systems to promote their products as part of an HP
marketing effort. Informix's Universal Server database, which is designed
to handle multimedia data picked up off the Web, will be bundled into HP's
Domain XE Enterprise Server this summer. And Cisco will recommend that
its customers purchase HP computers in exchange for HP touting the
benefits of Cisco networking products. "Companies must rapidly start
moving toward the model of a global networked business if they are to
prosper in the years ahead," says Cisco's CEO. (Investor's Business Daily
16 Jan 97 A6, A17)
OUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH E-MAIL
Forrester Researcher says 15% of the U.S. population now uses e-mail, up
from 2% in 1992. And they predict that within five years, that number
will rise to about 50%. "It's the most popular online activity," says a
Forrester analyst. "Growth will be fueled by the increase in home PC
penetration and the growth of Internet access in corporations.
Furthermore, the emergence of personalized services and tools that let
ordinary people combine graphics and attachments will help make e-mail a
preferred means of communication." (Investor's Business Daily 15 Jan 97
A6)
PHONE FRAUD IN ENGLAND
A man in England has filed suit against British Telecom because someone
was able to hack into his phone line and run up several thousand of
dollars in charges for calls to international sex lines. "This is not just
about money," the man said. "Like many others in my position I was
initially told by BT that phantom calls were not possible on a domestic
line, the implication being that one of my three sons must have made the
calls. That caused considerable and unjustified friction which affected the
whole family." BT insists it treats all customers fairly and says: "We
do not deny that domestic telephone fraud happens but it is rare. You have
more chance of becoming a millionaire on the lottery than becoming a victim
of telephone fraud." a spokesman said. But the Telecom Managers
Association, of which BT is a member, says: "There are only two types of
phone user -- those who have been defrauded and those who will be." (The
Sunday Times of London, 12 Jan 97)
MICROSOFT, INTUIT SET THE PACE FOR INTERNET BANKING
Microsoft and Intuit Inc. have teamed up with Atlanta-based CheckFree Corp.
to devise and promote a single standard for banking over the Internet.
The Open Financial Exchange standard seeks to establish rules for
exchanging financial data among financial institutions, businesses and
consumers over the Internet. Both Microsoft and Intuit will modify their
competing personal-finance programs to adhere to the new standard.
Conflicting standards have been cited as one reason that online banking
hasn't really caught on with consumers and financial institutions. "The
banks are saying we don't want to have all of these choices," says an
industry consultant. (Wall Street Journal 16 Jan 97 B4)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu).
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Adobe PageMaker 6.5 New Features STR Focus
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preview, helpful multimedia tutorials, and informative product tips.
Dictionary software for 17 languages
Including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Swedish.
On-line publishing
General new features
Hyperlinks palette
For authoring hyperlinks both within PageMaker publications and to any URL
on the World Wide Web. A
browser mode lets users test hyperlinks within a publication without
leaving PageMaker, and it can automatically launch the user's Web browser
to test URL links. Further, users can import hyperlinks from a single Web
page at once.
Automatic reformatting of publications
Users can choose to let PageMaker automatically reformat text and graphics
whenever they change page size or orientation, which is useful when
repurposing documents from a tall to a wide orientation for on-line
viewing. When reformatted, text blocks and graphics are resized to maintain
a similar page geometry.
Automatic conversion of graphics to JPEG and GIF file formats
When pages are exported to HTML or PDF, PageMaker automatically converts
TIFF images and EPS previews, PICT files, and Metafile graphics into JPEG
or GIF, file formats in wide use on the World Wide Web.
Drag and drop of hyperlinks from Web browsers into PageMaker software
Speeds up the process of authoring hyperlinks, saving time and reducing the
errors that can occur when typing URL addresses.
On-line publishing color library
Provides accurate, high-quality color consistency between platforms on the
World Wide Web. The 216 colors included in this library are specially
optimized for on-line distribution.
HTML features
Enhanced HTML Export plug-in
This feature makes it even easier to export content from PageMaker
publications for distribution on the World Wide Web. The enhanced HTML
Export plug-in now preserves hyperlinks and offers an improved user
interface and faster performance.
Drag and drop of elements from PageMaker int
Adobe PageMillT and Adobe SiteMillT software
Users can drag and drop elements from PageMaker directly into Adobe
PageMill, a Web authoring tool that
provides a visual environment for designing HTML pages, and Adobe SiteMill,
an advanced Web authoring
and site management tool.
Place HTML plug-in
Makes it easy to import HTML content from local drives or the World Wide
Web directly into PageMaker, with formatting and hyperlinks preserved.
Mapping of HTML styles to PageMaker styles
Automatic style mapping streamlines the process of exporting PageMaker
publications to HTML format and
importing HTML content into PageMaker files. PageMaker converts the 16
predefined HTML styles into its
own styles, and vice versa, so users do not need to manually redefine
styles.
Adobe Acrobat features
Support for Adobe Acrobat 3.0 software
With support for Adobe Acrobat 3.0, which is now optimized for viewing,
searching, and linking PDF files on the World Wide Web, fully formatted
PageMaker pages can be delivered on the Internet. Optimization of PDF
files for RGB color Ensures that the color in on-screen PDF files looks the
same as it does in PageMaker.
Free Adobe Acrobat software
PageMaker provides everything users need to publish and distribute their
publications as PDF files. Included in the package is a free copy of
Acrobat Distiller software, which converts PageMaker publications to PDF
files, and the freely distributable Acrobat Reader, which enables users to
view PDF files from any personal computer.
Color publishing
Multi-channel DCS support to and from Adobe Photoshop software
Makes it possible to edit hi-fi color images in Photoshop using the
Channel24 plug-in by VISU Technologies
(sold separately). PageMaker is the only professional page layout program
with built-in support for high-fidelity color, a six-color printing
technology that makes final publications even more distinctive and vivid.
Support for the ICC color management profile standard
The ICC standard lets different color management systems use the same
device profiles, making it possible to
create consistent, accurate color on the desktop without the hassle and
expense of rework.
Editing of hi-fi color values
PageMaker 6.5 provides end-users with more flexibility when producing hi-fi
color publications by allowing
editing of the cyan, magenta, yellow, orange, green, and black color values
in Hexachrome color definitions.
Display of color management status in the Edit Color dialog box Enables
users to more readily identify whether an individual color has been color-
managed.
ICC compliance for the Kodak Precision Color Management System
The Kodak Color Management System that's included with PageMaker now
supports the ICC standard, so
device profiles can easily be shared among different color management
systems.
Compatibility with products from other vendors
Right-mouse button menus for Windows 95 and Windows NT
Instantly provides context-sensitive access to menu commands related to the
selected item.
QuickTime import filter
Lets users place frames from QuickTime movies in PageMaker documents.
Other new import filters
For ClarisWorks 4.0 (Macintosh only) and Microsoftr Works 4.0 (Macintosh
only).
More extensible plug-in architecture
The underlying plug-in architecture has been greatly expanded to make
PageMaker even more extensible. Now developers have access to objects,
palettes, application events, plug-in private data, and communication
between plug-ins. In the near future, additional third-party PageMaker plug-
ins will be available.
Save for Service Provider plug-in
Consolidates everything needed to print a publication-including the
PageMaker publication, the fonts used,
and all linked graphics-into one location for easy hand-off to a service
provider. Also generates reports that
identify missing fonts, links, or graphics, and can even alert users to
potential PostScript errors.
Enhanced scripting tools
Writing scripts in PageMaker 6.5 is even more powerful and versatile,
because scripts can now include queries and commands.
Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
System Requirements
z Intel486 processor
z Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 Workstation operating system
z VGA display card
z CD-ROM drive (3.5" disk set available for purchase)
Total RAM installed
z 8 MB for Windows 95
z 16 MB for Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
z Plus default virtual-memory settings
z 26 MB of free hard-disk space for minimum installation
Recommendations
z Pentium or greater processor
z High-resolution (24-bit or greater Super VGA) video display card
z 24 MB or more of RAM installed
z 67 MB of free hard-disk space for full installation
z PostScript-language printer
z Macintosh and Power Macintosh
z System Requirements
z 68030 or greater processor
z Apple System Software version 7.1 or later
z 9" (PowerBook r ) or 13" or larger monitor (640 by 480 pixels)
z CD-ROM drive (3.5" disk set available for purchase)
RAM
z 6 MB of RAM available to PageMaker (Macintosh)*
z 9 MB of RAM available to PageMaker (Power Macintosh)*
z Additional RAM required to run Apple System Software
z 26 MB of free hard-disk space for minimum installation
* Based on PageMaker minimum installation
Recommendations
z PowerPC T processor
z Apple System Software version 7.5.3 or later
z High-resolution, 24-bit screen display
z 12 MB or more of RAM available to PageMaker
z 56 MB of free hard-disk space for full installation
z PostScript-language printer
z + PageMaker supports virtual memory.
Availability and pricing
In the United States and Canada, Adobe PageMaker 6.5 is expected to be
available in the fourth quarter of
1996. The suggested retail price is $895 (U.S.) for both versions.
Registered users of any version of PageMaker can upgrade to version 6.5 for
$99 (U.S.). Customers in the United States or Canada who purchase PageMaker
after August 9, 1996, are eligible to receive a free upgrade to version
6.5. For more information, customers can call Adobe at 800-42-ADOBE
(23623). Localized language versions and support and upgrade policies for
other countries will be announced later.
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Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
fsereno@streport.com
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
In the News
Hi there gang! This week's news is that The Kids' Computing Corner is
holding another drawing to give away a program. We have a copy of the
Macintosh version of Titanic: An Adventure Out of Time that will be awarded
to a lucky winner via a random drawing. Entries will be accepted through
12:01am Thursday, February 20 and the winner will be announced in the
February 21 edition of the Silicon Times Report. To enter, all you need to
do is send an e-mail to me with the word Titanic in either the message body
or the subject header. My e-mail addresses are fsereno@streport.com and
fsereno@matrix.uti.com. The winner will be notified by e-mail and the
prize will be shipped as soon as I have the winner's address. The staff of
STR Publishing and family members are not eligible for this contest.
