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Silicon Times Report Issue 1146
Silicon Times Report
The Original Independent OnLine Magazine"
(Since 1987)
November 17, 1995 No. 1146
Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine
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11/17/95 STR 1146 The Original Independent OnLine Magazine!
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Apple Buys Into AOL!!
Seagate / Connor Deal ok'ed
Acquisition Rumors Swirl!
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From the Editor's Desk...
Thanksgiving is almost upon us. This year, there's much to be
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STReport Headline News
LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Borland, Sun Make Java Deal
Software publisher Borland International Inc. has formed an alliance
with Sun Microsystems to develop products based on the latter's Java
programs for Internet access. Reporting from Scotts Valley, California,
United Press International says the new alliance calls for Borland to work
on developing "tools" that can be used to set up customized applications
running on Java programs. The product is code named Latte.
Borland Vice President Paul Gross told the wire service, "This
agreement with Sun will enable Borland to deliver high quality development
solutions to the exploding Internet market. We believe that Java's platform-
independent capabilities will drive its acceptance as a distributed
computing development environment and create a need for high performance,
rapid application development tools. "
As noted earlier, Sun's Java software is designed to simplify use of
the Internet's World Wide Web and it has been actively promoting it over the
Internet in order to encourage adoption of it as a standard. UPI says Java
is designed to allow companies to set up better-looking Web home pages,
adding, "Rather than the current offering of text and an occasional photo,
the program allows companies to feature moving pictures and a constantly
updated stream of information, such as stock ticker prices or multiplayer
games."
The wire service also comments that Borland has been "scrambling to
stay profitable amid brutal competition for customers" from such companies
as Microsoft Corp. and IBM's Lotus Development Corp., selling off assets in
recent years to focus on database software development.
Softbank Acquires Ziff-Davis
Japanese software distributor Softbank Corp. and an affiliate have
agreed to acquire Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., the largest U.S. publisher of
computer and high-tech magazines, for $2.1 billion. Ziff-Davis publishes
several major computer magazines, including PC Magazine, Computer Shopper,
PC Week and MacUser.
The acquisition creates the computer industry's largest integrated
magazine publisher and trade show organizer. Softbank, which is also a
leading computer magazine publisher in Japan, recently acquired the COMDEX
computer industry trade show company. Softbank President and Masayoshi Son
says the company aims to publish 1,000 titles by 2005, compared to 130 in
1995.
Seagate Buyout of Conner OK'd
Antitrust regulators with the Federal Trade Commission have cleared
disc-drive maker Seagate Technology Inc.'s proposed $1.04 billion buyout of
rival Conner Peripherals Inc. Reporting from Scotts Valley, California,
United Press International notes the merger, which will make Seagate the
world's top producer of drives, still must be approved by stockholders of
both companies and by the Commission of the European Union. "The two
companies" combined share of the booming market for drives is about 35
percent," says UPI, "and will move Seagate into the business of tape drives
-- used to back up disc drives -- and software for managing memory in
computer networks."
Packard Bell Amends Compaq Suit
In new charges, Packard Bell Electronics Inc. has accused rival Compaq
Computer Corp. of falsely labeled shipping cartons on some of its notebook
models as made in America though they were produced overseas. Reporting
from Sacramento, California, the Reuter News Service says the new
allegations amend an October suit in which Packard Bell seeks damages for
false advertising and violation of the Lanham Act that prohibits
misrepresentation of the origin of goods.
Packard Bell also is asking the court to issue an injunction mandating
the truthful labeling of Compaq product to show its actual country of
origin. As observed earlier, the suit is part of a long running legal
battle between Compaq, the nation's largest computer maker (shipping 1.49
million in the third quarter), and Packard Bell, the fourth ranked
manufacturer (with 835,000 units shipped in the same quarter).
"The legal disputes date back to the spring of this year," Reuters
notes, "when Compaq sued Packard Bell, claiming the company sold computers
as new when in fact they contained used parts. The October suit filed by
Packard Bell against Compaq claims Compaq falsely described Packard's return
policies and misled customers in comparing the two companies."
Netscape Completes Collabra Buy
For $185.5 million in stock, web browser publisher Netscape
Communications Corp. has completed acquisition of closely held Collabra
Software Inc., a producer of a groupware program that competes with Lotus
Notes. From Netscape's Mountain View, California, headquarters, the Wall
Street Journal reports this morning the company issued 1.85 million shares
of its stock to acquire Collabra.
Collabra publishes Collabra Share in the groupware category of software
intended for networked computerists. Officials with Netscape have said their
employer plans to weave Collabra Share with the Netscape Navigator program
for browsing the Internet's World Wide Web. Meanwhile, in Nasdaq Stock
Market trading yesterday, Netscape topped $100 a share for the first time
since going public in August, closing at $100.25, up $1.25.
Netscape Sets Stock Split
Netscape Communications Corp. says its board of directors has approved
a two-for-one stock split, subject to stockholder approval. A special
meeting of the company's shareholders is scheduled for Jan. 23, 1996, for
the purpose of approving the split and doubling the number of common stock
shares.
Upon completion of the split, Netscape will have approximately 81
million common stock shares outstanding. Netscape has achieved
stratospheric growth in its 19 months of existence. The company's Web
browser tool has become the most popular tool for surfing the Internet's
World Wide Web. Netscape is based in Mountain View, California.
LAN of the Future: Data/Voice Link
Multimedia personal computers can have all the special calling features
of an office telephone when connected to a new phone system designed by AT&T
Corp.'s office systems unit.
The Wall Street Journal reports from New York that on Monday, AT&T will
announce that its engineers at Bell Laboratories have designed hardware and
software for linking the data and voice networks, allowing two people
collaborating at their multimedia desktop computers to call and hear each
other. The two colleagues could collaborate and then one of them could
transfer the other to a third person at another workstation. Voice mail,
call-waiting, and other features are also available, sources who have seen
the new AT&T product told the Wall Street Journal.
1-Gigabit DRAM Alliance Set
IBM, Siemens, Toshiba, and Motorola have announced plans for a four-way
alliance to develop future generations of highly advanced semiconductor
chips, including a 1-gigabit dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device.
The announcement builds on an existing high-tech alliance among IBM,
Siemens, and Toshiba that developed a 256-megabit DRAM. According to plans
unveiled by the four companies, the new alliance will continue to develop
and enhance existing 64- and 256-megabit chips and cooperate on next
generation 1- gigabit DRAMs. A 1-gigabit device will offer four times the
memory capacity of a 256-megabit chip, making possible the storage of
100,000 double-spaced pages of typewritten text on a single chip.
While 4-megabit and 16-megabit DRAMs are currently available in the
marketplace, the semiconductor industry is pushing to develop ever more
sophisticated memory devices for use in power-hungry systems, such as
powerful personal computers and workstations, as well as high-definition
digital video, multimedia and telecommunications systems. Motorola
researchers are expected to join development teams from IBM, Siemens, and
Toshiba, which have been working on high-density memory chip development for
several years at IBM's Advanced Semiconductor Research and Development
Center in East Fishkill, New York. The alliance is an outgrowth of separate
long-term elationships among the companies.
IBM Sets Chip Mfg. Expansion
IBM Corp. has announced plans to expand its microelectronics business
by investing $1.4 billion at existing chip-making facilities in Essonnes,
France and Burlington, Vermont. The investment in Essonnes, totaling about
$1 billion, is for manufacturing 64-megabit DRAMs using .35 micron process
technology. IBM notes that a single 64-megabit DRAM can store over 6,000
pages of double-spaced typewritten text. Over time, the new mission in
Essonnes is expected to employ more than 1,000 people.
The $400 million investment in Burlington will add .35 and .25 micron
technology for manufacturing microprocessors, embedded controllers and other
logic chips, including leading-edge multimedia devices such as IBM's new
Mwave media processors and MPEG-2 video encoders and decoders.
"Multimedia chips will play a key role as computing power migrates to
large networks. They are an important element of our business growth," says
Michael J. Attardo, general manager of IBM's Microelectronics Division.
"We'll continue investing to grow our capacity, leverage our leadership in
process technology and expand our position in the rapidly emerging consumer
and communications semiconductor segments."
In April, IBM announced $1 billion for capacity expansion worldwide,
including Burlington; Essonnes (in a joint venture with Siemens); East
Fishkill, New York (in a joint venture with Cirrus Logic called MiCRUS); and
Yasu, Japan. In August, IBM and Toshiba announced plans to build a new $1.2
billion, .35 micron, 64-megabit DRAM plant in Manassas, Virginia. IBM says
program commitments represented by all of these investments total more than
$3 billion to be spent over the next several years.
