ST Report: 27-Mar-98 #1412
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 04/14/98-09:03:27 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 27-Mar-98 #1412
Date: Tue Apr 14 21:03:27 1998
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From the Editor's Desk...
Jonesboro Arkansas and the rest of the Nation will long remember
what happened there this past week. Lord knows, I was just writing
about how we, as educators, politicians, professionals etc., set the
examples for the nation's youngsters to live with and mature with.
As stated in Frank's comments about this tragedy, the current crop
of adults in this nation will be very busy trying to "pass the buck"
in trying to place the blame on what caused this horrible incident.
There is no single area to fix the blame on except all of us and in
particular, the Nation's Politicians from the city councils to the
federal levels.
Granted, there are many good career politicians out there but. Sad
to say; it appears the punko politicos far outnumber the good ones.
There isn't a day that goes by where we don't hear about another
politician resigning, indicted, convicted, caught, or simply getting
nailed because of any number of criminal infractions. Take the
recent joke of a Mayor The City of Miami had the clown and his
lackies falsified the the write-in ballots to force their win. He's
out now but incredibly, even after an audit he's still trying to cry
foul. Every kid in the State of Florida watched that story unfold on
an almost daily basis.
How many times have we said to ourselves how long is that crooked
(enter your politician's name) going to keep getting away with it?
Or, if it had been you or I who did that, they'd put us away
forever. Yet, these politicians seemingly take care of each other.
Look at Newt... he gets caught for hustling his book on taxpayer
time and money... was he forced to resign? Did anyone holler
impeach? No, not a peep from any of his cronies in fact one LOANED
him the money (over three hundred thousand) to pay his fine. The guy
who loaned Newt the bux was none other than Bob Dole. Who is now
working in the private sector. Wanna bet he's involved in something
that will, sooner or later, come back to haunt him in the "conflict
of interest" area? After all, he holds a pretty hefty note on Newt
and although its not likely but Newt is in the succession line to be
President if some should happen to those before him. Can you imagine
Newt as President? Now, there's a real tragedy. This and a great
deal more is all going on now. Its in the newspapers, on TV, Radio
and spoken about almost anywhere a youngster might go. How can we
expect these kids to do the right thing when many of the leaders of
our cities, States and Nation are not.
The schools across the nation are not "lily white" either. Just
yesterday, at high school in Georgia, there was some sort of "Coca
Cola sponsored day" going on. One of the students wore a Pepsi T
Shirt instead of the Coke T shirt that was distributed. The goofy
principal booted the student out of school and a possible suspension
is in the works for the student being disrespectful of the Coke Day.
Sad to see the school's authorities force feed Coca Cola's
commercial efforts upon its students. Again how can we expect the
kids to do the right thing when the adults "in charge" fail to do
so. The control freaks in our school systems across the nation need
to be weeded out. These schools need to get off the track they are
on now and get back to basics like education. It seems to be taking
a back seat to conduct enforcement to the point were students and
parents alike are losing respect for the schools leaders and
starting to actually resent the current crop of people in school
boards in most every city.
I can tell you our school board, in Jacksonville Florida is a comedy
act. Many folks here watch it in session on TV to get a few laughs.
I don't think many in this city take the school board seriously any
longer. Its proven itself to be incompetent far too many times. Its
been investigated by the FBI with indictments and arrests.
Segregation is still haunting this system. Once again, how can we
expect the kids to do the right thing when those "in charge"
seemingly cannot? The schools must get back to teaching! Not feeding
their egos by running dictatorships within the schools. Its bad
enough that many parents are fed-up but when the kids begin to take
matters to utmost limits something is radically wrong.
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Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Appellate Court Judge Withdraws from Microsoft Case
WASHINGTON - U.S. Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman removed himself
from a Microsoft Corp. case, saying in a letter that his
participation had violated ethical standards. Silberman said in the
letter to attorneys in the case, which was seen by Reuters, that he
recused himself because he is a trustee of a trust that holds
Microsoft stock. He was replaced by another member of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Judge Patricia
Wald. Wald will hear oral arguments in the case April 21, along with
Judges A. Raymond Randolph and Stephen Williams.
Silberman said that while teaching at Harvard Law School last week
he was "reminded of the basic proposition of trust law, that the
trustee holds legal title to trust property." After consulting
colleagues who advise judges on their ethical duties, Silberman
said, he concluded he has a "financial interest" in the case and
"therefore, my participation in the case has been in violation." In
the case, Microsoft has asked the appellate court to throw out a
preliminary injunction against it granted last December by U.S.
District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson.
Microsoft had also asked the court to halt Jackson's use of a
special master to advise him on the facts and law of the case. The
three-judge panel, with Silberman as a member, granted that request
temporarily. The case arose because the Justice Department sued the
giant software company, arguing that Microsoft was violating a 1995
consent decree aimed at expanding competition in the software
industry.
Judge Orders Microsoft to Remove Java Logo for Now
A federal judge ordered Microsoft Corp. Tuesday to remove the "Java
compatible" logo from two of its software products, pending the
final outcome of a lawsuit brought by rival Sun Microsystems Inc.
The preliminary injunction, issued by Judge Ronald Whyte, hands Sun
a major victory in its effort to stop Microsoft, its biggest rival,
from fragmenting its Java computer programming technology, Sun
executives said. Under the ruling, Microsoft would have to remove
the Java logo from its Internet Explorer 4.0 browser and the Java
software developers kit, a set of computer programs that help
programmers write software in Java.
U.S. Lawmaker, Governors Agree on Internet Tax Bill
WASHINGTON, March 19 - U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox said today he has
reached agreement with state leaders on a revised Internet tax bill
that will enable the measure to clear the House before Congress
adjourns for Easter. The pact, which is opposed by a key Senate
sponsor of Internet tax legislation, would mandate a three-year
"time out" on state and local taxes that target the Internet and
electronic commerce.
This is a "major victory for taxpayers," said Cox, a Republican from
California who originally called for a six-year moratorium on
Internet taxes. But in response to concerns raised by the National
Governors' Association and other state and local groups, he narrowed
the moratorium to three years and made other revisions, all opposed
by Senate bill sponsor Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat. The bill would
ban for three years taxes on Internet access and online services,
bit and bandwidth taxes, and any multiple or discriminatory taxes on
electronic commerce.
Congress Divided On Internet Tax Plan
WASHINGTON - A revised Internet taxation bill may have overcome a
major hurdle in the U.S. House, but the compromise is not getting
the same reception in the Senate, a Capitol Hill aide said. The aide
to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sponsor of a leading Senate bill on the
issue, said his boss was "consulted" on the new House language,
which is backed by U.S. governors, but does not support it.
"Wyden continues to support the legislation as passed by the Senate
Commerce Committee," the aide said. "He thinks we have a good bill
and we can get it passed." Wyden's bill would set a five-year
moratorium on state and local taxation of Internet transactions. The
House compromise would curb state and local taxation of Internet
services and sales, but only for three years, USA Today reported.
Also, state and local governments could keep any taxes on Internet
or on-line services already in effect March 1, the paper said. And
the bill would impanel a congressional commission to study the whole
issue of Internet taxation, the paper said. Earlier this month,
Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott said the Senate will not take
action on pending Internet tax legislation until state and local
leaders are "comfortable" with the measure. Lott aides were
unavailable for comment.
U.S. Lawmakers, Governors Propose Timeout on Internet Tax
Congressional lawmakers and state governors announced Thursday they
had reached a new compromise over legislation to impose a "time out"
on taxes targeting Internet commerce. The revised Internet Tax
Freedom Act would bar states and localities from levying new taxes
on Internet access and online services for three years. The bill,
sponsored by Rep. Christopher Cox, a Calif. Republican, would also
set up a 29-member commission to study how to proceed with a fair
Internet tax system once the moratorium ends.
Firms Get Down To Internet Business At CeBIT Fair
HANOVER - From the titans of technology to hundreds of mid-size
firms hoping to ride the Internet wave, business leaders on
Wednesday will use the CeBIT trade fair as a venue to promote
conducting commerce in cyberspace. IBM chief executive Lou Gerstner
will kick off the annual information technology mecca as keynote
speaker at the official opening ceremony in the evening, sharing the
stage with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Gerstner's speech is expected to focus on "e-commerce", as IBM calls
trading goods and services online, and seek to convince European
enterprises wary of doing business on the Internet to waste no time
entering the new frontier. Around 600,000 visitors are expected to
attend the fair and 10,000 journalists will be on hand as nearly
7,300 companies display mobile phones, computers, and networking
equipment from March 19-25 at the world's largest information
technology fair.
Deutsche Telekom, Europe's biggest telecommunications group, gave an
inkling of what could be expected at its news conference on Tuesday,
when it announced plans for a broad launch later this year of
Internet telephony services. Several of Telekom's main rivals will
take the stage on Wednesday. Viag Interkom, a joint venture of
German utility Viag, British Telecom and Norway's Telenor, are
expected to announce the launch date for their new mobile phone
network in eight German cities. Jozef Cornu, a senior executive at
Alcatel Alsthom, the French industrial giant, will outline the
company's strategy for the broadband networks needed for multimedia
services.
German media conglomerate Bertelsmann will discuss the fast-growing
online service market and its European joint venture with America
Online, the world's biggest online service. There is also room for a
few political surprises to emerge from beneath the din of multimedia
presentations. Kohl will make his first public appearance with his
Social Democrat rival Gerhard Schroeder, as Lower Saxony state
premier host of the CeBIT fair, during a tour of the fair grounds on
Thursday morning. Later in the day Kohl will also meet Malaysian
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for talks that the Bonn government
press office said will range from Asia's financial crisis to
Malaysia's efforts to attract high-tech investment.
Finnish telecommunications group Nokia announced on Tuesday that it
has applied to join Malaysia's high-technology Multimedia Super
Corridor (MSC) zone. The MSC, a 15-by-50 km (nine-by-30 mile) zone
south of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, is being proposed as a
testbed for developing multimedia products and services. Malaysia
hopes the corridor will become an Asian Silicon Valley. Companies
with MSC status are provided benefits including unfettered foreign
worker hiring, intellectual property protection and tax breaks.
Malaysia will be promoting the project at the CeBIT trade fair.
Kohl, Gerstner Sing Internet Praises At CeBIT Fair
HANOVER - IBM chief executive Louis Gerstner, opening the CeBIT
information technology fair, predicted the market for Internet
commerce would hit $200 billion a year by the end of the century. "I
believe that's a conservative forecast," said Gerstner, keynote
speaker at the world's largest technology trade show. "It's not
hyperbole to say that the 'network' is quickly emerging as the
largest, most dynamic, restless, sleepless marketplace of goods,
services and ideas the world has ever seen." German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl, sharing the platform with Gerstner, also sang the
praises of the Internet as the engine for new jobs and a vast global
marketplace that never sleeps. Kohl said Germany was rushing into
the information age and that the booming sector would create
thousands of jobs.
"Over the past two years 100,000 jobs were created in the
information industry. This year alone another 90,000 new jobs are
expected," said Kohl according to the summary of his speech. A few
hours earlier, the fair's organizers were embarrassed by the crash
of a key communications network which put on hold the work of
thousands of reporters, business executives and assembly workers.
"These are complicated networks and these things happen," said Peter
Mihatsch, board member for telecommunications at German industry
group Mannesmann, whose firm installed the network. He blamed the
problem on the failure of a fiber optic cable. Around 600,000
visitors are expected to attend the fair and 10,000 journalists will
be on hand as nearly 7,300 companies display mobile phones,
computers, and networking equipment from March 19-25 at the annual
information technology fair.
Gerstner praised Internet companies like book seller Amazon.com as
pioneers that were reshaping business practices, predicting huge
consequences for public policy. He urged governments to ensure that
people have cheap access to the Internet and warned against
discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce and that privacy be
protected by allowing encryption of private and business documents.
"Governments have to encourage competition and end monopoly
structures," he said. "The news from across Europe is starting to be
encouraging here." That reference to the explosion of competition in
the European telecommunications industry since the market was opened
in January was clearly demonstrated at the trade fair, where new
phone companies held a beauty contest to show off their services and
lure customers.
German telecoms newcomer Viag Interkom said it would revise its
business expectations sharply higher because of the strong public
response to new phone services. "The entire market has been
underestimated," Martin Furuseth, Viag Interkom board member, told a
news conference. "We will probably raise our estimates for customer
numbers twice as high as previously seen in our business plan. There
could be 100,000 to 300,000 customers this year."
Viag Interkom, a joint venture between German utility Viag, British
Telecom and Norway's Telenor, said it would launch public phone
services in May. Commenting on the boom in mobile communications,
Nokia senior vice president Anssi Vanjoki said worldwide sales of
mobile phones would continue to accelerate, hitting 470 million
units by the end of 2000 from just over 100 million in 1996. Jozef
Cornu, president and chief operating officer at French
telecommunications group Alcatel Alsthom, took the wraps off new
network technology that he said would enable Internet access 100
times faster than today's networks. "Internet business will increase
exponentially, with 10 percent traffic growth monthly and the number
of users worldwide doubling each year," he said.
The prospects for doing business increase as the networks get
better, faster and cheaper to use. "When I see all the developments
in bandwidth on the Internet, I see huge opportunities for
electronic commerce," said Hans-Juergen Mammitysch, general manager
of the German subsidiary of Dell Computer. Dell currently generates
$4 million in turnover worldwide each day through personal computer
sales over the Internet. In Germany, the company's Internet sales
total around $1 million a week. Klaus Eierhoff, multimedia chief at
Bertelsmann, Europe's biggest media group, said German companies
were more reluctant to embrace Internet commerce, but that the times
were changing. "Electronic commerce is not the distant future for
us, but already reality," he said. "But we are at the beginning.
We're at the place where the U.S. was two or three years ago."
Intel Shows Merced, New Chips At CeBIT
HANOVER, Germany - Intel today presented a simulation of its
next-generation "Merced" processor and demonstrated an array of
computer chips due for release later this year. The demonstration
took place at the CeBIT trade fair. The Merced simulation showed the
technology that Intel is counting on to keep chip performance on
pace to double about every 18 months well into the next decade.
"This will be a pretty significant change," Intel senior vice
president Albert Yu told Reuters in an interview before a news
conference. Intel plans to produce the chip on a 0.18-micron
process, the next step beyond the 0.25-micron process it began using
in the fall, he said. "Next year we are going to go to 0.18 and we
already have early silicon in 0.13-microns," he said.
The 0.25 micron process etches wires in silicon that are about 400
times thinner than a human hair, and is being ramped up to make this
year's new chips for portable and high- performance computers. They
reportedly include a 400-megaherz Pentium II chip for high-powered
desktops and a 266-megaherz Pentium II chip for mobile PCs. By the
end of the year, Intel should have high-end chips at 450 megaherz
and portable PC chips at 333 megaherz. Its current speed king is a
333-megaherz Pentium II processor. Its fastest mobile chip is a
Pentium multimedia chip running at 266 megaherz. Merced, a
collaboration with Hewlett-Packard Co, is expected to run at 600
megaherz or more, industry reports said. Also at CeBIT, Intel
demonstrated the Celeron chips it plans to release in the next two
months for PCs priced under $1,000. They will reportedly run at 266
megaherz.
Wired World Edges Nearer At Germany's CeBIT Fair
HANOVER - If the world's leading technology companies attending
Germany's CeBIT trade fair are right, it won't be long before the
vision of a wired economy is a daily reality. In Europe, where
high-tech firms have long been frustrated by slow growth and
trailing the United States, executives see signs of a coming boom
that could help close the gap. During the first days of the fair
that runs to March 25, one trend became clear: companies are
increasingly turning to the Internet to do business and
liberalization of European telecoms is creating a competitive force
driving down prices and forcing carriers to provide fast, innovative
networks.
An International Data Corp. survey, presented at a news conference
by U.S. chip maker Intel, found that 18 percent of companies in
eight major west European nations were trying to sell products over
the Internet last year and 39 percent planned to get into cyberspace
this year. The volume of goods and services purchased online in
Europe would surge to $26 billion in 2001 from $3 billion this year.
U. S. e-commerce would total $22 billion this year and top $155
billion in 2001. Worldwide, the total would hit $28 billion this
year and $223 billion in 2001. "A year ago, we were describing a
technology deficit. Europe was well behind North America," said
Intel Europe chief Rob Eckelmann. "That is rapidly changing, the gap
is closing." One example is Schuhhaus Eduard Meier, a German shoe
retailer that lets customers view video clips of how it makes shoes
by hand and see available models in 3-D images that can be turned
and seen from all angles.
