ST Report: 12-Jun-98 #1423
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 06/13/98-01:51:04 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 12-Jun-98 #1423
Date: Sat Jun 13 13:51:04 1998
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"Often Imitated, Never Surpassed!"
- CPU Industry Report - Linux Advocate - N64 Price Cut!
- FTC OK's Compaq/Digital Merger - NBC buys Inet Portal - Net Trust
- AOL NEXT for Anti-Trust? - Laser Breakthrough - TeraStor 10gb Disk Dr
- INet Summit Planned - People Talking - Classics & Gaming
U.S. Agency Reports "Substantial' Cyber Attacks
Intel to Release 450 MHz Chip
FTC Sues Intel Over Monopoly Abuses
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Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35
Results: 06/06/98: three of six numbers with 0 matches
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From the Editor's Desk...
Heat Wave. To me, at one time, this was only a song title. Now,
its a reality. Almost every day its been over a hundred degrees
for the last two weeks. None the less, the beauty of Florida never
ceases to amaze me. The seashore for example, right here in
Jacksonville is a wonder of natural diversity. From the snow white
sands to the life in the air, in the sea, on the shorelines and in
the local estuaries.
We went fishing the other day. Where else in the world can you see
the mightiest of Naval Fleets to the tiniest of seabirds making a
living all this from a sixteen foot sea skiff? You bet! Right
here in the St. John's River and its tributaries. Through the
course of the day, we saw Sand Hill Cranes, Schools of Croaker
Fry, Bottle-Nose Dolphin, Manatee, Raccoons feeding on exposed
Oysters along the shoreline at low tide, Sea birds of most every
description, schools of Rays, Mullet, Ladyfish and an abundance of
Flounder the likes of which I hadn't seen since I was a youngster.
After cast netting for our bait, Tiger Minnows-so named for their
stripes and sturdiness, we proceeded to drift fish for Flounders.
We caught sixteen keeper flounders and returned nine to the sea to
grow up some more. That's a total of twenty five flounders in
about eight and a half hours. That's what I call good fishing.
The Flounder here in the south are the very same as the "summer"
flounder found in the northeast. They're also called Fluke up
north. Especially along the Jersey Shore. As a youngster and a
young man I fished for Fluke all along the "NY Bight". That being
the south shore of Long Island to Cape May NJ. The best flounder
fishing there was from Sandy Hook south along the Jersey Shore.
Jacksonville Florida offers so much more in the way of outdoor
living, career opportunities and good clean living, than most of
the "more progressive and modern" cities of this nation that I
must sing its praises. After all it is in the top five of "best
southern cities to live in." Oh well, so much for the lovely life
around these parts. Talk to you next week. Stay healthy and safe.
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
FTC Sues Intel Over Monopoly Abuses
The Federal Trade Commission sued Intel Corp. to stop the
giant maker of microprocessors from wielding its dominant
market position "as a club" against computer makers, an
agency official said Monday. The agency's top litigator,
William Baer, said Intel withheld key technical information
from leading computer makers Digital Equipment Corp.,
Intergraph Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. to stifle
competition and impede innovation. "The case the commission
is bringing today seeks to prevent Intel from repeating
this conduct in the future," Baer said.
Baer said Intel forced the three companies to share
valuable patents they held that could otherwise have led to
the development of competing microprocessors. "In at least
three separate cases against three major customers, Intel
used its market to cut off these customers who had asserted
their own patent rights with respect to microprocessors and
related technologies that rivaled Intel's technology," Baer
said. The FTC determined that Intel's dominant market share
constituted a monopoly, subjecting the company's conduct to
heightened scrutiny under U.S. antitrust laws.
Barksdale: Time To Draw The Line
(True, a diagonal line through a circle over Barksdale's
photo!)
Jim Barksdale, a true entrepeneur at any cost to anyone...
rfm
James Barksdale said he's not sure what the best solution
is in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against
Microsoft Corp. But one thing Netscape Communications
Corp.'s chief executive officer is sure of is that it's
time for the government to "draw the line" somewhere over
just how far the Redmond, Wash., software maker can extend
its monopoly might.
"The problem is that Microsoft has done a lot of good, hard
work, pushing and shoving, to create a monopoly on the
desktop, which they then used to distribute other software
products," Barksdale said during an interview at a Netscape
briefing for press and analysts last week in San Francisco.
"And that's through a chain of distribution partners -
called PC OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] - who
cannot exist without Microsoft Windows. So they control two
layers of the distribution channel, which means if anyone
wanted viability to get into that channel with a marvelous
new product, there's no way for them to get in there if
Microsoft doesn't want you to get in."
That's just what happened to Netscape, he said, with
Microsoft using its Windows operating system monopoly to
prevent Windows PC OEMs from distributing Netscape's
market-leading Navigator browser along with, or instead of,
Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser. In the weeks
since the DOJ and 13 states filed antitrust suits against
Microsoft, two major PC OEMs - Gateway 2000 Inc. and
Packard Bell NEC - announced they will distribute
Netscape's client software along with IE on Windows 98 PCs
later this month. Such distribution agreements would never
have been possible without government intervention.
As part of the remedies it's seeking, the DOJ is asking
Microsoft to either unbundle its browser from Windows or
distribute Netscape's Navigator browser along with IE.
Barksdale discounted critics who say there is no precedent
for such a remedy, citing the must-carry laws that force
cable operators to carry third-party content on their
networks. "The must-carry laws say that if you control a
basic facility, you have to offer people a way to get into
the pipe somewhere or other," Barksdale said. "So you
either put the products in at the top of the channel -
i.e., distributed by Microsoft - or you open up the middle
of the channel."
That entry into the Windows distribution channel remains an
important one for Netscape and its browser, despite the
fact that its now-free client software is a zero revenue
business for the company. Its browser remains a competitive
advantage, driving traffic to the Netcenter portal service
that now sits at the heart of its Web site and accounts for
about 25 percent of its revenue.
Netscape announced plans last week to differentiate its No.
2-ranked portal service from competitors. "I consider [our
client software] to be a significant competitive
advantage," Barksdale said, noting that 55 percent of the 8
million visitors who journey to its site daily do so
because Netcenter is the default home page on their
browser.
The DOJ can be reached at www.usdoj.gov
Netscape can be reached at www.netscape.com
FTC Clears Compaq, Digital Merger
Compaq Computer said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
approved its merger with Digital Equipment. The companies
said in a statement they expect the merger to close shortly
after a June 11 special meeting at which Digital
shareholders will vote on the transaction. Two-thirds of
Digital's outstanding stock must be voted in favor of the
transaction for it to be completed. Digital shareholders
are to receive $30 plus 0.945 shares of Compaq stock for
each share they hold.
U.S. Releases Revised Internet Names Plan
The Clinton administration released its final plan to
overhaul the Internet's naming system today, but scrapped
earlier plans to quickly add more names to the system. The
eagerly awaited final plan, overseen by senior Clinton
adviser Ira Magaziner, seeks to resolve the controversy
over management of some of the Internet's most basic
functions, including the assignment and registration of
names for World Wide Web sites.
The administration still plans to phase out government
involvement in he naming system by Sept. 30, 2000, as an
initial draft of the report released in January suggested.
But specific proposals to extend the system or dictate how
it should function in the future have been scaled back.
Under the current system, Network Solutions, of Herndon,
Va., manages the naming system in the Internet's popular
generic domains ".com," ".org" and "net" under an exclusive
government contract that expires in September. The
so-called top-level domains are the two- or three-letter
suffixes at the end of every address on the Internet, as in
the ".gov" at the end of "
Plans to create immediate competition to Network Solutions
were dropped, but the government said it is continuing to
negotiate with the company to assure a level playing field
for potential future competitors. The plan leaves all
decisions about expanding the system up to a new U.S.-based
non-profit group headed by 15 people selected from
private-sector, Internet and consumer groups.
The debate over the Internet's name and address system has
been raging for several years since one of the fathers of
the Net, Jon Postel, announced his own plan to add more
addresses. Postel's plan led to a cascade of revised plans,
highlighting the sometimes murky and ambiguous system for
making major changes to the vast network that arose
informally from a Cold War-era Defense Department project.
Industry Organizing Internet Summit
Under orders from the White House to find a way to manage
the Internet themselves, private industry is organizing a
"constitutional convention" in July for the worldwide
network. But the process, still in its infancy, already is
drawing criticism - and raising doubts about the likelihood
of its success - mostly focused on the behind-the-scenes
involvement of Network Solutions Inc.
The private company, which manages a large part of the
Internet under an exclusive government contract that
expires Sept. 30, is widely recognized as a pivotal
industry player but also is widely resented for its
influence. Concern about the company's power could threaten
the fragile process by which the White House wants the
often-fractious coalition of Internet professionals quickly
to form an international nonprofit board to take over most
online management.
Network Solutions, based in Herndon, Va., and others are
organizing a "Global Incorporation Alliance Workshop" to
begin July 1 in suburban Washington. The conference has a
Web site - registered to an NSI employee - and the company
initially was the primary source for news about the
gathering, until the conference hired its own public
relations company Wednesday.
"Any honest intent to reach a consensus, we would support -
if it works out not to be staged," said Don Heath,
president of the Internet Society, an international group
devoted to maintaining and promoting worldwide computer
network. A spokeswoman for the company, Cheryl Regan, said
Network Solutions was "helping out administratively" at the
conference but declined further comment. Some Internet
leaders defended the company's involvement.
"NSI is clearly a part of the Internet community and played
a leading role in the formation of the Internet," said
Harold Feld, a lawyer with the Domain Name Rights
Coalition. "The idea that NSI shouldn't participate in any
of these deliberations because there are a number of people
who aren't happy about it just isn't feasible."
The decisions made at the upcoming conference potentially
affects every person who uses the Internet, which has
become a vital conduit for business and communications.
Many of the changes will be technical in nature and take
place behind the scenes, transparent to most users. Obvious
changes could be lower prices to register a Web address and
the addition of new Web address suffixes, such as "rec" or
"nom," in addition to the familiar "gov," "edu" and "com."
Under the Clinton administration's final plan to hand over
management of the Internet, the toughest decisions about
running the network - such as how to organize Web addresses
- will be left to a yet-to-be formed, 15-member board. But
the government offered few details on how the board will be
created, other than saying it wants the Internet community
to handle things.
Under the current system, Network Solutions registers all
Web sites with the suffixes "com," "net" and "org." Under
the new plan, Network Solutions probably will retain that
role, but it also likely will be forced to allow other
companies to sell Web addresses with those same suffixes.
The European Commission, whose members met this week to
discuss the White House plan, said Wednesday it was largely
pleased with the proposal. But it isn't sure about allowing
Network Solutions to maintain its dominance as the keeper
of Web addresses.
"We have some concerns whether that is desirable," said
Gerard De Graaf, EU first secretary. The government has
said it wants the new management board up and running by
Oct. 1, with a total transfer of responsibility no later
than Oct. 1, 2000.
Intel to Release 450 MHz Chip Shortly
Computer chip giant Intel Corp. repeated Tuesday that it
expects to release faster versions of a number of its
processors in the next few weeks. Its flagship Pentium II
chip, largely the standard for personal computers priced
above $1,200, will be available in a 450 MHz version within
weeks. The company is currently shipping 350 and 400 MHz
versions. "We are currently selling as high as a 400 MHz
product, and within a matter of weeks you will see a 450
MHz product introduced," said Gordon Casey, the director of
investor relations for Intel.
Computer Guru Finds Windows Glitch
(Is that "Finds" or "Contrives"?)
This HAS to be the Epitome of Grandstanding... rfm
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - It is a malady Microsoft didn't need
right now. A computer expert found what he diagnosed as a
"potentially serious error" with Windows 98, which is
scheduled for release June 25. Computer guru John Stewart
of Spring Grove, Minn., said the problem concerns the
start-up disk that Microsoft recommends users create when
installing the operating system. The disk contains files
needed to start a personal computer and troubleshoot
problems.
It also is supposed to contain a file to remove Windows 98.
But, in fact, no uninstall program is available on the
disk. "It's like Ford selling you a car with instructions
for changing the tire, and when you open the trunk, the
spare isn't there," Stewart said. The missing uninstall
program is located on the Windows 98 CD-ROM, and on the
PC's hard drive, according to Microsoft spokesman Ryan
James. "As with any software, they're prone to little
glitches," James said. In any case, "it's a fairly rare
scenario" that a user would choose to remove Windows 98 and
revert to the former operating system, James said.