New Storage Plans Researched
High-speed holographic data storage systems holding many times the
information of today's largest magnetic hard disk drives are the goal of a
new research alliance by the University of Dayton's Research Institute, IBM,
Stanford University and others.
In Dayton, Ohio, university officials told United Press International
the potential applications are enormous, ranging from satellite
communications to high-speed digital libraries. They added that the optical
storage system could hold more than 12 times the information of today's
largest magnetic hard disk drives and maintain data input and output rates
more than 10 times faster than now possible. "As part of a five-year, $32
million program," the wire service says,
"UDRI will work with Texas Instruments, the Air Force Institute of
Technology and the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute to develop a
reference beam spatial light modulator for holographic data storage
systems."
Steve Gustafson, UDRI senior research scientist and an associate
professor of electro-optics, elaborated, saying, "To do that, we use
micromirrors so small that 10 of them would fit across a strand of hair.
These mirrors move up and down like a trampoline and are designed to enable
optical interference in the crystal that stores the data."
Gustafson notes that holographic data storage uses lasers to store
information as "pages" of electronic patterns within the volume of the
special optical crystal. Because a million or more data bits are placed on
each page and thousands of pages can be stored in material no larger than a
small coin, he said, holographic systems offer the possibility of compact
devices holding trillions of bytes of information.
Also, since there are no moving parts and all the information on each
page is accessed simultaneously, the technology also has the potential for
very rapid access to any of the stored data at speeds more than 10 times
faster than is possible today.
Camera Firm Claims CD Breakthrough
Officials with the California- based optical storage division of famed
Japanese camera firm Nikon say their researchers have found an answer to the
problem that causes erasable magneto-optical disk drives to take twice as
long to write as to read. Computergram International this morning quotes
those at Nikon Precision Inc. in Belmont, California, as saying the delay is
caused by the need for a separate erase cycle before the write, and it means
that write transfer speeds are only 50 percent of the rated read speed.
"The company's answer," says CI, "is a technique it calls 'direct
overwrite,' which uses Nikon's light intensity modulation to vary the
intensity of the laser -- presumably between that required to generate
enough heat to erase and that required for a write, and plans to offer it in
5.25- inch drives that store 2.6Gb."
CI says the company claims a read and write transfer rate approaching
4MB per second. "The drives will be fully read- and write-compatible with
the several million 1.3GB 5.25-inch magneto-optical platters in use
worldwide," says the newsletter, adding that Nikon and Hitachi Maxel Ltd.
jointly are working on production of the medium. Nikon says its plan for
direct overwrite has been submitted to the International Standards
Organization and that it expects it to become a worldwide standard.
Eight-Speed CD-ROM Upgrade Ready
Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. is offering the 8X Multimedia Upgrade
Kit 800, a product that allows users of double-, triple-, quad- or six-speed
CD-ROM drives to upgrade to eight-speed CD-ROM drive technology.
The 8X Multimedia Upgrade Kit 800 contains an eight-speed CD-ROM drive,
an interface card, Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1996 Edition and
cables that are compatible with any sound card. The IDE eight-speed drive
provides a 1,200KB per second transfer rate, an access time of 230ms and a
256KB buffer. The drive is both Photo CD and Multisession XA-compatible.
"The 8X Multimedia Upgrade Kit 800 provides an easy and affordable way
for users to upgrade their system hardware to the latest in CD-ROM
technology at a price that compares to standalone 6-speed drives," says Paul
Nahi, director of product marketing for Diamond, which is located in San
Jose, California. The kit, available now, is priced at $399.
Newton to Offer Two-Way Messaging
Two-way wireless messaging is being developed for the handheld
Newton 2.0 platform in a joint project by Apple Computer Inc., RadioMail
Corp., Motorola Inc. and Ardis Co. Reporting from San Mateo, California,
this morning, the Reuter News Service says the service will enable users to
send and receive email and send graphic images to fax machines among other
applications. Look for the service to combine "the power of the Apple
MessagePad, the Motorola Personal Messenger 100D Wireless Modem Card, the
Ardis wireless network and RadioMail's gateway services," Reuters adds.
Common IBM-Apple Platform Agreed On
IBM and Apple Computer Inc. say they have agreed on details to develop
new machines able to run each other's operating software. The announcement,
made at the Comdex computer trade show in Las Vegas, comes a year after the
two companies first proclaimed their intentions to develop a common
platform. They say they hope to offer an alternate industry standard to the
PCs that use Intel Corp. chips and Microsoft Corp. software.
Business writer Catalina Ortiz of the Associated Press says the firms,
along with Motorola Inc., have released specifications of hardware based on
the PowerPC microprocessor, which the three developed. Joe Guglielmi,
general manager of the Motorola Computer Group, told reporters at the show,
"The PowerPC platform offers the first truly open model of computing
spanning from low-cost portables to high-end servers and workstation
systems. The significance of this is tremendous."
Ortiz says machines conforming to the "Common Hardware Reference
Platform" should be on the market in the second half of next year. "Instead
of one, common, operating system," she adds, "the new PCs will run the
Macintosh OS and IBM's OS/2. It also will run UNIX, used widely for
workstations, and Windows NT, Microsoft's heavy-duty OS."
Apple Buys 5.1% of American Online
Apple Computer Inc. has exercised a warrant and acquired a 5.1 percent
stake in America Online, paying $12.5 million for 2 million shares of the
Vienna, Virginia, online service. Reporting for the Reuter News Service,
writer Eric Auchard says some analysts think the move signals that Apple may
be moving to dispense with eWorld, its own proprietary online service.
Analyst Bruce Lupatkin of Hambrecht & Quist told the wire service that
eWorld, despite praise for its easy-to-navigate interface, has failed to
make its mark as a broad-based online service brand. Soundview Financial
analyst John Maxwell added, "At this junction, (Apple) probably won't admit
it, but eWorld isn't going anywhere." Apple acquired the warrant, reported
in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in connection with
a software and licensing agreement it signed with AOL in December 1992.
Acquisition Rumors Swirl
Acquisition rumors are once again sweeping the PC industry. The
latest reports have IBM Corp. making a bid for Novell Inc., and IBM and
Hewlett-Packard Co. making separate offers for Apple Computer Inc.
The Reuter News Service says IBM CEO Louis Gerstner is declining to
comment on the reports. "I have no comment on rumors," Gerstner told
reporters at the company's booth at the COMDEX/Fall computer industry trade
show. "You know that I have no comment on speculations." Apple, HP and
Novell representatives also declined to comment.
Trade journal Infoworld, citing sources close to Apple, says IBM is
offering between $70 and $75 per share for Apple while Hewlett-Packard is
interested in a swap of between 0.8 and 1.1 shares of HP stock for each
Apple share. Based on Monday's closing prices, HP's bid would be worth
between $74.70 and $102.71 per share.
Jobs, Oracle Discuss Projects
Word is NeXT Computer Inc. chief Steve Jobs has advised Oracle Systems
Corp. on ways the two companies can work together. The San Francisco
Chronicle reports Jobs has been advising Oracle chairman Larry Ellison on a
possible alliance with Apple.
"While he has not been specific, a licensing alliance with Oracle could
be part of that strategy," according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile,
the Wall Street Journal reports Oracle also has discussed with Apple the
prospect of using software from its Newton product for a computer that would
cost just a few hundred dollars and be able to access the Internet and other
electronic networks.
Most Influential Execs Named
For a record third time, Computer Reseller News has put Microsoft Corp.
Chairman and CEO Bill Gates at the head of its annual Top 25 Most
Influential Executives list. Gates has been a part of the computer industry
trade journal's list for all but one of the past 13 years. He's the only
individual ever to have topped the list more than once, also claiming the
No. 1 position in 1986 and 1991. "With the launch of Windows 95 this year,
Gates captured the mind share of more than just those familiar with PC
technology," says Robert Faletra, Computer Reseller News' editor-in-chief.
"His influence is deeply rooted in this industry and now in the general
population."
" 2. Andrew Grove, CEO and president, Intel Corp.
" 3. Lewis Platt, chairman and CEO, Hewlett-Packard Co.
" 4. Eckhard Pfeiffer, CEO and president, Compaq Computer Corp.
" 5. Chip Lacy, co-chairman and CEO, Ingram Micro Inc., and CEO, Ingram
Industries Inc.
" 6. Louis V. Gerstner Jr., chairman and CEO, IBM Corp.
" 7. Eric Benhamou, chairman and CEO, 3Com Corp.
" 8. Marc Andreessen, vice president, Technology, Netscape Communications
Corp.
" 9. Craig Goldman, chief information officer, Chase Manhattan Bank N.A.
" 10. Larry Ellison, chairman and CEO, Oracle Corp.
" 11. Steve Ballmer, executive vice president, Sales and Support,
Microsoft Corp.