Another is Rombach und Haas, a German maker of cuckoo clocks, who
turned to the Internet to boost sales. Shoppers around the world can
use its website to view its clocks from all angles and hear their
distinctive chimes before pointing and clicking their way to an
online order. Like Intel, Compaq Computer used CeBIT as a venue to
outline its strategy to tap small and medium-sized businesses. It
says this segment of the PC market is growing by 18 percent annually
and will represent more than half of the total PC market by 2000.
Intel, maker of the engines driving the technology railway,
displayed dizzying gains in computing power that also would open up
the market for home and small-office computers priced under $1,000.
Intel demonstrated a PC with a Pentium II running at 700 megahertz -
more than twice the rate of today's speed king, a 333-megahertz
model.
Such leaps in processing power would help to spark a boom on the
Internet and a rise in the world's PC population to more than one
billion in the next few years, from 200 million now. The cost of
going online has been a huge barrier to the Internet for many
Europeans. But fierce competition since markets were opened in
January is driving down prices. Germany's new phone companies
announced price cuts for long-distance and mobile phone services and
seemed surprised by the strong consumer response to new services.
"The acceptance on the part of our customers is enormous," said
Harald Stober, chief executive officer of Mannesmann Arcor & Co.,
the main rival of dominant carrier Deutsche Telekom. "We are
handling five million call minutes every working day," Stober said.
Each of the three leading rivals of carrier Deutsche Telekom
unveiled plans to start national Internet access services. Telekom
responded by slashing charges at its online service T-Online and
unveiling plans for a massive launch of Internet telephony services
in the autumn, one of the first of the world's major carriers to do
so.
LSI Logic to Introduce New Chip Technology
LSI Logic Corp. said it plans to introduce a new chip technology
Monday that will combine onto one chip all the system functions
needed to create future communications, computer and consumer
products. The technology, called G12, was to be unveiled Monday by
the Milpitas, Calif.-based chip maker. LSI said the G12 technology
will have 223 million transistors on a single chip, and will include
functions such as mixed signal, logic, embedded memory and radio
frequency components on a single chip. Prototype designs of the G12
technology will be produced in the fourth quarter of 1998, the
company said, and initial production will start in the second
quarter of 1999.
Applied Voice to Buy Voice It
HOUSTON - Software developer Applied Voice Recognition said it would
buy consumer electronics company Voice It Worldwide Inc. in a stock
swap that values Voice It at $1.50 a share. Under the agreement,
which is subject to both companies' shareholder approval, Voice It
shareholders will receive 0.6 Applied Voice shares for each share
they hold. The deal is valued at about $7.5 million, or $1.50 per
Voice It share, based on Applied Voice shares' closing price of
2-1/2 Wednesday and Voice It's 5 million shares oustanding. Applied
voice expected to close the deal in the third quarter. The companies
previously agreed for Voice It to license a minimum of 50,000 units
in 1998 of AVRI's VoiceCOMMANDER speech-to-text dictation software.
Applied Voice develops voice recognition products and software while
Voice It develops consumer electronics products.
Source Says EU Approves Digital Acquisition
BRUSSELS - The European Commission has granted regulatory approval
to the acquisition of Digital Equipment by Compaq Computer, a source
at Digital in Brussels told Reuters today. "The Commission has
granted clearance," the source said. The Commission had no immediate
reaction, but a formal announcement was expected later on Monday or
Tuesday. Compaq, the world's largest supplier of personal computers,
announced in January it was buying Digital Equipment, which also
makes computers and commercial data processing hardware, in a deal
then valued at $9.6 billion. The acquisition required approval in
the European Union because the companies, although both located in
the United States, do substantial business in the 15-nation bloc.
The Commission had until Monday to clear the deal or deepen its
probe, after the companies filed their plans for EU approval on
February 20. If also approved in the U.S., the deal would create one
of the world's largest computer powerhouses, rivaling
Hewlett-Packard, but still small compared with giant firm IBM. The
U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently sought additional information
on the Compaq/Digital deal, effectively delaying a final decision by
a few months.
Network Associates To Buy Magic Solutions
Network Associates said it agreed to buy Magic Solutions in a cash
deal valued at about $110 million. The company said the deal, which
is expected to close in its second quarter, will establish it as the
world's largest provider of internal help desk applications for the
Microsoft NT operating environment, and the second-largest provider
of client/server service desk solutions over all. The company said
the acquisition would not affect its first-quarter results but would
result in a "significant charge" of about 80 percent, or $90
million, of the purchase price in its second quarter. It said that
during its second quarter it would also take a write-off for its
recent acquisition of Trusted Information Systems The total charges
could be as much as $190 million, the company said. "It will be a
significant charge in the second quarter," Chief Financial Officer
Probhet Goyal said. "It could be pretty significant, over $100
million definitely but (likely) in the $180 million to $190 million
range."
Chairman William Larson said the acquisition would not change
earnings, adding that he is "very comfortable with analysts'
estimates for earnings. We have no change in guidance for the
quarter." Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter
earnings of 54 cents a share, according to First Call. Paramus,
N.J.-based Magic Solutions pioneered the internal support market
with the introduction of the industry's first packaged support
application in 1988. Under the terms of the deal, Network Associates
will pay to Magic Solutions' stock and option holders about $110
million in cash. Both boards of directors have approved the merger,
which will be accounted for as a pooling of interests. Santa Clara,
Calif.-based Network Associates was formed by the merger of McAfee
Associates and Network General.
Microsoft Launching British Test of WebTV Service
SEATTLE - Microsoft's WebTV Networks will launch a test of its
hybrid television and Internet service in Britain this month,
company executives said. The test, which initially will involve less
than 100 selected households, is aimed at at determining the market
and technical feasibility of offering the service nationwide. WebTV,
which Microsoft acquired last year for $425 million, currently had
300,000 customers in the United States, up from 250,000 at the end
of last year, a company spokesman said. WebTV also was launched in
Japan last fall, but subscription figures for the Japanese market
were not available.
The service allows customers to surf the Internet and send and
receive electronic mail using a standard television set equipped
with a special remote control and set-top box. Users can roam the
Internet using part of their television screen even while watching a
show using the provided "picture picture" technology. The British
trial is being done in conjunction with British Telecommunications
Plc's BT Internet service, with set-top boxes provided by Pace Micro
Technology Plc and Philips Consumer Electronics. After the initial
limited trial with friends and family members of Microsoft and BT
employees, the test will be expanded to several hundred customers
nationwide. Company executives would not say when or whether the
service will be launched commercially in Britain, saying that
depended on results of the market test.
Microsoft Windows 98 Pre-Ordering Starts
NEW YORK - The release date is still three months away, but
Microsoft's much-awaited Windows 98 took a step closer to market
after an Internet-based reseller started taking orders for the new
version of the operating system. Official pricing for the software
has yet to be announced by Microsoft, but at Chumbo -- a reseller
located on the World Wide Web at http://www.chumbo.com customers
could "pre-order" Windows 98 for expected delivery on June 25, 1998.
The price: $94.99 for the upgrade version and $179.99 for the full
version.
Microsoft had said Windows 98 would be available at prices similar
to those for Windows 95, which is currently available at about $90
to $95 per copy in the upgrade version. For customers who pre-order,
the software will not be available any quicker. Chumbo founder and
Chief Executive David Prais said the company would ship copies of
the software the night before the official release date for delivery
on whatever morning retail outlets are due to offer copies.
Customers who opt to pre-order online will not be charged until the
product is shipped, he said. A Microsoft spokesman was not
immediately available to comment on the pricing levels or confirm
whether the company had begun issuing firm dates and prices to
resellers.
OzEmail Completes Global Web Phone Test
OzEmail Interline Pty said it now has the technical ability to
deliver Internet phone calls to more than 200 countries, positioning
it to become a global telecoms player. Interline, established in
July, is owned 48% by OzEmail Ltd, 40% by German-Swiss retail group
Metro Holding AG, Europe's largest retail distribution company, and
12% by Ideata. Interline said it has completed testing of the
central computer hub that will route its international Internet
phone traffic to places where the Interline network does not have a
local gateway link. Interline Phone comprises voice digitization and
compression and Internet transmission technology.
Sun Microsystems Faces Tough Task With Java
SAN FRANCISCO - Sun Microsystems faces a tough task at its Java One
conference next week, as it seeks to keep control of a programming
language it conceived as a universal way for computers to
communicate but is now dividing the industry into separate camps. On
Friday, Hewlett-Packard said that it was creating its own version of
the Java for small consumer devices. It also announced that
Microsoft, Sun's biggest foe in the industry, will be its first
licensee, as H-P's Java can run the Windows CE operating system for
small handheld devices. The new strain of Java by H-P will compete
directly with a new version of Java that Sun plans to release next
week, targeted to the so-called embedded market, called the embedded
Java API. After a public review of the specifications, the product
will then be available later this year, Sun said. Java, developed
over two years ago by Sun, has been touted as a "write once, run
anywhere" programming language, which lets applications written in
Java run on diverse computers.
It has become popular in developing software for the Internet and
for networked computers and is starting to be used in smaller
devices. Sun signed a deal with TCI to use Java in set top boxes and
Motorola will use Java in products ranging from cellular phones to
other devices like pagers. "This is not a circumstance where they
are going to control and dictate the market for embedded systems,"
Harry Fenik, an analyst at Zona Research in Redwood City, Calif.,
said. "It's a problem for Sun ... it signals a very large partner of
theirs deciding to step away from Sun's supposed standard, which we
all know is a proprietary product," he said. Analysts said that they
expect more companies to follow H-P's footsteps and begin developing
their own strains or versions of Java with their own capabilities.
H-P does not have a license for the "light" version of Sun's Java
due next week, and it said it independently developed its own
version.
"They said they are building a clone, "said Jon Kannegaard, a Sun
Microsystems vice president of software products. "I intend to beat
them. It means that Java will be everywhere. I don't mind playing
Intel if they want to play AMD." H-P said that it decided to develop
its own version for several reasons, including its own expertise in
embedded systems such as printers, and because Sun's licensing terms
were unattractive.
Spyglass Launches Java Consulting Unit
Spyglass said it established a Java Consulting Practice to work with
clients interested in adding Sun Microsystems' Java and PeronalJava
technology to their products. Spyglass, which provides software
enabling everyday devices like wireless phones and consumer
electronics to work with the World Wide Web, is also cooperating
with Sun on developing Personal WebAccess, a compact Web browser
based on Sun's HotJava technology, the company said. "The demand for
Java and PersonalJava applications exceeds the supply of proven,
expert services," Mike Tyrrell, executive vice president of
Spyglass, said in a statement. "Device makers and others are
seriously considering Java technology and they absolutely want a
choice when it come to applications, but they are hard pressed to
get the integration done. That's where we can help." Spyglass
already provides consulting services for other operating systems and
technologies.
Altris Software Named in Shareholder Suit
NEW YORK - A federal lawsuit has been filed against Altris Software
Inc., alleging the company concealed accounting irregularities and
overstated earnings, causing the stock price to be artificially
inflated, attorneys for the plaintiffs said. A statement by the
attorneys said the lawsuit was filed against the company and
"certain individuals employed by the company," on behalf of
shareholders from April 18, 1996, through March 11, 1998. The
lawsuit also alleges that defendants continuously disseminated false
and misleading statements regarding the company's financial
performance and business prospects. No one at the company was
immediately available to comment. Altris recently said it is
reviewing results from 1996 and 1997 to see if generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP) were followed. Altris said last week
that the review likely will result in "downward restatement" of
revenues. The lawsuit was filed by the law firm Weiss & Yourman in
U. S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Imatec Sues Apple Over Patents
Image technology developer Imatec said today it has filed suit
against Apple Computer alleging infringement of three patents and
seeking $1.1 billion in damages. The suit alleges Apple infringed
Imatec patents "by its making, using, and/or selling its 'Color
Sync' color management systems and inducing others to do so," Imatec
said in a press release. Imatec is seeking preliminary and permanent
injunctions against Apple, the release said. Apple officials were
not immediately available for comment. Imatec said it filed the suit
in U.S. District Court, Southern District, New York. The patents in
question were issued to Imatec President Hanoch Shalit, who granted
exclusive licenses to his company, Imatec said. "We have formally
served Apple Computer with our complaint, " Shalit said in the
statement. "We are confident that the patents will be upheld in
court." The company said it seeks a jury trail.
EU Formally Criticizes Internet Address Plan
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union has formally criticized a
U.S. plan for reforming the Internet's address system in comments
that will be submitted to Washington in the next few days, EU
officials said. The text, drawn up on behalf of the EU's executive
commission and the 15 EU countries, complains that the Commerce
Department's proposals would give Americans too much control over
the global computer network. "The proposals appear not to recognize
the need to implement an international approach," the text said. The
response is virtually identical to a draft drawn up by the
commission last month and forwarded to EU governments for approval,
the officials said. It expresses concern that the initiative would
consolidate U.S. jurisdiction over the Internet, including trademark
disputes involving address names. The U.S. proposal would phase out
the American government's management of the address system for
Internet locations such as World Wide Web and electronic mail sites
and end the monopoly of U.S.-based Network Solutions Inc., which
registers all name addresses ending in ".com," ".org" and ".net."
It would create up to five new domains to supplement those three,
and companies would compete to register new addresses. But the EU
said the U.S. proposals "appear not to go far enough to ensure a
level playing field and fair competition." The EU faulted the plan
for failing to mention a competing proposal for managing Internet
domain names drawn up by a global coalition of companies and
organizations, which has already set up a Council of Registrars
(CORE) in Geneva. It also complained it ignored efforts to set up
Internet dispute resolution procedures within the World Intellectual
Property Organization. The Commerce Department has given interested
parties until March 23 to comment. U.S. officials have said they
were likely to modify the plan to take the replies into account.
Americas Block Negotiators Seek Cybertrade Advice
Trade ministers from across the Americas agreed Thursday they could
not ignore cyber-commerce in negotiations to create a
hemisphere-wide free-trade block. The ministers from 34 countries in
the Americas agreed to set up a special group to study how to
regulate trade over the Internet as countries negotiate the proposed
Free Trade Area of the Americas, due to come into effect within
seven years. Trade ministers from the FTAA countries met in San Jose
Wednesday and Thursday and devised a calendar for formal free-trade
negotiations scheduled to start at a presidential summit in
Santiago, Chile, in April.
WTO Sees Challenge, Benefits in Internet Trade
The World Trade Organization said Friday the rapid advance of
electronic commerce should bring major benefits to rich and poor
countries and give an extra boost to the global economy. But in a
detailed study on the growing sector, it warned bringing electronic
commerce under the WTO's open trading rules would present a major
challenge to the organization and its 132 member countries. The
blossoming of so-called e-commerce, the study said, "is likely to
result in many valuable and new opportunities for beneficial
economic transactions and international trade, and ultimately for
people to better their lives."
U.S. Ready to Open Up New Internet Oversight Board
The U.S. is ready to include Internet specialists from around the
world in a planned panel to oversee the further development of the
global computer network, a senior White House official said
Thursday. Ira Magaziner, President Clinton's top Internet adviser,
said Washington wanted a broadly-based supervision board to replace
a U.S. monopoly over the system for managing Internet addresses. He
spoke to journalists in Paris after meeting French Finance Minister
Dominique Strauss-Kahn and an aide to Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
to discuss his recent proposals for reforming the system.
Network Associates Ducks Encryption Rules
Network Associates said it will skirt U.S. export restrictions on
encryption technology by channeling products aimed at overseas
buyers through a unit in the Netherlands, the Wall Street Journal
said Friday. The move is likely to draw close government scrutiny,
but the company could have shipments en route as early as Friday,
the Journal said. Company executives said they developed the plan to
meet demands from global customers to protect the confidentiality of
e-mail without providing law-enforcement agencies with the means to
monitor the communications, the paper said.
New Microsoft Database Virus Found
LOS ANGELES - A company that makes software to protect computers
from viruses said it had discovered a new virus capable of spreading
through Microsoft Access databases, the first ever to invade that
product since its introduction in 1992. Trend Micro heard of the
virus from users of the Microsoft database, but said it has not been
found to be "in the wild," or widely circulated. The virus is
capable of spreading to other files, but not of destroying files.