Remember my promise to review The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs and then
compare the three recent dinosaur titles reviewed here? I'm hoping to get
that done for next week. Each of the last two weeks has seen Illinois
blanketed with six inches of snow or more in a single day. Digging out
from under Old Man Winter's fury has left me a bit short of editorial time.
I appreciate your patience!
Titanic: An Adventure Out of Time
Separate versions for Macintosh and Windows
msrp $59.99
for ages 13 and up
GTE Entertainment
Carlsbad CA 92009
619-431-8801
http://www.im.gte.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.1
CPU: 486DX/66 CPU: 68040
HD Space: ? HD Space: ?
Memory: 8 MB Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics:
256 colors, 13" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 8-bit Windows compatible sound card
Other: mouse
review by Jason Sereno (jason.sereno@mules-ear.com)
When we think of the R.M.S. Titanic, we think of tragedy and disaster. On
April 15, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the
Atlantic. 1500 passengers died on the Titanic's maiden voyage. Some of
these people were very wealthy and held great power. Deep sea technology
has let us see the R.M.S. Titanic as it lies on the ocean floor, but no one
has ever really experienced what it really felt like to travel in the huge
vessel.
This is where GTE entertainment and Cyberflix come in. 85 years after the
ship submerged in the ocean, they have created Titanic: Adventure Out of
Time. This new interactive suspense-drama from GTE Entertainment and
Cyberflix has been two years in the making. This program has over sixty-
five digital sets and millions of computerized polygons.
As you start the game, you are a British secret agent in Liverpool during
World War II. (Long after the Titanic has sunk in the North Atlantic.) You
are sitting in your loft when you hear sirens and you are apparently killed
in an explosion. You then awake and find that you are on the ship of the
R.M.S. Titanic. You have been assigned to a mission that could change the
course of the twentieth century.
All of the crew members believe that you have been feeling ill for the last
weeks, because the ship had already started sail a while before you "became
well again." The only person that truly knows your mission and who you are
is your contact on the ship, she is very helpful throughout the entire
game. You take your suitcase and your stopwatch to meet your contact and
to start your mission. Throughout your journey you will find mystery,
suspense drama, and uncover espionage. After the ship strikes the iceberg,
you must race against the clock to find the remaining clues and solve the
remaining puzzles.
With all the work put into this game, it is not surprising that the
graphics in this game are extraordinary. There are paintings and stained
glass windows that you can actually choose to look at more closely. The
detail is amazing! When you choose to speak with people in the game,
Titanic: Adventure out of Time uses many different pictures in a certain
order rather than movie footage. This saves from taking a long time to
load the movies, and still makes the motion look smooth and matches the
words the person is saying very nicely. (editor's note: It reminded me of
the old Clutch Cargo animated series that used static images but had moving
lips on the characters for speaking scenes.)
There are over two dozen characters that you can interact with. These
characters will remember their interactions with you, and can take away
privileges that you once had at different stages of the game. To prevent
yourself from being at a stage of the game where you cannot enter a desired
place, which you need to finish the game, you should save often. There is
a specific order that you must follow to finish the game correctly.
Characters are not the only type of interactive subjects in the game.
There are many objects that you can interact within the game. If you
choose to enter the gymnasium, you can take swings at a punching bag and
watch many different exercise machines operate. After you have left the
gymnasium, you can enter the Turkish or electric baths. They are both
operable also.
The only drawback in the game is its gameplay. You are looking at the
screen through first-person perspective, yet you are limited to the places
you may go. You can only go certain directions from certain places, and
there are many doors that are off limits to you also. This takes from the
games fun factor. There is also no backward key, so you must do a one-
hundred-eighty degree turn to travel backwards.
If you don't feel like being raced against the clock to finish the game,
Titanic: Adventure Out of Time offers a guided tour as well. This helps
you get a feel for the game, if you would rather travel the ship before you
start the game. The tour has a lot of information about the Titanic and is
very educational. When you start the tour, there are three interactive
tour guides that will help you discover the ship. Titanic will feature
additional tour guides which can be downloaded from the game's Web Site at
http://www.im.gte.com within the current months.
I feel that this game has the same problem as other current titles: A
software company thinks that just because a game has great graphics, they
don't have to worry about the gameplay. This is not true. Most serious
gamers would take gameplay over graphics any day. This game is for
children thirteen years and over, because it contains realistic violence.
Even if you feel that your children are mature enough to play the game, you
may find that many of the words and overall scenarios may be too
complicated for a smaller child to comprehend. The guided tour, on the
other hand, would be fine for smaller children.
Overall, the game would be worthwhile if you are interested in the great
tragedy. At the same time, if people are criticizing O.J. Simpson for
making millions of dollars off of a book deal, why should a company be
making money as a result of a disaster that killed over 1500 people? The
game in itself is very dark and downright eerie at times. But if you want
a game with terrific graphics and a whole lot of plot, check out Titanic:
Adventure Out of Time.
Fox Kids Network CD-ROM Comics
Hybrid-format for Windows and Macintosh
msrp $9.99 each
kids of all ages
Inverse Ink
785A Castro Street
Mountain View CA 94041
415-938-1118
http://www.inverse.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.0
CPU: 486/33 CPU: Mac II or
higher
HD Space: 2 MB HD Space:
1 MB
Memory: 8 MB Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors Graphics:
256 colors, 13" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: MPC compliant sound card
Other: mouse
review by Frank Sereno (fsereno@streport.com)
Inverse Ink with the Fox Kids Network has introduced new CD-ROM comics
based on Fox's animated children's series. Life with Louie, The Tick,
Bobby's World and Eek!stravaganza are now available in first edition
issues. These easy-to-use multimedia comics are aimed at children ages 6
to 12. Featuring colorful graphics, musical soundtracks and first-rate
voice characterizations, the programs will delight many children.
The titles are:
The Tick: The Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold
Eek!Stravaganza: The EEX Files
Life with Louie: Lake Winnibigoshish
Bobby's World: One Clump or Two?
The CD-ROM comics are at least twenty pages long. Each page contains
multiple frames with many of these featuring hot spot links to animations.
Many frames are links to QuickTime movies culled directly from the
television series. Each page also features original background music and
many panels have their own musical accompaniment.
The target age group for these titles are children ages 6 to 12. My own
sons, ages 6 and 8, were not very interested in these products, but I think
it has more to do with their lack of familiarity with the characters. I do
believe that many children will enjoy these titles but they lack replay
value and they have limited educational value. If your children are fans
of these particular shows, then they will probably enjoy these CD-ROM's
greatly.
Personally, I really liked Eek!stravaganza. This particular episode was
written by Savage Steve Holland who is also the executive producer of the
series. He was the main creative force behind a couple of my favorite
movies, "Better Off Dead" and "One Crazy Summer." I really enjoy his sense
of humor and view of life. This episode of Eek!stravaganza features
delightful parodies of Star Trek: The Original Series and The X-Files. The
Tick is amusing too. It's another of those superhero in tights stories in
which the main character has all the brawn and his sidekick has all the
brains. It's formulaic, but the concept is done well in this particular
episode. Bobby's World and Life with Louie teach little parables about
life and how to treat people in the best way possible.
I think this medium holds a lot of potential, but to make it a more
worthwhile experience would probably make producing it more expensive. I
really believe they need an original story and characters that are designed
for this type of presentation. I feel they need more hotspots for greater
interactivity. More games and learning activities would create greater
interest and increase the replay value of these products. Of these four
titles, only two have playable games. In Bobby's World, you move Bobby
around a maze and in Life with Louie you can do a little matching game.
There should 3 or 4 games per title and they should offer user selectable
difficulty levels.
To sum it up, these titles are very inexpensive and should be enjoyable for
most kids. The titles don't have a great amount of replay value and not
much in educational content. I think the format needs improvement with
more interactive content but that will most likely increase consumer costs.
Fans of these series would probably be ecstatic to receive these CD-ROM's.
If money is tight, it's best to pass up these titles. If your expendable
cash is readily available, these won't be bad additions to your children's
software libraries but it just seems that this format hasn't reached its
true potential yet.
Front Page Sports Baseball Pro '96
Windows CD-ROM
about $40
ages 6 and up
Sierra On-Line
Bellevue WA 98007
http://www.sierra.com
Program Requirements
OS: Windows 3.1
CPU: 486
HD Space: 26 MB
Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 x 480, 256 colors
CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 16-bit sound card
Optional: joystick, printer
review by Jason Sereno (jason.sereno@mules-ear.com)
Well baseball fans, Sierra has recently released their Front Page Sports
Baseball 96. This game has excellent animation. You can play on every
major league field, and pick from all your favorite players. It also lets
you manage a baseball team of your own and even design your own league with
teams that you have selected. You can trade players, sign free agents, and
even change the color of your favorite team's uniforms.
Front Page Sports Baseball uses a unique animation that has been
trademarked by the Front Page Sports series. The realism of the player's
motion and the smooth animation truly makes the game unique. The only part
of the game that doesn't use this animation is when a player is in the
batter's box. Then, the game uses the traditional type of view used by
most baseball games for the PC and most gaming systems. Unlike most
though, it shows the batter's batting average and how successful he has
been at bat that day on a small window on the screen. It also shows an
overhead view of the field that displays the locations of runners, the
ball, and the defense. Even though at times the screen might be too
crowded with windows, you can place the extra windows that display the
batting order and things of that sort in the corners of your screen.
Although, if you would prefer not to have these extra windows at all, you
can close them and bring them up again when you need them.
Front Page Sports Baseball also has an instant replay option. If you hit a
450-foot home run or make a diving catch to win the game, you can save it
to a disk and play it anytime you'd like. You can use one of many
different camera angles during replays or even while playing the game.
This program also lets you make your own baseball association with the
teams that only you choose. You can name yourself a manager of a team in
an association also. While manager, you can trade players, assign free
agents, move up AA and AAA players, and even change the color of your
team's uniforms. While playing in the game, the managerial options are
calling on players to pinch hit, relieving pitchers, or stealing bases.
The sound in the game simulates a real ballpark. You can even hear a
heckler up in the stands as the batter steps up to the plate. The crowd
rises to their feet as the home team scores and boos as the visiting team
crosses the plate. You can even hear enthusiastic music as the bases are
loaded. And of course, no game would be complete without the National
Anthem before the game and the playing of "Take me out to the Ball Game"
in the seventh inning stretch.