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EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
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Contents
Victory For Internet Clinton Defends INet Subsidies
Self-Governance For Schools And Libraries
Obstacles To The WorldCom-MCI Laser Breakthrough
Merger
IBM To Sell PC Servers Directly Intel To Cut Prices-TI To Get
To Corporate Customers Out Of Memory-Chip Business
Netscape Refocuses On The "Net Will Year 2000 Arrive With All
Economy" Its Digits Intact?
Issues Of The FTC Antitrust Suit Gingrich And Gore Technology
Against Intel Squabble
Netscape To Offer Simpler TeraStor Unveils 10-Gigabyte
Searching Disk Drive
Throwaway Movie Disks From IBM Teams Up With Equifax For
Circuit City Secure Transactions
@Home Abroad Berners-Lee On The Next
Generation Web
Net Trust Buzzword Bingo Mania
NBC Buys Internet Portal Vandals Hit The Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center
Internet "Constitutional Justice And Industry Talk
Convention" Slated About Encryption
Digital TV May Spell Black-Out First Internet Portal To Offer
For Low-Power Stations Online Auctions
IBM's Digital Chip Canadian Content On The Web
VICTORY FOR INTERNET SELF-GOVERNANCE
A new Clinton Administration policy paper says that the U.S. will
turn the administration of Internet domain-name addresses to a
yet-to-be-established international nonprofit group whose
membership will be decided by the private sector worldwide.
Internet Society president Don Heath was pleased with the
decision: "This clearly shows the U.S. government heard the
international community and listened to them. They showed they
understood the dynamics of the Internet, the need for bottom-up,
grass-roots consensus building. This is a victory for the Internet
and a victory of self-governance." (New York Times 6 Jun 98)
CLINTON DEFENDS INTERNET SUBSIDIES FOR SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES
Responding to strong bipartisan criticism of the new "e-rate"
program established by the 1996 Telecommunications Act to
subsidize Internet access in schools and libraries through fees
imposed on long-distance companies, President Clinton told an MIT
commencement audience: "I say we cannot afford not to have an
e-rate. Thousands of poor schools and libraries and rural health
centers are in desperate need of discounts. If we really believe
that we all belong in the Information Age, then, at this sunlit
moment of prosperity, we can't leave anyone behind in the dark."
AT&T and MCI have said they plan to pass the new charges on to
consumers by increasing their monthly phone bills by as much as 5
to 6%. Clinton also urged states to impose technological literacy
standards to insure that entering high school students are
proficient at such tasks as word processing and Web navigation.
(Washington Post 6 Jun 98)
OBSTACLES TO THE WORLDCOM-MCI MERGER
The European Union competition commissioner Karel van Miert says
that MCI's shedding of its Internet business (in a $625 million
cash sales to Cable & Wireless PLC) may not be "good enough" to
allay antitrust concerns that the proposed $37 billion acquisition
of MCI merger by WorldCom might unfairly dominate the Internet. An
executive of GTE, which opposes the WorldCom-MCI merger and which
has demanded that WorldCom sell its UUNet Internet service
company, says: "Van Miert's comments today clearly indicate that
MCI's recent attempt to create the appearance of a divestiture
through partial sale of some minor Internet assets are not going
to fool the E.C." (New York Times 5 Jun 98)
LASER BREAKTHROUGH
Researchers from Yale University, Lucent Technologies, and the Max
Planck Institute of Physics have developed microlasers that are
1,000 times more powerful than conventional ones and that could
eventually be used to speed up existing communications networks or
become the basis for entirely new ones. Rather than sending the
laser beam through a perfectly round cylinder, the scientists
developed an egg-shaped cylinder in which the beam moves with a
crisscrossing bow tie pattern of light that produces 40 milliwatts
of power, compared to 40 microwatts in the round cylinder.
(Science 5 Jun 98)
IBM TO SELL PC SERVERS DIRECTLY TO CORPORATE CUSTOMERS
Bypassing distributors in a strategic move to cut costs, IBM will
now adopt a hybrid distribution strategy allowing it to sell
NetInfinity PC servers directly to corporate customers. IBM is
playing catch-up to Compaq, and IBM chief executive Lou Gerstner
recently said: "We missed this one so badly that I don't even like
to think about it. We let Compaq run out and grab this PC-server
business while we were worrying about protecting our midrange
systems." IBM currently has a 13% share of the global PC server
business, compared to Compaq's 31% share. (New York Times 5 Jun
98)
INTEL TO CUT PRICES, TI TO GET OUT OF MEMORY-CHIP BUSINESS
As it gets ready to introduce a faster Celeron chip for personal
computers costing less than $1,200, Intel is planning to cut
prices on its Pentium II chips from 12 to 20%` Texas Instruments
is in negotiations with Micron, a potential buyer for TI's
memory-chip operations, which have been hurt by overproduction and
declining prices. (San Jose Mercury News 6 Jun 98)
NETSCAPE REFOCUSES ON THE "NET ECONOMY"
Announcing a change from his company's former sales strategy of
taking "all products into all markets," Netscape co-founder and
executive vice president Marc Andreessen has told analysts and
reporters that Netscape is shifting its focus away from a browser
war with Microsoft. Netscape's new emphasis will be on developing
the "net economy"-- in which traditional businesses (automaking,
banking, publishing, etc.) create new market niches. (Washington
Post 6 Jun 98)
WILL YEAR 2000 ARRIVE WITH ALL ITS DIGITS INTACT?
A report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by
Triaxsys Research says that, although the nation's 250 biggest
corporations are spending $37 billion to correct the Year 2000
computer problem (caused by old software that uses two rather than
four digits to code "year" fields), the progress of those
corporations "falls considerably below levels necessary to avoid
business disruption." Fewer than 60% of the firms have completed
even preliminary assessments to determine the extent of the
problem. (USA Today 6 Jun 98)
ISSUES OF THE FTC ANTITRUST SUIT AGAINST INTEL
The Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Intel is
unusual in that antitrust laws are designed to protect a
monopolist's competitors, whereas in the current case only one of
the companies allegedly harmed by Intel's predatory tactics has
ever been a serious Intel competitor (Digital); the others
(Integraph and Compaq) are essentially Intel customers. What the
three companies share is that they were all engaged in a
continuing patent dispute with Intel, and Intel says it would have
made no sense to give technical data to companies that were suing
it, even though those companies needed the technical data for
designing computers based on the new Intel chips. The FTC says
that Digital, Integraph and Compaq may have been customers, but
they were also rivals. (New York Times 9 Jun 98) Meanwhile, George
Mason University law professor William Kovacic predicts that the
FTC's case "operates at the frontiers of existing doctrine" and
ultimately will be unsuccessful: "More likely than not, the FTC
will fail to win case. Their chances are at best one in five." The
case will not go to trial before next year, and "it will take
several years to follow the process, and Intel may not even be a
monopolist by then." (TechWeb 9 Jun 98)
GINGRICH AND GORE TECHNOLOGY SQUABBLE
(What's this? Newt must be campaigning for re-election!!)
The best outcome is for Newt to be sent HOME to Georgia for good!
...rfm
Saying that "it is wrong for five unelected, appointed
commissioners [the FCC members] to be able to establish a tax on
every telephone in the United States" in order to provide
subsidies for discounted Internet access for schools, libraries
and rural agencies, Speaker Newt Gingrich says he will lead an
effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to block what he
characterized as the "Gore tax." Vice President Al Gore responded:
"Let me be clear: I strongly oppose any effort to pull the plug on
the e-rate [education rate] program. I call on both Congress and
industry to put politics aside and work with us to put 21st
century educational technology in every classroom and library."
Gingrich also suggested that U.S. government agencies have not
been aggressive enough in preparing for Year 2000 computer
problems, and predicted that they will be a political liability
for Gore because of the vice president's alleged lack of
leadership on the issue. (AP 8 Jun 98) On another issue, Gingrich
told the same audience: "One of the goals should be to replace all
textbooks with a PC. I would hope within five years they would
have no more textbooks." The Speaker argued that a 24-hour-a-day
Internet should be used to replace the traditional classroom
lecture. (Atlanta-Journal Constitution 9 Jun 98)
NETSCAPE TO OFFER SIMPLER SEARCHING
Netscape's newest version of the Navigator software for browsing
the Web will be married to a massive database of keywords that
will allow surfers to accomplish their searches more quickly. A
user will be able to visit an Internet site simply by typing
ordinary English words (such as "Southwest Airlines" into the
address field at the top of the browser screen) rather than a
formal URL, such as http://www.IFlySWA.com. (San Jose Mercury News
8 Jun 98)
TERASTOR UNVEILS 10-GIGABYTE DISK DRIVE
TeraStor Corp. says its 10-gigabyte removable disk drive will be
available later this year for $800, with a 20-gigabyte product
scheduled for release in mid-1999. Fifteen months ago, the company
predicted it would offer drives at the same price as today's
removable drives but with 10 times the storage capacity. Its
latest announcement falls short of those goals, but TeraStor's
president says he's confident his company can deliver on its
long-term vision: "We think we have done extremely well."
TeraStor, with backing from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is
combining the magnetic storage techniques used in the so-called
Winchester disk drives with the laser technology that forms the
basis for CD-ROMs. (Wall Street Journal 8 Jun 98)
THROWAWAY MOVIE DISKS FROM CIRCUIT CITY
Retail electronics chain Circuit City is about to start
test-marketing Divx, digital disks that look like CDs but with
seven times the capacity are capable of holding a full-length
movie, complete with high-quality picture resolution; the disks
will sell for $4.49 each, and a consumer can watch a movie and
then toss it away. Circuit City says the Divx offers "a better way
to represent a video product." To see the movie more than 48 hours
after rental, to watch it on playback machines other than the
person who purchased the Divx, or to buy the video outright, the
consumer can choose among various procedures and payment plans.
Zenith is launching a Divx player that will cost $499, about $100
more than existing digital video players (on which Divx will not
work). Circuit City says it expects "that within five years we
will be able to capture 20% of the video rental market." (USA
Today 8 Jun 98)
IBM TEAMS UP WITH EQUIFAX FOR SECURE TRANSACTIONS
(Oh well, now... the FOX is IN the Henhouse!)