However, an analyst for Trend Micro said there was concern about the
potential of this new strain. Microsoft Access is an application
contained in the popular Microsoft Office software. Microsoft said
it was looking closely at the new virus but noted its Office
software has built-in protections that alert users to potentially
malicious code and allow them to disable it. It also said the
likelihood of contracting a virus aimed at a database was pretty
low, since databases were not typically circulated around the
Internet.
Man Admits Blocking International Internet Users
A man trying to set up an alternative to the government-sanctioned
Internet naming service pleaded guilty Thursday to preventing tens
of thousands of users from reaching his competitor. Eugene
Kashpureff, 33, of Belfair, Wash., and owner of AlterNIC, pleaded
guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to one count of computer fraud
and faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison and a
$250,000 fine. According to a complaint, Kashpureff designed a
software system that allowed him to block Internet users worldwide
from reaching the Web site for InterNIC, which administers Internet
addresses under a government contract.
Another Form of Computer Hacking - 'Ethical' Hacking
The once-lumbering computer giant International Business Machines
Corp. has again ventured into territory previously deemed
unthinkable for the formerly staid, buttoned-down company - hacking.
But this group of IBMers, based in its Research Division in Yorktown
Heights, N.Y., call themselves "ethical hackers." They are a team of
about 10 elite security specialists that make up IBM's Global
Security Analysis Lab, with half in New York and the rest working in
Zurich, Switzerland. They break into corporate computer systems and
networks, with a company's permission of course. Well, maybe one or
two executives know. But the point of trying to break into a
company's system is to test its security, see how a company responds
and make recommendations to fix the problem.
Insurers Say Year 2000 Bug Won't Ground Planes
LONDON - Fears that the world's airlines will grind to a halt on
January 1, 2000 because of the Millennium bug are exaggerated,
aviation insurers said today. "Responsible carriers are very safety
conscious. They are not going to put their crews, their passengers
or their assets into dangerous circumstances," insurer Tony Medniuk
told an insurance industry news conference. The Aviation Insurance
Officers' Association has made good progress with Lloyd's insurers
on preparing for 2000, when doom- mongers warn of catastrophic
consequences if computer systems do not recognize the date change.
Aircraft insurers are developing an exclusion clause for the risk
and a questionnaire to help them assess an airline's preparedness
for the event, AIOA chairman Keith Selby said. Aviation insurers,
like most in the industry, classify the Millennium bug as a known
event for which blanket coverage will not be available. However,
Medniuk, managing director of British Aviation Insurance Group, said
the aim was to achieve clarity so that insurers could "provide
sensible coverage on an agreed basis where possible." Airlines were
taking their own precautions, which could include not flying to some
destinations on or around January 1, 2000. "Carriers are not keen on
some destinations, but you'll have to ask them about that," he
added.
Don't Create Panic Over Year 2000 -- Clinton Aide
Regulators must not create panic as they push banks, securities
firms and others to prepare their computers for the next century, a
Clinton Administration aide told lawmakers. "While it is important
to increase world-wide attention to the urgent necessity of solving
this problem, we need to avoid creating panic and precipitous,
counterproductive activity," John Koskinen, chairman of the
President's Council on the Year 2000 Conversion told members of the
House Banking Committee. The turn of the century is expected to be
problematic for computers and other systems that normally use only
two digits to denote the year. Koskinen noted that while federal
agencies are making progress they need to pick up their pace because
there remains only 647 days until Jan. 1, 2000. "No problem facing
us is more pressing, especially since, unlike other Washington
problems, neither the President nor Congress can push the deadline
back," he said.
The so-called Year 2000 problem is rooted in the way dates are
recorded and computed. Some older systems have typically used two
digits to represent the year, in order to conserve memory. With this
two-digit format, however, the year 2000 is indistinguishable from
1900, or 2001 from 1901. As a result, system or application programs
that use dates to perform calculations comparisons or sorting may
generate incorrect results, or not function at all.
That means automatic teller machines, wire transfer systems, check
clearing, security vaults and even telephone systems may not work on
Jan. 1, 2000. Koskinen said that while the President's Council needs
to be aware of the progress with federal regulators, state and local
government and leaders in other countries, it should not directly
manage those efforts. "While the Council will have a global
perspective, I would like to emphasize that it will not be a
centralized body that will relieve the agencies and others of their
individual responsibilities to actually do the work necessary to fix
the year 2000 problem," he said. "Not only would this require an
extremely large staff, it would be a misguided effort."
Apple Stock Up on Hopes Jobs Will Keep Job
Apple Computer stock jumped on investors' hopes that Apple
co-founder and interim Chief Executive Steve Jobs would take the CEO
job on a permanent basis. Press reports in recent days have said
Apple's board was meeting Tuesday in the hopes of pressuring Jobs to
take the CEO post on a permanent basis, offering him a lucrative
package of stock options and restricted stock that would give him
more than 5 percent of the company. An Apple spokeswoman in
Cupertino, Calif. declined to comment on the agenda, location, time
or other details of the company's board meeting. We consider this
confidential to the company," an Apple spokeswoman said.
However, the office of Ed Woolard, the former chairman and chief
executive of DuPont Co., who is an Apple board member, confirmed he
was in California, attending an all-day board meeting at Apple.
Woolard himself was not available. "The stock was up on this," said
Lou Mazzucchelli, an analyst with Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co.,
adding that investors were hoping Apple would make an announcement
after the market closed Tuesday. Apple executives have said they
have tried to persuade Jobs to take the post on a permanent basis.
He has been interim CEO since September, after the board ousted Gil
Amelio last July.
Jobs is reportedly torn between his duties at Apple and his role as
chairman at Pixar Animation Studios Inc. and wanting to spend more
time with his family. Executives at Pixar, based in Richmond,
Calif., did not return calls. The spokeswoman for Cupertino-based
Apple said the company's search for a CEO was continuing. "We will
make the announcement of the CEO when the CEO is actually hired and
we will do so on a timely basis," the spokeswoman said. The
once-struggling computer maker is expected to post a profit in its
second quarter, and analysts say expectations for continued profits
and Jobs' possible return have helped rekindle interest in the
stock. Analysts said they expect the board to put serious pressure
on Jobs to take the post or at least give a definitive response to
the reported offers. "I don't think they will let him walk out of
there without making a decision," Mazzucchelli said.
Analysts also said Jobs was under more pressure to accept the job,
because Apple is finally turning around, spurred by strong sales of
its G3 Macintosh and other recent actions by Jobs and his management
team. "Short of putting a gun to his head, I think the board will
apply a considerable amount of pressure to get him to stay," said
Daniel Kunstler, a J.P. Morgan & Co. analyst. "Unless they had
somebody else (in the wings to take the job), you would send the
wrong message about the company. Apple is on a bit of a roll right
now."
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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
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
Chadwyck-Healey Tries Database FundraiserHP Breaks Ranks
On JavaBe Unveils Intel Operating System
House To Consider 3-Yr Moratorium On Net TaxesNetwork
Associates Will Sell Security Through SubCourt Sides
With Student Who Used Web To Criticize Teacher
Apache Offers Free Web Server AlternativeMore Small
Businesses Use ComputersHP Chief Has Concerns About The
Net
Tapscott Book Climbs To Top PositionGroup Blasts U.S.
Plan For Domain NamesNew Java Licenses For Use In
Consumer Products
Computer Security Down Losses UpApple Demos 400Mhz
MacNew Data Storage For Small Computers
Online Voting In Skating CompetitionMicrosoft Creates
Software Group In IndiaOn The Uses Of Supercomputers
New Multimedia Web Browser From MicrosoftAnother Online
Bookstore In The WorksWorried About Y2K? Now There's
D10K
Singapore May Let Net Stock Trades sans BrokersDigital
Stays Loyal To AlphaFCC Backs Away From Its Plan For
Free Air Time
Latest Wireless Auction Nets Over $830 MillionOnly The
Paranoid Stay On When They ResignWell Okay Then How
About "Cappuccino"?
CHADWYCK-HEALEY TRIES DATABASE FUNDRAISER
Publisher Chadwyck-Healey is trying a new approach to marketing its
ArchivesUSA database -- a fund-raising drive. The company has
promised to make the database free to users in the U.S. and Canada
if it can raise $400,000 through library donations by the end of
April. ArchivesUSA contains a searchable Web index of documents,
manuscripts and other artifacts found in 4,400 libraries and 100,000
special collections in the U.S. The novel campaign has netted the
company $125,000 so far, with an additional $50,000 pledged. Some
librarians have criticized Chadwyck-Healey for taking a nonprofit
approach to a for-profit business, but the company's president
replies: "Such skepticism is entirely appropriate. But I don't know
of another for-profit company that is saying publicly what amount of
revenue they'd like to bring in. This is an experiment, but one that
I think is generally worthwhile." (Chronicle of Higher Education 20
Mar 98)
HP BREAKS RANKS ON JAVA
Hewlett-Packard will develop its own version of Java run time that
enables it to sidestep Sun Microsystems' licensing fees and
technology implementation requirements. To avoid infringing on the
Java trademark, HP will term its Java version "Java compatible" or a
"Java VM" clone. Sources say the company plans to market its Java at
a fraction of the cost of Sun's officially sanctioned version.
"People that are getting bled by Sun have an alternative now that is
potentially much lower cost from HP," says one analyst. Industry
observers say HP's move could open the floodgates for a wave of
non-sanctioned Java run-time implementations: "It's not unlike when
Compaq and Phoenix first cloned IBM's PC ROM BIOS in the early
1980s," says the president of NC.Focus. "That sparked the PC clone
revolution. IBM couldn't stop it, and there's probably nothing Sun
can do to stop this." (InformationWeek 20 Mar 98)
BE UNVEILS INTEL OPERATING SYSTEM
Be Inc. has announced a new version of its BeOS software, designed
to work with Intel-based machines. Release 3 for Intel is still
primarily for programmers and enthusiasts, says the company's VP for
engineering, but a Release 4 version for general consumers is
scheduled for a September rollout. The BeOS is built from the ground
up to be a multimedia system, with streaming audio and video support
designed into the kernel. Be's goal is to capture 25% of the
multimedia publishing market. (TechWeb 19 Mar 98)
HOUSE TO CONSIDER 3-YEAR MORATORIUM ON INTERNET TAXES
The National Governors Association, which had opposed legislation
providing for a six-year moratorium on taxing goods sold over the
Internet, has agreed to support a House bill that reduces the
moratorium to three years and that, in addition, sets up a special
commission to study the issues and propose a new system of levying
state sales taxes on Internet and mail-order products. Local
governments say that they are being deprived of important tax
revenues on goods sold via the Net, whereas industry groups say that
taxes on Internet transactions will slow the growth of electronic
commerce. (Washington Post 20 Mar 98)
NETWORK ASSOCIATES WILL SELL SECURITY THROUGH SUBSIDIARY
Network Associates says it will use its wholly-owned Dutch
subsidiary to market its Pretty Good Privacy data-security software
to European and Asian clients. A company VP says Network Associates
can avoid the need for an export license because its U.S. parent
will not be providing technical assistance to the unit selling the
software. All the information the subsidiary needed has already been
published in a book by Philip Zimmermann, the developer of Pretty
Good Privacy. Unlike computer code, books are protected under First
Amendment rules and aren't subject to the Commerce Department export
rules on encryption software. Network Associates acquired Pretty
Good Privacy in December. (Wall Street Journal 20 Mar 98)
COURT SIDES WITH STUDENT WHO USED WEB TO CRITICIZE TEACHER
A federal judge in Cleveland, Ohio, has issued a temporary order
reinstating a student who had been suspended from school because his
Web site included criticisms of his band teacher, calling the
teacher "an overweight middle aged man who doesn't like to get
haircuts." School officials contend they have the right to
discipline the student, whereas a lawyer for the American Civil
Liberties Union argued that "the school cannot control the
communication off the school grounds." A full hearing is scheduled
for April 3rd. (AP 19 Mar 98)
APACHE OFFERS FREE WEB SERVER ALTERNATIVE
Web server software companies are losing business to a rival product
few people have ever heard of -- Apache. The software -- offered at
no cost -- is the loving labor of a loose confederation of
programmers who, working in their spare time over gin and tonics at
home and collaborating on the Internet, wanted to build a better way
to serve up Web pages to the millions of people who want to see
them. Once they completed the software three years ago, they
released all of the technical details on the Internet, allowing any
Web site to use it gratis. Apache server software is used by an
impressive range of companies and organizations to run their Web
sites, including Kimberly-Clark Corp., McDonald's Corp. and Texas
Instruments Inc., as well as the New York Yankees and the Atlanta
Braves. (Ottawa Citizen 20 Mar 98)
MORE SMALL BUSINESSES USE COMPUTERS
An International Data Corp. poll indicates the number of small
businesses that use PCs rose to 78% in 1997, up from 73% in 1996.
The increase ends several years of flat or minimal growth. IDC tied
the rise to lower PC prices, easier-to-use software and a new crop
of computer-literate business owners. (Investor's Business Daily 20
Mar 98)
HP CHIEF HAS CONCERNS ABOUT THE NET
Hewlett-Packard chairman Lewis E. Platt has some worries about the
way the Internet may be developing: "Technology has made our society
a little less personal, and this trend will only increase as more
and more interactions move into the electronic world" and, like
television, begin to "dull our senses, reduce our attention spans,
convert intellectual conversations into sound bites." The Internet
"could change the way that we educate and learn. It could eliminate
the boundaries of time and space, and it could bring our world
together. But as the Internet becomes more pervasive, as it becomes
more commercial, it runs the risk of making our world worse, instead
of better." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 22 Mar 98)
TAPSCOTT BOOK CLIMBS TO TOP POSITION
Don Tapscott's new book "Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net
Generation" has become the No. 1 best-selling hardcover nonfiction
book, according to amazon.com. Tapscott has appeared several times
in Educom Review and has been a keynote speaker at the Educom
conference.
GROUP BLASTS U.S. PLAN FOR DOMAIN NAME DISTRIBUTION
The Internet Council of Engineers, a Geneva-based group of Internet
experts, has filed formal criticism of the U.S. government's
proposal for changing the way Internet addresses are registered.