Front Page Sports Baseball also has many different individual skill levels.
You have the option to just manage a team. Although, if you choose to play
in the game, you can swing or pitch to a certain area of the plate, or you
may just pick the type of pitch and swing you will use. This dramatically
increases the level of difficulty in the game. I prefer the type where you
select the type of pitch and swing only, but you still have to swing on
time. The baserunning and fielding also have different levels of
difficulty you can choose, but I found that running the bases and fielding
were not too difficult.
All in all, this is a very well balanced game. It has great graphics, but
still has good playability, and you do need some intelligence to play if
you decide to manage a team by yourself. This game can have up to 2
players at once, but can have up to 8 people managing 8 different teams
throughout a season. This game should be a pleasant surprise to baseball
fans of all ages. It is easy enough for kids who already understand the
fundamentals of baseball and can be enjoyed by adults also. This game is
very realistic, and doesn't have the violence that we have seen in this
past season of baseball.
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STReport International Online Magazine
U.S. ROBOTICS ADDS MORE THAN 60 ISPs
BRINGING TO 100 THE NUMBER SUPPORTING x2 TECHNOLOGY
FOR 56 KBPS INTERNET AND REMOTE ACCESS
ISPs Represent More Than 16 Million Subscribers Who Will Have Access to
Faster Downloads Over Standard Phone Lines
SKOKIE, Ill., -- January 6, 1997 -- U.S. Robotics (NASDAQ:USRX) today
announced that it has added more than 60 Internet service providers,
bringing to 100 the number now supporting U.S. Robotics'
x2[tm] technology, which provides Internet and on-line connections over
regular phone lines at up to 56 Kbps -- nearly twice as fast as those
currently available.
The 100 ISPs supporting x2 include regional and national ISPs, plus the
world's largest global ISPs and online services. U.S. Robotics has just
launched its ISP Xtreme Advantage Program, which provides co-marketing
opportunities for ISPs, and will continue expanding the list of ISPs
supporting x2 as the program gets underway. The list of ISPs committed to
supporting x2 to date represents a total of more than 16 million consumer
and business subscribers.
"The support we're receiving for x2 technology is overwhelming, and we're
pleased that regional and global ISPs and on-line service providers have
lined up behind this breakthrough technology," said Ross Manire,
senior vice president and general manager of U.S. Robotics' Network Systems
Division. "People from all parts of the world will be using x2 technology
to download graphics-intensive files and other data at
nearly double the current maximum analog modem speed."
U.S. Robotics expects to be first to market with a 56 Kbps product, and
anticipates that it will deliver the only complete, end-to-end solution for
56 Kbps with products for both ends of the connection available in the
first quarter of 1997.
"Because U.S. Robotics controls its DSP technology, our ISP customers can
upgrade their remote access servers in their points of presence via a
software upgrade, enabling them to easily add x2 support," Manire said.
"And, they can easily upgrade to other new technologies by adding new
software, protecting their technology investment and giving them the
flexibility to easily add new capabilities."
The following is a list of the 100 Internet Service Providers that have
announced their support for U.S. Robotics' x2 technology:
Australia
Microplex
Netexpress
Austria
Netway
Belgium
PPC SYS
Brazil
Integris/Algarnet
Itanet On-Line Ltda
Canada
Canada Internet Direct Inc.
Compu-SOLVE Technologies Inc.
HookUp
Hypertech North Inc.
iStar Internet
Managed Network Systems, Inc.
Ocean Enterprises Inc.
France
Grolier Interactive Europe
Germany
Bertelsmann ZI/MediaWays
metronet
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Star Internet
Hong Kong Telecom
Japan
ASCII
Business Network Telecom
Global Online
Japan Telecom
Tokyo Internet
Malaysia
MIMOS
Norway
Mimer AS
Telenor Online
Portugal
Automail/Transnet
Puerto Rico
Telecom Plaza Corp.
Taiwan
New Silkera Network
WowNet
United Kingdom
Cable Online
Technocom plc
UUNET Pipex
United States
Access Unlimited
ACD Internet Services
All-Net
AlphaTech On-line
America Online/ANS
American DataNet, Inc.
Atlantic Internet Services
B4~Futures
Binary Net
Carolina Chat
ColusaNET
Commonwealth Telephone Company
CompuServe
Cyber Max
CyberGate
CyberZone Communications
DeepWell Internet Services
Discovernet
Discovery Online
DSS Online
Dynasty Online, Inc.
Enternet Communications Inc.
Exec-PC
FlashNet
HKAN Online
I-Land Internet Services
IBM Global Network/Advantis
Indra's Net, Inc.
Inet Communications Company
International Services Network Corporation Internet Doorway, Inc.
Internet Nexus
Internet Tidal Wave
Internet Walkabout
interQuest.com
ioNET
Las Vegas Digital Internet
MCI
Micronet Communication
Mindspring
Mother.com, Inc.
Netcom
Netplex
NetWalk
North American Internet
Novia Internetworking
PalmNet On-line
PE.net
Prodigy
San Marcos Internet, Inc.
SNET
Softcom
Software Solutions Ltd.
Southern Maryland Internet, Inc.
Spacestar Communications
TDS TELECOM
Texas Metronet Inc.
Tidal Wave Communications Inc.
TOAST.Net
TriNet Communications Inc.
US Internet Corp.
U S West
Web America Networks
West Coast Online
Wharton County Network
World Trade Network Inc.
WWW Internet Solutions, Inc.
U.S. Robotics is one of the world's leading suppliers of products and
systems that provide access to information. The company designs,
manufactures, markets and supports remote access servers, LAN switching
equipment, desktop/mobile client products and modems, telephony products
and handheld organizers. U.S. Robotics products connect computers and
other equipment over analog, digital and switched cellular networks,
enabling users to gain access to, manage and share data, fax and voice
information. Its customers include Internet service providers, regional
Bell operating companies, inter- exchange carriers and a wide range of
other large and small businesses, institutions and individuals. The
company's fiscal 1996 sales were $1.97 billion.
Additional input from U.S. Robotics' x2 supporters
"If an Internet service provider wants to stay ahead of the game, it needs
to stay ahead of technology! U.S. Robotics' x2 technology is the game that
needs to be played right now."
--Steve Moody, Owner AlphaTech On-line, Hendersonville, North Carolina
"In this business, you cannot afford to be behind the times. With USR's new
x2 technology, we can stay on pace with our customers and ahead of the
competition."
--Robert McElwee, President Carolina Chat, Inc., Ladson, South Carolina
"Today, ISPs are popping up everywhere. In order to succeed in this
highly competitive business, you must be reliable and state of the art. x2
is both, and gives my company a leading edge."
--Bill Devine, Owner HKAN Online, Alpharetta, Georgia "With U.S.
Robotics' Total Control Enterprise Network Hubs installed, our performance
and reliability have put us over the top compared to our competition."
--Marshall Morgan, President Internet Doorway, Inc., Jackson, Mississippi
"x2 gives our customers something the competition can't offer: high speed
analog access. Now."
--Dougal Campbell, Systems Manager interQuest.com Online Services,
Huntsville, Alabama "This is incredible. x2 will now afford average
computer users the ability to surf the Net or listen to their favorite
music over the Internet at near ISDN speed without increased cost. Thanks
to U.S. Robotics, Tidal Wave Communications becomes a premier Internet
Service Provider."
--Brian Bird, President & C.E.O.Tidal Wave Communications, Inc., Chantilly,
Virginia
"Knowing U.S. Robotics' reputation in the online industry, I'm certain that
x2 will be a quantum leap in modem technology. My users are already asking
how to upgrade. This is certain to be a big hit!"
--Rick Kunze, General Manager
ColusaNET, Williams, California
"U.S. Robotics has always been a leading player in the modem industry, from
superior stand-alone modems for end users to excellent access
concentrators for the Internet Service Providers themselves. The company
has continued its advances in modem technology with this latest x2
release."
--Ian Briggs, President
DeepWell Internet Services, Rancho Cordova, California
"With faster download speeds, x2 technology crushes the existing 33.6 Kbps
ceiling! Thanks, U.S. Robotics."
--Philip D. Kippen, Director of Operations Marketing Enternet
Communications Inc., Van Nuys, California "As an Internet service
provider, we need to constantly respond to our customers' demands for
faster Internet access. Our client base eagerly adopted U.S. Robotics'
33.6 Kbps standard as soon as it became available, and are already calling
us about x2. We're thrilled that we're one of the few ISPs positioned to
offer x2 in Colorado, where ISDN access is difficult and time-consuming
to obtain. Best of all, it's a simple and affordable upgrade, both for us
and for our customers."
--Shelli Meyers, President
Indra's Net, Inc., Boulder, Colorado
"We know we've hit the jackpot with U.S. Robotics. Top of the line products
and fantastic customer support give us a winning hand!"
--Lori Drake, President
Las Vegas Digital Internet, Las Vegas, Nevada
"We are pleased to be a part of U.S. Robotics' x2 technology. Our customers
demand the best, and that's what we intend to provide them with this new
technology."
--Mike Quinn, General Manager and Editor PE.net, Riverside, California
"With our installed base of Total Control products, Commonwealth Telephone
Company strongly endorses x2 technology for our epix Internet Services.
Because of the ease with which we and our customers will be able to
upgrade to x2, we will aggressively promote and deploy the technology. We
believe the 56 Kbps access rate will provide a significant competitive
advantage and increased functionality as Internet content becomes
increasingly complex. For our broad base of dial-up users, x2 technology
will provide affordable and practical high speed access for the
foreseeable future."
--Joe Gaydos, Manager-Technical Staff Commonwealth Telephone Company,
Dallas, Pennsylvania
"We are thrilled to be one of the first providers of x2 technology in
northwest Ohio."
--Kevin David, PresidentEnd User Computing (parent company of TOAST.Net),
Toledo, Ohio "We at Internet Tidal Wave are proud of our reputation for
reliability and customer satisfaction. We attribute much of that to the
U.S. Robotics products we use for our network. With the advent of this new
throughput capacity, U.S. Robotics once again proves why it's the brand of
choice for Internet Tidal Wave as well as ISPs around the world."