" 12. John McKenna, president, Entex Information Services Inc.
" 13. Jeff Vinik, manager, Fidelity Magellan Fund, Fidelity Investments
" 14. Jeff McKeever, chairman and CEO, MicroAge Inc.
" 15. Dick Sanford, chairman and CEO, Intelligent Electronics Inc.
" 16. Steve Raymund, chairman and CEO, Tech Data Corp.
" 17. Robert J. Frankenberg, chairman and CEO, Novell Inc.
" 18. Mike Pickett, chairman and CEO, Merisel Inc.
" 19. Beny Alagem, president and CEO, Packard Bell Electronics Inc.
" 20. Scott McNealy, chairman and CEO, Sun Microsystems Inc.
" 21. Ed Anderson, president and CEO, CompuCom Systems Inc.
" 22. John Roach, chairman and CEO, Tandy Corp.
" 23. Robert Palmer, chairman and CEO, Digital Equipment Corp.
" 24. Robert E. Allen, chairman and CEO, AT&T Corp.
" 25. Mike Spindler, CEO and president, Apple Computer Inc.
AT&T to Plug In 110,000 Schools
AT&T says it will spend $150 million to help connect the 110,000 public
and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States to the
Internet by year 2000. According to the Reuter News Service, the plan,
called the AT&T Learning Network, begins next spring and includes free dial-
up Internet access, 100 hours of free usage and free "browser" software to
navigate the Internet's World Wide Web.
The wire service adds that teacher support includes technical
assistance to ensure services are installed and working properly; online
mentors and access to teachers who have used technology successfully in
classrooms; a model for collaborative online projects, and lesson plans to
help integrate technology and extended communications into classes.
The program also will provide three months of national voice messaging,
allowing schools to broadcast messages to parents and pupils. "Once schools
surpass the free usage threshold," says Reuters, "they will still receive
discounted rates on Internet and messaging for the remainder of the five
year program." AT&T says the project will be expanded to include libraries
next year.
Mexican BBS Leads to U.S. Jail
A federal court has sentenced a businessman and a prostitute to jail
for selling child pornography by computer from Mexico. It is the first case
in which operators of a foreign bulletin board system have been prosecuted
in the U.S. for child porn. Robert A. Copella, former vice president of
research and development at Rand McNally Corp., was sentenced in federal
court in Newark, New Jersey, yesterday to 5 1/2 years in prison. Pamela J.
Kneeland received an 18-month sentence. Associated Press writer Jeffrey
Gold reports that Copella told U.S.
District Judge John Bissell he got Kneeland off crack cocaine and
helped start the bulletin board to give her a livelihood off the streets.
Said Copella, "I tried to help her out and it didn't work out the way either
of us wanted to. I made a terrible mistake. I chose the wrong path."
However, prosecutors and Kneeland's lawyer contend Copella took advantage of
a woman who was socially and physically immature. Said Assistant U.S.
Attorney Donna Krappa, "Mr. Copella's motive was pure greed."
Judge Bissell appeared to agree, calling Copella "warped," saying he
was guilty of "grossly unacceptable conduct," and adding Kneeland "was ripe
for the picking by a manipulator. Although an active and knowing participant
to a degree, Ms. Kneeland is a victim."
Says Gold, "Copella and Kneeland met on a Chicago street in April 1993.
He was 49, the father of three and an internationally recognized expert in
security devices for airline tickets and baggage. She was 24, addicted to
crack, and had been arrested about 35 times the year before for soliciting.
They moved in together. Prosecutors say they soon began distributing child
pornography on a computer bulletin board from a phone line billed to
Copella's address in Northbrook, Illinois."
The wire service says the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Attorney's
office began tracking Copella when a Customs agent in Newark learned about
the Illinois operation in March 1993. Copella and Kneeland moved to Mexico
in 1994, reopening their BBS, which they operated for about six months
before Copella was arrested in San Diego in September 1994 after an 18-month
investigation.
Kneeland was arrested two weeks later outside the federal courthouse in
San Diego, where a hearing for Copella was scheduled. AP notes that
possession or transmission of pictures, in any form, of children engaging in
sexual activity is a federal offense. Authorities have not disclosed how
much money the operation generated, but Special Agent Phillip Padlo of the
Customs Service said the BBS charged $10 for five days of downloading and
browsing, to $250 for a year's access.
N.Y. BBS Closed in Novell Raid
Equipment operating a Brooklyn, New York, bulletin board system called
the Pits BBS has been seized in a raid by U.S. marshals and members of
software publisher Novell Inc.'s anti-piracy team. According to a statement
from Novell's Provo, Utah, headquarters, the firm took the action "in
response to illegal distribution of its copyrighted software."
Novell said the raid came after it filed a civil suit last month in the
U.S. District Court in New York. "Following the raid," says the statement,
"the BBS operator, Pierre Barkett, agreed to settle the lawsuit by
forfeiting his equipment and consenting to a $200,000 judgment."
Novell said its investigation, launched last May, "revealed that the
Pits BBS had for several years been offering users access to illegal copies
of copyrighted software programs, including Novell's PerfectOffice suite."
Adds the statement, "Barkett told Novell investigators that he knew about
Novell's reputation for aggressively pursing and shutting down pirate
bulletin board systems, but did not know that PerfectOffice was a Novell
product."
Felony Charges Brought in Piracy
Two felony counts of fraud and trademark violations have been brought
against a Californian allegedly ran a big computer-software-piracy operation
in L.A. The Wall Street Journal says bail has been set at $250,000 for
Thomas Nick Alefantes, who was arrested last week following a raid at his
home by investigators from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office
and software-industry antipiracy sleuths.
The paper quotes participants in the raid as saying authorities seized
an estimated $1 million in illegally copied software, high-speed duplicating
equipment and $15,000 in cash. Software-industry officials and computer-
crime experts told the Journal they believe Alefantes's operation is one of
the biggest of its kind ever seized.
Alefantes -- known in some computing circles as "Captain Blood" -
is accused of selling and renting stolen software through advertisements in
trade publications and a mail-order business. CEO Carol Bartz of Autodesk
Inc. told the paper, "We believe our losses over the past five years from
this man's alleged activities add up to millions of dollars, so we are
extremely grateful" for his arrest. She said illegal copies of its automated-
design-software programs, which the company sells for $4,000 each, were
found at Alefantes's house during the raid.
UK Man Jailed For Making Virus
A 26-year-old Briton has been jailed for 18 months after being
convicted of creating a computer virus. Christopher Pile, who dubbed himself
"The Black Baron," is said to be the first person in Britain to be jailed
for such an offense. The Reuter News Service quotes Judge Jeremy Griggs in
the court in Exeter in southwest England as saying millions of pounds' worth
of damage could be caused when Pile copied programs and games, infected them
with a virus and then put them back on computer bulletin board systems.
"Those who seek to wreak mindless havoc on one of the vital tools of
our age cannot expect lenient treatment," Griggs said. "Once Pandora's Box
is opened, like Pandora's, it can't be closed." Reuters says Pile, a self-
taught computerist, created viruses Pathogen and Queeg, based on expressions
used in a cult television series, Red Dwarf. The detective who tracked down
Pile told the court the viruses were the most sophisticated he had ever
encountered.
"What made them doubly dangerous," says Reuters, "was another virus, an
encryption engine he called Smeg, which could be attached to the other
viruses, scrambling them every time they were run." Prosecuting counsel
Brian Lett told the court many of the viruses were detected within days of
use, but they could not be defined and cleansed because of the Smeg cloaking
device he had created to disguise the virus.
Lett alleged the defendant acted deliberately and maliciously, and that
his actions remain potentially damaging, adding, "Some further damage is
probable and its extent incalculable." Prosecuted under the 1990 Computer
Misuse Act for creating and planting computer viruses, Pile admitted five
unauthorized accesses to facilitate crime and five unauthorized
modifications of computer materials between October 1993 and April last
year. Reuters says he also admitted inciting others to contravene the Act
via a BBS.
The Kids' Computing Corner
by Frank Sereno
First, I'd like to apologize to the publisher and to you readers for
not completing any reviews this week. I have several reviews in the works
and hopefully they will be ready for the next issue.
Since Thanksgiving is next Thursday, I'd like to wish everyone a happy
holiday in advance. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. Of secondary
importance is the great feast many will eat or the holiday sales on the
following Friday. It is a day to thank your deity for what is good in your
life and to thank your family and friends for being part of your life. I've
been blessed with a wonderful family and some great friends. One person who
deserves a special tip of the cap is my friend Bob Wysocki who uploads each
issue of this magazine to AOL. He uploads the ASCII and PDF versions of
each week's issue to the E-zines file area. But more than that, he helps
lift the darkness that sometimes colors my soul.