"The Internet doesn't need a plan for the U.S. government to get out
of domain name oversight... It just needs the U.S. government to
quietly step aside," says the chairman of the group's executive
committee. "The government is asserting itself over a process they
really shouldn't have addressed." Yesterday was the deadline for
filing comments on the plan with the Commerce Department. (Wall
Street Journal 24 Mar 98)
NEW JAVA LICENSES FOR USE IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Sun is working on several new deals to license its Java programming
language for use in consumer products from Sony, Ericsson, and IBM;
it already has 150 licensees for the language, including Motorola
and Nokia. However, some of these companies are also in talks with
Microsoft, whose Windows CE operating system competes with Java for
use in such consumer devices as phones, stereos, and set-top cable
boxes. (New York Times 24 Mar 98)
COMPUTER SECURITY DOWN, LOSSES UP
Two recently conducted studies report that losses experienced by
Fortune 1000 companies as a result of computer break-ins were higher
last year than ever before, despite increased spending on computer
security measures. A study by the Computer Security Institute and
the FBI estimates 1997 losses from computer crime at $136 million,
up 36% from 1996. About half the respondents cited the Internet as a
frequent point-of-attack, with the remainder citing internal
corporate networks as the favored break-in point. Meanwhile, a study
by WarRoom Research LLC found that a large majority of Fortune 1000
companies have experienced a break-in by an outsider in the past 12
months, with more than half reporting more than 30 security breaches
during that time period. Nearly 60% reported losses of $200,000 or
more for each intrusion. Mitch Kabay, director of education at the
International Computer Security Association, notes that even these
figures may be understating the problem: "It's not possible to have
truly accurate information on break-ins, because you can't know how
many of them went completely undetected and you can't be sure how
many of them are not reported." One former cracker, who recently
completed a prison sentence for his activities, says networks are
getting more vulnerable, not less: "You don't need even a basic
skill level to get in." (Internet Week 23 Mar 98)
APPLE DEMOS 400Mhz MAC
Apple Computer interim CEO Steve Jobs last week demonstrated a
Macintosh running on a 400Mhz copper-based chip, based on technology
developed by IBM last fall. The new microprocessor, which will be
produced under joint arrangement by IBM and Motorola, will be
available for Macs in early 1999, says Jobs. (St. Petersburg Times
23 Mar 98) Meanwhile, analysts are predicting a new inexpensive,
high-powered Apple laptop by the end of May. The G3/233 will sell
for less than $2,000 and will feature Apple's new PowerPC 750 233Mhz
processor. (Tampa Tribune 23 Mar 98)
NEW DATA STORAGE FOR SMALL COMPUTERS
Ioptics Inc., developer of the technology behind compact disks, has
come up with a new data storage system for portable computers. The
company, which has financial backing from Microsoft, is marketing a
palm-sized optical reader that can transfer up to 128 megabytes of
data from a storage card smaller than a credit card. Ioptics hopes
the device will become an integral part of the next generation of
small, portable computers, but faces stiff competition from Zip
drive-maker Iomega and from Sony Corp. (Wall Street Journal 23 Mar
98)
ONLINE VOTING IN SKATING COMPETITION
Visitors to the Excite Web site this Friday will be able to register
their own opinions about who should win a live ice-skating
competition broadcast on CBS. The final standings will be determined
by Web site voters. Participating in the show will be Olympic
veterans Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Katerina Witt and many
others. The show's live audience will be given handheld computers so
that they can vote along with the home viewers. "Excite is about
personalization and giving people individual experiences on the
Web," says the company's executive VP for marketing. "For the first
time ever on the Internet, we are giving the online community a
voice to affect the outcome of a live television show." (Net Insider
23 Mar 98)
MICROSOFT CREATES SOFTWARE GROUP IN INDIA
Microsoft is opening a 25-person software development group in
Hyderabad, India, focused on creating new business software and
components of the Windows NT operating system. The Redmond,
Washington-based company has for the past seven years operated a
similar center in Haifa, Israel. A Microsoft executive explained:
"At some point we realized we might not be able to get all the
talent we want to move to Redmond." (USA Today 24 Mar 98)
ON THE USES OF SUPERCOMPUTERS
Although, following the end of the Cold War, the U.S. government
placed civilian and military scientists roughly at parity when
supercomputer time is distributed, the distribution in 1996 was a
2-to-1 ratio in favor of the military, and will become a 5-to-1
ratio by 1999. Civilian research using supercomputers is funded by
the National Science Foundation, whereas the military side is funded
by the Department of Energy. Larry Smarr, director of the NSF-funded
National Center for Supercomputer Applications at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says: "Unless something is done, this
is bound to pull more academic scientific researchers toward the
Department of Energy supercomputers. Where does that leave basic
scientific research?" David Cooper, associate director of the
DOE-funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, says: "I don't
think this is an either-or situation. I have some sympathy with
their situation, and I'm concerned about the prospect of the NSF
centers falling behind." (New York Times 23 Mar 98)
NEW MULTIMEDIA WEB BROWSER FROM MICROSOFT
Microsoft has developed a Web browser code-named Chrome and designed
to deliver TV-quality 3-D animation and high-fidelity sound at
dramatically improved download times. Chrome, which will be an
option on Windows 98, will work only on high-end Windows-based
computers not generally available at the present time. It will send
Web pages in "skinny" text instructions that will be interpreted for
optimum display. (AP 26 Mar 98)
ANOTHER ONLINE BOOKSTORE IN THE WORKS
Bertelsmann AG, the German media giant that is currently in the news
for its purchase of American publishing company Random House, is
planning to develop an interactive Web site to sell all books (not
just its own) on the Internet. It will be a serious competitor to
Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. Cowles/Simba Information
says that Amazon now has 50% of the market and Barnes & Noble 6%.
The Borders and Bertelsmann online sites will not be in operation
until later this year. (USA Today 25 Mar 98)
WORRIED ABOUT Y2K? NOW THERE'S D10K
Experts predict financial software may go haywire if the Dow Jones
Industrial Average tops 10,000. Many software programs are designed
to handle only four-digit Dows, says one software designer, who says
that concern over the D10K problem soon "will spawn the usual parade
of opportunists" to fix the bug. (Wall Street Journal 26 Mar 98)
SINGAPORE MAY LET INTERNET STOCK TRADES WITHOUT BROKERS
Singapore's stock exchange is considering allowing small investors
to trade directly on the Internet without having to have their
orders routed to online brokerage services for execution. The
Internet trades would be limited to about $30,000 (US) a day.
Brokers expressed displeasure with the idea. (AP 25 Mar 98)
DIGITAL STAYS LOYAL TO ALPHA
Digital Equipment says it's not giving up on Alpha; to the contrary,
the deal it recently struck with Intel giving Intel ownership of the
Alpha chipmaking plant will strengthen its commitment to the
high-performance microprocessor. "There are concerns about Digital
giving up control of Alpha. But in fact, we did not give up control
of Alpha. The concerns are a result of people misinterpreting the
deal," says a Digital VP. Digital retains the rights to the 64-bit
Alpha design, and will have a contractual relationship with Intel
requiring Intel to keep supplying Digital with chips. Beginning in
late 1999, Alpha will share the same 0.18-micron process fabs as
Intel's 64-bit Merced chip, enabling the two chips to continue
developing in tandem. (InternetWeek 25 Mar 98)
FCC BACKS AWAY FROM ITS PLAN FOR FREE AIR TIME FOR CANDIDATES
In the face of strong political opposition, Federal Communications
Commission chairman William Kennard says he will not try to move
ahead now with his proposed rules requiring broadcasters to give
free air time to candidates for federal office. "It is clear we need
some time to develop a consensus for doing something before we
proceed. That's what the reaction certainly taught me. We've got to
move the debate from the very abstract to the more specific so
members of Congress and others can see what's within the realm of
the possible." (New York Times 26 Mar 98)
LATEST WIRELESS AUCTION NETS OVER $830 MILLION
The latest round of spectrum auctions took in more than $830 in
gross revenue, which analysts say is in line with expectations.
After discounts, the government will net $578.6 million. The
licenses auctioned are for local multipoint distribution service,
which will compete with local telephone and cable services, enabling
customers to receive telephone, data or television service via a
small antenna mounted on a windowsill. (Wall Street Journal 26 Mar
98)
ONLY THE PARANOID GET TO STAY ON WHEN THEY RESIGN
Andrew Grove -- Intel chief executive, Time's 1997 "Man of the
Year," and author of the book "Only The Paranoid Survive" -- is
resigning as Intel CEO, to be replaced by Craig Barrett, who has
been the company's president and chief operating officer. Grove will
remain with Intel as its Chairman of the Board. (AP 26 Mar 98)
WELL, OKAY, THEN HOW ABOUT "CAPPUCCINO"?
Noting that Microsoft doesn't have Sun's approval to produce a
modified version of Java, the software language developed by Sun, a
federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that Microsoft must stop
using the Java logo of a coffee cup with steam rising it from it.
(AP 25 Mar 98)
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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
From Frank's Fingers
I'll start this weekly little snippet of personal news and opinion
with a bit of levity. I've changed the name of my column's opening
salvo to something a bit more alliterative. Hopefully what appears
started first in my noggin before being relayed to my fingers and
then saved in this file, but sometimes words have a way of writing
themselves.
Now I have to get serious. Once again, armed violence has occurred
at a school. I wish to express my condolences to the people of
Jonesboro, Arkansas for the tremendous tragedy that took place. The
loss of those sweet lives is inestimable.
Numerous experts are debating the causes of this murderous behavior.
I'm sure that many will blame the motion picture and entertainment
industries, others will blame the easy access that children have to
guns. Some will lay the blame on the school system for not
recognizing the warning signs that they feel must have been evident.
Legions will heap blame upon the parents of the accused. I don't
think there are any easy answers and I am sure that there are many
contributing factors to this act.
It seems as if we are losing our children. So many are jaded,
dissatisfied and disrespectful. We have to find a way to connect
with our youngsters, to give back to them the innocence and joy for
living that we remember having in our own childhoods. If we fail to
save this generation, then our future will be very bleak. May the
violence end and understanding begin.
Featured Review
I'm still working on the research for my next reviews. Next week I
hope to review Fisher-Price Ready for School 1st Grade from Davidson
and Collier Encyclopedia from Sierra On-line. Let me give a brief
look at each program now.
Ready for School 1st Grade is a well-rounded program offering a wide
assortment of activities suitable for children ages 5 to 7. While it
has great content, I feel it lacks the appeal to keep youngsters
coming back for repeat play. With Davidson's 30-day moneyback
guarantee, there is little risk in trying the program and it is
certainly affordable at $29.95, but I'm not sure that it will be
every child's cup of tea.
Sierra's Collier Encyclopedia has all the multimedia bells and
whistle. It encompasses three CD-ROMs. Unfortunately, it's slow as
old dog hobbling on three legs. Even when running on a Pentium II
with a 24-speed CD-ROM drive and a fast video card, the program
crawls. Combine that with constant disc changes and you get a very
unsatisfactory experience. Perhaps it was a mistake to use Netscape
Communicator as the interface. It makes me wonder if maybe the
browsers are what slow down the Web rather than bandwidth problems.
Until next week, best wishes!
"It doesn't get any better"
Adobe Retail Promotion Offers Free
Self-Paced Training Guide with Purchase
San Jose, Calif., (March 23, 1998) - Adobe Systems Incorporated
(Nasdaq: ADBE) today launched a retail promotion to help new users
master Adobe software quickly and easily. With the purchase of a
full, retail version of Adobe Acrobat, After Effects, FrameMaker,
Illustrator, PageMaker, Photoshop, or Adobe Premiere software
customers will receive a free corresponding book by mail from the
best-selling Classroom in a Book training series. The promotion is
in effect in the United States and Canada between March 15 and June
30, 1998, or while supplies last. The retail value of the books
ranges between $40-50. More information about the promotion can be
found on the Web at http://www.adobe.com/freebook.
The promotion is intended to introduce the Adobe brand to a new set
of customers who recognize the need to cut through the clutter with
breakthrough communication materials. These customers include: a
small business owner who wants to create marketing materials that
are as professional as its competition; a finance professional who
needs to deliver reports with impact; an administrative assistant
who adds clip art or logos to an executive presentation; or a
corporate marketing professional who delivers cutting-edge, animated
digital presentations. Adobe provides a full range of applications
that work together seamlessly.
"As the population of people using software to create visually rich
communication materials continues to grow, it needs to be supported
by self-paced training materials that are focused and designed to
fit into busy schedules," said Robert Roblin, executive vice
president of marketing for Adobe. "This giveaway demonstrates our
commitment to helping our customers get the most out of their
purchases of Adobe software."
Classroom in a Book, produced by Adobe and published by Macmillan
Computer Publishing USA, is a best-selling series of hands-on
software training workbooks that teach according to the way users
learn and retain knowledge. Lessons are short, focused and
completely controlled by the user. The compact book size enhances
portability, and the design makes information easily accessible. The
scope of each book includes both intermediate and advanced
techniques. The lessons contain both Windows and Macintosh
instructions for seamless dual-platform learning and the enclosed
hybrid CD-ROM runs on either operating system.
"Macmillan's Classroom in a Book series is one of the most
successful in the computer book industry," said Richard Swadley,
senior vice president of publishing for Macmillan Computer
Publishing USA. "Launched in 1993, more than one million Classroom
in a Book volumes have been sold worldwide in English and 10 other
languages. These titles set the standard by which other books are
judged. There is no better resource for people who want to learn how
to unleash the power of Adobe's software."
Availability
This promotional offer is valid at Adobe Authorized Resellers, mail
order catalogs, or wherever Adobe software is sold in the United
States and Canada. To obtain a free book, customers will need to
mail in the proof of purchase and the Classroom in a Book offer
sticker from the Adobe software product box.
Offer does not include upgrades, educational, or not-for-resale
versions, or products acquired in conjunction with the purchase of
computer hardware (bundled product). Other restrictions apply. See
official terms and conditions on the redemption coupon or visit
http://www.adobe.com/freebook
About Macmillan Computer Publishing USA
As the world's largest computer book publisher, Macmillan Computer
Publishing USA (MCP) is the industry's premier information and
reference innovator. Macmillan's computer book imprints include:
QUE, Sams Publishing, New Riders, Ziff-Davis Press, Hayden Books,
Waite Group Press, Macmillan Technical Publishing, Que Education &
Training, Lycos Press, Adobe Press, Borland Press, Cisco Press,
EarthWeb Press and Red Hat Press. With more than 600 computer titles
published annually, MCP is the only publisher producing materials on
all major computing and communications topic. MCP is a unit of
Macmillan Publishing USA. Macmillan is the reference division of
Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc. (AMEX:
VIA, VIAB). For the latest news and information about Macmillan,
visit its Web site at http://www.mcp.com.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Based in San Jose, Calif., Adobe Systems Incorporated develops and
supports products to help people express and use information in more
imaginative and meaningful ways, across all print and electronic
media. Founded in 1982, Adobe helped launch the desktop publishing
revolution. Today, the company offers a market-leading line of
application software and type products for creating and distributing
visually rich communication materials; licenses its
industry-standard technologies to major hardware manufacturers,
software developers, and service providers; and offers integrated
software solutions to businesses of all sizes. For more information,
see Adobe's home page at http://www.adobe.com on the World Wide Web.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Caflisch Script, Giddyup, Image
Club, Mezz, Minion, Myriad, PageMill, Penumbra, WebMorsels and
WebType are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Apple,
Macintosh, Macintosh Quadra and Power Macintosh are trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the United States and other
countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
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STReport International Online Magazine
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
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From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Sorry about last week's issue; it originally wasn't as "short" as
seemed. It's ironic, but the more I hear about how "modern"
technologically-wonderful today's PCs are, I have to chuckle. The
simplest tasks on an Atari seem to be major projects on a PC. I
won't go into detail, but our illustrious neighbor on the "south-40"
ran into some problems using our simple ASCII text last week. Bells
and whistles? We don't need no steenkin' bells and whistles! <rbg>
We've got a great issue this week! It's perhaps the largest column
we've had in many months. We've got more Hasbro/Atari coverage this
week, plenty of gaming news, and even some Atari computer-related
news. It must be Spring!
So let's celebrate the new season, and get right into the heart of
all things Atari - we're still havin' some fun!
Until next time...
Electronic Cow releases new software
From: < electronic_cow@dial.pipex.com >
Electronic Cow is pleased to announce the release of two new music
software packages for the Atari!
Scribble Synth
(Price 16.00 UK pounds plus postage)
The first program, Scribble Synth is another software-based sound
synthesizer, in the same vein as Elctronic Cow's previous release
Snippit Synth. However, the synthesis model used in Scribble Synth
is completely different: it's a true additive synthesizer, but with
a difference! You actually draw in frequency envelopes with the
mouse!
How it works:
These mouse 'scribbles' (of which there can be up to five per sound)
are transformed into 2D frequency spectrum plots by the software
automatically. Both low and high frequency bandwidths can be
defined, and up to twenty bands can be comprised in one 'scribble'.
These plots are then placed in the time domain, and Scribble Synth
interpolates individual envelope shapes for each frequency band! The
results are quite amazing!
Strange sci-fi warbles, time-based pitch and filtering effects, plus
frequency modulated sounds are all possible with Scribble Synth, as
well as some REALLY deep bass sounds!!!
Sounds can then be exported to tracker programs, direct-to-disk
sequencers/recorders, and sample editors in either AIFF, AVR or SPL
formats. Both eight and 16-bit formats are supported, and ANY
frequency between 8 and 50KHz!
Scribble Synth will also allow you to dump the sounds via MIDI to an
MSDS-compatible sampler, or the Akai S900/950...
Scribble Synth's main features include:
AVR/AIFF/SPL 8/16 bit sample export at any frequency (up to
50KHz)
Digital audio playback of sounds on the Falcon and STE/TT
MIDI sample dump for Akai S900/S950 and all sample dump standard
samplers
On-line help utilising ST-Guide, plus an eight-page CD-booklet
manual
Scribble Synth requires at least one megabyte of memory and a 640 x
400 display to run. Because of hardware limitations, no audio
playback is available on the STFM, but you can still generate
samples!
EC-909
(Price 25.00 UK pounds plus postage and packing)
Tired of the ridiculous prices for second-hand analogue drum
machines?
Wish you had Re-Birth on the Atari?