IBM is teaming up with transaction-processing company Equifax to
co-market secure, encryption-based online commercial transactions
via several new products. "When business is online, security
controls are paramount," says IBM Internet division general
manager Irving Wladawsky-Berger. IBM plans to launch its new Vault
Registry software this summer, based on its own encryption
technology, and Equifax will provide its own
certificate-management services, a high-volume security-management
application based on Vault Registry and remote authentication
services. Meanwhile, IBM is negotiating with several of its
Integrion electronic-banking alliance members to adopt the new
software packages. (Computer Reseller News 9 Jun 98)
@HOME ABROAD
The @Home Network has cut a deal with U.K. cable and
telecommunications operator ComTel to market a British version of
the cable-based Internet access service. ComTel has a potential
subscriber base of 1 million British homes. (Broadcasting & Cable
1 Jun 98)
BERNERS-LEE ON THE NEXT GENERATION WEB
World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee says creating order out of
the chaos of the Web is the next item on his agenda: "Whereas
phase one of the Web put all the accessible information into one
huge book, if you like, in phase two we will turn all the
accessible data into one huge database. This will have a
tremendous effect on e-commerce. You could say, 'Find me a company
selling a half-inch bulb to these specifications,' and a program
will go through all the catalogs -- which may be presented in very
different formats -- and figure out which fields are equivalent
and then build a database and do a comparison very quickly. Then
it will just go ahead and order it. It would be a real mistake for
anyone to think the Internet is done or the World Wide Web is
done. We're just at the start of these technologies, and there's a
huge amount of research to be done. It's very important for the
government to keep funding it." (Los Angeles Times 8 Jun 98)
NET TRUST
A recent United Press International poll found that computer users
put more confidence in information that they find online than that
gleaned from more conventional sources, such as newspapers and
television. Forty-three percent of those polled said they trusted
the accuracy of online information versus 35% for other media. And
59% of their computer time is spent doing work, versus 41% of time
spent on recreational activities. (Information Week 1 Jun 98)
BUZZWORD BINGO MANIA
Buzzword Bingo, a game that started in Silicon Valley as a way to
pass the time during boring staff meetings, has become a cult
event at many companies, as employees surreptitiously check off
shopworn phrases such as "proactive" and "win-win" uttered by
their unknowing superiors. Indeed, four employees of gofast.net
Inc. have been playing a covert game on their Palm Pilots for
nearly three months, with the devices rigged to beep melodiously
should any participant ever actually hit bingo. So far, silence
has prevailed... (Wall Street Journal 8 Jun 98)
NBC BUYS INTERNET PORTAL
NBC, the television network owned by General Electric, is buying a
controlling interest in the Internet search and directory service
called Snap, as well as a 5% interest in Snap's parent, CNet. Like
AOL, MSN, Netscape, and others, NBC wants to be an
advertiser-supported "portal" to Internet users wanting to surf
the Web, send e-mail, and engage in chat sessions. (New York Times
10 Jun 98)
VANDALS HIT THE STANFORD LINEAR ACCELERATOR CENTER
Computer vandals who monitored Internet traffic in order to
"sniff" (intercept) a password to the Stanford Linear Accelerator
Center were able to gain access to more than 30 of the federal
research center's most important Unix servers. No permanent damage
was done to programs or data, but the facility was closed down for
a week, as a precaution meant to protect the lab's computing
infrastructure. A spokesperson for the center said: "We now have
to assess the tradeoffs of an open community vs. a more
Internet-secure community. It's a debate that's taking place
heatedly among different scientists." (San Jose Mercury News 10
Jun 98)
INTERNET "CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION" SLATED
Network Solutions, which up until now has had exclusive rights to
register Internet domain names under a contract with the National
Science Foundation, is organizing, along with other industry
players, a "Global Incorporation Alliance Workshop" next month.
The Clinton administration's recently announced plan for the
Internet calls for private industry to work out a new Internet
management strategy by themselves, without government involvement.
Decisions ultimately will be made by an as-yet-to-be-named
15-member board, but the workshop will lay the groundwork for
addressing many of the issues involved in designing a new system.
The government has said it wants the new board up and running by
Oct. 1, with a total transfer of responsibility no later than Oct.
1, 2000. (AP 11 Jun 98)
JUSTICE AND INDUSTRY TALK ABOUT ENCRYPTION
Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis J. Freeh met
for two hours with the chief executive officers of Microsoft, Sun,
Netscape, AOL, MCI Communications and Novell, to discuss the
government's software encryption policies. The meeting, which was
arranged by California Senator Diane Feinstein, resulted in an
administration promise to "redouble our efforts with industry" to
relax the export controls on "strong encryption" -- while adding:
"We are still discussing exactly what those relaxations should be.
That's the $64,000 question." Law enforcement officials have
advocated a "key escrow" system that would allow investigators
armed with a court order to inspect encrypted communications
suspected to be related to criminal acts. That approach is
generally frowned upon by industry leaders and privacy advocates.
(New York Times 10 Jun 98)
DIGITAL TV MAY SPELL BLACK-OUT FOR LOW-POWER STATIONS
Hundreds of low-power TV stations, which form a core of the
country's minority-owned media outlets, have been told by the FCC
to forfeit their frequencies to larger stations for the expanded
spectrum requirements of digital television. More than 15% of
low-power TV stations are minority-owned, compared with 3% of
full-power stations. "This is a spectrum grab by large companies,
pure and simple," says one low-power station manager. More than
300 low-power stations have petitioned the FCC for new channel
assignments, but the FCC is warning that many of these stations
will be forced off the air. "It will be devastating," says the
owner of two low-power stations. "Minority owners are concentrated
in larger urban markets... and that's where the spectrum is most
crowded and where displacement by digital TV will happen most
extensively." (Los Angeles 9 Jun 98)
FIRST INTERNET PORTAL TO OFFER ONLINE AUCTIONS
Excite, the search service and gateway (or "portal") site to the
rest of the Internet, will be the first such site to bring
consumer-to-consumer commerce through auction classifieds in which
sellers can post their ad and designate a minimum bid, and buyers
can obtain regular classified and auction ads and enter the
bidding. Industry analyst Ron Rapport of Zona Research says: "This
will educate the consumer not only how to buy over the Web but how
to sell over the Web. Consumers will start to see these portal
sites as the entry point for e-commerce" -- and not merely places
to look for information. (USA Today 10 Jun 98)
IBM'S DIGITAL CHIP
IBM plans to market a digital signal processor chip for cell
phones that will in many ways mimic a popular chip made by Texas
Instruments. TI currently controls 45% of the global DSP market.
IBM says it built the chip from scratch using reverse engineering,
and a TI spokeswoman declined to comment, except to say that
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. "This is really a
good indication that we have the best DSP in the market. That's
why they are cloning it." The new chip is part of a new $100
million investment by IBM to add at least 25 new chip cores to
IBM's existing portfolio. (Wall Street Journal 10 Jun 98)
CANADIAN CONTENT ON THE WEB
The Canadian government plans to invest $30 million over the next
five years in developing Canadian content for Internet sites,
CD-ROMs and other multimedia projects created by private
companies. Speaking to delegates at a conference of the Federation
of Canadian Municipalities, Prime Minister Chretien reiterated
plans for Ottawa to spend $260 million to help communities
"wire-up," announced an additional $55 million in federal funding
for CANARIE, the joint public-private sector venture for Internet
technology, and confirmed a previous announcement of another $205
million for SchoolNet to link every school and public library in
Canada to the Internet. (Toronto Star 9 Jun 98)
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The Linux Advocate
Column #14
by Scott Dowdle
June 11th, 1998
dowdle@icstech.com
LOGIN:
For starters, this is a fill in column. I've been taking notes and
working on the News section but realized that I have a lot more
work than I can get done before deadline and wanted to at least
submit something for this issue. This will make three LAs in three
weeks so I don't feel too bad about not getting the regular column
out. :)
So, what did I find for a filler? Well, something really cool.
Lars Wirzenius was a speaker at the 1998 Linux Expo weekend before
last. I'm sure that name doesn't sound familiar to those who are
fairly new to the Linux Community. I'll not give a rundown of who
Lars is because he a good job of that in the text that follows
entitled, "Linux Anecdotes," which is basically a transcript of
the speech he gave at Linux Expo. Enjoy!
(start long quote here)
Linux Anecdotes
Lars Wirzenius
liw@iki.fi
27 April 1998
Abstract
A look at the history of Linux, as seen by a long time Linux user.
The talk is a series of anecdotes, shy of technical details, and
sprinkled with personal memories.
Who I am and why I am here
I seem to have acquired a little bit of reputation in the Linux
community, despite my efforts in to stay quiet and invisible, so
that I don't get so many questions from people having trouble with
Linux.
Part of my reputation is that I know Linux pretty well. That part
is based on the time when I and Linus Torvalds---I assume you know
Linus---shared an office at the University of Helsinki. In
reality, I don't know Linux all that well. For example, my one
stab at kernel programmingresulted in a bug that took three years
to track down and fix, and even then it was done by someone
hacking OS/2. I'm referring to the sprintf function inside the
kernel.
I wrote sprintf in the summer of 1991. Linus needed some easy way
to print messages from the kernel, and did not then know how to
use the stdarg mechanism to implement variable argument lists to
functions. I see some people in the audience shaking their heads.
Yes, it's true. There was a time when Linus didn't know
everything. Really. Trust me. I was there.
Anyway, I wrote a simple sprintf for Linus, to show him how it was
done, and he used in the Linux kernel, after some modification.
The bug was in the handling of an asterisk as the width for an
output field. I forgot to increment a pointer past the asterisk,
so the code had no chance of working for this case. No chance at
all. This was clear to anyone who tried it. Obviously, I didn't,
which means that I probably shouldn't be employed to write
software. In 1994, three years later, one Friedemann Baitinger
noticed the bug, and sent me a patch. He was using the sprintf
while debugging a device driver he was writing for OS/2.
Anyway, back to who I am. I've been a friend of Linus since before
Linux even existed. We met as first-year students in 1988. When he
started to write Linux, I naturally followed things with interest
and some jealousy. Except for sprintf, I didn't really
participate, since I'm not a hacker, just a wannabe. When Linux
and its community grew, I took part in various non-technical
things that needed doing. For example, I helped created the Linux
Documentation Project, and co-moderated comp.os.linux.announce,
also known as cola.
My moderating cola is the reason I'm here. When I had been doing
it for five years, that is, in last December, I decided to retire
from it and found a successor. In my farewell note to the group, I
jokingly said that I wouldn't mind getting a trip around the
world, if anyone wanted to send me one. It happens that some
people don't understand jokes, and it seems that Marc Ewing is one
of them. He told me I would come here to give a talk and he
wouldn't take no for an answer. If you feel bored now, you know
whom to blame.
Linus the god
You all know Linus, at least by reputation. The wonder-child. The
coding wizard. The hacker god. Well, it wasn't always like that.
What I'm about to say next may shock the most devout Linuxers in
the audience, but that's all right. This is a free country, and
anyway, I've been promised police protection.
I've already told you that Linus didn't always know everything.
I'm not saying he isn't omniscient now. After all, he might now be
a god and I'm not lightning-proof. So I'm only going to talk about
old times. I'm sure he'll forgive me that.
Not only did Linus not know everything about C, he also didn't
know anything about PC's. In fact, he didn't even have one when I
first met him. When he bought his first PC, he didn't even start
hacking it right away. Instead, he played computer games,
especially one called something like Prince of Persia. I've never
understood that part of him. I mean, what's a computer game worth
if it doesn't simulate playing cards? No, give me solitaire, if
you want me to play with a computer.
Even a few years later, when Linux was already a success, Linus
had this strange fascination for silly computer games, such as
Doom and Quake. By then he'd already learned some social skills
and knew that one just doesn't admit to liking computer games
after the age of 12. So when he was playin Doom, he used to
explain that he was debugging and stress testing memory management
and the X server.
When Linus decides to learn something, he really learns it, and
usually quickly. This is why he may now be omniscient. I remember
once when we were being questioned about some math home work. I
happened to know Linus hadn't done it. But bold as he was even
then, he claimed to have done them anyway. As luck would have it,
the teacher wanted Linus to present his solution to the class. On
the way to the blackboard, Linus read the problem, then stood in
front of the board for a second or two, and went on to present a
solution that the teacher couldn't understand. Linus can be quite
annoying like that.
Once, when Linus was abroad at some conference or another, he
modified my shell setup scripts so that when I logged in, it
looked as if I was using MS-DOS. That was fun, of course, but it
begged for revenge. This happened while we were sharing an office
at the university, so once when Linus went out to get something to
drink or something, I created an alias for startx for him. My
alias first ran the real startx, and then printed out a kernel
`Oops' message. The first time Linus noticed this made him a bit
worried, but he logged out and cleared the screen too fast to read
it, but the second time made him really worried. I'd copied the
`Oops' message from linux-kernel, and of course it didn't suit
Linus's kernel at all. He had gotten as far as decoding the
message by hand, and muttering something like ``Why is it crashing
there? It can't crash there!'', when I burst out laughing and told
him what I'd done. Linus what quite relieved and never tried any
practical jokes on me again.
The early times
Let's go back to the spring of 1991. In January, Linus bought a
PC. He'd been using a Sinclair QL before that, which, like much
British computer stuff, was ingenious and almost unusably
different from everything else. Like every self-respecting hacker,
Linus had written some software development tools of his own; an
editor and an assembler, I think. He'd also modified the QL
hardware a bit, to replace a broken keyboard, and to add a
PC-compatible floppy drive. When he bought the PC, he wrote a
device driver for the QL so he could move stuff from the QL to the
PC.
When he got up to speed with the PC, after having played enough
Prince of Persia, he started learning about programming the PC.
Especially assembly language programming, since only wimps use
high level languages. I remember one day when he was quite proud
for having written a strlen function in assembly. Gee, I was
impressed.
As I said, when Linus decides to learn, he really learns. A few
weeks later he showed me two simple concurrent processes. One
printed out A's as fast as it could, the other B's. That was much
more fun to look at than his strlen, but not, I think, immediately
as useful.
