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Randys Rumor Rag 1993 03
RAndY s RumOR RaG
March 1993
BBS BUST
I don't know the source of the following, but I had heard of
Rusty & Edie's getting busted.
The Federation Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, Jan. 30,
1993, raided "Rusty & Edie's", a computer bulletin board located in
Boardman, Ohio, which has allegedly been illegally distributing
copyrighted software programs.
For the past several months, the Software Publishers
Association(SPA)has been working with the FBI in investigating the
Rusty & Edie's bulletin board, and as part of that investigation
has downloaded numerous copyrighted business and entertainment
programs from the board. The SPA investigation was initiated
following the receipt of complaints from a number of SPA members
that their software was being illegally distributed on the Rusty &
Edie's BBS.
The Rusty & Edie's bulletin board was one of the largest
private bulletin boards in the country. It had 124 nodes available
to callers and over 14,000 subscribers throughout the United States
and several foreign countries. To date, the board has logged in
excess of 3.4 million phone calls, with new calls coming in at the
rate of over 4,000 per day. It was established in 1987 and had
expanded to include over 19 gigabytes of storage housing over
100,000 files available to subscribers for downloading. It had
paid subscribers throughout the United States and several foreign
countries, including Canada, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Finland,
the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"The SPA applauds the FBI's action today," said Ilene
Rosenthal, general counsel for the SPA. "This shows that the FBI
recognizes the harm that theft of intellectual property causes to
one of the U.S.'s most vibrant industries. It clearly demonstrates
a trend that the government understands the seriousness of software
piracy." The SPA is actively working with the FBI in the
investigation of computer bulletin boards, and similar raids on
other boards are expected shortly.
---------------
NEWS IN YER FACE
Back in February 1992, Novell and Microsoft were talking about
a merger. Microsoft offered about $85 per share at a time when
Novell stock was trading in the low $60's. Novell balked when
Microsoft bought Fox and never told them. The relationship further
deteriorated when Microsoft embedded NetWare code in Windows for
WorkGroups.
---------------
Novell has converted Microware accounts receivable into stock
in the company. Microware has been struggling financially and this
move could help. Novell noted that this move does not mean they
will take an active role in running Microware.
---------------
Microsoft has released Macintosh and Windows versions of
Office on CD-ROM.
---------------
Intuit (makers of the popular Quicken) have filed an initial
public offering, attempting to raise $25.5 million through the sale
of 1.5 million shares of stock.
---------------
Logitech is releasing a 16-bit sound card using the Spectrum
chip licensed from Media Vision. This is basically a Pro Audio
Spectrum 16 card under the name of Logitech. Included utilities
are the same and until August, Logitech will sell buyers one of
four Accolade games for just $5.
---------------
Creative Labs, makers of the popular SoundBlaster series,
recently bought E-Mu, a digital audio company well known for their
keyboard line. The stated goal is to combine E-Mu's expertise and
sound libraries with Creative Labs' manufacturing and distribution,
but no immediate changes are planned for the SoundBlaster line. E-
Mu will continue to supply chips to other sound board makers (like
Turtle Beach).
---------------
Intel and Chips & Technologies have settled their patent
litigation. Each party is releasing the other and its customers
from past liabilities, and are granting each other license rights
on selected patents.
---------------
Expected for release by the time you read this are Freelance
Graphics and 1-2-3, both for OS/2. To follow soon are 32-bit
version of cc:Mail and Ami Pro. Meanwhile, Borland is backing off
from tentative OS/2 versions of Quattro Pro and Paradox.
---------------
The dispute between Microsoft and Stac Electronics continues
over Microsoft s alleged pilfering of Stac patents. Apparently the
two companies had talked about a DOS 6/Stacker bundle and Bill
Gates had expressed an interest in the Stacker product back in late
1991.
---------------
Microsoft next beta of NT will include 32-bit electronic mail
and scheduling applications. Improved support for IPX and improved
network awareness will also be included. Microsoft is hinting that
8 megs of memory will not be enough, hinting that 10-12 megs will
be necessary.
---------------
Microsoft is scheduling a DOS 6 rollout for March 30. The
focus of the blitz will be the data compression technology, but
there is concern about the 8% performance degradation it causes
with some applications.
---------------
As you read this, Autodesk should have released a Windows
version of AutoCAD and a set of mechanical CAD products. List
price of the Windows product will be $3750, but AutoCAD owners can
get it free within the first 30 days and for $75 after that.
---------------
Certain models of Compaq's Prolinea line are having battery
problems. You d think that since battery-backed CMOS was
implemented in the first AT's, they d have it figured out by now.
---------------
Intel is now saying that the Pentium chip will be available
only in limited quantities at the end of this year. Availability
will be limited to 50,000 units this year due to heat difficulties
manufacturing the 66MHz chip. They re considering producing a
60MHz chip in the meantime and there are rumors of a redesign for
a lower heat generating 3.3 volt chip.