EC-909 is an analogue drum machine emulator for the Atari STE/TT or
Falcon. It features sixteen original TR-909 sounds (including bass,
snare, toms, rim, clap, and cymbals), with various controls (pitch
tuning, volume attenuation, and attack shape), and an interface
everyone will have seen somewhere before!!!
EC-909 can create single bar patterns (in real-time on the Falcon),
and then export them into your direct-to-disk recorder or sample
editor as AIFF or AVR format samples. Both 8 and 16-bit formats are
supported, as well as mono or stereo options. The program will also
allow you to export the pattern as a standard MIDI file for loading
into your MIDI sequencer! Other features include: MIDI triggering,
tempo and bar length controls, and Undo!
EC-909' s main features include:
* AVR/AIFF 8/16 bit sample export, either mono or stereo
* 16 unique TR909 style drum sounds
* Tempo and bar length controls
* MIDI triggering for drums and pattern playing
* Exports patterns as type 1 MIDI files
* On-line help utilising ST-Guide, plus an eight-page CD-booklet
manual
There are two versions of EC-909; one for e STE and TT, and one for
the Falcon. EC-909 requires at least one megabyte of memory (4Mbytes
on the Falcon) and a 640 x 400 display. EC-909 won't run on the STFM
because of the lack of digital audio hardware.
For more information, visit our WWW page at:
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/electronic_cow/cownet.shtml
Or email us:
electronic_cow@dial.pipex.com
Or why not give us a telephone call:
0411 533133 (UK Calls)
Hi all!
Now with the latest release of STinG dialer (v1.15) and the StinG
TCP-module I have a fast PPP TCP/IP connection to Internet (using
k56flex/HS-Modem) and a constant non-interupted data-flow. So, I'm
back, with MyMail again.
MyMail
Now when Erik Hall got his Hades back, he managed to release a new
version of MyMail after only (two days). Latest version is 0.55 beta
and is available to download from either:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/mymail/english.html (My webpage) or
http://www2.tripnet.se/~erikhall
There are new functions added for the in-built editor and pop-up
menu entries for mark all as read, mark all read as deleted, mark
all as deleted, go to next new mail. Don't be to confused where and
what URL I have for my Atari-related webpages, I will explain this
at the end of this mail.
MyMail is a STinG/STiK compatible e-mail app. I use MyMail to
distribute this mailing list.
Updated STinG modules
Some of the STinG extension modules are updated (Mars 10), you will
find them in the MODULE.LZH archive at:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/sting/english.html
The archive CORETOOL.LZH for STinG is also updated (Mars 10), the
archive with the STinG IP kernel (core) and the STinG tools, such as
PING and Traceroute.
STinG by Peter Rottengatter is the app that gives your computer a
serial SLIP/PPP connection with TCP/IP and also have the power to
connect your Atari computer with others (Atari, IBM PC and Mac) in a
Ethernet Network.
TelSTar by Peter Rottengatter
TelSTar is a Telnet client made by the author of STinG. It's aimed
to be VT100-compatible.
You will find this first version 1.0 at my TelSTar support page,
located at: http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/sting/telstar.html
This page also describes what you can do with a Telnet-client on the
Net.
Network clients and servers
There's a plethora of new apps to use with STinG. The network
Clients and servers download bay at Peter Rottengatter's homepage is
filled with new apps, such as the CAB Overlay module, FTP-server by
Vassili Papathanassiou, TelSTar, HTTP-server by Olivier Booklage and
a Network game by Mario Becroft called Manoeuvre.
You will find links to Peter's homepage, STinG download bay and this
clients & servers download bay at my support page:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/sting/english.html
QED
Most of my webpages are handmade, by QED. There's an active QED
download button in some of them, they point you to the official
webpage by Christian Felsch. If you activate the button you will
find the brand new QED v4.10 version.
QED is PD editor by Christian Felsch (Tom Quellenberg)
Infitra
Infitra is the latest internet application of Merciful from the
Netherlands and is the latest in 'state of the art' programs for the
Atari and compatibles range of computers. It gives the user a fully
featured and professional email tool until now only found on WINDOWS
(c), UNIX, NOVELL (c) and APPLE (c) platforms.
You can download the limited demo version from *their* website,
click on the 'DEMO' button of the left menu to get it! The demo
version will send your mail, but will have a fixed signature file
attached to all mail you send. The signature file is a blunt
advertisement for Infitra and cannot be switched off.
The other limitations are that the program won't send attachments
and won't list on server.
Infitra is to be found at:
http://www.worldaccess.nl/~koenrad9/index.htm
My own Infitra support page is located at:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/infitra
Infitra is a commercial STinG/STiK-compatible e-mail app.
My webpage
The exact URL for my Atari-related homepage is:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r You can use the symbolic link:
http://surf.to/atari or the mirror http://hem1.passagen.se/atari
My Atari-related e-mail address is: atari@ebox.tninet.se
and mille@ebox.tninet.se for personal mails
Mille (also) goes to Germany
You can also visit my German ATARI homepage at:
http://www.atari-computer.de/mille
and use the e-mail address mille@atari-computer.de
Software downloads
The exact location of the software download page is:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/apps
and the ASH download page at:
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r/ash/download.html
They contains swedish versions of CAB, Fiffi and Emailer with
HTML-docs
along with multilingual CAB 2.6 versions, CAB 2.0 Demo, CAB 1.5
Freeware, CAB OVL module etc.
Best Regards
Mille Babic
atari@ebox.tninet.se
http://user.tninet.se/~gcc561r
(http://surf.to/atari)
The 9th Adventurers Convention
From: Larry Horsfield Alaric@larryhorsfield.demon.co.uk
Hello all in C.S.A.St.
If you haven't already heard about it, you may be interested to hear
about the 1998 Adventurers Convention, which is being held in
Birmingham (UK) this coming October, as it has been for the last 8
years.
The Convention is being held on Saturday, 24th October 1998, in the
Ariel Suite of the Royal Angus Thistle Hotel, St. Chad`s, Birmingham
B4, which at the end of the A38M and easy to get to from all parts
of the country. It runs from 9am to around 6pm and covers all
formats from Spectrums to PC's, including Atari St's. Tables are
available if you wish to bring along your own computer(s) and we
actively encourage this as we depend on those attending to bring
their computers, so the more the merrier! If you wish to bring
hardware and/or software to sell you are more than welcome to, but
no pirated software please!
The event attracts adventure enthusiasts from all over the UK,
including Northern Ireland, and the atmosphere is very friendly and
informal. Many of us staa overnight at the hotel and the evenings
can be just as lively and interesting as the convention itself!
During the day we have the popular "Megapoints" competition running.
In this the contestants get 20 minutes playing time at a specially
written Spectrum text adventure, with the object of scoring as many
points as possible in the alloted time. There are usually cash
prizes and special certificates for the 3 highest scores. The
adventure this year is being written by Ulsterman Jon Scott, author
of various Spectrum text adventures published by Zenobi Software.
Tickets are available now aad cost 6 ukp per person if you buy yours
before 30th June, 1998. Thereafter, or if you pay on the door on the
day, the price will be 7 ukp per person. Tickets may be purchased
from: Vicky Jackson, 128 Merton Hall Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19
3PZ
Please make cheques/PO's payable to V. Jackson
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION:
The Royal Angus Thistle Hotel has special room rates for those
attending the Convention. These include full English breakfast and
are as follows:
Single Room: 37.50 ukp per night.
Double/Twin: 32.50 per person, per night.
Please contact the hotel to book your accommodation, NOT the
convention
organisers. The address and phone number are:
Royal Angus Thistle Hotel
St.Chad`s, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6HY
Telephone: 0121-236-4211
Don't forget to inform the hotel you are attending the Adventurers
Convention, otherwise you will be charged the normal room rates!
NOTE: The Convention is on the weekend before the start of the
Birmingham Motor Show at the NEC. Whilst the hotel have promised to
reserve a number of rooms for us, you are strongly advised to book
your accommodation AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE to avoid disappointment. If
you have any queries about the Convention, or would like to reserve
tables for your hard/software, please contact me at the email
address below.
Hope to see you in Brum in October!
Larry Horsfield
alaric@larryhorsfield.demon.co.uk
NextGen reviews Once Upon ATARI video
From: < hsw@netcom.com >
This is the unedited review of the video documentary "Once Upon
Atari" in Next Generation magazine (April 98 issue, page 20).
You can also check out the website for this video (and it's creator)
at: http://www.netcom.com/~hsw/ouatari.html or
http://www.netcom.com/~hsw
Here it is:
Once Upon Atari: The Agony and the Ecstasy video review
The culture at Atari's console division in the glory days of
1979-1982 has always had a mystique about it. It was the seminal
videogame development "scene," and many myths and legends grew out
of that time. During last June's Electronicon, a Philadelphia fan
convention, Howard Scott Warshaw, creator of E.T. and Yars Revenge,
premiered a new documentary, Once Upon Atari: The Agony and the
Ecstasy. It is actually the final installment of a planned four-part
series that explores those days by interviewing the programmers who
created some of console gaming's best-loved (and most hated) titles.
While the video quality sometimes leaves a lot to be desired (the
introduction is almost unbearably cheesy), the interviews are
amazing. Warshaw has tracked down almost everyone who did anything
of significance in Atari's home division, including the people
involved in some of the most criticized events in Atari's history,
like Pac-Man for Atari 2600 (see "What the Hell Happened?" page 38).
The interviews are seamlessly edited together with very little
narration, which is good if you are familiar with Atari's history -
for those who don't already know most of these names, though, the
video may be a bit confusing.
This episode tries to capture the spirit of what it was like to
actually work at Atari, an environment that was both a product of
the times - the free-wheeling '70s - and the need to hire anyone who
could program the 2600, a feat that ranged from difficult to
impossible. This quote from Todd (Pac-Man) Frye is typical: "They
were having a problem getting a programmer to do the Atari 2600
Xevious. Xevious was a very graphically active game in the arcades,
and the Atari 2600 was not really a very graphically active machine.
So I went home - I smoked this joint, with a little psilocybin and a
little cocaine in it - and all of a sudden it sprang full forth in
my mind exactly how to do it. And that was the moment of
inspiration."
Other installments will include Nolan Bushnell, Larry Kaplan
(Activision, Kaboom!), Rob Fulop (Missile Command), and others,
disclosing their personal feelings and stories about everything from
the creation of Activision to some of the pretty outrageous sexual
(mis)conduct that went on between employees. The remainder of the
series will be released later this year. The first episode will
cover what it was like to actually work at Atari, the second will
deal with the legendary three M's of Atari (marketing, management,
and money), and finally the third - and possibly the most exciting -
will detail the game design process at Atari.
The highly in-depth nature of the documentary offers a refreshing
contrast to other efforts, like Leonard Herman's Phoenix (see review
NG 37), which, in their attempts to cover a broader subject matter,
are necessarily more impersonal. Is this video essential viewing? If
you're simply interested in the broad history of the industry,
probably not. But if the word "Atari" still can make the hair on the
back of your neck stand up, send in your money ASAP - you won't be
disappointed.
Available in NTSC or PAL. Running time: 28 minutes.
To order, send $29.95 (postpaid) to:
SCOTT WEST PRODUCTIONS
PO Box 610787
San Jose, CA 95161
Or call with credit card: 1-800-711-3627
More information can be found at http://www.netcom.com/~hsw
Or http://www.netcom.com/~hsw/ouatari.html
Check it out!
Gaming Section
Activision News!
'Quake' on N64!
'Resident Evil 2' New Record!
Accolade!
More Hasbro News!
And much more!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
With all of the gaming news coming in, I'm sort of jealous that I'm
not able to partake in all of the new game offerings, or the ones
coming down the pike. Then again, who has the time to try them all?
Where do you people find the time - especially those of you with
multiple systems? And now there's the potential for yet another
console system near the end of the year: Project X! It should be an
interesting holiday season this year; wait and see how this story
turns out!
Well, we have an unusually large gaming section this week. Perhaps
the game company PR people are getting out everything before the
nice weather really starts working itself in and the typical
spring/summer slowdown begins anew.
Anyway, let's enjoy it while we can. We've got "classics" and new
games to round out this week's issue.
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
Hasbro Expects First Quarter To Be Below Expectations
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (March 24) BUSINESS WIRE - March 24, 1998 - Hasbro
Inc. today announced that first quarter results will be below
expectations, primarily due to the impact of recent changes in
inventory flow policies at Toys 'R Us, a key customer. However, the
company still expects to achieve double-digit growth in full-year
1998 earnings per share.
"We have consistently stated that we expect difficult comparisons in
the first half of 1998, which is proving to be the case and has been
compounded by the actions of Toys 'R Us," said Alan G. Hassenfeld,
chairman and chief executive officer. "However, we remain on track
for the full year," Hassenfeld added.
"Last year, our first half results were boosted by the timing of
movie releases of three of our major entertainment properties: Star
Wars(TM), Jurassic Park(R) and Batman(TM). This year, the new
inventory flow policies of Toys 'R Us are having a greater relative
impact on our first quarter because our sales to Toys 'R Us are
expected to become more seasonal, like sales to most of our other
customers," Hassenfeld explained. "We believe this retail inventory
reduction trend will continue into the second quarter, making the
second half of the year, which is already so important, even more
significant. However, in the long run, we believe a stronger Toys 'R
Us will be good for our business."
The new inventory policies being implemented by Toys 'R Us include a
significant reduction in the absolute level of inventories and a
change in seasonal purchasing patterns. Primarily as a result of the
impact of these changes, Hasbro's revenues in the first quarter
could be approximately 15% below the $555.8 million reported in the
first quarter of 1997. The Company said a decrease in revenues of
this magnitude, in this seasonally low-revenue quarter, has a
disproportionate impact on quarterly earnings as fixed costs
continue to be incurred. Consequently, the Company anticipates
earnings per share could be as low as $0.05 compared to $0.20 a year
ago.
"Looking ahead to the second half of 1998, we will continue to build
sales and earnings momentum," Hassenfeld continued. "The cost
savings anticipated from the Global Integration and Profit
Enhancement program are on track. In addition, we look forward to
the debut of Teletubbies(TM) on PBS in April, the summer movie
release of DreamWorks' 'Small Soldiers', and the fall release of
Centipede(R) - the first of our newly-acquired Atari game
properties. We also expect to close our acquisition of Tiger
Electronics early in the second quarter," Hassenfeld added. "We
continue working hard to deliver our plan for this year, and believe
it is achievable under current market conditions.
Certain statements contained in this release contain "forward
looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are
inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The
company's actual actions or results may differ materially from those
expected or anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Specific
factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not
limited to, the timely manufacture and shipping by the company of
new and continuing products and their acceptance by customers and
consumers in a competitive product environment; economic conditions
and currency fluctuations in the various markets in which the
company operates throughout the world; the continuing trend of
increased concentration of the company's revenues in the second half
and fourth quarter of the year, together with increased reliance by
retailers on quick response inventory management techniques, which
increases the risk of underproduction of popular items,
overproduction of less popular items and failure to achieve tight
and compressed shipping schedules; the impact of competition on
revenues, margins and other aspects of the company's business; third
party actions or approvals that could delay, modify or increase the
cost of implementation of the company's Global Integration and
Profit Enhancement program; and the risk that anticipated benefits
of acquisitions may not occur or be delayed or reduced in their
realization. The company undertakes no obligation to make any
revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this
release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances
occurring after the date of this release.
HASBRO INTERACTIVE: Hasbro Grabs Gaming Legends
MAR 24, 1998, M2 Communications - Leading interactive games
publisher Hasbro Interactive has announced this week that a
subsidiary has acquired copyrights, trademarks, patents and other
intellectual property assets of the Atari Division of JTS
Corporation. This acquisition gives Hasbro Interactive rights to
some of the greatest video games and play patterns ever created for
multimedia entertainment. Atari's properties and assets include more
than 75 game properties, including the legendary Centipede, Missile
Command, Pong, Breakout and Tempest. Hasbro Interactive plans to
release its first Atari title, Centipede, on both PC and Sony
PlayStation formats in the third quarter of 1998.
"We are thrilled that these classic Atari game properties will now
be a part of the Hasbro family," says Tom Dusenberry, President of
Hasbro Interactive. "These ground-breaking games helped to pioneer
the video game industry. We intend to bring these classics back to
life by updating them with the latest technology and interactive
game design, while preserving their heart and spirit."