Last week's Andy Rooney routine did have some benefits. I received a
letter with some tips to avoid a recurrence of a tape restore operation
nightmare in Windows 95. This is from Bill Halvorsen:
"I just happened by the STR article where you told of your restore
nightmare. I had the same thing happen, and now `I think' I know what the
problem is (not that I can explain it very well, but maybe you'll get the
idea).
First, when I have to restore, I do a quickie minimal installation of
'95 from CD (have real mode drivers on my emergency boot diskette) so I can
get the restore program. Then on to the tape. Now the important part is
that when the restore is done, you get an error about a problem restoring
the registry. Ignore that. But the important thing is SHUT DOWN
immediately and reboot. You mentioned that you went on using your system.
If you did, you were `running' on the `minimal' registry without any of your
data from system.dat or user.dat because didn't reboot. Then the first
thing you did that affected the registry, wrote a new copy, and overwrote
the backup (.da0 I think). You're basically sunk at that point.
Two things you can do, ignore that registry error message but at any
and all costs, just OK that dialog and immediately exit Windows and reboot.
As a total fail-safe you run a backup to floppy of your system.dat and
user.dat every time you do a backup. Bill Halvorsen, who once owned an ST
(great machine at the time, but the company was vapor)." And that's all for
this week's extremely brief article. Remember the e-mail address is
fsereno@matrix.uti.com and I thank you for reading.
Stonekeep
The Wait is Over
The Experience Begins
Irvine, California-- For those who were betting that Stonekeep(TM)
would miss its November 8th street date, it's time to pay up! After over
four years in development, a budget of just under five million, and the
talents of more than 200 individuals, Stonekeep has arrived.
"What we wanted to do was take the role-playing genre to the next
level, to create an experience that was pure. No buttons, no icons, just a
pure screen that allowed you to totally immerse yourself," said Brian Fargo,
CEO of Interplay.
Using innovative technology, Stonekeep draws the player into its dark
reaches so completely the player will forget it's just a game. The player's
feet will walk the ancient corridors and his hands will wield weapons of
metal and magic. Battle disembodied foes, rescue allies from evil, liberate
a massive dragon from bondage and discover an experience more realistic than
anything ever imagined.
"It's the hundreds of details, from the graphics and sound to the
intuitive interface, which went into making Stonekeep that creates the
suspension of disbelief experienced when playing it," explains Michael
Quarles, producer of the project. "We had a vision for Stonekeep and we
didn't want to miss that mark."
In Stonekeep, the highly advanced interface allows for an environment
of unparalleled realism in which 3-D rendered dungeons and creatures combine
with live actors and stunning special effects. Detailed scriptwriting
creates characters that think, act and react depending on each person's
style of play. An intelligent journal accompanies the player in his quest,
automatically mapping the player's path, the characters encountered and
important clues heard along the way. State-of the-art 3-D sound effects, an
original music score and beautiful cinematic sequences integrate into the
experience that is Stonekeep.
Stonekeep was produced by Interplay's Michael Quarles. Michael Quarles'
other production credits at Interplay include Star Trek: 25th
Anniversary(TM) and Clayfighter(TM) for the Super Nintendo (R);
Entertainment System. Mr. Quarles began his career at Interplay as the lead
programmer on Battlechess(TM) and Wasteland(TM).
Available on CD-ROM, Stonekeep will run on any 486SX 33Mhz or better
with DOS 5.0 or newer and at least 8 Mb RAM. A CD-ROM drive, 40Mb free hard-
drive space, 256-color VGA card, a Microsoft or compatible mouse and a Sound
Blaster or compatible sound card are required.
Interplay has released three back-to-back top-10 titles this year:
Descent, Virtual Pool and Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep. The
developer/publisher has added Frankenstein: Through The Eyes Of The Monster
and Stonekeep to the stream of products this fourth quarter.
Delrina NewBits STR Focus
Delrina Ships WinFax PRO 7.0 for Windows 95
World+s Most Popular Fax Software Delivers Benefits of Communications Under
Windows 95 with More Robust and Reliable Faxing; Over 100 New Faxing
Features, Functional Improvements, and Usability Enhancements
Comdex/Fall 95, Las Vegas, NV -- Sands Convention Center Booth #3544 --
November 13, 1995 -- Delrina Corporation (NASDAQ:DENAF, TC:DC), the world+s
leading supplier of PC communications software for Windows, today announced
the general availability of its much awaited WinFax<tm> PRO 7.0 for
Microsoft<R> Windows<tm> 95. WinFax PRO 7.0 is a fifth generation product
that takes full advantage of the new Windows 95 operating system, adding a
host of new features, functionality and benefits. The product is designed
to attract the non-technical mass market to computer-based faxing, while
providing all the necessary "power" features for more advanced users.
A New Generation of PC Fax
WinFax PRO 7.0 continues to set the standard by which all other PC fax
software is compared. The new version raises the level of PC faxing to a
new plateau with over 100 new fax-based features, functional improvements
and usability enhancements that include:
ú The ability to transmit up to 1/3 faster, saving users time and money,
especially on long distance faxes.
ú The ability to fax high quality gray scale images, such as photographs
with devices like the WinFax<tm> Scanner, for better looking faxes.
ú The ability to define recurring fax transmissions that are sent
automatically, saving users from repeating tedious tasks.
ú Automatic hard copy confirmations of transmissions, so users can easily
track faxes, and for billing purposes.
ú New fax preview and annotation capabilities that are easier to use and
enable the user to ensure the fax they are sending looks the way they want
it to.
ú Enhanced cover pages, with an easier to use cover page designer and a
greater variety of business-oriented cover pages.
ú An enhanced database engine that provides faster access to phonebook
entries and transmission logs for easier fax management
ú The new award-winning Xerox TextBridge<tm> 3.0 OCR (Optical Character
Recognition) engine for more accurate conversions of faxes to text.
Realizing the Benefits of Communications Under Windows 95
WinFax PRO 7.0 is Windows 95 logo+d, meaning it takes advantage of all the
new communications capabilities of the Windows 95 platform. WinFax PRO 7.0
is rearchitected 32-bit, multi-tasking, multi-threaded code, which delivers
faster, more reliable fax communications that run completely in the
background, even while running other computer-intensive applications. Now
users can load a big application without worrying that their fax will be
interrupted. WinFax also includes the ability to receive faxes in the
background using a mini receiver (Delrina CommBar<tm>), so users do not have
to load the full application, thus saving on system resources. In addition,
WinFax PRO 7.0 takes advantage of Plug +n Play (through Unimodem) for easier
fax modem installation and configuration, and is able to seamlessly share
the communications port with other communicating applications (through
TAPI). It includes full OLE 2.0 (Object Linking & Embedding) support for
easy integration with other applications, so for example, users can drag and
drop a document from Explore on to WinFax PRO (in the task bar) to fax it
out.
Delrina CommBar sits on the desktop and reports the communications status of
the computer. Like the flashing red light on a telephone that indicates
messages are waiting, CommBar enables the user to see all waiting messages
-- faxes, e-mails, and voice messages -- directly from the Windows 95
desktop without having to launch and check each application separately.
Further, since communications now run in the background, users may not know
what is actually going on. CommBar provides an instant snapshot of on going
or current communications activities, such as the progress of an inbound
fax.
Easier To Learn and Use
WinFax PRO 7.0 has a refined user interface based on Microsoft Office
conventions (the product is MS Office compatible), which provides
consistency, ease-of-use, and reduces the learning curve between WinFax PRO
7.0 and other Office compatible applications such as Word 7.0, Excel 7.0,
and Powerpoint 7.0 for Windows 95. WinFax PRO 7.0 also includes a send fax
Wizard that steps the novice user through the task of sending a fax.
Integrated Messaging
Combined with the other components in Delrina CommSuitea 95, WinFax PRO 7.0
enables the user to manage mixed message types: faxes, voice messages
(through Delrina+s TalkWorks<tm> option that provides voice mail, telephony
and fax-on-demand with +voice-enabled+ modems), e-mail and paging
notification. Under CommSuite 95, WinFax PRO 7.0 administers each of these
messaging types in their own unique way by adapting its own interface and
offering the full functionality for each message type. It also integrates
with other client messaging software through MAPI, so WinFax capabilities
can be directly accessed by, for example, Microsoft Exchange and vice versa.
Under CommSuite 95, WinFax PRO goes a step further by enabling users to use
these mixed messaging types pro-actively with its rule-based autoforwarding
feature. For example WinFax PRO can notify the user upon receipt of an
urgent fax (identified by the fax CSID or Caller ID) by pager through its
built-in paging notification.