---------------
PLUG-IN FOR PROGRAM MANAGER
Plug-In for Program Manager is an enhancement utility that
adds to and improves upon the feature set of Program Manager. It
operates "behind the scenes" and cooperates fully with Program
Manager.
Plug-In includes the ability to: copy groups, instantly
activate/deactivate groups (deactivated groups stay on disk, but
are removed from Program Manager), reset all group windows to their
original positions, dynamically change the StartUp group. You get
visual browsing, and included is a Speed List feature to get to
your favorite icons quickly.
Each group can be assigned an icon of its own and you can
change the default group icon. The standard pointer and the
hourglass cursor can be replaced with a selection of alternates.
There is an enhanced run command, including a history list,
browse feature, and various runtime options. A single menu choice
will install a new Windows application. Just place an installation
disk in a drive and you will be given a chance to view any ReadMe
files prior to installation.
An improved "Exit Windows" dialog also allows you to restart
Windows. Enhanced group window commands allow you to minimize all
open groups at once, as well as do both vertical and horizontal
tiling.
System resources and available memory is constantly displayed
on Program Manager menu bar and in Program Manager's icon when it
is minimized. An alarm can be set to warn you of low system
resources and/or memory.
The QuickRun menu provides an easy way to access frequently
run applications. Complete context-sensitive help is available
from all dialogs. There is support for standard multimedia sound
associations for dialogs and alarms.
All of this sounds real good and the program is easy to
install and quite versatile. So what does all this functionality
cost? Just send $20 to Plannet Crafters, 2580 Runic Way,
Alpharetta, Georgia 30202-5078. I don't normally endorse products,
but this one is well worth the money.
---------------
WORDPERFECT DELAYS
Product delays are plentiful these days in Orem. WordPerfect
announced that Office Version 4 will be delayed until the second
quarter and InForms will be postponed until May. WordPerfect 6 for
Windows is now scheduled for year end release. (Part of this delay
was the decision to implement OLE 2.)
There are several factors behind these delays. Months of beta
testing and demand for cross platform applications slows product
development. WordPerfect is trying to make all versions of
software share common code and that takes a lot of time.
---------------
PAGEMAKER 5
Aldus is set to release Version 5 of PageMaker. I haven't
seen it yet, but have read some articles in the mags, including
Aldus Magazine. Here are some of the new features and changes.
New to Version 5 is something called a Control Palette. This
is basically a button bar which changes according to whatever mode
you're in. In Character Mode you have access to type
specifications, kerning, and type related things. In Paragraph
Mode you choose styles, set alignments and indents, and other
operations related to paragraphs. This Control Palette should make
an easy program even easier to operate.
The familiar Toolbox remains, but the rounded corner tool has
been replaced with a tool which lets you rotate text and graphics
in .01 degree increments.
In the area of color, PageMaker comes with eight color
matching systems with over 10,000 colors to match to. In addition
to the commercial color libraries you can also create your own.
You can now do color tints and print process color separations.
You will be able to print any pages you want in any sequence.
They've also overhauled the code so that it prints more compact
PostScript code than the present version and printing overall is
supposed to be faster. Aldus claims that PageMaker 5 generates 20%
less PostScript code than Version 4.
You will now be able to open as many publications as you want
(limited only by memory) and copy text and graphics between them.
Cross platform compatibility will be greatly improved. You'll also
be able to create custom line weights, instead of the present few
predefined ones.
There is also a library palette which is like a graphical
clipboard for storing multiple items, letting you search with
keywords if you've got a large library.
Aldus expects to ship PageMaker 5 in the first quarter of this
year, so don't expect to see it until the end of March. Even then,
these long overdue improvements should be worth it.
---------------
RED HOT & PUBLISH
Quark is offering a software package called Red Hot & Publish,
the proceeds of which will go to support AIDS research.
I hesitate to talk politics here, but I feel compelled to
speak out. I've seen similar promotions in the photography
business too.
While I have sympathy for those afflicted with AIDS, you must
remember that it is a disease promoted through deviant behavior.
Don't drag out the .0001% who get it through a tainted blood
transfusion - this disease is directly related to behavior.
This country is already spending ten times more money on AIDS
research than on cancer research.
I avoid these promotions as I avoid the behavior which spreads
the disease.
---------------
MORE NEWS IN YER FACE
It seems that Microsoft has removed network client, electronic
mail components, and disk compression features from the current DOS
6 beta release. They claim that it was causing confusion with
consumers. Network client functions for connecting to Windows for
Workgroups will be offered as a separate product. The disk
compression feature is the center of a dispute with Stac
Electronics.
---------------
Novell is working on making DR-DOS work with Windows for
Workgroups. Novell claims that Microsoft can write software so
that DR-DOS' memory management system will not operate properly.