--Steve Heflin, President
Internet Tidal Wave, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
"NetWalk is confident that adopting U.S. Robotics' new x2 technology will
help us maintain our cutting-edge advantage over our competitors and
provide superior service levels to our customers. We've used USR equipment
from day one, and recently converted our stand-alone modems to the Total
Control platform. The implementation of x2 technology is simply the next
logical step in the evolutionary process."
--Todd Price, Vice President
NetWalk, Columbus, Ohio
"We've been using U.S. Robotics products exclusively ever since we started.
I can't say enough about the reliability and the performance of their
products. x2 technology is just another example in their long history of
innovation and excellence."
--Fred Brechbiel, PresidentSouthern Maryland Internet, Dunkirk, Maryland
"We're very excited about the prospects for 56 Kbps data delivery to our
subscribers. This x2 technology will enable our clients to more
effectively exploit the vast potential of the Internet. As a USR client,
Dynasty Online welcomes the opportunity to participate in this exciting
technology."
--Jeff Albright, President
Dynasty Online, Inc., Evansville, Indiana
"We are looking forward to utilizing this new technology to expand our
service offerings to our customer base at an affordable rate."
--Curt Shambeau, Vice President
Exec-PC, Inc., New Berlin, Wisconsin
"I have customers requesting ISDN, but the local telephone company does not
provide that service. x2 technology fills this void as well as giving us a
technical advantage above the competition."
--Wilson Rook, Webmaster Internet Walkabout, New Era, Michigan
"It's nice to see U.S. Robotics leading the field in 56 Kbps technology.
x2 should provide a bigger bang for our customers' bucks!"
--Steven L. Rodgers, President
TriNet Communications, Inc., Whitestown, Indiana
"Signing up for U.S. Robotics' ISP Xtreme Advantage Program keeps Binary
Net the leader in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area in providing cutting-edge
technology to Internet service users. Our customers keep current with
industry trends and expect the technology to be available to them. Some of
our customers' competitive advantages depend on connection speed and
reliability of connection. Binary Net pledges to meet customers' needs. By
introducing support for x2 technology, we 'kill two rabbits with one shot':
keep existing users satisfied and gain a competitive advantage in a
rapidly expanding market. Isn't that Xtremely Advantageous!?"
--Betty Hutchinson, Vice President
Binary Net, Lincoln, Nebraska
"x2 will provide higher performance for Internet and network access without
resorting to more technical and expensive means. The fact that it is
compatible with our systems preserves our investment in U.S. Robotics
modem technology and allows us to provide better service without additional
expenditures. All POPs will be upgraded remotely."
--Leonard Conn, President & C.E.O. ioNET, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma "Web
America Networks will be upgrading 100 percent of its modems to x2
technology. We're excited about being able to upgrade our Total Control
equipment to offer 56 Kbps throughput to our customers. The x2 technology
will allow our customers to access the Internet with higher throughput
speeds close to that of ISDN without the added expense associated with
that technology."
--Philip Midkiff, President
Web America Networks, Inc., Dallas, Texas
"Wt.net will promote x2 technology through a special section on our Web
pages, and we'll upgrade our network to handle x2 technology."
--Jack Jui, President
World Trade Network Inc., Houston, Texas
"Canada Internet Direct and U.S. Robotics share a common interest in
providing consumers with the newest available technologies. Speed is in
demand, and x2 is one product that will enhance our network to deliver
increased download speeds and a more enjoyable Internet experience for our
customers."
--Shawn Chute, President
Canada Internet Direct Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada
"ISPs and industry analysts are looking at x2 and noting the advantages of
this increased speed without the high costs associated with ISDN. For our
customers, x2 is even more attractive, since ISDN lines are not available
to more than 98 percent of them, while x2 uses their existing telephone
lines. In addition to using 100 percent of U.S. Robotics' Total Control
products in our POPs, our retail store stocks only U.S. Robotics modems,
which means that a majority of our customers will be rewarded with an
inexpensive upgrade to x2."
--Markus Baumann, Manager-Internet Division
Compu-SOLVE Technologies Inc., Midland, Ontario, Canada
"Marina Internet Services, located in a thriving Acadian community in Baie
Sainte Marie, Nova Scotia, started providing Internet connections in
October 1995 using USR modems, and they've served us well. When x2
technology was announced, my customers were excited at the possibility of
surfing at higher speeds. Cable modems won't be around for a while, so
Marina Internet Services is pleased to be associated with U.S. Robotics in
bringing x2 to this area."
--Micael Belliveau, PresidentOcean Enterprises Inc. (Marina Internet
Services), Nova Scotia, Canada "With the addition of x2 56 Kbps
capability, our U.S. Robotics central site system is now ideal for serving
our rapidly growing corporate Internet user base. Users now demand higher
modem speeds and ISDN connections."
--R. David Guthrie, Chairman
Technocom plc, Slough, United Kingdom
Editor's Note: A list of ISPs supporting x2 may be found at
http://x2.usr.com/leaders/index.html; this list will be updated daily as
ISPs continue to join U.S. Robotics' Xtreme Advantage Program.
U.S. ROBOTICS SYSOP SUPPORT PROGRAM
PRODUCT PRICE
Prices subject to change without notice. The Courier I-Modem is now
available on the sysop program! The I-Modem connects directly to a BRI
ISDN line using its integrated NT-1. The I-Modem will connect to other ISDN
devices at speeds up to 128k, and to analog modems at speeds up to 33.6k.
It supports all the analog features of the Courier V.Everything, including
V.34/V.FC/Fax. An analog device port is included, which can be used for
dialing out with an analog telephone or modem.
Courier I-Modem ISDN/V.34 Model 1 External
$ 349
Courier I-Modem ISDN/V.34 Model 1 Internal (ISA)
$ 299
Courier I-Modem ISDN/V.34 Model 1 for Macintosh
$ 349
Courier V.Everything w/V.34 & FAX External
$ 199
Courier V.Everything w/V.34 & FAX Internal
$ 175
Courier V.Everything w/V.34 & FAX for Macintosh
$ 199
Sportster Voice w/V.34 & FAX External
$ 140
Sportster Voice w/V.34 & FAX Internal
$ 120
Sportster Voice w/V.34 & FAX for Macintosh
$ 140
Sportster 33.6k w/V.34 & FAX External
$ 120
Sportster 33.6k w/V.34 & FAX Internal
$ 107
Sportster 33.6k w/V.34 & FAX for Macintosh
$ 120
Sportster Winmodem 33.6k w/ V.34 & FAX Internal
$ 80
Note: The Winmodem REQUIRES a Windows-based BBS system. It will operate
with Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups 3.x, and Windows 3.x based
software.
* European Sysops must now order via our office in France.
The BBS number is +33 20 87 62 24, voice number is +33 20 87 04 00. Be
sure to read their EURODEAL rules as they differ from USR/USA.
***For detailed information and technical specifications on the above
products, call the U.S. Robotics Technical Support Department at 800-550-
7800. For more information on the sysop program select option #2. For
technical support on Courier V.Everything products select option #4, then
option #1. For technical support on Courier I-Modem products select option
#4, then option #2. International callers can call 1-847- 982-5010. You can
also FAX at 847-676-7314 or try our Fax on Demand at 800-762-6163 or 847-
676-8536. In Europe call +33 20 87 04 00 or FAX +33 20 87 04 04.
U.S. ROBOTICS SYSOP SUPPORT PROGRAM
General:
This section describes the rules of the U.S. Robotics SYSOP Program. U.S.
Robotics reserves the right to modify or change these rules at any time.
Scope:
The U.S. Robotics SYSOP Program permits QUALIFIED SYSOPs to purchase
current U.S. Robotics products at a reduced price. The purpose of this
program is to continue the close relationship established many years ago
between U.S. Robotics and the Sysop community. Participants should
recognize that our ability to continue the program is dependent upon the
strong position U.S. Robotics enjoys in the reseller channel, with the
distributors and dealers, VARs, etc. that continue to buy and resell our
products to home and business users around the world. It is our intent to
maintain the integrity of our channel relationships by closely
scrutinizing each SYSOP sale to ensure that we only sell products to
qualified SYSOPs.
Qualifications:
1. This program is designed for traditional bulletin board systems that do
not offer internet access. Internet service providers may take advantage
of other programs offered by U.S. Robotics by calling 1-800-USR- CORP.
International callers may call 1-847-982-5010.
2. Traditional bulletin board systems that also offer premium internet
services may qualify for this program, but must be limited to 10 modems
per year. The primary purpose of the bulletin board system must be the
system's non-internet features. Premium internet services include the World
Wide Web, Telnet, FTP,
IRC, and SLIP/PPP access.
3. The SYSOP states that he/she is NOT in the business of reselling
computer products and/or related peripherals, including modems. Qualified
resellers may take advantage of other programs offered by U.S. Robotics by
calling (800) 342-5877 and asking for the dealer sales representative for
your area. International callers may call 1-847-982-5010.
4. The SYSOP has been operating the bulletin board system for at least six
(6) months and that this activity can be verified by dialing into the
bulletin board system. Typically user logs, activity logs, and local
message bases are a good source for verifying activity.