Pricing and System Requirements
Delrina WinFax PRO 7.0 has a suggested retail price of US$129 (Cdn $159) and
includes Delrina+s no hassle 60-day money back guarantee. Users with any
previous version of WinFax PRO can upgrade for only $49.95 (Cdn $69.95) or
WinFax LITE for $59.95 (Cdn $79.95). WinFax PRO 7.0 is also included in
Delrina CommSuite 95, which includes the TalkWorks telephony option, Delrina
Cyberjack<tm> 7.0 (suite of Windows 95 Internet tools), and WinComm<tm> PRO
7.0 (general purpose data communications program). WinFax PRO users can
upgrade to CommSuite 95, which list for $179 (Cdn $229) for $69.95 (Cdn
$89.85) or from WinFax LITE for $79.95 (Cdn $109.95). WinFax PRO 7.0
requires a minimum 486-based PC running Microsoft Windows 95, a compatible
fax modem, 8MB RAM (16 MB recommended) and 25MB hard disk space for a full
install.
More US Federal Agencies Expand their Use
of Delrina FormFlow Enterprise-Wide
GTSI and Loral Select FormFlow for Air Force+s Desktop IV Contract and
Army+s SBIS Contract
Editor's Summary:
ú Organizations such as Air National Guard (ANG), Army Medical Command
(MEDCOM), and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) adopt enterprise-
wide licensing of FormFlow with their respective 31,000, 30,000, and 5,000
user license acquisitions
ú Government Technology Services, Inc. (GTSI) selects FormFlow for their
$655 million Air Force Desktop IV (DTIV) contract
ú Loral Federal Systems Group (formerly IBM Federal) selects FormFlow for
Army+s $474 million Sustaining Base Information Services (SBIS) contract
ú Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) completes FormFlow Filler
acquisition of 25,000 users from Navy's Desktop Companion contract through
GTSI
ú FormFlow is now available to US Federal Government customers through
nine multi-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts
WASHINGTON, DC and TORONTO, Ont. -- November 13 1995 -- Delrina Corporation
(NASDAQ:DENAF, TSE:DC), the leading supplier of electronic forms to the US
Federal Government, today announced that its industry leading Delrina
FormFlow<tm> has been selected by Government Technology Services, Inc.
(GTSI) and Loral Federal Systems Group (formerly IBM Federal) for the Air
Force+s Desktop IV (DTIV) contract and the Army+s Sustaining Base
Information Services (SBIS) contract. FormFlow+s inclusion on these
contracts facilitates its broader distribution, allowing more government
agencies to take advantage of the opportunity for cost reduction and
increased productivity through the implementation of electronic forms.
FormFlow enables organizations to replace their paper forms with electronic
versions, allowing users to fill in those forms on their computers and
process them electronically. In addition, FormFlow lets organizations
automate many of their existing business activities through its powerful
form application development environment. GTSI is one of two prime
contractors for Air Force+s $1.4 billion Desktop IV program. Effective
November 7, 1995, DTIV was modified to include FormFlow and is effective
through February 1998. SBIS, a $474 million ten year contract, was awarded
to IBM Federal, now Loral Federal Systems Group, in June 1993.
GTSI Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Systems Division, Alan
Lawrence, said, "Delrina's electronic forms products have been a huge
success within Department of Defense [DoD] agencies as indicated by GTSI's
sales in excess of 500,000 user licenses on Navy's Desktop Companion
contract alone. GTSI's belief in this technology is further demonstrated
with the recent inclusion of FormFlow on Air Force's Desktop IV contract,
NASA's SEWP contract, the NIH Electronic Computer Store contract, and our
GSA schedule."
"FormFlow's addition to the Desktop IV and SBIS contracts continues the
strong partnership between Delrina and our Federal Government customers,"
said Teddy Rosenberg, General Manager, Delrina Electronic Forms Business
Unit. "The growing demand from the Federal Government and the high
visibility of FormFlow within DoD reaffirms Delrina's leadership position in
this marketplace and our depth of experience as the technology pioneer of
electronic forms automation." Both contracts include the FormFlow Starter
Kit and FormFlow Filler quantity packs up to 1000 users. They are available
without limit to DoD agencies and, in addition, DTIV is available to
Civilian agencies.
FormFlow's Continued Success in US Federal Government Since 1992, Air Force,
Army and other DoD agencies have used Delrina's electronic forms products to
create more than 1,000 DoD-level forms. This has dramatically driven the use
of FormFlow throughout DoD. Of particular importance is the trend in the way
FormFlow is used. While many desktop users perform only electronic fill and
print functions, a growing number of organizations such as Army's Personnel
Information Systems Command (PERSINSCOM) and Army Medical Command (MEDCOM)
based in Ft. Sam Houston, have taken more advanced steps with FormFlow to
implement sophisticated form applications with workflow routing
capabilities.
The Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC) recently completed acquisition of
25,000 FormFlow users from Navy's Desktop Companion contract through GTSI,
and is now distributing FormFlow enterprise-wide throughout their
organization. Jonathan Futrell, Delrina's Director of Federal Sales, stated,
"Enterprise licensing is quickly becoming a preferred method of software
acquisition, distribution and control. We have already seen this trend with
several large organizations such as Air National Guard (ANG), MEDCOM, and
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) with their respective 31,000,
30,000, and 5,000 user license acquisitions." The Department of Defense is
expected to expand its use of FormFlow as facilitated by the DTIV contract,
the SBIS contract, and seven other multi-year IDIQ contracts that include
FormFlow.
About Delrina FormFlow
Delrina FormFlow electronic forms software allows organizations to leverage
their existing technology investments to automate business processes.
Organizations use FormFlow to create intelligent forms - electronic
representations of paper forms with built in intelligence such as
calculations, links to databases, and customized toolbars and menus. In
addition, organizations can create form applications with conditional
routing and deploy them enterprise-wide using their e-mail systems. These
form applications present and move information using the existing networks,
databases, and e-mail infrastructure. Examples of such automated business
processes include travel requests, expense reporting, procurement and human
resources applications.
FormFlow is currently available for Windows, DOS, UNIX (SunOS, Solaris,
SGI), and Macintosh, with IBM AIX, HP/UX, Windows NT, and Windows 95
versions to follow. Delrina's Electronic Forms Business Unit strategy is to
support all client platforms used extensively by its customer base and
prospective customers. With the rapid adoption of distributed LAN-based
computing, more organizations are seeking a complete forms workflow offering
like Delrina FormFlow.
Press Contact:
Erin Hintz, Delrina Corporation, (416) 446-8119
Internet: erinh@delrina.com
Press Contact:
Shelly Sofer, Delrina Corporation, (416) 441-4702
Internet: shellys@delrina.com
About Delrina
Delrina Corporation designs, develops, markets and supports innovative PC
software products and services in the fax, data and voice communications,
electronic forms, and consumer software markets. Founded in 1988, the
Company is recognized as the world leader in PC fax and electronic forms
software. Delrina recently announced a definitive agreement to merge with
Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC) of Cupertino, CA. Delrina can be
contacted for more information at 1-800-268-6082 or through Delrina's
Internet Web site at http://www.delrina.com.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
AWE32 GOODIES STR Infofile
Enhance your Sound Blaster AWE32!
Hot NEW SoundFont Banks From E-mu's Own Renowned
16-bit Emulator Sound Library
The following SoundFont Banks are currently available on CD ROM:
"The Developer's Choice" CD ROM Volume One ($99)
Pop, Rock & Jazz Colection
0.5, 1, & 2 Megabyte Version of each Bank
"Guitars, Drums & Synths Collection" CD ROM Volume One ($29.95)
512K Banks
"Traditional, Voice & Keys Collection" CD ROM Volume Two ($29.95)
512K Banks
How To Order:
Phone: (408)438-1921 x148, Sounds Department, 8am-5pm Pacific Time.
Fax: (408)438-7854
Email: Inquiries only to soundfont@emu.com
Please be sure to include name, phone number, shipping address, and Visa or
Mastercard number and expiration date, along with the part number as listed
above.