Hasbro Interactive has proven its ability to bring arcade classics
back to life, with the huge commercial success enjoyed by its 1997
launch of Frogger for both the PC and PlayStation games console. "We
plan to implement the same aggressive strategy we used with Frogger,
in bringing back the Atari classics," adds Dusenberry. "We will
develop games that appeal to the players who loved the titles as
kids, while attracting a whole new generation by bringing the games
up to today's highest standards. Of course, like all Hasbro
Interactive titles, they will be backed by major marketing and
merchandising programs."
With the acquisition of Atari's extensive library of game
properties, Hasbro Interactive seeks to strengthen its position in
the action game category. Hasbro Interactive intends to develop
various titles for all viable and available gaming platforms; PC
CD-ROM, Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64 game consoles, among
others.
Midway Home Entertainment Announces N64 Version of Quake
The Ninetendo 64 Version of the PC Mega-Hit Features Two-Player
Death Match
Midway Home Entertainment announced today that the company's eagerly
awaited Nintendo 64 video game translation of QUAKE(R), the
phenomenally popular 3-D computer game, is now available wherever
video games are sold. The announcement was made by Paula Cook,
director of Midway Home Entertainment.
With options for single and multi-player game play - allowing
up-to-two players to rip through QUAKE's world at incredible speeds
without sacrificing the game's intense graphics - Midway's QUAKE,
fully utilizes the technological capabilities of the Nintendo 64
system. QUAKE features lightening-fast game play, intense weapons
and monsters, amazing sound effects, and environments for the most
extreme first-person shooting experience possible on a home video
game system. Boasting 25 spectacular one-player levels plus seven
two-player Death Match levels, QUAKE leads gamers on an intense
first-person mission. QUAKE's advanced Artificial intelligence and
Rumble Pak compatibility further intensify the QUAKE gameplay
experience.
QUAKE was originally developed and unleashed by id Software as
shareware in June, 1996. The release of the retail version of the
game followed just two months later. QUAKE's release was met with
great critical acclaim and retail success. In making the
announcement, Ms. Cook stated, "We are happy to bring QUAKE, one of
the most popular computer games to date, home to the Nintendo 64.
Midway's translation offers gamers incredible speed, graphics and
gameplay in both single-player and two-player death match modes."
Electronic Arts Ships Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit
SAN MATEO, CALIF. (March 25) BUSINESS WIRE - March 25, 1998 -
Electronic Arts(tm), the world's largest independent interactive
entertainment software company, announces the release of Need For
Speed(tm) III: Hot Pursuit for the PlayStation(tm), the latest
addition to the popular, adrenaline-pumping realistic racing
franchise. Need For Speed returns with eight new, exotic supercars
that are based on their real life counterparts and a white-knuckle
turning twist... an intelligent law enforcement team dedicated to
stopping speeders at any cost.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is packed with new features for
players to test their racing skills. These include eight real-world
tracks set in a full 3-D environment; several short cuts and
alternate routes to discover on each of the tracks; five different
modes of gameplay with multiple options for racing fans of all
types; and highly detailed special effects, such as realistic
lighting reflections and glowing effects in both day and night time.
Racers can zoom down the open road in a choice of eight new licensed
supercars that are based on manufacturer specifications. The cars,
with top speeds over 200 m.p.h. and price tags as high as $1 million
include:
Ferrari 550 Maranello(tm)
Ferrari 355 F1(tm)
ITALDESIGN(tm)
Nazca C2(tm)
Lamborghini Diablo SV(tm)
Lamborghini Countach 25th(tm)
Jaguar(tm) XJR-15(tm)
Mercedes(tm)
CLK(tm)
GTR
Chevrolet Corvette(tm)
Each of the cars is supported by a slide presentation containing
photos of their real life counterparts and respective specifications
such as: weight, torque, horsepower, top speed, acceleration and
braking performance, engine type, handling characteristics and
manufacturer development history. "Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit
will set the standards for what a great racing title needs to
offer," said Hanno Lemke, the game's senior producer. "We're
delivering what racing buffs are screaming for - smart cops, high
speed chases, tracks that have a 'real' feel to them and several
million dollars worth of untouchable supercars they recognize but
unfortunately will rarely get the opportunity to see or test drive."
Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit racers can select arcade or
simulation mode to scream through the game's tracks, all of which
boast real world themes. Players must earn the right to advance by
winning the first four tracks -- the tree-lined backroads of the
Hometown track which is reminiscent of New England, the colorful
canyon rimmed roads of the Southwest of Redrock Ridge, the curvy
mountain climbing open road of Rocky Pass and the slick strips,
avenues and winding coastlines of Atlantica evocative of Miami,
Florida. Only by winning the first four courses will the remaining
tracks - Country Woods, Atlantica, Lost Canyons, and The Summit -
become available.
The tracks, all of which can be raced backwards or in mirror mode
(left turns become right and vice versa), take on a new thrill
through the number of special effects visible in the game which
include: police lights that cast a red and blue glow onto the
roadway during a chase; night time driving complete with high and
low beams; rain that sprays off the tires, varying weather
conditions that can be randomly set; and thunder and lightening
effects. In addition, the game utilizes a real-time lighting model
and reflective mapping on the cars that adds another level of detail
and richness to the 3-D environment through headlights that shine on
the roadway and surrounding areas, sunlight that creates car shadows
on the road, or lights and environmental reflections off of cars.
Hot Pursuit Mode: Speed Now Has a Consequence Racers who dare to
push the envelope with bone-chilling speeds and slick moves in Hot
Pursuit mode will encounter multiple levels of police aggression
from high speed chases and road blocks to tire spikes. As in real
life, the law enforcement officers in Need For Speed mean business
and will pull out all stops to chase, pull over -- using dozens of
recorded police commands, cite and ultimately arrest all speeders
including the player and/or his Artificial Intelligence (AI)
opponents. For example, if racers continuously attempt to outrun the
law, police will become more aggressive and strategic with their
arrest tactics by trying to ram speeders off the road, calling in
additional cops for back up, and strategically placing road blocks
and tire spikes up the road. In addition to the police, even the
opponents come with an attitude. Because of the game's rich AI, each
of the in-game challengers have various personalities, which are
reflected through their names. If a player continuously cuts off the
"Terror" opponent, "Terror" will retaliate and make it his mission
to knock you off the road with some edgy moves of his own from
honking to blocking or ramming.
The game is equipped with four additional game modes including:
"practice" where a player hones race skills around a track; "single
race" where the player competes in one race to the finish against
one or a group of opponents; "tournament" in which the player must
win each race in order to advance, with an ultimate goal of
accessing additional cars; and "knock out" where a player must avoid
placing last in order to stay in the race, and eventually win the
bonus track. Each of these modes is equipped with selectable options
for elements such as day and night time driving, setting different
amounts of traffic and tutor with navigator speech and on-screen
arrows for negotiating turns. Players can choose one of four
different camera views from a possible six when in-game, as well as
customizing their cars with different colors and multiple tuning
options such as adjusting gear ratios, suspension stiffness, engine
power, aerodynamics, brake settings and selecting between racing
skills, stock tires and rain tires.
Final touches that complement the game are the two-player
horizontally split screen; a frame rate of 30 frames per second in
single player, which provides a smooth, fast sensation of speed, and
new interactive audio effects and music custom designed for each
track theme. Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit for the PlayStation is
available for a suggested retail price of US$49.95 and has an "E"
ESRB rating. Artwork can be downloaded at: http://pr.ea.com/nfs3.zip
MicroProse Playing To PC Platform Strengths In FY 1999
Mar 20, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 54) -- MicroProse's
fiscal 1999 product slate is focused exclusively on the PC, but the
company plans to support next-generation consoles, its president and
CEO, Stephen Race, tells MMWire. "We are looking at the increased
capabilities of those systems [such as Sega's Katana], and the
ability to put our products on those systems as a plus," he says.
"You can't do all things for all platforms...Strategy and simulation
games are designed for the PC." But those lines are going to blur,
Race says.
Race says if there will be a new version of PlayStation in 2000, and
it takes MicroProse 18 months to develop a game, then it doesn't
make sense to come in at the tail end of the system. "We want to be
early..." As for the company's fiscal '99 product slate (fiscal '98
ends March 31), MicroProse has just shipped a multiplayer version of
Ultimate Race Pro (licensed to Mplayer, and developed by Kalisto
Entertainment). On Tuesday it will ship internally developed M1 Tank
Platoon II. Initial shipments are anticipated in the 100,000-unit
range worldwide for both products. Ultimate Civilization II will
ship during the company's 2nd fiscal quarter.
Earlier, MicroProse said Joe Ybarra, former Electronic Arts [ERTS]
co-founder, would head up the company's Austin production studio,
directing development teams on titles such as Guardians: Agents of
Justice and Civilization. Other titles set for release in fiscal '99
include Falcon 4.0, MechCommander, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Klingon Honor Guard. In addition, Starship Troopers, X-COM:
Interceptor and MiG 29 will be released this year. Falcon 4.0 is a
cornerstone of the company's marketing plans and its drive to get
back to profitability in fiscal 1999, the company says. The title is
slated for Q2.
MicroProse has some great products for '99, but questions have
revolved around the company getting them out on time and avoiding
feature creep, says James Lin, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan
Securities. Race says the products are at a stage where analysts
were able to drive the M1 tank and fly the Falcon 4.0 at a recent
event. "There was a dark cloud for fiscal year 1998," Race says,
"but it has a silver lining...We're about to ship these products
that were supposed to ship in fiscal '98. We could deliver up to 16
products, but we're telling the analyst community we will be
profitable with 12."
Re-Launch of Mega-Franchise Highlights Activision's Push to Consoles
Mar 19, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 53) -- Activision appears
to be playing its trump card by tapping one of the longest-standing
interactive entertainment franchises and supporting it with a
multimillion-dollar marketing campaign to make a major push into
consoles. Activision's shipment of Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle
($49.95) for PlayStation next week leverages a 16-year-old franchise
that has sold more than 5m units. It also re-introduces arguably the
first-ever platform game, a genre that helped make Nintendo what it
is.
The launch of Pitfall 3D is "part of Activision's aggressive push
into the console market," says Marc Metis, director of console
product marketing. The move is akin to Hasbro Interactive's shipment
last fall of console/coin-op classic Frogger for PlayStation and PC,
which put the erstwhile toy-only company into the limelight.
Frogger, to date, has sold-through more than 700,000 units,
according to The NPD Group.
Activision leads the second wave of publishers to treat consoles as
serious moneymakers. "This is their coming-out party, they might as
well be wearing their best dress," as Hasbro did, Fairfield Research
analyst Gary Gabelhouse says. And the move is smart, Gabelhouse
opines. It "usually costs the publisher more money than they can
afford" to build the brand equity that Pitfall already has.
Metis says each stage of the marketing campaign for Pitfall 3D will
play into what consumers already know and remember about the
franchise. Television commercials begin in April on MTV, Comedy
Central and during syndicated shows "Hercules," "Xena: Warrior
Princess" and "Baywatch." Pitfall 3D is one of as many as eight
console titles expected from Activision this year, give or take a
few, Metis says, noting that some deals are still in the works.
In previous years, Activision's Christmas console lineup was shy of
exceptional. Last Christmas, it consisted of Nightmare Creatures and
a Car and Driver Presents: Grand Tour Racing '98. A year earlier, it
was only notably marked by Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. The PR
campaign for Pitfall 3D began 18 months ago, Metis says, serving as
a stepping stone for upcoming PSX title Vigilante 8, for which
Activision plans a "very, very aggressive" campaign. N64-related
console announcements will likely be held until E3.
GEX: Enter the Gecko Leaps Off Retail Shelves
MENLO PARK, CALIF. (March 24) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE - March 24, 1998 -
Game's Humor, Amazing Graphics and Challenging 3D Game play Strike
Cord With Consumers. Midway Home Entertainment, Inc. and Crystal
Dynamics today announced that they have experienced tremendous sell
through of GEX: Enter the Gecko at retail outlets nationwide in its
first week of availability. The game made its debut on the
PlayStation(R) game console February 24.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics and distributed by Midway Home
Entertainment, GEX: Enter the Gecko has been heralded as one of the
best video games of the year by analysts, journalists and consumers
alike. The game has graced the covers of numerous gaming
publications and is being supported with a multi-million dollar
marketing campaign, which will continue to inform and excite
consumers through the month of March. The campaign is highlighted by
a television commercial, which is currently airing on national cable
networks, such as MTV, ESPN and Comedy Central. In addition, the TV
spot was awarded "best TV advertisement" by Sony(R) Computer
Entertainment America at the Publishers Conference held March 16-17
in Newport Beach, California.
"We've certainly had high expectations for GEX, but we were
completely taken by surprise with the enormous consumer demand for
the game," said Jim MacKenzie, Divisional Merchandise Manager for
KayBee Toys. "In fact, we have already submitted large reorders to
ensure that our shelves remain fully stocked. "Brian Woodrick, buyer
with Blockbuster Videos, Inc. added, "GEX has been highly
anticipated for months. We're thrilled that the release of the game
has lived up to the hype and sparked significant excitement in the
rental market."
"The responses we have received from retailers, distributors,
consumers, and the media have all recognized GEX: Enter the Gecko as
a groundbreaking title that has already established itself as a
video game classic," said Byron Cook, president of Midway Home
Entertainment, Inc. In GEX: Enter the Gecko, GEX returns to protect
the world's television broadcasts from his archnemesis Rez. The
sequel will push the limits of 3D technology with beautifully
rendered environments, awesome enemies, special effects, and
free-roaming 3D game play, as well as the sarcastic humor gamers
have come to expect from the quick-witted gecko -- who's voice is
provided by actor/comedian Dana Gould. "GEX: Enter the Gecko is
ideally positioned to be one of the best video games of 1998 with
its artful blend of humor, technology, stunning graphics and
challenging game play," said Rob Dyer president of Crystal Dynamics.
"And, if our first week's results are any indication, we are right
on track." GEX: Enter the Gecko will also appear on PC CD-ROM in
Spring 1998 and on the Nintendo 64(R) in early Summer 1998.
Accolade Kicks Off 1998 With Record Selling Titles
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (March 24) BUSINESS WIRE - March 24, 1998 - Leading
entertainment software publisher, Accolade, is heading into 1998
stronger than ever! The company announced today that its successful
Test Drive(TM) racing series has officially sold more units this
past year than any other franchise in the company's history. In
addition, Accolade will release 12 new titles this year with an
increased focus on the Sony PlayStation market.
Test Drive 4 and Test Drive: Off-road sold more than 850,000 and
500,000 units respectively. Both products were top 20 titles in
sales on the PlayStation during 1997. In light of its success in the
PlayStation market, Accolade plans to release all future titles on
both the Sony PlayStation game console and the personal computer.
"Accolade's sales of Test Drive 4 and Test Drive: Off-road have
literally sky-rocketed since their launch, making the Test Drive
series the number one selling driving franchise on the market
today," said Jim Barnett, president and CEO of Accolade. "We look
forward to seeing the same success with all of our franchises in
1998." In addition to expanding its popular Test Drive and
HardBall(R) franchises in 1998, Accolade will release the fourth
installment in the popular Star Control(RM) series, with StarCon.
StarCon will place heavy emphasis on action to attract new users,
yet promises to please die-hard Star Control fans with its story
line. Accolade will also release two new titles, Redline(TM), a
futuristic gang warfare action game, as well as Big Air(TM)
Snowboarding, a thrill-packed game that captures the excitement and
feel of real snowboarding. With the exception of HardBall 6 for the
PC and Jack Nicklaus(R) Online Tour, both of which will ship next
month, all these titles will be launched at the industry's largest
trade show, Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta May 28-30,
1998.
Below are further details on this year's Accolade lineup at E3: TEST
DRIVE 5: The sequel to last year's incredibly successful Test Drive
4 will include 11 new courses, hot new licensed cars and much more.
Available for the PC and PlayStation in the fall of 1998. TEST
DRIVE: OFF-ROAD 2: The sequel to the number one off-road racer for
the PlayStation in 1997 aims to be the most insane off-road driving
experience of the year. Available for the PC and PlayStation in the
fall of 1998. STARCON: The fourth installment in the successful Star
Control franchise, StarCon is an adrenaline-filled space combat
action game. This exciting multiplayer title will be available for
the PC and PlayStation in the fall of 1998. REDLINE: Set in a world
where gang warfare is a way of life, Redline features a fully
destructible 3D accelerated environment. Available for both the PC
and PlayStation in August, 1998. HARDBALL 6: Celebrating the 10th
anniversary of the HardBall baseball franchise, HardBall 6 features
a new 3D world with unlimited camera angles and motion captured
polygonal players. Available for the PlayStation this summer. BIG
AIR SNOWBOARDING: Big Air Snowboarding allows players to compete in
several different types of snowboarding competitions, such as time
trials, free style and half pipe in real locations throughout the
world. The game will be available for the PlayStation in the fall of
1998.