Cooperation between Microsoft and Novell continues despite recently
publicized disagreements.
Novell is trying to better market NetWare Lite while industry
insiders are noting slow sales of Windows for Workgroups, earning
the moniker of Windows for Warehouses.
---------------
In order to exploit dBase for Windows delays, Microsoft will
soon unveil a free package which will convert dBase IV files to
FoxPro 2.5 format. Rumor has it that Borland will release dBase IV
2.0 for DOS in mid-April.
---------------
Borland is shipping an interim release for Paradox 4. The
release corrects problems with the Show Pull Down command which has
tended to grab memory and not release it. Also included is the T
utility for fixing corrupted data tables. The charge is $15 to
registered users.
---------------
WordPerfect acquired a controlling interest in Reference
Software International, makers of Grammatik. I hate Grammatik and
all software of like it, but this is certainly a feather in the cap
of WordPerfect.
---------------
VIDEO FOR WINDOWS
I don't even own a VCR that works right so why should I care
about video for my computer?
Video for Windows is the final piece of the multimedia pie.
We've improved the sound quality of PC's with the multitude of
sound cards on the market. The graphics and animation capabilities
of the PC world have also improved tremendously in recent years.
The only thing missing has been full motion video.
Video for Windows replaces the Media Player with one that's
been enhanced. You also get VidCap and VidEdit, capture and
editing utilities respectively. WaveEdit, BitEdit, and PalEdit let
you fine-tune your digital audio and video data. A QuickTime
converter lets you convert between PC and Macintosh.
Video clips are then treated like any other type of data. You
can cut and paste video from the Clipboard and use it as an OLE
object.
Yeah, but how good is it. By default, the video is displayed
in a small window (about 2 inches square on a 14-inch monitor).
You can play the images full screen. The window cannot be resized
with the mouse like a conventional window.
I was surprised. If you're used to looking at jerky loops
done with GRASP or Animator, Video for Windows makes them look
sick. The color is good and the motion is very smooth. Be aware
that you'll need the hottest processor and video combination you
can muster. Even on my lowly 386-33 and ATI VGA Wonder+ the motion
was smooth and clean.
You're going to need megs of storage space and CD-ROM will be
the normal distribution medium as you might expect. Even so, if
your presentations or whatever you're doing require video, look
into Video for Windows.
---------------
DIGITAL IMAGING
As a professional photographer, I have a great interest in
digital imaging. I can foresee the day in the not so distant
future where a customer will come into my studio, have a portrait
done, and select the images to purchase on the screen before
leaving. I then do electronic retouching and product the prints on
some sort of electronic printer - the customer returns later in the
day and picks up (and pays for) the order. I can see the days of
silver-based emulsions fading.
We all know that it's not too difficult to get an image into
the computer with a fair degree of quality. It's not too tough to
manipulate an image to product a desired effect. The tough part is
getting it out of the computer with enough quality that someone
will pay money for it.
I recently saw a couple of digital images and was completely
blown away. I didn't know that technology had advanced this far.
One image had been produced with an electronic camera using no
conventional silver-based film. The print was made using Kodak's
fancy electronic imaging system. The print didn't look bad, but
the colors resembled a Cibachrome print (too saturated). The
second image was printed from a Photo CD. An untrained eye would
not be able to detect that this print was electronically printed.
The limitation at present is that the printer is limited to a
maximum file size of 9 megs. A hi-res image from a Photo CD can
easily get in the 15 meg area.
Don't sell your stock in Kodak just yet. The technology is
expensive - but the days of silver are numbered.
---------------
PERSONAL NOTE
Look out on GEnie - I'm back. I recently discovered that
GEnie has both 2400 and 9600 access available through an 800
number. I only log on once a week (either Friday nights or
Saturday mornings) but I'll now be able to respond to your
messages.
=================================
DISCLAIMER
RAndY's RumOR RaG is published on a monthly basis by AINSWORTH
COMPUTER SERVICES and is available on various local BBS's, GEnie,
and America Online as well as in Modem News.
In case anyone cares, RAndY's RumOR RaG is produced on a DTK
386-33 with 16 megs of memory, Cyrix Fasmath co-processor, ATI VGA
Wonder+ card (1 MB), 105 MB Toshiba IDE hard drive, Teac 1.2 MB and
1.44 MB floppies, Pro Audio Spectrum 16 running a Hitachi 3750 CD
ROM drive, Sceptre SVGA display, Microsoft mouse, WordPerfect for
Windows and transmitted through a US Robotics HST Dual Standard
modem.
Opinions expressed are those of the author. Comments should
be addressed to Ainsworth Computer Services on GEnie, America
Online, phone, analog mail, or whatever method makes you feel good.
AINSWORTH COMPUTER SERVICES
605 W. Wishkah
Aberdeen, WA 98520-6031
(206) 533-6647
GEnie Address: RAG
America Online: RumOR RaG