Below is a listing of the SoundFont Objects in each bank
* "The Developer's Choice"
Plucked Strings Traditional
Acoustic (Steel) Guitar Solo Flute
Chapman Stick Section Strings #1
Dulcimer Section Strings #2
Electric Jazz Guitar Solo Trombones
Electric Sitar Solo Trombone Wah
Funk Bass Guitar Solo Trumpet (w/fx)
Fuzz Guitar Selection Solo Trumpet Wah
Mandolin Baritone Saxophone
Nylon String Guitar Alto Saxophone
Orchestral Harp
Tenor Saxophone
Pizz Bass (Acoustic) Soprano Saxophone
Pop Guitar Selection Brass Section
Rock Bass Selection Section French Horns
Twelve String Guitar Cartoon Horn Effects
Percussives Keyboards & Tuned Percussion
Jazz Drum Kit (Brushed) B3 Slow Rotor Organ
Pop Drum Kit B3 Fast Rotor Organ
Ratty Rock Drums Electric Piano
Heavy Metal Drums Bright Grand Piano
Latin Hand Percussion CP-70 Electric Piano
Latin Drums Harpsichord
Electronic Percussion Accordion
Bass Drum & Timpani Xylos (Glock & Marimba)
Steel Drums
Vocals & Mouth Sounds Tubular Bells
World Vox (all E-mu Choirs)
Soul Oohs (Group) Synthesizers
Soul Ahhs (Group) Synth 01 (Strings)
Pop Oohs (Group) Synth 02 (Brass)
Pop Ahhs (Group) Synth 03 (Comps)
Jaw Harp Synth 04 (Basses & Leads)
Harmonica Synth 05 (Pads)
SynFX 01 (Rumbles & Loops)
SynFX 02 (Rays & Hits)
* "Guitars, Drums & Synths Collection"
Plucked Strings Percussives
Acoustic (Steel) Guitar Jazz Drum Kit (Brushed)
Chapman Stick Pop Drum Kit
Dulcimer Ratty Rock Drums
Electric Jazz Guitar Heavy Metal Drums
Electric Sitar Latin Hand Percussion
Funk Bass Guitar Latin Drums
Fuzz Guitar Selection Electronic Percussion
Mandolin Bass Drum & Timpani
Nylon String Guitar
Orchestral Harp Vocals & Mouth Sounds
Pizz Bass (Acoustic) Harmonica
Pop Guitar Selection
Rock Bass Selection
Twelve String Guitar
Synthesizers
Synth 01 (Strings)
Synth 02 (Brass)
Synth 03 (Comps)
Synth 04 (Basses & Leads)
Synth 05 (Pads)
SynFX 01 (Rumbles & Loops)
SynFX 02 (Rays & Hits)
* "Traditional, Voice & Keys Collection"
Traditional Vocals & Mouth Sounds
Solo Flute World Vox (all E-mu Choirs)
Section Strings #1 Soul Oohs (Group)
Section Strings #2 Soul Ahhs (Group)
Solo Trombones Pop Oohs (Group)
Solo Trombone Wah Pop Ahhs (Group)
Solo Trumpet (w/fx) Jaw Harp
Solo Trumpet Wah
Baritone Saxophone Keyboards & Tuned Percussion
Alto Saxophone B3 Slow Rotor Organ
Tenor Saxophone B3 Fast Rotor Organ
Soprano Saxophone Electric Piano
Brass Section Bright Grand Piano
Section French Horns CP-70 Electric Piano
Cartoon Horn Effects Harpsichord
Accordion
Xylos (Glock & Marimba)
Steel Drums
Tubular Bells
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to
you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24
bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped
Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to:
STReport's Fargo Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior
to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as
much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this
sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please,
allow at least a one week turn-around)
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
Apple/Mac Section
John Deegan, Editor
USR & Bell Atlantic STR Spotlight
U.S. ROBOTICS, BELL ATLANTIC JOIN FORCES TO SPUR ISDN ADOPTION;
INTRODUCE INDUSTRY'S FIRST CO-BRANDED ISDN EQUIPMENT
FOR RETAIL CHANNEL
SKOKIE, Ill., and PHILADELPHIA -- U.S. Robotics (NASDAQ: USRX) and Bell
Atlantic (NYSE: BEL) have signed a letter of intent to bring a co-branded
ISDN product to the retail market in time for the holiday season. The
product, the Sportster ISDN 128K terminal adapter, would represent the first
of several types of co-branded ISDN customer premises equipment (CPE)
available for sale in retail stores. The product also will be marketed
directly by Bell Atlantic.
The companies plan a strategic relationship to promote widespread adoption
of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) services by residential and
business markets. The first relationship of its kind between a regional Bell
operating company (RBOC) and an ISDN equipment supplier, this joint approach
will help Bell Atlantic offer residential customers a turnkey ISDN solution,
including ISDN service, equipment and installation.
"Consumers are more likely to want ISDN services if we make them easier to
order, install and use by providing a turnkey solution," said Fred
D'Alessio, president of Bell Atlantic Consumer Services. "This agreement
with U.S. Robotics allows us to provide that solution. The co-branded
product will leverage the U.S. Robotics reputation for technological
advancement, quality and established leadership in ISDN."
"Our companies' combined strengths give the consumer the best of both
worlds," said Ross Manire, senior vice president and general manager of U.S.
Robotics' Corporate/Systems Division. "Bell Atlantic is an industry leader
in providing ISDN services; U.S. Robotics provides a variety of
complementary information access products. This powerful combination offers
customers U.S. Robotics' advanced features and Bell Atlantic services at a
price that we believe will drive consumer acceptance of ISDN."
U.S. Robotics will sell the jointly branded Sportster ISDN 128K in its
established retail channels throughout Bell Atlantic's service area; Bell
Atlantic will sell the product directly to customers through Bell Atlantic
InfoSpeed, a sales, provisioning and service center. The Sportster ISDN
128K terminal adapter is expected to be available in late November.
U.S. Robotics and Bell Atlantic plan several joint promotions for the
upcoming holiday season to raise awareness of Bell Atlantic's consumer ISDN
services. These activities will encourage Bell Atlantic customers to adopt
ISDN services and purchase the Sportster ISDN 128K.
Bell Atlantic recently began rolling out its new residential ISDN service
through its entire service region, priced at approximately $30 a month plus
a small usage fee. This service and U.S. Robotics' competitively priced
Sportster ISDN product will provide a cost-effective, complete ISDN
solution.
In addition, Bell Atlantic offers more services to assist consumers in
making ISDN communications decisions. Customer contact personnel at Bell
Atlantic InfoSpeed, the ISDN sales, provisioning and service center, work
closely with customers to determine appropriate service features and
equipment for their specific applications. Bell Atlantic also offers
consumers installation for ISDN equipment and premises wiring. When an ISDN
line is installed, Bell Atlantic can install the inside wiring and CPE, and
test the connection and configuration to ensure the customer's application
will run smoothly.
The Sportster ISDN 128K's features allow customers to take full advantage of
ISDN's increased bandwidth. U.S. Robotics' Turbo PPP feature set works with
industry standards for maximum performance, including: enhanced throughput
with any Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) application; multiple types of data
compression for potential
throughput up to 512 Kbps; and Multilink PPP, for an aggregate line rate of
128 Kbps. The product also includes voice support, with dynamic allocation
of a 64 Kbps voice channel; and an integrated NT-1 (network termination
device). No other device is needed to connect to ISDN services.
The Sportster ISDN 128K also supports NDIS, ODI, Packet Driver, WinISDN and
TAPI interfaces for use with popular Internet, remote access and data
communications software packages. It also provides enhanced performance
with Windows 95.
U.S. Robotics/Bell Atlantic: Complementary Strengths
"U.S. Robotics was the logical vendor to assist us as we deploy consumer
ISDN services in the retail market," said Curt Koeppen, Bell Atlantic
Consumer Services vice president-ISDN. "Name recognition is important, and
U.S. Robotics has a very well-established name for its information access
equipment. U.S. Robotics' market presence and products, combined with Bell
Atlantic's complete service solutions, will give consumers the confidence to
embrace high-speed ISDN offerings."
In addition to designing and manufacturing single-user client products, U.S.
Robotics has a range of ISDN remote access servers for data centers and
branch offices. This full range of products allows U.S. Robotics to meet
information access needs of any size.
"The relationship gives both companies the opportunity to explore working
together on other information access applications," said Manire. "As one of
the most progressive RBOCs in the ISDN arena and the largest supplier of
ISDN lines in the U.S., Bell Atlantic recommends a variety of solutions for
business customers. Our broad product line allows them to solve a more
comprehensive range of business applications that include ISDN."
Bell Atlantic, through its subsidiary Bell Atlantic Network Integration,
Inc., currently recommends and resells U.S. Robotics' Total Control
Enterprise Network Hub for high-capacity network access needs. The release
of the PRI Access System for the Enterprise Network Hub allows Bell Atlantic
to recommend a complete, end-to-end solution for ISDN access. Bell Atlantic
has installed more than 133,000 ISDN lines for business and government
customers throughout its service area, making the company the largest
supplier of local ISDN lines in the U.S.
U.S. Robotics is one of the world's leading suppliers of products and
systems that provide access to information. The company designs,
manufactures, markets and supports remote access servers, enterprise
communications systems, desktop/mobile client products and modems that
connect computers and other equipment aver analog, digital and switched
cellular networks, enabling users to gain access to, manage and share data,
fax and voice information. Its customers include Internet service
providers, regional Bell operating companies and a wide range of other large
corporations, businesses, institutions and individuals. The company's 1994
sales were $499.0 million; sales for the first nine months of fiscal 1995
were $596.0 million.