As time progressed, Linus added keyboard and serial port drivers,
so that he could use his modem from the PC. Normal people would
have used one of the dozens of existing terminal emulators, but
Linus had to write his own. After that, he spent a long time just
reading netnews. Sorry, I mean of course that he was debugging his
terminal emulation code by reading netnews. The emulator consisted
of two processes, one reading the keyboard and writing to the
serial port, the other reading the serial port and writing to the
screen and emulating a terminal.
At some point during this time Linus decided he wanted a Unix-like
system at home, and the obvious choice back then was Minix, since
it was the only thing he could afford. As it happened, Linus
wasn't very happy with Minix, so he kept improving his terminal
emulator, and modifying it to become more like an operating
system. I guess we can conclude by now that he succeeded.
The success of Linux wasn't automatic, and things might well have
gone differently. For example, if the Hurd had been finished a few
years ago, Linux probably wouldn't exist today. Or the BSD systems
might have taken over the free operating system marketplace.
However, things went as they did, and Linux prospered. The success
has resulted in fame and also material rewards for rewards,
including money. One of the first rewards wasn't money, but
virtual beer. You may have heard the expression, since it is still
used somewhat, but these days it is just a general good wish
phrase. Originally, it had a very concrete meaning. Two guys from
Oxford, England, calling themselves the Oxford Beer Trolls, wanted
to buy Linus some beer, but since it was impractical to move
either themselves, Linus, or the beer physically around, they
asked me to receive the money via mail, and buy Linus beer with
it, and that's what happened. So, virtual beer really means money,
preferably money sent to me.
Alas, people started sending Linus money directly. I'm not sure
they did it out of gratitude, however, since they usually sent
personal checks from the US. As Linus quickly learned, Finnish
banks really, really hate checks. Especially personal checks.
Particularly personal checks from the US. They invent all sorts of
bureaucratic pit-falls and rules and fees to make it difficult and
expensive to use checks. If you want to make trouble for a Finn,
send him a personal check from the US. And that's not a joke.
Linus also got some other stuff via mail. For example, a pair of
40 megabyte hard disks. That was really nice, since it meant that
Linus was finally able to keep some backups. Not that he did, of
course. One of his well-known quotes is: "Backups are for wimps.
Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else
mirror it." He said that even after dialling his hard disk.
At one point, Linus had implemented device files in /dev, and
wanted to dial up the university computer and debug his terminal
emulation code again. So he starts his terminal emulator program
and tells it to use /dev/hda. That should have been /dev/ttyS1.
Oops. Now his master boot record started with "ATDT" and the
university modem pool phone number. I think he implemented
permission checking the following day.
The name Linux was not coined by Linus himself, strange though
that may seem to people familiar with his self-esteem. It was
coined by Ari Lemmke, the administrator at ftp.funet.fi who first
made Linux available for FTP. Ari had to coin a name since Linus
had failed to give a proper one, so Ari invented one and it stuck.
A few days after Linux was put on ftp.funet.fi for the first time,
Linus was bubbling with excitement. Ari had sent him the first
download statistics for Linux, and there were literally tens of
downloads! Ooh, the glory of success.
My own Linux history
My own Linux history is rather boring. I first installed Linux on
a 109 megabyte hard disk that already had MS-DOS and SCO Xenix.
That was rather cramped, so I got rid of SCO Xenix, first, and
MS-DOS, later, when I no longer needed for work. However, 109
megabytes isn't nearly enough for Linux anyway, so I bought a new
hard disk and had my first kernel panic. I had some trouble
getting the two hard disks to work together, so I was iterating
various combinations of the seven jumpers on them. That gives
rather a large number of possibilities, so I got a bit careless
with how I attached the cables. At one point, I swiveled my chair,
hit the computer with my knee, and the cable got loose and Linux
paniced. That was fun. I never did get the two disks working
together, however.
My first Linux installation was from the boot and root floppy pair
that many old timers remember with fondness. I don't remember much
about them, but I do remember having to edit offsets 508 and 509
of the boot floppy to set the root file system. The first time I
did this, I didn't have a binary editor, so I used something like
Emacs, which luckily was binary clean, even though I had to count
the offsets manually.
Later, when distributions started to get built, I tried them out.
That was a bit painful, since I only had a 2400 bit/s modem. What
I did was invade a computer classroom at the university, or at
least about half a dozen computers, and had them formatting
floppies and downloading stuff via ftp in parallel. Then I carried
the 50 or so floppies home, and tried to install Slackware or
whatever from them. Usually, I found that one or two of the
floppies had gone bad during the trip home, so I then had to spend
a few hours downloading some files with the modem. I rather prefer
my current situation, with a 10 Mbit/s connection to ftp.funet.fi.
I did prefer the original keyboard driver, however, since I didn't
have to configure it for Finnish. I really don't understand why
Linus went and changed the default to be American.
Advocacy
When Linux was young, in 1993 or so, I made some visiting cards
that said I was a Linux fanatic. I've since been cured of that by
meeting some real Linux fanatics. If you haven't had the dubious
pleasure, let me tell, it ain't fun. This talk is meant to be fun,
so I won't go on about advocacy any further.
The future
Every look at the history of Linux seems to end in a look at the
future. I guess this one should also.
Linux the operating system kernel seems to me to be relatively
finished. There's a lot of work to do, bugs to fix, drivers to
write, architectures to port to, but that's pretty small stuff.
It's not like the huge changes in the past, such as demand paging,
networking, or the port to the Alpha.
The operating system distributions built on top of Linux the
kernel still need a lot of work, but most of it just needs to be
done. There's some huge projects remaining, such as good graphical
desktops, but they're being worked on, so things are looking good
on that front as well.
Where should Linux go next, then? I think the answer is clear, if
you think about it: fluffy toys.
What is it that Linux has that no other operating system has? A
cuddly, lovable, silly-looking mascot. If we play our cards right,
the Linux penguin could be the next mass-consumer hit product. Can
you imagine a Windows flag competing against our penguin? No, this
time Mr. Gates has definitely dropped the ball and we're in
exactly the right position to pick it up. Forget Microsoft,
they're history. Start worrying about Mattel and the Barbie doll!
(end long quote here)
LOGOUT:
I've been mulling over ideas on what to do with this column in the
future and the next column will probably be the last that focuses
on the news section since Slashdot and the Linux Weekly News site
are doing such a fantastic job. In passing I just wanted to
mention that GIMP 1.0 was finally released but I haven't had a
chance to look at it yet. I still haven't gotten Red Hat Linux 5.1
and an email from the LinuxMall folks says that the number of
orders they got on their special offer was just staggeringly
greater than they could have ever anticipated... and that they
were running behind getting them all shipped out. Maybe early next
week. In any event, I'll make sure it doesn't delay me from
getting a column out next week!
The CWSApps Weekly Newsletter
Volume 3.08 - June 10, 1998
Contents
1. Introduction
2. New Additions to CWSApps
3. Updated Apps for the Week
4. Top 25 Downloads for the Week
5. Cool App of the Week
1. Introduction
Welcome to the CWSApps Weekly Newsletter. Each week we will be delivering a message to your mailbox
that is designed to help keep you up to date with the Internet software scene. The newsletter will
offer a summary of the latest and greatest Net software updates as well as breaking software news
and revisions made to the CWSApps Web site.
As always, any feedback you have on the newsletter will be greatly appreciated. Please send
comments (good and bad) to cwsapps@internet.com or fill out our comments form at
http://cws.internet.com/comment5.html .
Enjoy...
2. New Additions to CWSApps
- Cosmo Player v2.1 - a VRML Browser
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32vrml.html#cosmo
Download: ftp://cosmo.sgi.com/cosmo/player/CosmoPlayerInstall.exe (3.2 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Cosmo PageFX v1.0 Beta - a VRML Development Tool
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32vrml.html#cosmo
Download: http://www.cosmosoftware.com/download/pfx_download.html (13 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Cosmo Worlds v2.0 - a VRML Development Tool
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32vrml.html#cosmo
Download: http://www.cosmosoftware.com/download/cw_download.html (18 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- HomeSpace Designer v2.5 - a VRML Development Tool
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32vrml.html#cosmo
Download: http://www.cosmosoftware.com/download/hsd.html (7.5 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Norton AntiVirus June Virus Definition - a Virus Scanner Update
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32virus.html#scan
Download:
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/antivirus_definitions/norton_antivirus/0606i32.exe
(1.4 MB)
Rating: Untested
-- Servers --
- MailMax v2.0 - a Mail Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/mailservers.html#mailmax
Download: ftp://ftp.smartmax.com/pub/mailmax/mailmax.exe (7.1 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Vermillion FTP Daemon v5.0 - a FTP Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/ftpservers.html#vftpd
Download: http://www.arcanesoft.com/files/vftpd121.exe (0.3 MB)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
- aVirt Mail Server v3.0 - a Mail Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/mailservers4.html#avirtmail
Download: http://www.aVirt.com/download/amail30.exe (0.7 MB)
Rating: 3 Stars
- MERCUR v3.0 - a Mail Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/mailservers3.html#mercur
Download: http://www.atrium-software.com/pub/download_e.html (2.3 MB)
Rating: 3 Stars
- Rover v1.2 - a Mail Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/mailservers4.html#rover
Download: http://www.aVirt.com/download/rvr12.exe (0.5 MB)
Rating: 3 Stars
3. Updated Apps for the Week
Note: The '*' icon identifies apps that have shown significant improvement since their last
updates. These apps typically exhibit important new features that make them 'must-have' updates.