*** The exception to this rule is as follows:
If you are a registered owner of any of the following software packages US
Robotics automatically waives the 6 month verification portion of the
qualifications. US Robotics is proud to have entered into this agreement
with:
The participating vendors are:
PC Board(Clark Development ) (800)356-1686 Voice Dos
(801)261-8976 BBS
Wildcat!(Mustang Software Inc.) (800)999-9619 Voice Dos
(805)873-2400 BBS
TBBS(eSOFT) (303)699-6565 Voice Dos
(303)699-8222 BBS
(303)699-6872 FAX
Power Board(NUIQ Software Inc.) (914)833-3479 Voice Dos
(914)833-1479 BBS
(914)834-7830 BBS
(914)833-3623 FAX
Searchlight (800)988-LITE Voice Dos
(216)631-9290 BBS
Front Door(Absolute Solutions) (207)941-1110 Voice Dos
(207)990-3511 BBS
RemoteAccess(Wantree Development) (913)262-4638 Voice Dos
(913)262-7000 BBS
The Major BBS (Galaticomm, Inc.) (800)328-1128 Voice Dos or
Unix
(954)583-7808 BBS
First Class (SoftArc) (905)415-7000 Voice Mac(E-
Mail)
(905)415-7070
TeleFinder (Spider Island) (714)453-8095 Voice Mac
(714)453-8190 BBS
DLG (TelePro Technologies) (403)341-7826 Voice Amiga
(403)347-3262 BBS
Celerity/Alacrity (Lexicon Computing) (310)693-9405 BBS Dos
TEAMate (MMB Development Corp) (310)318-1322 Voice Unix
(310)318-5302 BBS
Vision-X (Eid Youssef) (613)728-4861 Voice Dos
(613)728-5787 BBS
(613)728-7959 BBS
Hermes II (Computer Classifieds) (206)643-2316 Voice Mac
(206)643-2874 BBS
NovaLink Professional(ResNova Software) (714)379-9000 Voice Mac
(714)379-9004 BBS
MediaHost for Windows (819)682-9737 Voice Windows
(MediaHouse Software Inc.) (819)682-3330 BBS
(819)685-0994 FAX
Xenolink(Xenomiga Technology) (416)927-7844 Voice Amiga
(416)929-2392 FAX
TSX BBS (S&H Computer Systems Inc.) (615)327-3670 Voice Dos
(615)321-5929 FAX
(615)320-1820 BBS
AdeptXBBS (AdeptSoft) (407)883-0999 Voice OS/2
(407)483-2480 FAX
(407)477-6310 BBS
sales@adeptsoft.com
5. The SYSOP understands that the number of modems that may be obtained
under this program is limited to the number of working, VERIFIABLE data
lines. Data lines MUST be dedicated for modem use only and MUST be
available 24 hours a day for modem access. Modems purchased under this
program MUST be used on one of the stated lines.
6. The SYSOP agrees to post an appropriate logon notice, visible to users
of the bulletin board, which states that said bulletin board uses and
supports U.S. Robotics brand products.
7. The SYSOP agrees that he/she intends to operate the bulletin board, for
which these products are purchased, for at least six (6) months post
purchase. The U.S. Robotics logon must remain in effect for six (6)
months to allow verification that the bulletin board is in place and that
the U.S. Robotics promotional message is being displayed.
8. The SYSOP agrees that, in order to avoid conflict with the U.S.
Robotics reseller channel, modems purchased under this program cannot be
re-sold without the expressed written consent of U.S. Robotics. Violation
of this policy will result in the SYSOP's being ineligible for future
participation in the U.S. Robotics SYSOP program. In addition, any
warranties on modems re-sold without U.S. Robotics authorization will be
null and void.
9. The SYSOP understands that initialization of the verification process
may take from one (1) to fifteen (15) days depending on the number of
orders being processed by the SYSOP Support Department, and difficulty in
verifying your bulletin board. Shipment of product will take from six (6)
to eight (8) weeks. If product is not available, longer delays may apply.
U.S. Robotics will ship product(s) to QUALIFIED SYSOPs as soon as possible
after:
A. The SYSOP completes the order form and questionnaire found on the U.S.
Robotics BBS via the SYSOP command at the main menu. These must be
filled-out on-line as no mail-in orders will be accepted.Prepaid orders
will NOT be processed until payment has been received by U.S. Robotics.
After placing an order on the board, a SYSOP wishing to prepay his/her
order should send a money order or cashier's check for U.S. funds to:
U.S. Robotics
SYSOP Support Program
7770 N. Frontage Rd.
Skokie, IL 60077
It is imperative that the SYSOP name, voice phone number and BBS phone
number be indicated for identification purposes. A personal or company
check is acceptable, but the check must be certified. NO CHECKS OR MONEY
ORDERS WILL BE DEPOSITED BY U.S. ROBOTICS UNTIL THE SYSOP's BBS HAS BEEN
VERIFIED.
Wire transfers MUST be pre-approved by the
U.S. Robotics Sysop Department.
U.S. Robotics will now accept credit card orders.
(Visa or Mastercard only) The ordering door will take
all the credit card information online. Charges will
not be applied to the account until the BBS has been
verified by a SYSOP administrator.
z The SYSOP understands that once an order is placed, it cannot be
changed. If you are uncertain as to the product you want to purchase,
you may consult the Information & Text Files file area of this bulletin
board for product information. Or, you may call the U.S. Robotics
Technical Support Department at (800) 550-7800 or call our Fax on Demand
system at 800-762-6163 or 847-676-8536.
z Your board will be verified by a U.S. Robotics Online Support Analyst.
We MUST be able to connect with your bulletin board to verify board
status. In the event that we are uncertain of your board status, you
will be notified by a U.S. Robotics representative. We will advise you as
best we can as to what you need to provide in order to have your board
verified (appropriate logon, copy of phone bill, software registration,
etc.). In no case will we verify a board until we are certain that it
meets the requirements of the program.
z U.S. Robotics will not accept voice phone-in orders.
z U. S. Robotics reserves the right to modify, change or cancel this
program at any time.
z If you have any questions regarding this program, please call (800)
550-7800 for clarification.
THANK YOU
ADDENDUM
We realize that all Bulletin Boards are not the same and we are not always
able to ascertain their validity during our normal verification process.
In order not to exclude those Bulletin Boards from our program, we may
request additional information such as copies of telephone bills, proof of
software purchase and/or registration and network and association
membership. This information will only be requested by U.S. Robotics in
rare cases and can not be used solely as a means of qualification.
Before placing an order, please take steps to ensure the process goes as
easily as possible.
1. Create a login for U.S. Robotics
2. Ensure no questionnaires or voting is necessary
3. If your logon requires information other than password be sure to
include this information on the order.
4. Once this is established logon under the U.S. Robotics ID and look for
verifiable proof of six months activity. If you can't find it, odds are
we won't be able to either.
US Robotics CAN NOT download special software to verify your BBS.
We support the basic communication platforms.
U.S. Robotics is determined to provide a SYSOP Program which is fair and
equitable to everyone. Any requests made of SYSOPs in order to verify
Bulletin Boards are made in order to ensure that the program serves the
entire SYSOP community and protect the USR distribution channel as well.
We will make every effort to process each and every order in a professional
and courteous manner. Please help us to provide the type of service you
want and deserve by filling-out the order form as completely and
accurately as possible and responding to our requests for additional
information in a prompt manner.
THANK YOU
Contact Points for U.S. Robotics
BBS - 847-982-5092 (Enter messages to "SYSOP SUPPORT" for ??s
about this program)FAX - 847-676-7314Fax on Demand - 800-762-
6163 or 847-676-8536Compuserve - GO USROBOTICS 76711,707America
Online - Keyword USROBOTICS
FIDO - 1:115/500
RIME - USRUSA #174
PRIME - 98:212/1
Internet - support@usr.com - http://www.usr.com - ftp.usr.com
Voice Sysop Support
- 800-550-7800 1-847-982-5010 Sales & Literature - 800-
DIAL-USR 1-847-982-501012/30/96U.S. Robotics Inc.
Gaming Hotwire STR Feature - The World of Contemporary Gaming
Featuring the Action from;
"Video Gaming Central" on CompuServe
N64 Support Increases STR Infofile
Press Release
Paradigm Partners with Video System
Video System Selects Paradigm Entertainment to Produce Three Games for the
Nintendo 64 Home Video Game System.Dallas -- January 13, 1997 -- Paradigm
Simulation, Inc., a world leader in visual and audio simulation, virtual
reality and entertainment applications and products, today announced its
entertainment division, Paradigm Entertainment, will develop three video
games for Japan-based Video System. Video System will direct and produce
the game, utilizing the 3D technology of Paradigm Entertainment. The games
will run on the Nintendo 64 home video game system. Video System has
targeted the first game to be released in Japan in Summer 1997, with the
additional two games planned for a late 1997 release.
The initial game will be Sonic Wings Assault, a Nintendo 64 follow-up to
the successful Sonic Wings series. With its single- and two-player modes,
the game combines the excitement of air-combat simulation and the fun of
"shoot-em up" action games. Players will have a choice from friendly
aircraft and pilot combinations, each with their own distinctive flying
characteristics, and will be pitted against a variety of enemy forces.
Available weapons will include realistic systems plus a number of unique,
futuristic choices.
"Paradigm Entertainment is recognized worldwide for its amazing graphics
and creative content. During the ast few years, the video game market has
taken a drastic turn from traditional 2D to realistic 3D game technology,
coupled with the introduction of the Nintendo 64 game console. To keep up
with this change, Video System has been searching for a good partner who
can provide us with the newest and proven 3D technology for producing the
next generation of video games. Our past experience and knowledge in the
industry will surely be the perfect match to Paradigm Entertainment's
graphics technology and tools," said Koji Furukawa, president of Video
System. "We look forward to showing the world some extraordinary games this
year."
"From the first Sonic Wings (Aero Fighters in the U.S.) sold in 1992, I
have always envisioned a 3D version that would add tremendous visual
impact and excitement to the game. We can't wait to show the game to all
the Aero Fighters fans throughout the world!," added Mitsuo Kimura,
president of McO'River Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Video System.
Paradigm Entertainment, which developed the internationally acclaimed Pilot
Wings 64 for Nintendo of America, is using its UltraVision tool to develop
the games. UltraVision consists of the run-time libraries and rendering
engine, plus a suite of off-line tools to pull all game elements together.
The purpose of the tool is to provide a highly productive software
environment that allows developers to focus on the elements of game play
and application development, rather than of the details of hardware
implementation.
"UltraVision allows us to rapidly prototype and develop game content while
maintaining a focus on quality," said Dave Gatchel, executive vice
president of Paradigm Entertainment.
Founded in 1990, Dallas-based Paradigm Simulation, Inc. is the world leader
in visual and audio simulation and virtual reality products for use on
Silicon Graphics computers. Paradigm's entertainment division is an
emerging leader in content creation and authoring tools for the
entertainment and gaming industry.
Video System, based in Kyoto, Japan, was founded by Koji Furukawa in 1984.
It is a well-known company in Japan because of a series of successful
games such as Sonic Wings (Aero Fighters), F-1 Grand Prix and Mahjong
games, both for the arcade and consumer markets.