Bell Atlantic Corporation is at the forefront of the new communications,
entertainment and information industry. In the mid-Atlantic region, the
company is the premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced
services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the high-growth
wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial
interest in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all phases
of the industry.
Atari Jaguar/Computer Section
Dana Jacobson, Editor
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!
The holidays are rapidly approaching. It's easy to tell that winter is
coming, also. The northeast was hammered this week with a number of
"nor'easters" various areas have been buried under a lot of snow already and
it's only mid November! We got hit good in Boston earlier in the week with
heavy rain. As usual, we lost power here for awhile, which is typical.
Life is never boring in New England!
Still extremely quiet on the computing side of things Atari. You may
have noticed that I didn't even have an Atari computing section last week.
Even my usual editorial was bumped and all of my comments were left to our
Jaguar section since that's where they really belonged last week after the
news of the recent layoffs at Atari hit the streets. We're still looking
for people who are interested in writing some articles or two to include in
this section of STReport. Have some fond memories or disaster stories
related to using Atari computers? Why not reflect on those events and share
them with everyone? Drop me a line.
Until then, we've got the holidays to look forward to while we continue
to take advantage of our favorite Atari computers.
Until next time...
The Atari Community E-mail Address Book An Online Who's Who
Revised 5-Nov-95
Hello all!
This list has been compiled to provide Atarians worldwide with the
addresses to contact other members of our ever-changing Atari community.
There are 4 distinct sections - user groups, Atari computer contacts, Jaguar
and Lynx contacts, and World Wide Web pages. Please note that addresses
that are of interest to both Atari computer users AND Jag/Lynx owners will
be found in the computer section.
Using this list -
I created this list to encourage communication between Atarians
everywhere. If you have a question without an answer, or are moving soon
and need to find a new user group, this list should help. It is also a great
way to distribute Atari related press releases, such as upcoming Atari shows
and new product announcements. And I would LOVE to see user groups sharing
newsletter articles via these addresses! However, it SHOULD NOT be used as
an advertising tool. If you are a retailer looking to advertise, please
contact the individuals on the list and ask if they want to receive your
mailings. Some people must pay for their e-mail by the character and would
not want unsolicited commercial mailings.
If you have any changes, additions, or suggestions, please contact me
via private e-mail. My addresses are listed under AUNT.
Dan Mazurowski, AKA Sir Smedley
Semi-official e-mail contact for AUNT
PS - This list may be printed and distributed at will, though I would
like credit for compiling it.
Atari Computer User Groups
Group: Name/E-mail addresses: Location/Contact:
AA Anonyme Atarianer (Tuebingen, Deutschland)
Marianne_Herdt@BB2.maus.de Marianne Herdt
Heiko_Schaefer@S4.maus.de Heiko Schaefer
Axel_Voges@S4.maus.de Axel Voges
paul.novak@student.uni-tuebingen.de Paul Novak
AACE Alabama Atari Computer Enthusiasts (Tuscaloosa, AL)
LHL0032@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU Joe Moudry
AACE Austin Atari Computer Enthusiasts (Austin, TX)
mann@austin.wireline.slb.com David Mann
dunham@isd.tandem.com Jerry Dunham
hoosier@rider.cactus.org Jerry's alternate
dunham-jerry.aace@austin.tandem.com All online AACE members
ABUG Atari Boise Users Group
r.whittam@genie.com Ron Whittam, Pres.
tderrick@acpu Tom Derrick, Editor
ACEC Atari Computer Enthusiasts of Columbus (Columbus, OH)
msteve@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Michael Steve
ACE-HI Atari Computer Enthusiasts of Hawaii
jperez@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu John Perez, President
ACE-NSW Atari Computer Enthusiasts, NSW (Sydney, Australia)
ianm@mpx.com.au Ian Mackereth
AKA-Frbg Anwender Kreis Atari, Freiburg (Freiburg, Deutschland)
werner_laass@traveller.fido.de Werner Laass
ASP Atari Selbsthilfe Projekt (Tuebingen, Deutschland)
Marianne_Herdt@BB2.maus.de Marianne Herdt
AUNT Atari Users of North Texas (Dallas, TX)
d.acklam@genie.com David Acklam, Pres.
j.battey@genie.com J. L. Battey, Editor
l.webb@fastlane.net Lonnie Webb, Sysop
sirsmedley@delphi.com Dan Mazurowski
BLAST (Indianapolis, IN)
shuffman@ideanet.doe.state.in.us Stu Shuffman, Sec/Treas
CACE Canterbury Atari Computer Enthusiasts (New Zealand)
scotts@pointless.gen.nz Scott G. Stringer, Sec.
EACH Edmonton Atari Computer Hobbyists (Edmonton, Canada)
leslieh@warpcon.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca Leslie Hartmier, VP
FOG-F Falcon Owners Group, Finland
peseb@cute.fi Peter Sebastian Bach
FOG-UK Falcon Owners Group, United Kingdom
requiem@bs47c.staffs.ac.uk Richard Davey
GCACE Garden City Atari Computer Enthusiasts (Canada)
ua558@freenet.victoria.bc.ca Gordon Hooper, Pres.
ud264@freenet.victoria.bc.ca Ted Skrecky, ST Lib.
GRASP Greater Richmond Atari Support Group (Richmond, VA)
mickeyangell@delphi.com Mickey Angell, President
HBO-AUG Hamilton-Burlington-Oakville (Canada)
jondinga@io.org Jon Dinga
KCAC Kansas City Atari Connection
cysco@tyrell.net Jeffrey Krzystow, Pub
Lib
MGAUG Middle Georgia Atari User's Group (Macon, GA)
l.w.benjamin@genie.com Lee Benjamin, Editor
NEOSTAG North East Ohio ST Atari Group
ab164@yfn.ysu.edo Tom Lamparty, Sec & Treas
NSACUG Nova Scotia Atari Computer User Group (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
brian.h@genie.com Brian Harvey, Pres.
ab380@cfn.cs.dal.ca Len Mitchell, Sec & Treas
PAC Portland Atari Club
Martin.Crommie@f79.n105.z1.fidonet.org Martin Crommie, Sysop
Max.Denebian@f318.n105.z1.fidonet.org Max Denebian, Sec
PARATARI ParAtari Users Group (Valladolid, Spain)
explorer@luna.gui.uva.es Joaquin Ferrero, Pres.
SAGE Spectrum Atari Group of Erie (Erie, PA)
mcguired@moose.erie.net D. Mcguire, Pres & Sysop
SCAT Suburban Chicago ATarians
nickd@vpnet.chi.il.us Nick Dimasi, Pres
turbonick@delphi.com Nick's alternate address
SPACE Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts
michael.fitzpatrick@flight.org Who??
TAF Toronto Atari Federation (Canada)
zaleska@io.org Peter Zaleska, Pres
schrist@io.org Stephen Christian, ST VP
h.carson@genie.com Howard Carson
WAACC Western Australia Atari Computer Club (Midvale, W. Australia)
Lance@perth.DIALix.oz.au Lance H. Barrett
WAUG Washtenaw Atari User Group (Ann Arbor, MI)
molin@atari.archive.umich.edu Michael Olin, Treas
WMAUG W. Massachusetts Atari User Group (Springfield, MA)
arthurs@delphi.com Arthur Santos, Pres.
YAC Yolo Atari Club (Davis, CA)
elhays@ucdavis.edu Eric Hays, VP
Atari Computer Developers, Dealers, Gurus, etc...
Name: Internet e-mail address: Who & What:
16/32 Systems
nharlow@cix.compulink.co.uk Falcon dist, (esp.games)
Anodyne Software r.burrows1@genie.com Roger Burrows
Atari atari@genie.com Atari Customer Support
atari@cix.compulink.co.uk Atari Europe
d.mcnamee@genie.com Dan McNamee, Testing
d.thomas@genie.com Don Thomas, Dir Cust Rel
75300.1267@compuserve.com Don Thomas (alt.address)
llamaman@ix.netcom.com Jeff Minter, Programmer
75300.2631@compuserve.com Laury Scott, Prod Dev?
75300.2110@compuserve.com Ron Beltramo, VPMarkting
74431.1702@compuserve.com John Mathieson
75300.2632@compuserve.com Darryl Still, Europe
Atari Explorer aeo.mag@genie.com Travis Guy, Editor
aeo.mag@delphi.com Travis Guy (alt.address)
adamu@cue.com Adam Urbano, reviewer
mrburkley@delphi.com Michael Burkley shareware
Atari World sdelaney@steil.wintermute.co.uk Steve Delaney, News
Ed.