- FTP Voyager v6.0.0.1 - a FTP Client
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32ftp.html#ftpvoyag
Download: ftp://198.109.117.2/pub/ftpvoyager/ftpv6001.exe (1.9 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- HotDog Professional Webmaster Suite v5.0 Beta 3 - a HTML Editor
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32html.html#hotdog
Download: http://download.sausage.com/HD_Installer.EXE (1.2 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Internet Neighborhood v1.6 Build 3 - a FTP Client
CWSApps Location: http://cws.internet.com/32ftp.html#ineighbor
Download: ftp://ftp.knowareinc.com/knowareinc.com/pub/in32/in32.zip (1.3 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- TextPad v3.2.4 - a Text/HTML Editor
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32html.html#textpad
Download: ftp://ftp.textpad.com/pub/txp32324.exe (1.4 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
* Carmel AntiVirus v2.4 - a Virus Scanner
CWSApps Location: http://cws.internet.com/32virus.html#carmel
Download: ftp://ftp.carmel.co.il/cav2eval.exe (1.4 MB)
Rating: 4 Stars
- CRT v2.2 Beta 6 - a Telnet Client
CWSApps Location: http://cws.internet.com/32term.html#crt
Download: ftp://ftp.vandyke.com/pub/CRT/ntcrt22b6.exe (1.1 MB)
Rating: 4 Stars
- Internet Control Center (ICC 98) v6.4 - an Internet Utility
CWSApps Location: http://cws.internet.com/32win.html#icc
Download: ftp://www.usefulware.com/usefulware.com/icc64.exe (3.7 MB)
Rating: 4 Stars
- SecureCRT v2.2 Beta 6 - a Telnet Client
CWSApps Location: http://cws.internet.com/32term.html#securecrt
Download: https://secure.vandyke.com/download/SecureCRT/index.html (1.1 MB)
Rating: 4 Stars
- NewsBin v2.21 Beta Release - a Newsreader
CWSApps Location: http://cws.internet.com/32news.html#nbin
Download: http://www.newsbin.com/nb32221b.zip (1.1 MB)
Rating: 3 Stars
- Microsoft Liquid Motion v1.0 Official Release - a Web Graphics App
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32webimg.html#msliquid
Download: http://www.digitalgoods.net/lm/mw (0.2 MB)
Rating: Not Yet Reviewed
- Netscape 5.0 Source Code - For Developer Use Only
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32auxx.html#netscom
Download: http://www.mozilla.org/download-mozilla.html (15 MB)
Rating: Not Yet Reviewed
-- Servers --
* Apache v1.30 Official Release - a Web Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/webserver-apache.html
Download: http://www.apache.org/dist (1.8 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Conference Room v1.5.05 - a Chat Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/chatservers.html#conference
Download: http://www.webmaster.com/products/conferenceroom/crinst.exe (3.2 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- War FTP Daemon v1.70 Beta 1.2 - a FTP Server
Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/ftpservers.html#warftp
Download: http://home.sol.no/~jarlaase/files/Ward170b01s02-I386.exe (3.7 MB)
Rating: 5 Stars
- Xitami v2.1b2 - a Web Server
ServerWatch Location: http://serverwatch.internet.com/webserver-xitami.html
Download: http://www.imatix.com/html/xitami/index2.html (0.6 MB)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
4. Top 25 Downloads - Movers and Shakers
The June 8th update for the Top 25 Downloads on CWSApps is now available. Here are the apps that
have moved up (the 'movers') or have fallen (the 'shakers') seven or more places during the past
week. For the complete Top 25 results for the past week, check out:
http://cws.internet.com/top25weekly.html
You can also check out the results for the entire month at:
http://cws.internet.com/top25monthly.html
--The Movers--
- HotDog Professional Webmaster Suite - a HTML Editor
http://cws.internet.com/32html.html#hotdog
Up to #9 from #16
- FTP Voyager - a FTP Client
http://cws.internet.com/32ftp.html#ftpvoyag
Debuts this week at #14
- Eudora Pro - a Mail Client
http://cws.internet.com/32mail.html#eudorap
Returns to the list at #18
- WS-FTP Pro - a FTP Client
http://cws.internet.com/32ftp.html#ws-ftp
Returns to the list at #20
- Free Agent - a Newsreader
http://cws.internet.com/32news.html#agent
Returns to the list at #21
- AtomTime 98 - an Internet Utility
http://cws.internet.com/32win.html#atomtime
Returns to the list at #24
- NetTerm - a Telnet Client
http://cws.internet.com/32term.html#netterm
Returns to the list at #25
--The Shakers--
- RealPlayer - an Audio/Video App
http://cws.internet.com/32audio.html#realplay
Down from #2 to #16
- WinAmp - an Audio MP3 Player
http://cws.internet.com/32audio.html#winamp
Exits the list (#32) from #4
- PowerDesk Utilities 98 - a Windows Shell Enhancement
http://cws.internet.com/32auxx.html#powerdesk
Down from #6 to #23
- VirusScan June Virus Definition - a Virus Definition Update
http://cws.internet.com/32virus.html#scan
Exits the list (#28) from #15
- QuickTime - a Multimedia Viewer
http://cws.internet.com/32video.html#qtw
Exits the list (#29) from #20
- Thumbs Plus - a Graphics Application
http://cws.internet.com/32image.html#thumbs
Exits the list (#30) from #23
- TextPad - a Text/HTML Editor
http://cws.internet.com/32html.html#textpad
Exits the list (#37) from #24
- Outlook 98 - a Mail Client
http://cws.internet.com/32mail.html#outlook
Exits the list (#36) from #25
5. Cool App of the Week - Cosmo Player
Location: http://cws.internet.com/32vrml.html#cosmo
Download: ftp://cosmo.sgi.com/cosmo/player/CosmoPlayerInstall.exe (3.2 MB)
Version: 2.1
Rating: 5 Stars
- COSMO PLAYER -
Cosmo Player is the VRML viewer of choice for more than 20 million Internet users--although the
vast majority of them probably don't even realize they have the client on their systems. Version
1.0 of the freeware Cosmo Player client is packaged with Netscape Communicator as the browser's
default VRML viewer. Considering he still limited use of VRML on the Web, the initial release of
Cosmo Player works just fine for most users. But there are a variety of reasons to upgrade to the
latest release of Cosmo Player.
ServerWatch.com is the ultimate resource on the Net for timely and accurate data about Web server
technology. Because the Web server market is so unique and changes so rapidly, Webmasters utilize
ServerWatch.com daily to stay current with the latest server products and industry advancements.
You'll love the user-friendly layout featuring the latest news and trends.
Visit http://serverwatch.internet.com now and get a quick, easy snapshot of what each of the listed
servers has to offer.
Version 2.1 improves on the initial release in several areas, with an entirely redesigned user
interface and extreme improvements in performance highlighting the changes. Support for 16-bit
color has been added as have Direct3D hardware acceleration, full compliance with the VRML97 event
model, OpenGL and Direct3D is the rendering APIs, and full support for Internet Explorer 4.0.
Downloading Cosmo Player 2.1 also enables you to use the viewer both as a VRML plug-in for Netscape
and as the default VRML viewer for Internet Explorer 4.0 (via an ActiveX Control).
Cosmo Player features include full compliance with the VRML 2.0 specification; support for
Microsoft Direct 3D and DirectSound3D (through DirectX 5); support for up to eight simultaneous 3D
scenes on the same Web page; support for OpenGL, MMX, AGP, and other user-side graphics
technologies; a number of development features (including JavaScript and VRMLScript support); and
navigation speed controls.
Additional features include collision detection,; headlight effects, animation transitions,
specular and emissive color shine-through on textured objects, turbo mode, and a VRML console for
detailed information on hardware and software use. Cosmo Player also supports a wide variety of
Internet media in addition to VRML worlds, including MPEG audio/video, Spatialized Sound, WAV, AVI,
AIFF, MIDI, QuickTime, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and animated GIF files.
- VRML: THE FUTURE OF THE WEB -
The best is yet to come for VRML, a language considered by many to still be in its infancy. There's
little doubt that VRML is the future of 3D on the Web, but actually getting from here to there has
been a bit of a challenge to date. The largest stepping stones thus far have been the absence of a
universal VRML viewer and the lack of intuitive and easy-to-use VRML development tools.
Cosmo Software is trying to change the former by making Cosmo Player the universal VRML viewer of
choice, but Cosmo Player is likely to have a fight on its hands as Windows 98 is expected to
include Intervista's WorldView VRML 2 browser. Regardless of which app eventually wins out, a
universal VRML viewer of some form can't be too far away.
Significant headway has also been made in the area of development tools, where Cosmo Software is
once again leading the way. Universal adoption of VRML will likely come in small steps, but the
first of those steps has already been taken in the form of VRML Web advertising banners. VRML
banners have only recently taken off in terms of popularity, but their potential is unlimited. Bill
McCloskey of Cosmo Software is one proponent touting VRML for its Web advertising potential:
"VRML as a technology provides significant advantages to the advertiser looking to create
compelling, eye- catching experiences for their web-based banners and interstitials. Many of these
advantages can be summed up by the phrase 'Small is Beautiful.' In a file size of 12 KB or less
(typical of a standard static GIF banner) the advertiser can create a fully interactive banner with
smooth full-color animation, without having to rely on streaming or sever-based technologies.
"With VRML, television-like experiences can be achieved today using today's bandwidth constraints.
This translates into higher click-through and increased brand recognition which benefits both sites
and advertisers alike."
- COSMO VRML DEVELOPMENT TOOLS -
Cosmo Software's PageFX software, now in beta release, allows developers to add depth, motion, and
interactivity to Web graphics. In other words, it fits perfectly with the trend toward VRML banners
on the Web. The $329 PageFX makes it simple to create animated banners with full sound, URL-linking
capabilities, complex objects, and smooth motion. And because its vector files describe the objects
and motions mathematically as opposed to pixel-by-pixel definitions, the file sizes for the banners
are much smaller than would be found in a standard animated banner. Check out WebReference's
outstanding VRML for Web Advertising http://www.webreference.com/3d/lesson42/ column for an
introductory guide to VRML banners and their potential for use on the Web.
Cosmo Software offers two other VRML development tools for designers wanting to create complete 3D
environments for the web. The entry-level HomeSpace Designer allows a developer to easily turn 2D
Web sites into 3D VRML HomeSpace sites. Sophisticated graphics file support, intuitive design
tools, and extensive animation capabilities combine to help make creating totally VRML-compliant
worlds as simple as possible. Best of all, anyone with a standard VRML browser (like Cosmo Player)
can visit a VRML world created with the $139 HomeSpace Designer.
The high-end Cosmo Worlds is a comprehensive interactive 3D Web authoring and publishing
application that enables the creation of professional, state-of-the-art, interactive 3D content for
the Web. With full support for the Moving Worlds specification in VRML 2.0 and a wide array of
powerful tools for creating, optimizing, and publishing complex objects, motions, and animated
worlds, the $999 Cosmo Worlds is the ultimate VRML development tool. All three of the Cosmo
Software development tools can be downloaded for free as 30-day evaluation releases.
- SUMMARY -
The best is definitely yet to come for both VRML and the Cosmo line of products. For now, grab a
copy of the latest release of Cosmo Player to ensure that you can take full advantage of the VRML
banners and logos just now starting to appear on web sites and also to prepare yourself for the 3D
environments coming soon to a web site near you.
Want a preview of the possibilities? Check out the interactive game Chomp!
http://www.cosmosoftware.com/galleries/chomp after downloading Cosmo Player and get a glimpse of
what the future of VRML has to offer.
- Pros: VRML 2.0 is, in a word, awesome; animated 3D worlds; excellent collection of development
tools
- Cons: VRML is still in its infancy (limited applications), VRML use on the Web requires a browser
plug-in
Taking Another Look!
BELL ATLANTIC TO BUILD LONG-DISTANCE DATA NETWORK
Bell Atlantic Corp. said Monday it will start work next month on a new long-distance data
transmission network that it hopes will boost its annual revenues by several billion dollars within
the next five years. Bell Atlantic said in a news release it has hired Lucent Technologies Inc.
under a $200 million five-year contract to build and equip the new network, which initially will be
concentrated in major metropolitan hubs within its East Coast service area.
AOL TO BUY MIRABILIS FOR $287 MLN
(Joel Klein, Mr. TrustBuster, Where are you Now.. when we need you?)
Or, is Klein & Reno going to wait until AOL controls every aspect of Telcom Networking
and then make a deal so the control freaks in favor of federal eavesdropping get their way?
America Online Inc. said Monday it had agreed to acquire the Israel-based company Mirabilis Ltd.
for $287 million. The purchase price could grow to as much as $120 million depending on Mirabilis's
operations over the next three years. Mirabilis developed ICQ technology, which informs Internet
users when family, friends and business colleagues are online and enables them to exchange messages
in real-time. ICQ also gives users the ability to play games and exchange files. More than 12
million people have registered to use the technology, America Online said.
FCC TO VOTE BY FRIDAY ON INTERNET SUBSIDY FOR SCHOOLS
The FCC has extended until the end of the week a deadline for deciding how much money to raise for
a controversial program for subsidizing Internet access for schools, agency officials said Monday.
Under a prior order, the Federal Communications Commission was to have decided by Tuesday how much
long-distance telephone companies should pay to subsidize Internet connections for schools and
libraries. More than 30,000 schools and libraries requested $2 billion under the program created in
the 1996 Telecommunications Act and known as the education rate, or e-rate. But last week, a group
of lawmakers opposed to the program turned up the heat on the agency and demanded no money be
raised for the second half of the year.
FEAR OF CYBER TERRORISM MORE HYPE THAN REALITY
You jolt awake in the middle of the night with a recurring nightmare. The bad guys have penetrated
the Pentagon's computers. They now control the instructions for the U.S. nuclear arsenal and are
holding the Western world ransom. Unless their demands are met within 24 hours, destruction will
rain down on Washington, New York, Paris and London. Is this just the fevered imagination of
juvenile Hollywood script writers? Or are defense planners justified in seeking to spend huge sums
to combat a compelling danger? According to experts, you can relax. The threat is more Hollywood
than hard fact. Some experts say companies trying to sell the latest security software are
exploiting these fears.
NOBEL LAUREATE SAYS TECHNOLOGY MAKES PEOPLE NICER
Contrary to the image of a computer geek hunched in solitude over a screen, new technology will
encourage warm social relations, Nobel physics laureate Arno Penzias said Monday. "What defines us
is our social relationships. Telecommunications will allow us to maintain those relationships,"
Penzias said at the SUPERCOMM annual technology hardware and software trade show. "It will help us
to be nicer to each other and to have more fun," said Penzias, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics
in 1978 and recently retired as chief scientist at Lucent Technologies Inc.
FDA DESCRIBES 16 REPORTED VIAGRA DEATHS
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it had received 16 reports of men who died after
taking the best-selling impotence drug Viagra. The agency stressed there is no evidence Viagra
caused any of the deaths - although three of the men received heart drugs known to cause
potentially fatal interactions with Viagra.