Classics & Entertainment Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
>From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
I have a PC at work and I may get about 10-15 minutes a day, if I'm lucky,
to play around on the Internet just to check out a few sites. It's
interesting but I know there's a TON of stuff out there that I just don't
have time at work to check out.
As I mentioned last week, I finally managed to get an Atari web browser to
work - STiK and CAB. It works very well (and switching my Falcon's
resolution to 256 colors increased the quality of the graphics
tremendously!). I've been checking out more and more sites and getting my
feet even wetter - it's been fun. I still recommend it highly.
Now my next project is to get the other modules to work, like AntMail,
Newsie, FTP, and others. These will provide me with even more tools to get
around the Internet and many of the features that the other platforms
currently have. It's exciting, especially on Atari computers, to find
another new use for these "antiques"! <grin>
I've also been playing around with a relatively new Web page/HTML creator,
Home Page Penguin. It's pretty basic and nothing fancy, but I was
successful in creating a web page (basically for my wife's Star Trek
"Imzadi" fanclub and newszines as well as her home Star Trek collectibles
venture). The page is really basic at the moment, but I hope to clean it
up and add some things related to my BBS and Atari user group. If you feel
like dropping by, the URL is "http://www.people.delphi.com/dpj".
I also found another creator earlier this week, Web Spinner, but I haven't
looked at it - I'll keep you updated on both of these Atari HTML programs
as I delve into them deeper in the days to come. I also have another (new)
e-mail address via STReport's site, at "dpj@streport.com" - another address
to remember!
Before I forget, I just want to send out my best wishes for a speedy
recovery to Lloyd Pulley, our illustrious PC Public Domain software "guru".
Lloyd recently underwent heart surgery and all of us here wish him well!
Until next time...
Newsbytes NewsReel - 12 Years Ago This Week
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1997 JAN 10 (Newsbytes) -- By Nick Gorski.
Twelve years ago, January 8, 1985, these Newsbytes stories were filed. A
Look Back At CES, Apple Update, and Komputers To The Kremlin. These
stories were taken from the extensive archives at the Newsbytes Website at
http://www.newsbytes.com
A Look Back To CES
Scheduled for introduction are three new computers from Atari. Early
reports say the Atari "Jackintosh," a 32-bit Macintosh-like machine, will
NOT be introduced. In fact, we'll have to wait until at least April, either
the Chicago CES or the West German Hanover Fair for that. InfoWorld
suggests a 16-bit system with either 128 or 192K will be unveiled. And,
rumors still persist that Mindset and Atari are STILL TALKING regarding a
collaboration on a new machine or the old Mindset. For sure, Fractalus" and
"Ballblazer" games will soon become commercially available for Atari
owners.
It's no secret that a flurry of MSX products will be on display from
Japanese manufacturers, many of them hosted by Microsoft, which invented
the MSX technology. InfoCorp, a Cupertino, Ca. market research firm, says
MSX machines accounted for 40 percent of all home computer sales in Japan
last year, mainly because they are compatible with a variety of other
Japanese electronics products. Whether they will take the U.S. by storm is
another matter. Their biggest selling point may simply be their price. MSX
computers generally run between $300 and $900 dollars.
Apple Update
John Scully has just been named "Adman of the Year" by Advertising Age. He
won the distinction by rewriting "the marketing ground rules for the entire
industry." He not only raised the cost of advertising, spending $100
million last year, but staged quite a few promotional "events," not the
least of which was the "1984" commercial last year. Speaking of spending,
Apple assistant to the chairman Robin Reed was quoted by the Wall Street
Journal, in reference to Apple's $110,000 Christmas party, "Just say we
have a little music and some hors d'oeuvres. We have an image to worry
about. The stockholders won't like this at all." (Thanks to "Softletter"
for that item.) And finally, California Technology Stock Letter reports
Apple sold 250,000 Macintoshes last year, "making it the most successful
first-year personal computer ever."
Komputers To The Kremlin
Apple II, Kaypro and Radio Shack Model 100 computers will now be exported
to the Soviet Union, based on new rules established by the Department of
Commerce. The feds say that PC/XT and Apple Macintoshes and a variety of
other, more powerful micros, will remain banned from exportation. The
Commerce Department has decided that the less powerful machines pose no
military threat if they "fall into the hands of Soviet leadership." The
question is, does the Soviet Union want them? A report from the New York
Times' Moscow bureau last week indicated that the Soviets are extremely
paranoid of hackers and are doing everything they can to keep micros out of
the hands of the populace.
Gaming Section
Super Bowl - Game Console Style!
PlayStation, N64, and Saturn News!
NHL '97! NFL '97! WCW!
And more...
>From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
There's plenty of game and industry news this week that gives me the
inclination to be very brief this week. No "new" Jaguar news, but
everything is still "on target" for the next releases. The winter sports
season is in full throttle, and the games are out there as well. NHL '97
and NFL '97, and others. The Super Bowl console "wars" are also upon us
(Go Patriots!!). Otherwise, let me shut up and let you get on with this
week's issue! I'll be more vocal next week, news-withstanding.
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
GTE: GTE Interactive Media to Cease Operations in March
JAN 10, 1997, M2 Communications - GTE Interactive Media will cease
operations as of March 14,1997. Founded in 1990, GTE Interactive Media has
been an innovative interactive software publisher that has developed or
distributed products for a variety of technology platforms, including
CD-ROM, Sega and Nintendo.
"GTE has made a strategic decision that it does not need to be a primary
participant in the creation and management of content," said Richard Scott,
vice president and general manager-New Ventures for GTE. "At its inception,
GTE Interactive Media was viewed as a complementary adjunct to GTE's plans
to develop broadband video services networks.
"Today, with the exponential growth of the Internet and the acceleration of
players in the entertainment marketplace, GTE believes the need to be a
primary source of content to feed its own networks has diminished. There
are numerous sources available," Scott said.
"This move allows us to increase our focus on our core tele-communications
business," Scott said. "We attempted to find a solution that did not
involve a shutdown," Scott said, "but we talked with several potential
buyers without reaching a satisfactory agreement."
GTE Interactive Media's 85 employees will continue on the payroll until
March 14, 1997, but will be given the opportunity to look for other
employment in the interim. Where possible, some of them will be placed in
other parts of the GTE organization. A small group of employees will be
retained to assist in the shutdown activities through June 30, at which
time the company will close its office in Carslbad, Calif.
With revenues of $20 billion in 1995, GTE is one of the largest publicly
held telecommunications companies in the world. GTE is also the largest
US-based local telephone company and a leading cellular-service provider --
with wireline and wireless operations that form a market area encompassing
about a third of the nation's population. Additional information about
GTE can be found on the INTERNET at http://www.gte.com
Sega Sells 7 Million Saturn Consoles Worldwide
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1997 JAN 14 (Newsbytes) -- By Martyn Williams. Sega of
America, the North American unit of Osaka-based Sega Enterprises Ltd.
[TOKYO:7964], says worldwide sales of its Saturn games system have topped
seven million. In North America, sales passed projections to total 1.2
million in 1996.
Combined with the installed base of 400,000 Saturn systems, there are now
1.6 million consoles in North American homes. Analysis of the sales data
outlined in the press release from the company shows just how important
promotions and the Christmas sales period is to the company in North
America.
It said a special "three pack" promotion helped push December sales to
500,000 units, almost half the annual sales. That month saw a 300 percent
increase on the previous month, which puts November sales at 125,000 units.
With Sega's reported 1.2 million systems sold in the year, more than half
were sold in the last two months of the year.
This leaves average monthly sales for the rest of the year at just 57,500
consoles. For the remaining three months of fiscal 1996, which ends on
March 31, the company said it expects to sell 100,000 units. This works out
to an even lower average monthly sale of 33,333 units.
In the "three pack" promotion mentioned, consumers received three free
arcade translation games -- "Virtual Fighter 2," "Daytona USA," and
"Virtual Cop" -- with the purchase of a Sega Saturn. The promotion also
included coupons for discounts off two future games.
The company said software sales of Saturn games totaled 5.5 million in
1996. Of those, 2.7 million were made by the company with the remainder
from othe suppliers. Popular games during the holidays were "Sonic 3D
Blast" and "Nights," said the company.
Within the home video games industry, the company is facing strong
competition from Sony's PlayStation and the Nintendo 64, a fight which has
pushed it into third place currently. In addition, the home video games
market in general is fighting a battle for users as leisure time activities
increasingly grow with the popularity of personal computers, the Internet,
and more entertainment, such as multichannel digital satellite
broadcasting.
T-HQ Brings World Championship Wrestling to PlayStation
CALABASAS, CALIF. (Jan. 13) BUSINESS WIRE -Jan. 13, 1997--T-HQ Inc.
(NASDAQ:TOYH) Monday announced that it will publish the company's first
title under its World Championship Wrestling license, "WCW vs. the World,"
pursuant to an agreement with game developer Asmik of Japan. "WCW vs. the
World" is a true 3-D wrestling game for the Sony PlayStation and T-HQ
expects to ship the title in the Unites States in March of 1997.
The game, which was originally released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation
under the name "Virtual Pro Wrestling," brings one of Turner Broadcasting
System's premier sports entertainment franchises, World Championship
Wrestling (WCW), to the 32-bit Sony game platform.
"WCW vs. the World," based on Nielsen's top syndicated weekly programming
and featuring World Championship Wrestling and its superstars, will
incorporate the signature moves of world-renowned WCW wrestlers including
Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Lex Luger.
World Championship Wrestling (WCW), "Where the Big Boys Play," is a
subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., which produces and markets
television programs and live events featuring wrestling superstars. WCW
produces eight hours of original programming seen each week throughout the
United States and in over 25 countries throughout the world. Check out
WCW's Web site at www.WCWwrestling.com.
Asmik Corp. is a leading Japanese developer, publisher and distributor of
high-quality entertainment software for next-generation 32-bit videogame
systems. The company, founded in 1985 and based in Tokyo, also distributes
award-winning motion pictures, as well as home videos throughout Japan.
T-HQ develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software
for a variety of hardware platforms including Nintendo, Sony and Sega.