THQ Delves Into International Intrigue With 'Broken Sword'
CALABASAS, CALIF. (March 24) BUSINESS WIRE - March 24, 1998 - THQ
Inc. Tuesday announced that the company has shipped "Broken Sword:
Shadow of the Templars" to retailers across North America. The new
cloak-and-sword graphic adventure game was developed by Revolution
Software Limited and licensed by THQ from Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe, for use with the PlayStation game console. The
story line of "Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars" casts the
player as George Stobbart, a young American vacationing in Paris.
When a mysterious clown swaps a suspicious accordion for a
distinguished man's briefcase in a Paris sidewalk bistro, the
ensuing explosion catapults George into a labyrinth of sinister
intrigue and danger. "THQ is proud to bring a quality product like
'Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars' to the many gamers looking
for a graphic adventure on their PlayStation," said Steve Ryno, vice
president, product development, THQ. "The in-depth story line,
hand-drawn graphics and unique characters give players of 'Broken
Sword: Shadow of the Templars' a rich and fulfilling game
experience."
The game features more than 60 hours of game play and hand-drawn,
fluid animation sequences in full 3-D perspective. Environments with
rich depth-of-field, and a smooth, multi-layer parallax, scroll at
30 frames per second. Several characteristics uncommon to video
games are showcased in "Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars." A
senior BBC scriptwriter/editor penned the complex and enthralling
story line, and the intense original score was written by one of
Great Britain's premier composers, Barrington Pheloung. Designed for
both novice and expert game fans, "Broken Sword: Shadow of the
Templars" has a simple yet powerful interface, and is compatible
with the PlayStation mouse, as well as the standard controller.
Point-and-click commands control the action, and players will soon
discover that all complex activity and conversations can be
accomplished with a minimum of effort.
The bistro explosion propels George into the recovery of a
mysterious ancient manuscript that was apparently written by the
Knights Templar, a 14th century order of warrior monks sworn to
protect and defend the Holy Land from the Saracens. Also guardians
of the Holy Grail, the Knights Templar were a secret society that
was allegedly disbanded, although many historians debate whether
they still operate today.
Hints and suggestions abound that megalomaniacal fascists may have
stolen the manuscript, which allegedly possesses some "great
secret," as part of a mad plot to undermine our fundamental societal
values, and reshape the world as we know it. Throughout the course
of the game, George hops the globe in search of the stolen
manuscript. Along the way, he meets and interacts with a large and
colorful cast of interesting characters, including the suspicious
Inspector Rosso, sexy French photojournalist Nicole Collard,
aristocrat Lady Piermont, Irish rogue McGuire, and more. "Broken
Sword: Shadow of the Templars" is available at retail outlets where
video games are sold for a suggested retail price of $49.95.
Resident Evil 2 Sets Industry Record Selling 3 Million Units in Six
Weeks
SUNNYVALE, Calif.-(BUSINESS WIRE)- March 24, 1998 - Capcom
Entertainment today announced that Resident Evil 2(TM) set an
industry record selling through 3 million units in just six weeks.
In the U.S. alone, Resident Evil 2 sold through more than a million
units since its release on January 21, 1998. In Japan, Resident Evil
2 (known as BIOHAZARD 2), sold through more than 1.9 million units
since its debut on January 29, 1998. Resident Evil 2 is a two-disc
set and sells at a suggested retail price of $59.99. It is available
for thePlayStation game console and is rated "M" for mature
audiences.
"Demand for Resident Evil 2 continues to be strong and it isn't
showing any signs of letting up anytime soon," said Robert Lindsey,
senior vice president of sales and marketing, Capcom Entertainment.
"Our sights are set on selling 2 million units in the US. Now the
only question is how quickly we will achieve that goal." Lindsey
continued, "The success of Resident Evil 2 is due to the tremendous
support we received from our national retailers and industry
magazines, not to mention it's the most killer game ever made. We
have hit some incredible numbers very quickly and we haven't even
released this product in Europe."
Industry sources also support the success of Resident Evil 2. The
NPD TRSTS report ranked Resident Evil 2 the number one best selling
software game in January. This listing of the top 20 games is a
combination of PC and console software. The Video Software Dealers
Association lists Resident Evil 2 the most popular PlayStation game
rental. Resident Evil 2 was supported with an extensive,
multi-tiered, $5 million marketing campaign that included dedicated
television advertising (prime time network, cable and syndicated),
an extensive print advertising campaign and a successful in store
pre-sell programs that generated more than 150,000 consumer
pre-orders.
In its debut weekend, Resident Evil 2 sold more than 380,000 units,
more than 60% of its initial production. Resident Evil 2 is the
sequel to the product that defined the survival horror genre. Nearly
twice as large as its predecessor, the development of Resident Evil
2 took a 45 member team more than 78 man years to complete. New to
the product are computer rendered graphic introduction and ending
sequences that Capcom spent more than $1 million to create.
Windows CE Consoles Offer Developers Two Options
Mar 24, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 56) -- The expected
launch of two Windows CE-based consoles in 1999 will give developers
the option to create a game for one platform and port it to the
other with little additional cost. Graphics and multimedia
technology supplier ATI Technologies yesterday said it hopes to
bring a DVD-based Windows CE console to market by late 1999. That
would be several months after the expected U.S. release of Sega's
Katana.
While Sega has not said whether Katana will be DVD-based, in January
it announced a partnership with Microsoft [MSFT] and its intention
to use Windows CE. ATI's main thrust would be to sell its console,
Set-top-Wonder CE, as a game platform, officials told our sister
publication, Multimedia Week. It also is considering convergence
applications of the set-top, including DSS, HDTV and MPEG-2.
Set-top-Wonder CE will feature a 56K modem, ATI's Rage Pro Turbo AGP
graphics chip and an x86 processor.
On the horizon of the crowding console market sits VM Labs, which
told MMWire in January it plans to secure partnerships with multiple
consumer electronic partners to launch its "Project X" console by
Christmas. While VM Labs plans to compete with Sony [SNE], Sega and
Nintendo, few details of Project X's capabilities have been made
public.
Meanwhile, as Bandai of Japan scrapped plans earlier this month to
launch its Pippin console, its U.S.-based sister company, Bandai
Digital Entertainment, is looking like an early adopter of Katana
and Set-top-Wonder CE with its development of a Windows CE version
of virtual pet DigiMon.
Psygnosis Eyeing N64 Business, Enters Sports Genre
Mar 25, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 57) -- Despite being
owned by PlayStation maker Sony Computer Entertainment America,
Psygnosis may develop titles for rival N64, MMWire has learned.
Psygnosis has not started developing N64 products, but it is
something that it will "definitely" consider, newly hired VP of
Business Affairs Berry Kane says. Apparently Psygnosis operates with
enough autonomy to consider supporting the platform of its parent's
greatest nemesis, Nintendo. "There is no reason why we won't look at
all available platforms. We want to be open to whatever platform is
growing," Kane says.
Also yesterday, Psygnosis said it intends to develop sports titles
as it made public its hiring of Kane, who will be responsible for
managing Psygnosis' intellectual property and securing league and
player licenses from the likes of the National Football League,
National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and the National
Basketball Association. Psygnosis is in discussions with each
league, Kane says. While Kane says senior management is "committed"
to developing sports games, it has not determined which sport, or
how many, are in the company's plans. A time table for release of
sports game is pending. In late 1996, Sony was trying to sell
Psygnosis, reportedly for $200m-$300m. But Sony took Psygnosis off
the trading block in November 1996, citing the quality of
Destruction Derby and Wipeout XL.
Gaming Online STR InfoFile - Online Users Growl & Purr!
Atari Underground update 3-22-98
PRE WORD
First I just want to say sorry for the lack of updates. I've been
BIZZY as hell, and it's not like there was tons of news pouring out.
BUT I have added EVERYONE that has msg'ed me about being added to
the AU list. I'm proud to say the the Atari Underground is ALMOST at
1,000 members. If you know anyone who is not on the list have them
msg me.
THE BIG FEST (OR THE PONY EXPRESS?)
Second Annual-
Atari Jaguar Festival, 1998
Newsletter #2
///Round 2
Welcome to the second Jag Fest newsletter for 1998. Big stuff is up
in the world of the 'Fest...more specifics, more attractions, and
more Jaguar fun! Enough of this boring introductory junk, let's get
to the goods...
///8 Jag Network? You Bet!
Thanks to Guy Dupre, Jaguar fanatic extraordinaire, we'll be certain
to have an 8 Jag network for the Fest, with 8 copies of AirCars, as
long as ICD delivers before August 1st ;-). In fact, if enough other
people bring Jags, we'll be able to have 2 8-Jag setups running
simultaneously! I wonder what the record is?
But, we'll still need TV's for every Jag, and that's where you come
in. Bring a few, at least one for each Jag you bring, and an extra
if possible. The more the merrier! If you decide to bring a monitor,
make sure it is one that is CatBox compatible, such as the Atari
SC1224/1435, or has composite inputs like the Commodore 1702. Here's
a list of Analog RGB monitors which work with the CatBox:
Atari SC1224
Atari SC1435
Magnavox
CBM 1084D
Magnavox
CBM 1084S
Magnavox
Commodore 1950
Magnavox Pro RGB 80
NEC Multisync Color
NEC 3D
Sony 1302
Princeton Graphics Ultra
If you have questions, please e-mail me at KevinManne@wycol.com.
Guy has also agreed to bring his Scuba virtual-reality helmet
(designed from the never-released JagVR),and even to make some
Jaguar t-shirt transfers if he has the time/capability. Go Guy!
///Dentec Agrees
Looking to buy Jaguar games at the Fest? Well you'll have no problem
doing so since Dentec, a Canadian-based company, has agreed to
attend and sell their large selection of Jaguar games at the Fest.
For more info, check out their page at They have great prices on
even hard to find games like Atari Karts, and may even start
carrying the new Telegames titles! Score another for the JagFest!
///Shareware Gets Cheaper
Scott Walters, of BJL modification fame will be attending JagFest
98, and with him will come some BJL Jaguars at a special
JagFest-only price of $99. So, for everyone who was a bit weary of
buying a modified Jag, you can come check out all the games at the
JagFest, and then pick one
up right there on the spot for a lower-than-ever price!
///Definite Date Set
Just in case you hadn't checked the JagFest homepage since the last
update, the date for JagFest '98 has been officially set for August
1, 1998. Be sure to mark your calendar....
///Take My Games...Please!
I'm working on getting some Jaguar games and accessories together to
give out as door prizes, and for winners of competitions. I only
have a few things so far (T-shirts, a Team Tap...), so if you'd like
to contribute anything, please contact me (Kevin), and I'll put your
name up in lights on the JagFest page :-).
///JagFest Contributors
With Chad unavailable to help the JagFest cause, I took over
updating the page (which has a updated look, so check that out), and
some others have chipped in to help out. Gotta give a "shout out" to
the following kind folks:
MHz (Newsletter Dispatcher) - Has agreed to send out the JagFest
newsletters via his Atari Underground e-mail list in Chad's absence.
He's probably the reason you're reading this (or throwing it in the
trash). <Dont tempt me Kev -MHz ;)>
Dave Homenuck (Tournament Coordinator) - Will organize all the game
tournaments at JagFest. Also doubles as the JagFest USENET
correspondent. :-) If you have any suggestions for games...
Guy Dupre (Hardware Guy) - Thanks to Guy, we'll definitely have an 8
Jaguar network of AirCars, and Battlesphere if it's released by
August 1st. You da man.
///Promotion!
I'm getting some flyers printed up this weekend to promote the fest,
along with some business cards, and some full-color laminated
posters only for the very special places. If you want to help
promote JagFest, go to the JagFest homepage ( grab the flyer and
print some out to hang in your town.
Or, if you have any suggestions on how to help promote the Fest,
please e-mail me and let me know!
///Game Over
Be sure to pre-order your tickets for the Fest for $10, see details
on the JagFest page. Let's aim high with JagFest attendance....let's
make it HUGE!
Until the next update,
-Kevin
JagFest Mastermind
KevinManne@wycol.com
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/4062
BIG CAT'S SOFTWARE
If you have pre-ordered WORM, better check your status. The price is
a little higher then expected. But i feel its the last game
Telegames is gonna put out on our little cat. ;) gotta make a final
buck from us.
Battlesphere update: uhhhhhhh ;) T-Bird <insert msg here>
ARE YOU TALKING TO ME ?
If some of you don't know Jaguar Interactive has moved. Please
update your bookmarks to: http://www.atarihq.com/interactive
I know ALOT of you try to set up chat sessions. Just a reminder that
you can ALWAYS chat on IRC Undernet at #Atari. People are always
coming and going, so stop by and hang out for a wile. If nobody is
there, stop back.
THE BIG DEAL
If you have not already heard JTS sold Atari to Hasbro. For more
info check out this site.
http://www.l4software.com/icwhen/index1.html (click on news) (thank
you Don for not forgetting about us Atari diehards !)
THANK YOU'S
Hats off to Wes for keeping me on his web page during down time
Jagu-Dome http://jaguar.holyoak.com/ (check out the midi) I'm not
sure who has a link for the Atari Underground on their sites. If you
do email me MHz@earthlink.net and let me know. If you want your web
page on future AU updates for the world to see email me about that
too.
TALK
chat live at IRC Undernet #Atari http://www.atarihq.com/interactive
SURF
http://jaguar.holyoak.com
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/4062
Atari Underground 900+ members and growing
MHz@earthlink.net
Atari- a term used in the strategy game GO to politely warn an
opponent that he is about to be conquered.
Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
datj@jps.net
Copyright 1998
Mr. Chris Carter
Fox Broadcasting Co.
10201 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064 March 3, 1998
Dear Mr. Carter,
In the early eighties conspiracy theories were popularized which
were based on a premise that some arcade coin-operated video games
were installed to test the talents of our unsuspecting youth. Those
who passed specific levels of difficulty set off silent alarms to
alert the military that a prospective fighter pilot or guinea pig
was playing the game.
These theories were partially legitimized by occasional reports that
companies such as Atari were developing military-specific video
games; specifically tank and flight simulators. Hollywood teased us
a little with these plots with movies such as The Last Starfighter,
Tron, Cloak and Dagger and others.
So were any of the video games of yesteryear installed with the
intentions of identifying young military recruits` kids with
exceptional hand-eye coordination, reflexes and power?
What about today? Could a video game be designed to test the
quickness of the mind, the agility of the thought process, the
creativeness of problem solving, the fingerprints from a joystick,
the voice patterns, the hidden camera, the integration with the
Internet?
Seems like an X-Files episode that parents would want to know about,
video game companies would want to hide, the military would want
hushed and kids would die for.
Sincerely,
Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
http://www.L4software.com/icwhen
Lessons from Windows of the Past
by Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
Copyright 1998 - permission granted to distribute/reprint for
non-profit
On Tuesday, March 3, Mr. Bill Gates sat before a Senate Committee
that convened to determine if Microsoft engages in monopolistic
activities. Netscape's president, Mr. Jim Barksdale, also
participated in the hearing. Barksdale is a pro-active catalyst
behind the accusations against Bill Gates' Microsoft.
I am amused by the irony that has brought us all to this milestone.
As once having been an employee of Atari Corporation for many years,
having once owned my own software publishing business and having
simply been an industry observer since the early eighties, I have to
wonder why Microsoft is suddenly being called on the carpet now.
After all, it was Microsoft's Disk Operating System (DOS) and later
Windows that were ultimately the driving forces behind the demise of
Commodore, Atari, NeXt and the home computer lines of Texas
Instruments and others. As a matter of fact, in spite of Microsoft's
olive branch funding last year, it appears that they have all but
pushed Apple out the industry door as well. Although IBM may have
first successfully introduced an open architecture computer design
that ultimately dominated the world's primary use of computers, it
has been Microsoft that gave the Personal Computer (PC) the
personality that the world embraced. It was Microsoft that took the
steps to close the architecture by protecting their intellectual
properties related to MS-DOS. It was also Microsoft who dominates in
the productivity software that integrates with that operating
system; Word for Windows, Excel for Windows, Access for Windows and
on and on.