COMPAQ IN PACTS WITH AOL, DEC, GTE
Compaq Computer Corp. and America Online Inc. have entered into a multiyear agreement to feature
AOL on all Presario desktop Internet personal computers and to support AOL members through Compaq's
new Easy Access Internet Keyboard, the companies said Tuesday. Under the agreement, buyers of
Presario desktop Internet PCs will find an AOL icon displayed on the first screen, the companies
said in a statement. Digital Equipment Corp. said Tuesday that its Alta Vista Search site had been
selected by Compaq as a default search engine in the new line of Presario desktop PCs. Compaq also
said it had entered into a four-year Internet access pact with GTE Corp. to offer dial-up Internet
access to all Presario PC users.
3 COMPANIES LAUNCH TELECOMM DO-ALL COMPUTER
Price Waterhouse, Oracle Corp. and Sun Microsystems launched the first fully integrated computer
system for running a telecommunications business. "This is the first time within the
telecommunications industry that a full portfolio of products and services have been integrated to
meet the needs of operators," Mark Dixon, senior practice director at Oracle, told Reuters. The
system, known as Compas, is a joint product of the three companies. Oracle provided the computer
software for the system, Sun Microsystems created the hardware frame and Price Waterhouse developed
an accounting template geared for telecommunications.
SMALL SOFTWARE COMPANY OPENS CRACK IN WINDOWS
It may not seem like much, but developers at a small Seattle software company have found a sliver
of computer screen real estate not controlled by giant Microsoft Corp. Executives of the company
hope the space, which amounts to less than one-half inch at the bottom of a standard-size screen,
provides a wedge that can loosen Microsoft's monopoly over how computer users access applications
and content. The control bar gives the user direct access to 54 applications, documents or Internet
sites, some of which can be customized.
"FRANK" TALK AT FBI, INDUSTRY ENCRYPTION MEETING
Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI director Louis Freeh discussed encryption policy Tuesday with
high-tech industry leaders for two hours but neither side made any new concessions, people familiar
with the meeting said. In a meeting held at the office of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of
California, Freeh and Reno told Microsoft Corp. boss Bill Gates and other executives they needed
more time to evaluate a May 8th industry proposal to resolve some of the controversy surrounding
computer data scrambling technologies. Industry and law enforcement officials have been at odds
over encryption for years, with industry wanting strict U.S. export limits lifted and the FBI
favoring stricter controls at home and abroad.
NUMBER OF U.S. HOMES WITH COMPUTERS JUMPED IN '97
The number of U.S. households with at least one personal computer rose by a robust 11.4% last year
as lower prices put PCs within the reach of more families, Ziff-Davis Market Intelligence said
Tuesday. More than 45 million households, or 44.8% of all homes in the U.S., owned PCs as of
January 1998, compared with 40.7% the year before, the market researcher said. As new PC prices
slipped less than $1,000, lower-income households began to buy machines. PC penetration in U.S.
homes still ranks behind that of other consumer electronics, such as TV sets and VCRs. But the
penetration has been growing steadily.
CYBERSEX NOT SO HOT AFTER ALL, POLL SHOWS
Cybersex, it turns out, is not so steamy after all. In what is being billed as the first major
"click-and-tell" poll about online sex, Internet users poured cold water on feverish speculation
about their hot-and-heavy, high-tech love lives. "What catches our interest is the scandal --
pedophiles going online, compulsive sex addicts," said Al Cooper, the California sex researcher who
wrote the survey. "But we found that the vast majority of people simply use it for recreation, like
watching 'Baywatch'." The poll results, posted Tuesday on the MSNBC website (www.msnbc.com), asked
people about their "online sexual behavior:" what they look at, who they talk to, and what they get
out of it.
IBM TO COMPETE DIRECTLY WITH TI ON DSPS
IBM Corp. said it would compete directly with Texas Instruments Inc. in the digital signal
processor market for cellular phones. IBM said in a statement the move is part of a $100 million
investment in initiatives to help fuel its custom microchip business. The investment centers on the
addition of more than two dozen chip "cores," including one that provides full compatibility with a
Texas Instruments digital signal processor (DSP), IBM said. The core is a component reportedly
found in about half the world's cellular phones. Texas Instruments controls roughly 45% of the
$3.13 billion global DSP market.
NETWORK ASSOCIATES TO BUY BRITISH ANTI-VIRUS FIRM
Network Associates Inc. agreed to buy Dr. Solomon's Group Plc, a British maker of anti-virus
software, in a stock deal valued at $640 million. The companies said they plan to bundle their
products into the only package on the market incorporating anti-virus, encryption, authentication,
firewall, intrusion detection and scanning technology. While Dr. Solomon's is primarily in the
anti-virus part of the security business, Network Associates makes an entire "suite" of security
products. Computer crime experts say more needs to be done to protect desktop computers, which are
increasingly vulnerable to intrusions from hackers and other security lapses.
SOFTWARE GROUP ATTACKS GOVERNMENT PLAN ON SOFTWARE
Government attempts to restrict encryption on the Internet will cost World Wide Web users $7.7
billion a year, according to a report released Wednesday by a group of software executives that
included Microsoft's Bill Gates. The software executives said the government's proposals for
tapping into secret data and placing limits on exports of encryption software are expensive and
increasingly irrelevant. Industry and law enforcement officials have been at odds over encryption
for years, with the industry wanting strict U.S. export limits lifted and the FBI favoring stricter
controls at home and abroad. Gates said it was too late to prevent people from getting access to
powerful encryption codes as they are available outside the U.S.
U.S. AGENCY REPORTS 'SUBSTANTIAL' CYBER ATTACKS
The head of a new U.S. cyber law enforcement agency told a Senate panel Wednesday a half dozen
substantial attacks had been launched since February against U.S. government computer systems.
Michael Vatis, chief of the National Infrastructure Protection Center of the FBI, refused to
elaborate, saying pending investigations prevented him. But Vatis did respond to lawmakers when
asked how many of the computer attacks he had witnessed since February - when the NIPC was created
- were considered "substantial" and separate from routine computer hacker attacks.
U.S. CONCERNED ABOUT JAPAN COMPUTER PURCHASES
The U.S. expressed concern Wednesday that access to Japan's public sector computer market had
deteriorated, undermining a 1992 computer and software agreement with Tokyo. The U.S. trade
representative cited 1996 data compiled by the industry's Computer Systems Policy Project and
released June 5. The CSPP figures showed the foreign share of Japan's public sector market for
mid-range and main frame computers fell to 9.3% in 1996, the latest year for which figures are
available, from 10.2% in 1995 and 13.7% in 1994. A drop was also reported in the foreign-made
personal computer market share to 7.7% from 10.9% in 1996 from 1995, according to CSPP.
YAHOO! MOST POPULAR WEB SITE IN MAY - REPORT
Yahoo! Inc.'s Internet site, the consistent pacesetter for Web traffic, drew in 36% more Web
surfers in May than its nearest competitor, according to an industry report. Some 30.6 million
individuals traveled last month to www.yahoo.com, where they accessed Yahoo!'s services, which
include news, Internet search, and e-mail, Internet research firm RelevantKnowledge Inc. said.
Sites operated by online giant America Online Inc. were the second most trafficked, with 22.8
million unique visitors, followed by software company Netscape Communications Corp., with 18.8
million individuals.
NETWORKING INDUSTRY'S GROWTH SEEN IN SHARP SLOWDOWN
The computer networking industry - for years the fastest-growing high-tech business - will expand
at its slowest rate ever in 1998 as prices for key types of equipment collapse, a market research
firm said. The main culprit for the networking industry's slowdown this year is free-falling prices
for Ethernet switches - specialized computers that route information between hundreds of personal
computers within a company. Although demand for these devices is at a record, plunging prices will
keep sales growth in check, In-Stat said. Other segments continue to show strong growth. In-Stat
said sales of routers - devices used to shuttle information between departmental or corporate
networks - will increase 11% in 1998 to $5.4 billion.
TELECOM EXECS SEE INTERNET, CELL PHONES CONVERGING
Within five years, consumers will routinely surf the Internet from their mobile phones, a panel of
wireless communications executives said. "The Internet is going to be a completely different animal
than it is today," Matthew Desch, the Northern Telecom president of wireless networks, said. "You
will have any time, anywhere IP (internet protocol) access." "Our goal is to put the Internet on
wings," said Bo Hedfors, president and CEO of the Boston-based U.S. division of Ericsson. Instead
of mobile phones, busy executives will carry "a personal communication box" that will allow them to
hold video conference calls and surf the Internet, Hedfors told attendees at Supercomm, an industry
trade show in Atlanta.
YEAR 2000 BUG SEEN AS HUGE CHALLENGE TO POWER GRID
All the talk of coaxing computers to clear the Millennium hurdle assumes there will still be
electricity to run them. Perhaps not. A Senate hearing Friday led by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah,
will listen to a panel of experts explain why the vast North American power grid is also vulnerable
to the Year 2000 bug and whether pending computer malfunctions can be overcome. On this point, the
experts vary. Some warn of widespread outages when the clock strikes midnight, Jan. 1, 2000,
confounding computer chips unable to decifer the date. Others claim steps now being taken by
electric utilities, which amass sales of $230 billion a year, will ensure only minor problems. S
"CHEMICAL COMPUTER" KEY TO FUTURE TECHNOLOGY?
A supercomputer using factory-reject chips and having more than 220,000 defects, each deadly enough
to disable any other machine, could be the forerunner of "chemical computers" that are faster,
cheaper and more powerful, researchers said Thursday. The Teramac computer could offer engineers a
way to build computers chemically - something necessary for innovation in the field to continue,
they said in a report published in the journal Science. Teramac's defect tolerance made researchers
realize they could theoretically build smaller computers using chemistry. "We believe we can build
smaller-sized computer circuits using chemical reactions," said Philip Kuekes, a computer architect
at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in California, who helped build Teramac. Current silicon
technology, which uses light to produce chips, has limitations.
AOL TO SETTLE INVESTOR SUIT FOR UP TO $35 MILLION
America Online said Thursday it would pay up to $35 million to settle a lawsuit over the aggressive
method it used to account for the heavy cost of marketing its online services in 1995 and 1996. AOL
said it agreed to pay the money as part of a preliminary settlement with shareholders who owned the
stock between Aug. 10, 1995 and Oct. 25, 1996. It said a substantial portion will be covered by
insurance. "We're pleased to put behind us this suit regarding events in 1995 and 1996," said
George Vradenburg, AOL senior vice president and general counsel. "We believe a lengthy and
distracting litigation process is not in the best interests of AOL's members, the company or its
shareholders."
[Image]
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into two if lengthy
* Actual Artwork should be in GIF, PCX, JPG, TIF, BMP,
WMF file formats
* Artwork (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.)should be sent
along with the article separately
* Please use a single font in an article. TTF Times New
Roman 12pt. is preferred. (VERY Strong Hint)
If there are any questions please use either E-Mail or
call. On another note the ASCII version of STReport has
reached the "end of the line" As the major Online Services
moved away from ASCII. So has STReport. All in the name of
progress and improved readability. The amount of reader
mail expressing a preference for HTML as opposed to our
Adobe PDF enhanced issue is running approximately 11 to 1
over the PDF edition. Cited are size, graphic quality and
speed of download. I'm elated that requests for our
issues in HTML far outnumber PDF. So PDF too, like ascii,
is gone. HTML is now a reality. On our web download page
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STReport will not be caught in the old, worn out "downward
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co-operation and input.
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rmariano@streport.com
STReport International Online Magazine
[Image]
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Be grateful I didn't let my emotions get the best of me
last week while I was writing my editorial! My blood has
cooled down from a boil, but the topic still bothers me:
video games' violence leads to violent acts by America's
youth. Have you ever heard anything so absurd? I read a few
articles on the "subject" last week. Some of these recent
stupid acts of violence by some "sick" kids is being blamed
on video games. When is our society going start accepting
responsibility for itself?
I'm so tired of hearing or reading "blame it on..."! God
forbid a parent realize they didn't do a terrific job
raising their son or daughter. Perish the thought that a
child needs help, mental help. Stop making excuses for
children.