Most of the company's products are based on licenses from popular sports,
movies and arcade games. T-HQ has headquarters in Calabasas.
Contact: Rob Fleischer
Marketing@asciient.com
ASCII Entertainment Software, Inc.
900 Veterans Blvd., Suite 600
Redwood City, CA 94063
(415) 780-0800, (415) 780-0855
http://www.asciient.com
STRAP IN FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE!
0 to 1,234,800 mph in load time with the Mach 1 controller
Speed is of the essence. Moving from point A to point B has never been so
simple. ASCII has given the gameworld yet another amazing controller to
make flight, driving, and racing games mirror real life.
As you travel through the sound barrier you will be transported to another
dimension where light and gameplay unite to provide a complete and total
bliss for those in control. And in control you will be.
With the most comfortable ergonomic design of any steering wheel/flight
controller out there, you won't be left in space. As you weave between
cars and alien aircraft you will hardly find the time to thank us; but we
understand. This solid, durable steering unit will sit perfectly on any
table top, or for that special, one-of-a-kind, flight controller/steering
wheel feel, that only ASCII can provide, you can rest the controller snugly
between your legs. Angle the steering column up or down to suit your need
for speed and then position the separate foot pedals within feet's reach
and you are on your way to the finish line (in 1st, we hope).
Options, options, options_faster, faster, faster_concentrate, concentrate,
concentrate. Oh, those voices in your head, wanting so much and always
expecting to get it. The quickest way to satisfy these voices is getting
your driving gloves on a Mach 1. With four adjustable button
configurations, four different controller settings (analog, digital, pulse,
and "analog joystick"), and an independent turbo fire feature (to borrow
from "Back to the Future") where your going, there are no roads. Nothing to
hold you back. And not only do all of these aid in agility and swiftness,
but the unique forward and backward motion of the steering column certainly
won't hurt. Now you can fly_. Yeager style!
But the fun doesn't stop there! Strap yourself in cause here comes the
whiplash! No gravity is gonna pull you back. Fly high as you cruise
coolly using the most advanced steering controller available. The 360
top-hat gives pin-point accuracy for last second lock-ons and directional
control while the 2-axis analog control propels you forward at break-neck
speed. A controller for all seasons (we'd recommend you get radials for
winter driving) and all speeds, whether it's a Sunday drive you're after,
or a Sunday driver that's after you, the getaway will be made easier with
the Mach 1. So buckle up cause you are in for the ride of your life.
Just to get you up to speed, ASCII Entertainment Software is the American
wholly owned subsidiary of ASCII Corporation of Japan. Concentrating on the
software division of ASCII Corporation's diversified high technology and
mass media industries, ASCII Entertainment has carved out a niche in the
U.S. and the rest of the video gaming world both in video game controllers
and software titles.
Coming February...
PlayStation Dominates The Ice In San Jose
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Jan. 15) BUSINESS WIRE -Jan. 15, 1997--Wayne Gretzky.
Mario Lemieux. Brett Hull. Patrick Roy. Some of the greatest names in
hockey. What do they have in common? Not only are they all selectable
players in NHL Face Off '97 for the PlayStation game console, but they also
will all be playing in the Pinnacle/NHL FANtasy 47th Annual All-Star Game
at the San Jose Arena on Saturday, January 18.
As part of the celebration surrounding the All-Star Game, Sony Computer
Entertainment America, the people behind the PlayStation game console, will
be taking part in the NHL FANtasy, which starts on Thursday, January 16 and
runs through Sunday, January 19 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
Sony Computer Entertainment America will have a booth with 8 interactive
PlayStation kiosks running NHL Face Off '97. Each day there will be the
opportunity for people to play NHL Face Off '97 against another person to
win a number of prizes - from hats and t-shirts to hockey pucks. Some of
hockey's brightest stars will also be making daily appearances at the
PlayStation booth to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and even to play
Face Off against the fans. Players include Sharks cener Darren Turcotte,
Phoenix Coyotes' left wing Kris King, and others.
As a reward to the hockey fans making the trip out to San Jose for the
All-Star Game (as well as the local die-hard Sharks supporters), the NHL is
hosting the NHL FANtasy during the days prior to the All-Star Game.
FANtasy is a chance for hockey fans to learn more about the sport through
hands-on trials, as well as check out the various NHL licensees. People
will have the opportunity to practice their slapshot, meet some of the
NHL's best players, and play NHL Face Off '97, the leading next generation
hockey video game, in the arcade area of the event.
Realism is key to any sports video game and NHL Face Off '97 has every
imaginable element: real stats and player attributes on all 650 NHL
players; the home and away uniforms for all 26 teams, including the
relocated Phoenix Coyotes; and each team's respective arenas recreated
in amazing 3D detail. Beyond inclusion of all of these hockey mainstays,
the game developers at Sony Interactive Studios America have added hockey
elements such as drop passes, fake shots, the give-and-go, backwards
skating, flips, fighting, celebrations and injuries. Athletes can also be
traded freely between teams and have their stats edited. New players can
even be created from scratch, allowing the player to add new team members
as rosters change, or to put himself in the game.
Midway Games Ships Third Nintendo 64 Home Video Game
CHICAGO (Jan. 15) BUSINESS WIRE -January 15, 1997 Midway Now Offering Two
N64 Sports Games Nintendo Projects Continued Strong Nintendo 64 Sales
Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) announced today at Oppenheimer & Co.'s Visual
Media Technology Conference that it shipped to retailers today its third
Nintendo 64 (N64) video game software title, NBA Hang Time, for sale to
consumers on January 17. NBA Hang Time and Midway's The NHLPAT & NHLr
Present Wayne Gretzky's 3D HockeyT are the first sports games available for
N64 and Midway is currently the only third-party licensee offering software
titles for Nintendo 64.
Through the end of December, Nintendo has sold at least 1.7 million units
of N64 hardware at retail in the U.S. Nintendo anticipates selling an
additional 2.2 million Nintendo 64 systems by fiscal year end and projects
retail sales of 6 million more N64 units worldwide by its 1997 fiscal year
end.
Midway's first two Nintendo 64 video game software titles, Mortal Kombat
Trilogy and The NHLPA & NHL Present Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey, enjoyed
tremendous sales this holiday season selling over 500,000 units in
aggregate. Midway believes the combination of a strong start for hardware
sales and a limited library of software titles provides Midway with an
opportunity to secure major market share.
NBA Hang Time is based on the popular arcade game, and features 2-on-2
full-court action and life-like players from all 29 NBA teams equipped with
ultra-realistic movement capabilities. NBA Hang Time boasts over 900
secret "power-up codes", new hidden characters, the option to play on
various courts and a sophisticated "Create-a-Player" option featuring
up-to-date 1997 player rosters, including the latest NBA rookies. This
option lets gamers custom-build their very own NBA Hang Time players with
the physical appearance including height, weight, face and skills - such as
speed, shooting, dunking, passing, and defensive ability - of their choice.
NBA Hang Time also features play-by-play announcing and audio effects that
simulate the sounds of an NBA arena during game time.
PlayStation Game Console Catches Super Bowl Sunday
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Jan. 15) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE -Jan. 15, 1997--Over the
course of the next two weeks, tens of thousands of football fans will
converge upon the "Big Easy" for "Super Bowl Sunday," in search of
entertainment and excitement...and Son Computer Entertainment America,
Inc., the people behind the PlayStation(TM) game console, will be there
to make sure that there's plenty of both for everyone.
Over the course of Super Bowl week, activities will include gameplay
competitions on dozens of interactive PlayStation kiosks at the NFL
Experience and Fox Field, as well as the long awaited Second Annual "Game
Before the Game(TM)". The "Game Before the Game" is a unique event which
pits a player from the Green Bay Packers against a player from the New
England Patriots in a head-to-head interactive preview of Super Bowl XXXI
on the huge Sony Mobiltron, the biggest screen on wheels.
Second Annual "Game Before the Game"
On Tuesday, January 21, Sony Computer Entertainment America will be hosting
the Second Annual "Game Before the Game." A player from the Patriots will
take on an opponent from the Packers in an early interactive glimpse of
Super Bowl XXXI. The players will square off for a fierce game of NFL
GameDay(TM) '97, the new hit football game for the PlayStation game
console.
This year, the competition has grown to become an outdoor extravaganza,
which will take place at the PlayStation Arena. The Arena is a re-creation
of an actual football stadium, complete with bleachers and
field, as well as the Sony Mobiltron, a 9'x12' video screen.
Public events begin at 1 p.m., when the PlayStation Arena opens, allowing
eager fans the opportunity to play NFL GameDay '97 on the Mobiltron or one
of the several kiosks surrounding the arena. During the afternoon there
will be a steady stream of giveaways and raffles, as well as an abundance
of food and drinks at discount prices.
Then, at 6 p.m., players from the Patriots and the Packers will take center
stage to challenge each other on the Mobiltron. The audience will have a
clear view of their favorite player from the bleachers, while announcers
provide commentary as the action unfolds.
NFL Experience
Sony Computer Entertainment America can also be found at the NFL
Experience, which beginsThursday, January 23, and runs through Super Bowl
Sunday. Sony Computer Entertainment America will be located in the arcade
area, where there will be 10 PlayStation kiosks running NFL GameDay '97.
The booth will have a competition stage for the public with prizes for all
participants.
The Mobiltron will be set up inside the Experience, and there will be daily
player appearances by some of the professional athletes visiting New
Orleans for the week. Players will compete with fans, as well as pose for
pictures and sign autographs. NFL Experience is located inside the New
Orleans Convention Center.
Miller Lite/PlayStation NFL GameDay Challenge
Sony Computer Entertainment America can also be found in the Miller
Lite/PlayStation NFL GameDay '97 Challenge tent at Fox Field, a huge
outdoor area being set up in the French Quarter by Fox Networks. The
GameDay Challenge will be inside a 30'x30' PlayStation tent at one end of
the field, located on Decatur Street near Jax Brewery. Inside the tent will
be eight PlayStation kiosks running NFL GameDay '97, with contests and
giveaways happening throughout the day. The NFL GameDay Challenge runs
from Thursday, January 23 through Saturday, January 25.