Many may argue that Microsoft had little to do with hardware wars
for reasons which include the fact that Microsoft published versions
of Windows for other platforms and IBM was strong long before Gates
ever dreamed of looking at Windows. The point is that Microsoft did
not evolve out of a conspiracy to dominate the industry, the
consumer decided that fate for Microsoft. For example, many
consumers bought Atari computers because their urge to buy an
affordable computer that would fit on their desk was greater than
the urge to buy a PC that was compatible with their office machine.
When PC prices dropped, the Atari computer "value" message
diminished in meaning. Consequently, Atari owners abandoned the
platform and jumped to a PC that was completely compatible with the
ones used at work. The same happened to Commodore. The same happened
to NeXt. The same is happening to Apple. The end result is that IBM
lost tremendous hardware market share by making their system open to
developers, but Microsoft captured, in round numbers, the entire
market share by licensing developers and keeping their OS available,
but closed. Consumers said that compatibility was important and
Gates responded. To test this position, simply start telling
consumers that a popular PC maker's product will no longer run
Windows and watch that company's sales plummet.
So, in essence, Microsoft is responsible for the demise of a great
number of hardware companies. They are also responsible for the
demise of companies that publish database, word processing,
spreadsheet and other productivity software. They have contributed
to the demise of online services by introducing Microsoft Network.
On the other hand, Microsoft has fostered and inspired a great
number of new businesses. There are companies that make utilities,
applications and entertainment titles that are compatible with
Microsoft products. There are hardware companies that enjoy the
benefits of being Windows compatible. There are unrelated companies
that are more productive simply by using Windows compatible
products.
On Tuesday, the Senate committee asked Gates and his colleagues how
hard it would be to make new products to compete with Microsoft. Of
course, that's with the understanding that any new products would
probably have to be developed using Microsoft compatible software
development tools. The alternative is to go back to the Altair of
the late seventies and do everything that Microsoft has done to be
where they are; only different.
So is Microsoft a monopoly? No. There is still Unix and other
obscure operating systems out there. More importantly, there is
nothing that Microsoft can do that prevents a company to create a
new operating system. Has Microsoft established a monopoly in the
Internet browser market? No again. Netscape is living proof that
Microsoft does not solely own the browser market. So does Microsoft
engage in monopolistic practices? Well, maybe, if you consider what
companies do to aggressively compete and win to be monopolistic
practices. In other words, the same strategies that are considered
"competitive" become "monopolistic" if they actually work.
Jim Barksdale attended the Senate hearings as a prepared adversary.
His documents for the Committee contained quotes from Microsoft
executives stating that Microsoft had plans to dominate the Internet
browser market as examples of what Microsoft is doing that is so
unfair.
I remember selling classified and retail advertising for the Dallas
Times Herald in Dallas, Texas years ago. We constantly found ways to
convince ourselves that we were going to outdo the competition. We
would run special sections and promote or sponsor special events. We
did everything we could to absorb the entire advertising budgets of
our customers. The editorial department made every effort to attract
the best writing talent and reporters were always on the prowl to
scoop the Dallas Morning News. Word was that the Morning News were
doing the same things. In fact, Dallas is a one-newspaper town now
and the Morning News has a monopolistic position in that sizable
U.S. market. Why wasn't there a Senate hearing over that one?
Again, does Microsoft engage in monopolistic practices? Okay, yes.
They compete by producing better software and bundling and marketing
it well. Microsoft is in a monopoly-like position because they gave
the consumer what they asked for, they made it affordable, they
opened their technologies to licensed developers and they hire good
marketing people. It is the same practice that all companies engage
in. The drive to make things bigger, better, faster and more
efficient is what keeps consumers going back to Microsoft. But now
we have a whiner. Netscape has stepped forward and is complaining
that Microsoft is taking their Internet browser market out from
under them. Their complaints are that Microsoft is bigger and can
afford more talented developers. Microsoft marketing and sales
departments negotiate creative distribution contracts. Internet
Explorer tends to launch itself on new computer installations.
Internet Service Providers are encouraged to prefer Microsoft
products.
There is a very real possibility that this nation will adopt a
sympathetic spirit and side with Netscape on issues waged against
Microsoft. I am one of them. I am intensely jealous of Gate's power
and wealth. It would be nice to see him topple from his throne from
all the weight of his rich crown. In this specific case, Netscape is
a nice product and it competes well with Internet Explorer on a
feature and presentation basis. On the other hand, browsers really
don't do all that much. The real technology is in the Java
applications and the other routines that run in the background.
Netscape wants to charge the consumer to enable these applications
while Microsoft considers that privilege to be an integral part of
the computer's operating system.
In an alternate realty, Rockwell's KFLEX modem technology is
competing against U.S. Robotic's K56 X2 technology. The fact that
they both do not work together and that different ISPs and online
services support one or the other is driving consumers and providers
crazy. Modems cost more because there has to be so many standards.
ISP's hold back offering a lot of high-speed modems until a standard
is decided. Ultimately, when we finally pick one or the other, there
will be a Senate hearing to determine if either U.S. Robotics or
Rockwell created a monopoly. Right?
Looking through the Windows of the Past, Microsoft's primary
competition has always been new and promising technologies. They are
constantly faced with the challenge of incorporating new sciences
into their products. Netscape's primary competitor has been
Microsoft. They are constantly facing the challenge of keeping up
with Gates. Not to say that Netscape never has great new ideas, but
do we really want Microsoft to be forced to slow down on improving
their products so everyone else can catch up? Netscape wants them
to. How about you?
--END--
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Yep, it's that time again. Time to
take a look at what's happening (and what's not happening) in the
Atari world. I'm constantly surprised by the fact that there still
is an Atari world to look at. Heck, Atari hasn't made a single
computer in years and, despite the valiant efforts and enviable
offerings of a few motivated companies, our favorite computer line
is fading away. But unlike movie fade-outs the realm of Atari
computing is taking more than a second or two to leave our field of
vision. Yes, the image gets lighter and lighter even as we strain to
capture the vision and fix it in our minds. And if you look away,
even for a second, you may loose that vision completely. But that is
the nature of things. I wouldn't exactly term this as progress, but
rather a transition. "Progress" seems more of a judgement than an
actual description. Transition is a neutral description. It simply
defines the action taking place without attempting to place the
event within a framework of good or bad.
I've always been a firm believer in the philosophy that all things
happen in their own good time and that we have three choices: Fight
against the tide, swim with the tide to meet what is ahead as fast
as possible, or simply let the tides take us where they will without
effort on our part in one direction or the other. Usually I choose
the last. I've found that there is much to be missed by rushing one
way or the other.
So I keep my Atari running, adding software and hardware when I feel
the need. In doing so I've learned much about not only 'where I want
to go today', but also about how I actually get there. Rather than
simply inserting a CD and punching "Setup", we have to understand
how things work to get them to work. For those who view computers
simply as tools, the CD/Setup thing is fine. It works, and it gets
you to the task at hand. But for me computers are slightly more than
tools. For people who prize the knowledge gained above the immediate
results, the journey really is at least as important as the
destination.
So for me the journey continues. A friend of mine wrote a song that
was to be used as the theme song for the science fiction show BATTLE
STAR GALACTICA just before the show was cancelled. I don't remember
much of the song now except for the first few lines:
She's a gamlin' ship, she's a stalwart ship, Though she's faded and
dotted with rust. She's got a will to match my own. She's been
wounded, But she won't let herself bust.
Kind of reminds me of our Atari computers.<grin>
The bottom line through all of these assorted musings is simple...
"do what ya gotta do". When your computer no longer does what you
need it to, get another one. But don't feel that you need a new one
just because there is a newer one available. That's just foolish.
Now let's take a look at what's going on around the world via the
UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
Greg Evans tells us about his hard drive problems:
"My hard disk problems keep getting worse. My system had been stable
for a while after some problems with my new 3.2gb hard drive. Now it
is worse than ever. I just recently upgraded to HDDriver 7.12 and
since then I keep getting corrupted directory entries, bad and lost
clusters. I have partitioned the drive repeatedly with no success.
Should I try smaller partitions? They are currently ~440 mb each. If
I reduce them to 255 mb will my system be more stable?"
Dr. Uwe Seimet, the author of HDDriver, tells Greg:
"If you run Big-DOS, MagiC or TOS 3.0 or newer 440 MByte per
partition is OK, smaller partitions won't change anything. Your
problem sounds like your drives not being properly terminated or
your cables having bad quality."
Greg also asks:
"Is there another Newsreader program on Atari besides Newsie? I have
been unable to retrieve any news groups through my ISP this weekend
using Newsie. It always comes back and shows 0 messages. On top of
all the FTP problems I have with Newsie this is getting very
frustrating!"
Terry May tells Greg:
"You can always try NEWSwatch with Oasis 2, as some are using. (I
use NEWSwatch with a Fido reader, but that would probably be way too
much hassle for you if you're not already into Fido.)"
Martin "Nightowl" Byttebier tells Greg:
"There is *Oasis 1.35*, *Oasis 2* and *Okami v1.33*
As for _Oasis 1.35_ I should say it works but contains lots of bugs.
I've used it for years. Supports SLIP and PPP.
_Oasis 2.?_: I never succeeded in using this but there are reports
that it works reasonably well. Supports SLIP and PPP (this part
doesn't seem to work for most of us)
_Okami v1.33_: Is an offliner. To retrieve news/mail you can make
use of the superb *NEWswatch* and *POPwatch* by Gary Priest. Both
utilities work very well with Sting/STik or MiNT/Mintnet/gluestik.
Hope this helps."
John Rojewski, the author of NEWSie, tells Greg:
"Sorry to hear about the problems with NEWSie. My question is: Did
you start using a new version of NEWSie this weekend? If not, could
it be possible that your ISP changed something over the weekend?
I had a traumatic experience several months ago, then I could not
retrieve any news articles. I found out that my MTU definition in
StiK was too large after my ISP had reconfigured their network. So I
changed the MTU from 1500 down to 1006, and everything worked again.
This could be the case for you as well."
Joe Kearney asks a very good question:
"I just got a spiffy new Mega STE and it has all sorts of lan ports
on it. I know none of these will work with any sort of standard
network but is there something you can do to make the thing TCP/IP
capable thru a serial port or something? Any other networking
options? Id like to use it to run Cubase and have the files
available on my network for all the other machines, etc."
Nicholas Bales tells Joe:
"Try STING for a TCP/IP connection, but there is no NFS drive
sharing available yet. You can try ghostlink if one of your other
machines is a PC, but in any case serial cannections are slow.
Ghostlink will mount your PC partitions onto your Atari desktop.
You'll find it on ftp.lip6.fr/pub/atari"
Neil Roughley asks about moving from TOS to MagiC:
"...I've recently been told that MagiC 5 has a display bug in
high-coaor mode, which was fixed in 5.20. This wouldn't be good
since I'm running a Nova and rarely see 256-color mode. Is there
anyone running 5.11 (the most current available to me) with a
graphics card and could substantiate the display bug?"
Magnus Kollberg tells Neil:
"Yes there are problems with MagiC in modes over 256 colours. You
will get the same problems with regular TOS and all other OS
replacements what I know of. I'm also very interested in getting
this latest version because of this and some other stuff, but I
still havn't got it. Now I use a Nova with 5.11 and it works, it's
just that the colour icons are wrong. Apart from that there are no
serious problems... Yesterday I found a very serious bug in Nova
VDI. I find it quite strange that noone else has reported of it. The
bug has to do with offscreen bitmaps and make CAB unusable. If you
load a page in CAB with an animated GIF, you can in horror see how
CAB grows and grows and grows ...... slowly eating up all your
memory until you have no memory left!"
Neil tells Magnus:
"I haven't experienced what you describe. This must be due to the
way Nova and MagiC interact. I've found no memory problems
whatsoever with CAB 2.5 and Nova VDI 2.61 (with or without Geneva).
I've viewed some pretty big animated GIFs, too."
Magnus replies:
"That's strange. I will test it with TOS as well and see what
happpens. I don't belive that it's a problem with MagiC. Also, are
you _realy_ sure that you don't have any problems? As I said it
takes a while before you run out of memory (several minutes
depending on the size of the GIF and of course how much memory you
have) so it's not something you notice if you don't have a
continuous update of your free ram. I have also read that someone
else in here had the same problem."
Jo Even Skarstein tells Magnus:
"I tried it just now, and you're right, it eats up all available
memory. It just took a minute, but fortunelately all memory was
released when CAB quit. This could be either a bug in Nova VDI, a
bug in CAB or a combination of both. I don't have any other programs
that use offscreen bitmaps, so it's a bit difficult to test it. BTW.
this was with Nova VDI 2.64, NVDI 4.12, N.AES 1.1.7 and MiNT 1.14.6.
I will try again later with earlier versions of NVDI, without NVDI
etc.... I tried Geneva 006 (demo) and it was *much* better than
MagiC and N.AES. So there are room for improvements :-) There were
still some minor problems, but I think those are related to apps and
not the AES."
Aaron Turner asks for advice on a terminal program:
"Currently I am using ST-Modem to dial up the university here to get
my connection, but the maximum speed is 9600 and I have a 14400
modem. Also ST-Modem seems to be unreliable on connection. Are there
any better, compact, ST modem programs out there. I've scanned the
web and can't really find anything. STiK etc would be fine, but it
is a bit big for my needs (I only have a 1040STF), and the
connection cannot support web etc, since I have to log on to a UNIX
machine. Text connection would be fine, just something a bit more
user friendly and reliable on dial up then ST-Modem. If anyone knows
a way of doing ftp over the connection too that would be very
handy..."
Peter John Smith tells Aaron:
"I'd suggest CoNNect excellent shareware program. There are no
shareware type restrictions on it only a time limit of 30 hours use,
which if you're as tight as me with your phone bill will last a long
time:) well worth the shareware fee."
Peter van der Noord asks:
"From time to time i get black bombs on my screen and then my atari
crashes. Is this a virus? Does anybody know something about it?"
Nicholas Bales tells Peter:
"That is the ST's way of saying it's crashed. The number of bombs
indicates what type of error it has encountered (although not very
useful for the average user). It's just like the 'blue screens' in
Windows or the 'Guru Meditation' on the Amiga. Not a virus anyway."
Terry May asks for info about partitioning his new two gigabyte hard
drive:
"I ordered a 2.1 GB IDE drive for my Falcon. I normally use MagiC
5.11 but occasionally will do something in TOS. I'm thinking of
having one of my partitions as large as 1 GB, for storing multimedia
and demos. Is there any reason why this might not be a good idea?
Will Optimizer handle partitions that big?
Also, I plan to increase my CAB disk cache to at least 100 mb. Is
anyone using a cache that large or perhaps even larger? I'm
wondering if it will start slowing down too much, due to the number
of files in each cache folder. I'm presently using a 20-30 mb cache
(depending on free space) and it just doesn't do the job I want it
to."
My friend Sheldon Winick tells Terry:
"The Falcon's internal hard drive is one of the tiny 2.5"
mechanisms. Are you certain that is the size you ordered, not a 3.5"
drive? You can connect any size external SCSI hard drive to the
Falcon's external SCSI port."
Terry replies:
"Yeah, I ordered a 2.5" notebook drive. They go rather large in
terms of storage capacity these days. Not as much as 3.5" drives,
but much larger than 2.1 GB. True (about the external SCSI), but
then you have to deal with the Falcon's buggy SCSI port, not to
mention the fact that it ties up your SCSI port (unless you have a
passthru on your hard drive or CD-ROM or whatever - I don't)."
Roger Cain addresses Terry's CAB cache question:
"I went from 10Mb to 20Mb and did not notice any slow-down during
operation of CAB. The bit which REALLY gets short of breath is
CABCACHE which now takes ages to build the directory when you want
to refer to/find an entry."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next time,
same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are
saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
Is the Boss always right?
As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building
using
individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday and
employees will receive their cards in two weeks.
What I need is a list of specific unknown problems we will
encounter.
How long is this Beta guy going to keep testing our stuff?
E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should
be used
for company business.
Best experienced with
Click here to start.
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Since 1987 Copyright)1998 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1412
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