The human race, supported by history all the way back to
the beginning of the bible, is wracked with violence. No
matter how much we'd like to think we've "grown" over
hundreds of years; no matter how many times we keep telling
ourselves that no "rational" person could do such a thing
without some form of "irrational influence" - forget it.
People react in different ways, some more violent than
others. People control themselves differently; and some not
at all. Blaming violent behavior on video games,
television, movies, books, rock music, rap music, pictures
of naked men/women, ad nauseum is a flight from reality - a
failure to accept responsibility for our own behavior.
I'm glad I could get that off my chest! Last week I was
ready to editorialize in a more harsher tone; I feel better
having cooled off first and thinking more rationally. What
a concept......
Until next time...
A member posted this to my forum...
From: Angela Howe, Delphi's Soap Opera Forum Manager
"The Day The Service Died", Sung to the tune of "American
Pie"
A long, long time ago, I can still remember when I dialed
up their help
desk lines. And I knew if I had the chance, they could make
my modem
dance with chats and GIFs and silly pick-up lines.
But, Help Desk phone calls made me shiver with every busy
they'd deliver.
Bad news on the front page, A 19-hour outrage.
I can't remember if I cried when I realized that Steve Case
had lied.
But something touched me deep inside, The day, the ser-vice
died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline. Saying
this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day that
they die.
Did you write the book of TOS, Will you send your password
to PWD-BOSS
if an IM tells you so.
And will you believe the Motley Fool when he tells you that
the service
rules, And, can you teach me how to web real slow?
Well, I know you sold the service short, 'Cause I saw your
quarterly report.
Steve Case sold off his stock, It fell just like a rock.
It was a crazy, costly high-tech play, as they slashed away
at what
subscribers pay, And half their users went away, the day
the service died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline. Saying
this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day that
they die.
Well for two days we've been on our own And dial-ins click
on a rolling
phone But that's not how it used to be, When the mogul came
to Virginia
court, With an OS icon and a browser port, And a desktop
that looked like Apple III.
And while Jim Clark was looking down, The mogul stole his
thorny crown,
The browser war was turned, Mozilla,... was spurned.
And while Steve left users out to bond, With hosts unable
to respond,
6 million newbies all were conned, The day the service
died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline.
Saying this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day
that they die.
Da Chronic ducked their software guards, And stole a
million credit
cards, to use accounts he'd gotten free.
And so Steve Case went to the FBI, and he told Boardwatch*
a little
lie, That hackers wanted child pornography * But while
Steve Case was
looking down, The hackers pulled his e-mail down, They put
it on the
net, He can't be trusted, yet!
And while user cynicism climbs, At sign-on ads and welcome
rhymes, they
scan their e-mail for, "Good Times," The day the ser-vice
died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline. Saying
this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day that
they die.
Helter-skelter billing needs a melter, The lawyers filed a
class-action
shelter, Eight million in lawyer's fees.
But it looks like some attorney jibe, an hour if they
resubscribe, To a
service marketed for free. Well, I know you're raking in
the bucks,
'Cause I'm reading alt.aol-sucks.
Until we bless the suit, The settlement is moot."
"If AOL treats you like the Borg, Then visit aolsucks.org,
Before some
router pulls the cord,..." The day the ser-vice died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline.
Saying this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day
that they die.
Bill Razzouk, the head-to-be, sold off his home in
Tennessee, And
headed for a 4-month end.
Was he sad or just incensed when Case offered him his
thirty cents.
Billing is the devil's only friend. But as I read him on
the page, My
hands were clenched in fists of rage, No, "Welcome" born in
hell, could
ring that chatroom bell.
And as chat freaks cried into the night, CompuServe read
their last
rites. I saw Earthlink laughing with delight, The day the
ser-vice died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline.
Saying this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day
that they die.
I met a girl in Lobby 9, And I asked her if she'd stay
online, But she
just frowned and looked away,
And I went back to the Member Lounge, To see what loyalty I
could
scrounge. But Room Host said the members went away,...
And on the net the modems screamed, At faster bits and data
streams.
And not a tear was spoken, The hourly fees were broken,
And the three men that I hated most: Ted, and Steve, and
Razzouk's
ghost, They couldn't dial up the host, The day the ser-vice
died.
So, Bye-Bye to Amer'ca Online, Drove my modem to a domain
and it's
working just fine. And good old geeks are cheering users
offline.
Saying this'll be the day that they die. This'll be the day
that they die.
Angela - Delphi's Soap Opera Forum Manager
The place to watch after you watch!
Gaming Section
* Game Dealer(TM) Online!
* "Quest 64"!
* "X-Men vs. StreetFighter"!
* N64 Price Drop!
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming
News!
Nintendo Follows Sony Price Cut
Jun 4, 1998 (MULTIMEDIA WIRE, Vol. 5, No. 107) --
Nintendo's decision two days ago to drop the price of the
N64 to $129.99 was in response to Sony's move to do the
same with PlayStation, George Harrison, Nintendo's VP
marketing, tells MMWire. The move was "not something we had
planned," he says. "We'll be competitive and act as quickly
as we can [in response to competitive moves]." Sony was
telling retailers about its desired PlayStation price drop
at E3, and the retailers told Nintendo, Harrison says. Sony
did not respond to calls by press time yesterday. Among
retailers, Best Buy and Electronics Boutique have both put
the price cut into action.
Game Dealer(TM) Launches Online Superstore to Game
Enthusiasts
NEW YORK, June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Game Dealer
(www.gamedealer.com), the Internet's game superstore, is
open for business. Providing computer and video game
shoppers with more features than any other Internet store,
Game Dealer is quickly becoming the location of choice for
game enthusiasts, parents, and gift-givers to purchase game
software, consoles and accessories directly from their
computer.
Game Dealer is a dynamic online store that provides
thousands of games and accessories for Windows, Macintosh,
PlayStation, Nintendo and Sega. Game Dealer provides
complete online transaction capabilities, including instant
Secure Socket Layer ordering with all major credit cards
and shipment via major shipping carriers for as low as $4
per delivery. Other features include detailed information
on each product, anonymous shopping, express check out for
registered customers, and powerful customized search
capabilities.
Game Dealer customers receive order and shipping
confirmations via email providing payment receipts and
delivery verification for every purchase. Because Game
Dealer is electronically linked to an extensive internal
distribution center, most orders are shipped the same day
they are placed.
"The foundation of Game Dealer's success is offering an
online game shopping experience that exceeds our customers'
expectations, providing an easily searchable storefront
backed by great prices, inexpensive prompt shipping and
top-notch customer service," said Marc Daniels, Vice
President of Store Operations. "We're not like some other
shopping sites that make it difficult for their customer to
find their 800 number. We want people to call us if they
need to, and we have a toll free 800 number backed up by a
call center with a knowledgeable live customer service
representative, not a machine. We take great pride in our
customer service."
THQ Journeys Into Magical, Mystical Land of Role Playing
THQ Inc. is venturing into an extraordinary new world with
the delivery of "Quest 64," the first RPG adventure for the
Nintendo 64. THQ has shipped the epic game, developed by
Imagineer Co. Ltd. of Japan, to retailers across North
America. Featuring breathtaking graphics, "Quest 64" casts
players into the role of Brian, a young Spirit Tamer who
must find his father, Lord Bartholomy, who has mysteriously
disappeared while trying to recover Eletale's Book, the
holy book of magic, and save the Kingdom of Celtland before
it falls into eternal darkness.
"After a long wait, Nintendo 64 fans of Role Playing Games
will finally be able to get their hands on one of the most
anticipated titles of the year," said Michael Haller,
senior vice president, THQ. "'Quest 64' challenges players
of all ages to master a massive, fully explorable 3-D world
full of unthinkable monsters, intriguing characters and
fantastic landscapes."
Beginning June 15, THQ will air a nationwide television and
cable advertising campaign on networks including
Nickelodeon, NBC, ABC, Fox, MTV, USA, Cartoon Network and
the Warner Bros. channel. In "Quest 64," players set out on
their quest, speaking to friends, strangers, leaders and
countrymen. As they explore the countryside, they must
discover important clues by talking to as many people as
they can. Many of the characters have vital information,
others will provide items that can be added to each
player's inventory.
Players must uncover useful articles such as food, mystical
trinkets and powerful magic potions throughout their
journey. These items can revive players, be used in battle
or help transport them to faraway places. This beautiful
3-D world, consisting of seven cities and abundant
locations from seacoast villages to mountain forests, gives
enthusiasts a multitude of areas to explore. Featuring
towns, buildings and castles full of rooms and passageways,
the world of "Quest 64" is sometimes even dangerous.
Players don't know what they may find. The on-screen
compass may come in handy when maneuvering throughout the
game.
As Brian, an apprentice practitioner of the ancient art of
Spirit Taming, players must learn to become a master of the
Magic Arts in order to save Celtland from all evil. To do
this, they test their skills and train through a series of
trials and battles against unforgiving monsters, summoning
the spirits of Earth, Fire, Water and Wind. More than 50
spells are available. Spell-casting powers increase as
players collect more elements, using magic and winning
battles.
Fire spells engulf the enemy in an inferno. Earth spells
draw from the Earth spirit to unleash the powers of stone.
Wind spells lash out with the power of a deadly storm.
Water spells sustain life and repair damage or inflict
grave injury and icy devastation. During battle, players
use their magic, as well as their Staff to attack. All
combat is turn-based, alternating between the gamer and the
monsters. If the battle is too intense, players can heal
themselves with healing spells, food or potions. They can
also escape by running away. But engaging in more battles
increases strength, defense and agility.
"Quest 64" is available at all major retail outlets in
North America for a suggested retail price of $59.95. The
official strategy guide is also available from Prima
Publishing. Additionally, the game is compatible with the
Nintendo Controller Pak.
X-Men vs. Street Fighter - Capcom's Latest Head-to-Head
Fighter
SUNNYVALE, CALIF. (June 11) BUSINESS WIRE - June 11, 1998 -
A collision of two great universes has erupted today as
Capcom's latest fighter X-Men vs. Street Fighter(TM) is now
available for the PlayStation game console. Based on the
mega-popular arcade blockbuster of the same name, X-Men vs.
Street Fighter is the latest head-to-head fighter from the
company that defined the fighting game genre. In X-Men vs.
Street Fighter, players can choose from 17 of their
favorite characters from both Marvel's X-Men and Capcom's
Street Fighter universes. Bringing the worlds of comic
books and video games together, Capcom and Marvel Comics
fuse together the world's most recognizable and popular
characters in this head-to-head, fighting game for one or
two players. X-Men vs. Street Fighter will sell at a
suggested retail price of $49.99.
Designed using Capcom's famed and fluid 2D animation, X-Men
vs. Street Fighter delivers fighting game fans the ultimate
in incredible comic book action. Unique to the Sony
PlayStation version is the EX Combo System, as seen in
Capcom's Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha. The EX Combo System
allows players to link together a series of super moves to
create massive and original super combos to finish off
their opponents in a fast and furious manner.
There are 17 playable characters to choose from which
include 8 mutants from the X-Men universe: Cyclops, Rogue,
Wolverine, Storm, Juggernaut, Magneto, Sabretooth and
Gambit. The 9 Street Fighters include: Cammy, Ken, Ryu,
Chun-Li, Akuma, M. Bison, Dhalsim, Zangief and Charlie.
X-Men vs. Street Fighter marks the return of the incredibly
popular character, Cammy, unseen since Super Street Fighter
II and marks the first video game appearance ever, of
Marvel's Gambit, Rogue, and Sabretooth.
Xmen vs. Street Fighter is a featured title in Capcom's
Fighters Edge frequent-buyers program. Consumers are
awarded points with each fighting game purchase. Fighters
Edge points are redeemable for a wide variety of quality
merchandise ranging from baseball hats to mountain bikes.
Complete details on the program can be found at
www.fightersedge.com.
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, things have returned
to some semblance of normalcy and I again have time to
think the deep thoughts that you are used to hearing from
me...
Okay, okay. So maybe they're not really deep thoughts. More
like Deep Thought-mania... not really deep thoughts, but an
incredible simulation. At any rate, I feel much more like
my old self, and stand ready to let loose with my opinions.
Like my thoughts on the differences between our Atari
ST-series computers and the common, run-of-the-mill PCs.