ADVISORY/Sega Sports Predicts the Green Bay Packers...
The team that won Super Bowl I & II is back for the first time in 29 years,
leaving the "Big Easy" with the "Big" Super Bowl victory.
WHAT: Sega Sports has predicted the outcome of the National Football
League's Super Bowl with "NFL '97" -- the all-new Sega Sports football
video game for Sega Saturn. Building off the success of past predictions
including the Nebraska Cornhuskers College Football National Championship,
the San Francisco 49ers '95 Super Bowl win, the Dallas Cowboys '96 Super
Bowl win, the Houston Rockets '95 NBA Championship clinch, the Chicago
Bulls '96 NBA Championship win, the Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche,
and the Atlanta Braves '95 World Series win, Sega Sports has once again let
its sports video game do the talking.
HOW: Sega Sports video games are built with all the real teams and real
players. Players aren't just represented with a jersey number and team
name, but are rated and designed to play to their actual ability --
allowing Sega Sports to pit any two teams against each other for an
accurate prediction. Once the two teams are chosen to play one another,
Sega Saturn takes care of the rest -- providing a realistic, simulated
prediction on its best-selling video game "NFL '97."
Sega Sports' Super Bowl Highlights
(Available on Satellite Feed)
First Half (14-6 Packers)
1st Qtr: Brett Favre hands off to Edgar Bennett for the 5 yard TD run
(Packers)
2nd Qtr: Reggie White sacks Bledsoe to end the half (Packers)
2nd Qtr: Drew Bledsoe connects with Terry Glenn for a 63 yard pass
setting up a 24 yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri (Patriots)
Second Half (Final 28-13 Packers)
3rd Qtr: Eugene Robinson picks off a Bledsoe pass (Packers)
4th Qtr: 12 yard screen pass by Favre to Dorsey Levens for the TD
(Packers)
4th Qtr: Bledsoe hands off to Curtis Martin for a 3 yard TD run
(Patriots)
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. This week's column is going to be a
short one. This is mostly because I've een burning the midnight oil all
week, cruising around on the world wide web, seeing what there is to
see.... and then there is the fact that there really isn't that much going
on in the forums this week.
Speaking of the web, there is word that Oregon Research Associates is
working on a web browser for the ST series and will be announced next
month. It is a port of a program that they wrote for the Amiga... but it
might be okay anyway. <grin> No sign of an attitude here, huh?
Before we start, I want to tell you that we'll have a few goodies
coming your way in the coming weeks. We're planning a review of NVDI, the
screen accelerator/GDOS replacement, and a continuation of the "Emulator
Wars" series. Both of these projects are the work of our friend and
neighbor Alejandro Aguilar. We may also have a head-to-head review of
MagiC and Geneva off in the wings, but that won't be for a while yet.
Head-to-head reviews are terribly hard to write. Not because you have to
compare two programs, but because there always seems to areas where both
win, areas where neither win, and areas where winning doesn't matter. We
want to be fair to everyone involved, but most of all we want to be fair
to you, the reader.
Well, let's get on with the news, info, hints, and tips available here on
CompuServe.
From the Atari Computing Forums
In a continuing conversation about using QuickCIS, the automated CompuServe
access program for the ST, Kevin Sheridan tells Jerry Coppess about his
"clock-setting problem":
"The battery on my computer is still working however when I log in using
quickcis it "corrects" the time based on somthing it finds on Compuserve
and isn't doing it right. Oh well... Any hope for a new HMI graphic
package for the Atari?"
Jerry tells Kevin:
"QCIS was designed to reset your clock from CIS's. This was a great feature
until CIS changed it's log in. Now QCIS is reading the wrong info and
resetting your clock with it. QCIS also needs work arounds for mail and
the changing of file names from 6 to 8 characters plus the extension. It
is a pain but still better than using a terminal program. HMI?? Do you
mean HTML(HyperText Markup Language)? Like is used on the WWW ? If so yes.
It is called CAB. There is also a demo for a potential commercial program
called Webspace. It comes in 68000 and 68030 versions."
Kevin explains:
"HMI has something to do with the graphic interface the IBM and MAC use to
comunicate with Compuserve. I saw some talk of some of the Atari users
getting together to write such a package but had to get some specs from
compuserve in order to do it. It would give us a much better interface
than QCIS or a terminal package and would really be an improvment on using
internet mail. By the way I also use Flash. Does anyone out there have a
good "do" file set up for uploading/downloading mail?"
Carl Barron tells Kevin:
"Sorry to report the atari hmi project is a dead horse. I was one of the
group of users, active this project. it is dead."
Mark Gardiner asks for help:
"I upgraded my 1Mb 1040 STf to 4Mb and all works OK except the one game I'd
keep my ST for al time for !! :.-( My copy of ANCOs Player Manager (Kick
OFF2) no longer runs. It boots but when it comes to make a disk access it
2 bombs out. I got another copy from ANCO (unbelievably after all this
time!) and the same happens. I get no probs with any other major apps...?
I have tried the Make1Meg.TOS file and that does't ork? Any ideas
anyone?"
Simon Churchill tells Mark:
"You might like to try the 3meg ram drive trick. You make a reset proof
ram disk (for games that need a warm boot to start from a boot sector
loader) and run the game as normal. One of the best util's to do this
with is RDE 5 which can make a ram disk and save it as a small file which
can be placed in the auto folder of your boot disk. (For games that DON'T
use the boot sector to load) It will load and reset the computer and allow
the games AUTO folder to start as before, BUT 3meg's of memory have now
been used. If your game uses a boot sector to load then you would need to
set the ram drive then reset the computer after changing to the game disk.
Naturaly this is the harder setup to get to work properly."
Dennis Bishop Posts:
"I have a Seagate ST 3600N SCSI2F 540meg Drive, I have tryed to add it to
either my Falcon030 or my TT/030, but it will not work. On my Falcon I
have a TOAD cable hooking up my syquest 44meg drive, The cable has two
50pin connectors, So I set the 44 to device 0 and the 3600 to device 1 but
HDX on the Falcon will not even see the 3600. so I opened up my TT,(4megs
ST/4 megs TT RAM) and removed the ST157N drive, I set the 3600 to device 0,
on the TT, HDX sees it as Device 2!, I was able to format the drive and
partition it too, but the driver can not be installed and on reboot the
machine will not see the drive and partitions at all. Has anyone used this
drive? I've tryed both with and without the resistor packs on it too. Got
any idea as to how I can make this work?"
Albert Dayes asks Dennis:
"Does the drive hard partity enabled? If so try disabling it and see if
that works."
Dennis replies:
"I've got the book with info on the drive and it just says if it's the end
device to keep the restor packs in it, if it's going to be in the middle
to remove them. I tryed it both ways, even tryed it set to device 0 and
then device 1, on the TT it showed up as device 2, on the falcon with the
syquest inline, it would not even see the drive at all. There are other
jumpers, but I have no idea what they are for."
Albert asks Dennis:
"If you place the new 3600N drive on the bus by itself does that work?
Assuming you leave the resistor paks in and set the device to #0.
You can ask in the (GO SEAGATE) forum for specifics on your drive also."
Mike Mortilla posts about his...
"[MIDI-LIFE CRISIS] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 13, 1997
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MOVIES ON THE INTERNET
-An Historic Internet 'First'-
Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your computer...
On January 22, 1997 the Internet and the broadcast industry will come a
little closer together. In an historic irst, the American Film Institute
(AFI) will broadcast Charlie Chaplin's THE RINK complete with Michael
Mortilla's orchestral score, over the Internet! THE RINK is presented in
cooperation with Film Preservation Associates, Kino On Video and Michael
Mortilla.
Made possible with a new technology by VDOnet Corp., "VDOLive" allows the
real time transmission of Video and sound over the net without the need
for the viewer having to download any files. Previously, music and video
of just a few minutes could take hours to dowload and view. AFI will
launch AFI OnLine Cinema on January 22 at 7:00 p.m. PST with the Internet
premiere of the Charlie Chaplin classic THE RINK (1916). The Chaplin film
will be presented through the month of January, after which AFI OnLine
Cinema will begin featuring a continuing program of different classic
Hollywood movies. The second feature, scheduled to run in February, is
Buster Keaton's THE BOAT (1921). AFI OnLine Cinema will be located at
www.afionline.org/cinema. To download the free software, contact:
www.vdo.net.
During the 1996 Olympics, Mortilla's score for Chaplin's film "Easy Street"
was performed as part of the Olympic Arts Festival. Under the direction of
Richard Kaufman (UA/MGM) the Brevard Music Center Orchestra performed the
work at Symphony Hall in Atlanta with Mortilla at the piano.
Contact MIDI-LIFE CRISIS: Beth Burleson at 805-569-3378 (voice/fax)
PO Box 1266,
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1266
http://www.west.net/~mortilla email: mortilla@west.net"
The Big Kahuna himself, Chief Sysop Ron Luks, tells Mike:
"Congrats on being part of this Internet "first"!!"
Carmen Flak asks about a classic video game... the grand-daddy of 'em all,
Pong... or was in "Ping"?:
"What ever happened to that tennis ball game from way back in the dark
ages? Does it exist anywhere? Can we get it?"
Albert Dayes fills in the blanks for Carmen:
"Pong, by Atari (1972)"
Albert asks Larry:
"Where are the sound effects? <grin>"
Larry replies:
"Oops...
Blip....... Blip........ Blip........."
Well folks, I told you that this was going to be a short installment.
Be sure to 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
The Times.. They are a-changin'!!
In less enlightened times, the best way to impress women was to own a hot
car. But women wised up and realized it was better to buy their own hot
cars so they wouldn't have to ride around with jerks.
Technology has replaced hot cars as the new symbol of robust manhood. Men
know that unless they get a digital line to the Internet no woman is going
to look at them twice.
STReport International OnLine Magazine
[S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport
http://WWW.STREPORT.COM
AVAILABLE through the Internet and OVER 250,000 BBS SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE
All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of
The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and
Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the
editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints
must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue
number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein
may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without prior
written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication, is
believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of
STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and
contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use
or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained
therefrom.
STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" January 17, 1997
Since 1987 Copyrightc1997 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1303
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