I've got sad news for you... the ST series just doesn't
compete in today's market. 400 Megahertz Pentium II's with
oodles of RAM, colors, and hard drive space leave our poor
old Atari machines in the dust. Sad but true.
As with people, though, there is much more to the equation
than simply size and speed. There is also familiarity,
compatibility, appropriateness, and trust. While there are
some former Atari users who continually whine about the way
their ST used to treat them, it is more likely the case
that they simply hadn't a clue as to what they were doing.
Most of these folks moved on to the Microsoft arena and
found almost immediate kinship, since most of the users of
that platform are not hobbyists and use their computers
simply as tools, and simply took it as a fact of life that
'crashes happen'.
While 'appropriateness' is a rather shaky term to apply to
the computer world, if you think about it, either your
computer does what you want or need it to do, or it
doesn't. If it doesn't then you should march right out and
get a new one. My computers are all able to do what I need
them to do, so they are appropriate for me to use. Could I
do the same things I do now with a new wiz-bang Pentium II?
Sure. But I find it a waste of money to go out and buy a
machine that will do more than I need when I seldom have
the time to test my current machines to their true limits.
That I mentioned 'trust' might seem a bit strange, but
consider the fact that we don't have to worry about
Active-X on the Atari platform. Not only does Active-X
provide amazing capabilities, it also allows for the
possibility of someone accessing your information remotely
without your knowledge. The likelihood is small, but it is
there. I wouldn't 'trust' a computer with Active-X
technology.
Some of you may know that I've been upgrading a '486
computer for a relative so that she can access the
internet. One of the main reasons I took on this project
was to test the machine against my TT. I was pleasantly
surprised to find that the TT outdoes the 486 in all areas
except for the number of colors it can display... and even
that was only after extensive and expensive add-ons. Sure,
the 486 is not a state-of-the-art computer, and hasn't been
for quite a number of years. But that's not the point of my
test. They are running at about the same speed (32 MHz for
the TT, and 33 MHz for the 486), they are both running a 32
bit operating system (MagiC on the TT, and WIN95 on the
486), and both used the same modem, phone line, and ISP for
this informal test. The only real difference is the
software that they were using to access the internet. The
TT ran CAB, and the 486 ran Microsoft Internet Explorer.
While CAB was designed to be used on all Atari 16/32 bit
computers with an eye to memory conservation, Explorer was
designed to take advantage of all the bells and whistles
available on newer PCs. While Explorer will run on a slow
486, it's much happier with a fast Pentium or Pentium II.
And that's okay... unless you happen to have an older
machine. What does this prove? Absolutely nothing. If your
current machine works for you, use it. If it doesn't,
decide what you need a new computer to do and go out and
get one.
Well, that's enough for now. Let's take a look at what's
being said on the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
Austin Walshe asks about the serial port speeds for his TT:
"I am currently trying to use Sting with CAB etc. and
Daconis Web on my TT. I am able to use both approaches to
internet connectivity ok at 19200 bps but have been
unsuccessful using modem port 2 at 33600 bps. It connects
ok but no data is received. I have used HSMODEM 7. Can any
one help with the correct configuration of HSMODEM if this
is the problem. Are there any complete English docs?"
Martin-Eric Racine tells Austin:
"With STinG, you need HS-Modem and Serial.CPX (included
with STinG) to correctly set your Modem2 port for 38400
baud throughput. With MiNT, only HS-Modem is needed,
because MiNTnet sets the modem speed."
Roger Cain adds:
"I think the problem is that Modem 2 does not have standard
speeds so the modem will not recognise the faster ones. I
have been trying to find the docs. but they have gone
missing for the moment! If you have the prog. TOSPORTS (I
think) or any of these diagnostic programs (Profile,
Sysinfo etc.) you can find out what speeds are supported
and compare them with the spec. of your modem. I think you
will find no matches above 38k8. I have connected via the
Serial 2. This has standard speeds and I find that running
a DTE of 115k2 with a DCE of 28k8 is both fast and stable.
If you do this you will, of course, need to use SCC.PRG in
the HSMODEM set-up."
Peter Rottengatter tells Austin:
"Modem 2 cannot be set to 33600 bps. Use 57600 bps
instead." See that? Short, simple, and to the point.
Meanwhile, Martin-Eric tells Peter:
"38400 is the maximum on Modem 2. 57600 is not available on
a TT Modem 2."
Peter replies:
"Ah, that's the crap port, which does 76800 bps instead?"
Martin-Eric replies:
"Modem-2 speeds:
TT: 19200, 38400, 76800, 153600.
MEGA-STe/Falcon: 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200, 230400.
Yes, the TT has oddball speeds based on multitples of
19200, because it was Atari's first attempt a new
technologies such as the SCC, so a lot of features are
"best guess". However, the SCC can be clocked at 14 MHz,
like the Hades, and this modification is recognized by
HS-Modem automatically. The result is a increased speed
limit, up to 921600 theorical. This simple modification is
described on "The TT030 Homepage" ...
http://www.megacom.net/~q-funk/TT030 "
Kent Johansson asks:
"Somewhile ago I read somewhere on the web that Toad had
some MegaSTe motherboards in stock available at a rather
fair price. As Toad have stopped selling Atari related
items I wonder where one may get hold of such a card
nowadays, and how much they would cost. Any hints? I'd
rather build myself a MSTE in a tower than a PC."
Charlie Wood tells Kent:
"Here's the web address of Keith Scroggins who bought the
remaining stock from Toad. I just bought some items from
him and he mentioned that he had some STE motherboards in
stock."
Dave Gostl asks for help with his Falcon and a SyQuest EZ
Drive:
"I'm having problems with my Falcon's int IDE drive. I've
decided to just replace it. But all of a sudden I can't use
the EZ135 SCSI drive. It spins up and down and ejects no
problem. The green LED turns yellow for a sec at bootup,
also normal. HDDriver 4.61 dosen't recognise it anymore.
Can this be related to the IDE's impending failure? Or
could it be a HDDriver problem? I didn't mess with
HDDriver's setup before this happened."
Michael Grove tells Dave:
"I have sorta the same problem. I think it has something to
do with the Hard Disk Cartridge itself. Some of mine are
recognized as an EZ 135 cart, and others as an SH Megafile
disk. I have reformatted them on every Atari possible, on a
PC and Mac as well. On the alien machines, they are
recognized properly, but once repartitioned with HD Driver
(or any other driver for that matter) they asume the identy
of an SH drive. I have used ICD Pro, SCSI Tool and AHDI
too. At one time, I thought that because I had formatted
and partitioned some with the IDE EZ in my Falcon, caused a
bug when used in a SCSI EZ drive. All I can say is you're
not alone."
Dave tells Michael:
"On mine I don't think it's the carts themselves. The whole
drive seems to be non-existant. The carts were partitioned
with Diamond Edge, all in the same manner as 1 big
partition each. I didn't know there was an IDE version. Is
it slower or faster than the SCSI?"
Charles Silver tells both Dave and Michael:
"I don't understand this at all. I've been using a SCSI EZ
drive for years with my Falcon. It has 4 equal partitions
using AHDI. I used PC Carts then formatted'em with AHDI, no
problems. Of course, my internal IDE works fine, so maybe
that's the answer. I don't boot from my EZ drive. Something
very basic is going wrong for you."
"pfloyd" (nah, it couldn't be <grin>) asks a very good
question about ownership:
"Just wondering who now owns the rights to TOS and GEM? I
know TOS was Atari and GEM was DRI, but now that both
companies are out of existance, who owns the copyrights?"
Nicholas Bales tells pfloyd:
"Hasbro owns all the Atari rights and intellectual property
(and Caldera all the DRI stuff?)"
Jo Vandeweighe adds:
"Hasbro owns all the Atari rights and intellectual
property... Excepting the TT030 hardware !"
pfloyd asks Jo:
"who owns the rights to the TT030???"
Nicholas Bales tells pfloyd:
"Well, Hasbro probzbly does own it. It was just not listed
in the sales act. I think it was implicitely included with
the ST and Falcon stuff. I see no reason why it would be
separated from the rest."
Eric Hayes posts this about some of the important settings
for StiK, STinG, and even Windows95:
"Earlier we had a discussion about setting MTU and other
settings for STiNG, and someone said he wished things were
as easy as they were with Windows, and a bunch of people
pointed out that Windows has problems with these setting
too, only most people never know they can mess with those.
Well, today CNN Online has a long article about just this,
including this juicy quote "Naturally, I'm going to point
my finger at Microsoft. The computer giant obviously wasn't
paying attention when it set the MTU default to 1500 in the
Windows 95 Registry. Lower that number to 576, and your
throughput will increase substantially." The full article
is available at:
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9805/26/net.access.idg
and a site the author recommended as having good
information about MTU and appropriate MTU setings is
www.sns-access.com/~netpro/maxmtu.htm "
Charles Silver tells Eric:
"Hoo-Ray for PC'ers, they've discovered MTU for Windoze
<g>. There's nothing noted in those Web sites that hasn't
been discussed here over the past few years for STiK/STinG
users. If you really want to "step in a bowl of jello" read
RFC 879 :) Those PC'ers think they have discovered
something new, not so. It seems some are selling
"Tweaker's" to users for money!
Bottomline: you can easily test this for yourself.
With MTU = 576, try this setup:
MSS = 536 [mss-40]
RCV_WND = 2144 [mss x 4]
Then compare with MTU = 1500
MSS = 1460 [mss-40]
RCV_WND = 2920 [mss x 2]
You can experiment with a larger RCV_WND as a multiple of
MSS. If you read RFC 879 you'll see that these settings
depend on a lot of odd factors over which you have no
control. So surf a bit to your favorite sites and see what
happens. This is what I've euphemistically called
"Optimizing" STinG. With most ISP's here in the USA I've
tried lately, MTU = 1500 works better (faster downloads)
with most of the URL's with CAB. But for some, I'm sure the
MTU = 576 will work fine, maybe better. But not 2x or 3x,
if you use the matching (MSS, RCV_WND) as shown above.
Ahhh, I used MTU = 576 when I first started Surf'in with
CAB/STiK, but moved on with some better settings for my
ISP."
Dennis Bishop asks for help with re-sizing JPEG pictures:
"Is there anyway to take a jpg and make it smaller in
display area? I've set up my page, but have been unable to
put more than one jpg of a photo on it, I'id like to
display some smaller ones to let the User pick them to
order. my page is at: www.freeyellow.com/members4/hobbyman"
Neil Roughley tells Dennis:
"Go to http://www.esc.de/homes/guivol/jpeg-bin / and
download jpg6btos.zip, the TOS binaries of The Independent
JPEG Group's software. Within the archive are TTP-based
JPEG utilities. To scale a JPEG, run djpeg.ttp with the
command line:
-scale 1/8 filein.jpg fileout.ppm
This will create a scaled version in ppm (pbmplus color)
format. Now take fileout.ppm and run cjpeg.ttp with the
command line:
fileout.ppm fileout.jpg
This will convert the scaled ppm graphic back into a JPEG,
which can now be used in your HTML as a thumbnail to the
full graphic. Scaling can also be defined using 1/1, 1/2
and 1/4. All this is the bare minimum you need to do (read
the docs for full usage)."
Andy Mellor asks about "Year 2000 Compliance" problems:
"Any info on Year 2000 compliance/non-compliance out there?
We're still using a few STs as dumb terminals."
Nicholas Bales tells Andy:
"The Year 2000 issue on the Atari is software related, so
it all depends on the software you are using, since STs
didn't have a real time clock anyway. There shouldn't be
any problems with terminal software, but if there is,
change the software!"
"nbriscombe" tells Andy and Nick:
"ST's have clocks all right, in the keyboard manager chip.
but they are volatile. but you can get clock cards; plus
there is a simple mod you can make with a 7400 and a
rechargeable battery to your keyboard (but some games
re-set this timer so its to so robust as a cartridge/scsi
adapter clock). there were non volatile clocks in the MSTE
and falcon. Calls to get time date from any version of tos
is fine into 2038 (or similar). Of course this doesn't mean
all software is compliant, a year represented as two digits
can still give problems with > & < comparisons if the
programmer didn't think to check if the date is < 85
first."
Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again
next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen
to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
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