BlowUp acher@informatik.tu-muenchen.de Georg Acher
Branch Always Soft brasoft@halcyon.com Atari emulators for PCs
Computer Studio s.winick@genie.com Atari retailer
Current Notes redfrog@io.org Atari computer magazine
lianne@io.org Letters/Editorial
hcarson@io.org Articles/Reviews/Etc...
d.dreibelbis@genie.com News/Press Releases
Cyrel Research cyrel@cybercube.com TT hardware manufacturer
DMC Publishing dmcpublish@genie.com Nathan Potechin
Ensley, Tomas st.muse@genie.com Advice & troubleshooting
Fair Dinkum Tech. hutch@genie.com ST/STe/TT Developer
Gribnif Software gribnif@genie.com Gribnif tech support
rflashma@mhc.mtholyoke.edu Rick Flashman
ICD Inc. icdinc@genie.com Atari HD utilities, etc.
Istari Software f92sk@efd.lth.se Sven Karlsson
It's All Relative greg@genie.com Atari dealer, esp CD-ROM
JV Enterprises gaghon@nevada.com George Gaghon
Keylard, Frans fkeylard@on-ramp.ior.com TT & Jag info source
Lexicor info@lexicor.com Atari software/hardware
europasales@lexicor.com European sales
usasales@lexicor.com North American sales
games@lexicor.com Games they import
support@lexicor.com Tech support
staff@lexicor.com The Lexicor staff
ysiu@lexicor.com Yat Siu
Missionware Soft. j.trautschol@genie.com ST/STe/TT Software
Mountain Software a.watson6@genie.com Andrew Watson,Programmer
awatson@pacifier.com Andrew's alternate
Musicode Software m.turcsanyi@genie.com Melinda Turcsanyi, Prog.
Oregon Research orres@teleport.com Atari retailer/dist.
Scriba Communis R. scriba@www.hials.no The Society of The
Answer ga@www.hials.no Gard Eggesboe Abrahamsen
kh@unix1.hials.no Kai Trygve Holst
Sinister Dev mike@sindev.demon.co.uk Mike Watson, Programmer
sinigord@cix.compulink.co.uk Gordon Gibson
Small, David dsmall@well.sf.ca.us Super guru, Mac emulator
ST Informer stinformer@chatlink.com Atari computer magazine
STReport Magazine dpj@delphi.com Dana Jacobson, Atari Ed.
71051.3327@compuserve.com Dana's alternate
d.jacobson2@genie.com Dana's other alternate
rmariano@streport.com Editor, Publisher
Steve's Software atarisales@delphi.com Atari dealer
stevespc@aol.com Alternate address
s.kipker@genie.com Another alternate
Suzy B's Software mrburkley@delphi.com Atari shareware distrib.
m.burkley1@genie.com Alternate address
Systems For Tomorow kkordes1@delphi.com Atari computer dealer
TEAM Software mlake@DGS.dgsys.com Marshall Lake, Developer
Toad Computers info@toad.net Atari retailer
TLC Software dragons-egg@genie.com Jeff Wisniewski, owner
Vesperman, Andrew dancer@ozspace.brisnet.org.au Atari guru
WALU Software walusoft@cbbs.centron.com PD & Shareware Dev.
Wilson, Walter st.wally@genie.com Enthusiast, answer man
wally.w@genie.com Wally's alternate
Jaguar & Lynx Developers, Dealers, etc...
Name: Internet e-mail address: Who & What:
4-Play legrand@tesla.mbi.ucla.edu Scott LeGrand,Programmer
legrand@localhostmbi.ucla.edu Scott's alternate
address
d.engel@genie.com Doug Engel, Programmer
tbird4play@aol.com Doug's alternate
steph@escher.mbi.ucla.edu Stephanie Wukovitz, Music
sebab@ucla.edu Stephanie's alternate?
Beyond Games tim.huntsman@m.cc.utah.edu Tim Huntsman, Programmer
73150.1553@compuserve.com Kris Johnson
Castle, Edward ecastle@cherita.win-uk.net Lynx fanatic
Dark Science Soft. karz@delphi.com Steve Karstensen (Prog?)
Digital Design ddesign@cix.compulink.co.uk Jag developers
EGM 75052.1667@compuserve.com Game magazine
GamePro aeddy@iftw.com Andy Eddy, Sr. Editor
the-mail.gamepro@iftw.com Letters to the Editor
Gano, Kerry kerryg@interaccess.com Jaguar Programmer
Gorilla Systems cerebus@packet.net Brian Geiger
HandMade Software hms@cix.compulink.co.uk Jag & Lynx developers
Hyperimage Prod. pgood@hyperimage.com Paul Good, Director
jgordon@hyperimage.com Jeremy Gordon,Programmer
Id Software help@idsoftware.com Jag developers
american@idsoftware.com American Mcgee
shawng@idsoftware.com Shawn Green
Interplay Software jsp@netcom.com John Price, Programmer
Jaguar's Edge Mag jmarcott@mother.com John Marcotte, Publisher
Jaguar Journal 74447.531@compuserve.com Jeff Norwood, editor (?)
Jaguar list listserv@bucknell.edu Subscriptions
jaguar@bucknell.edu Send to list
Jung, Robert A. rjung@netcom.com Lynx FAQ and reviews
Level 7 Software jschlich@ecst.csuchico.edu Jeff Schlicht
Millerville Games rob@p10.stacken.ct.se Rob, programmer?
Next Generation ngonline@imagine-inc.com Game magazine
Photosurrealism ab@nova.cc.purdue.edu Al Braunsdor, Programmer
Pixel Satori DB@CHO004.CHO.GE.COM Duncan Brown, Programmer
Rebellion Software rebel@cix.compulink.co.uk Jaguar developer
Shiny Entertainment ccmshe!aastor@netcom.com Game developer
Springer Spaniel Dave@davel.demon.co.uk Jag, PC Software
SWAT Pro magazine swatmail@iftw.com General mail for SWATPro
Ubi Soft 100072.661@compuserve.com Frank Slater
Visual Impact jaguar@einstein.rug.ac.be Jag Developers
World Wide Web Points of Interest
Name of page: Address:
Activision Corp. http://www.activision.com
Atari Corp. http://www.atari.com
Atari Computer page http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html
AUNT Info http://www.fastlane.net/homepages/lwebb/lwebb.html
Beyond Games http://intele.net/~answers/bg/bghome.html
Demand Systems http://www.fishnet.net/~drumbra
Jag Homepage http://www.bucknell.edu/~svensson
Jag programming info http://www-
und.ida.liu.se/~t94patsa/jserver.html
It's All Relative http://www.charm.net/~toad/iar/iar_home.htm
Lexicor http://world.std.com/~Lexicor
Lynx page http://www.eral.com/eds/
Mountain Software
http://www.pacifier.com/~awatson
Scriba Communis Responsi
http://www.hials.no/~scriba
ST Informer/A&D Software http://www.chatlink.com/~stinformer
Steve's Software http://promedia.net/~dvm/STeves/
STReport Online Magazine http://www.streport.com
Toad Computers http://www.toad.net
Ubi Soft http://www.ubisoft.com
Yolo Atari Club http://dcn.davis.ca.us/~dmlarson/yac/
Yak's Zoo (Jeff Minter) http://www.magicnet.net/~yak/
Jaguar Section
Layoff Reactions! More Run PC News!
Hover Strike CD Review! CATnips! And Much More!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
Last week's news regarding the recent layoffs and firings at Atari
continue to generate discussion, onªline and off. It's amazing to see the
rumors and speculation fly on the Usenet these days. It's not surprising
that people are reacting this way; we're always wondering what is going on
in Sunnyvale. However, it is surprising to see this speculation being
represented as facts as to what happened, by people who would have no idea
as to what actually happened. We've included some comments made, with
responses, later in this issue judge for yourself.
The games are still coming, contrary to reports that Atari has shut
down and abandoned the Jaguar! We just got word that "Dragon's Lair" has
started hitting dealer shelves on Thursday. This is another CD title, and
one that I'll personally be looking for shortly ª I'm one of those people
who has never seen this game on any platform, including the ST! More games
are on the way folks; just check out our "coming soon" list below. I've been
splitting my playing time among a number of games lately. Rayman has been
getting most of my attention, but I've been playing more and more with Hover
Strike (CD) and Pitfall, The Mayan Adventure. I'll be the first to admit
that I can't believe that there are too many games out there that I want to
devote some playing time to, and can't find the time! But, I like it this
way ª keep 'em coming Atari!
Even though we're going to fall far short of that "approaching 100"
games in time for Christmas, I have to admit that the recent couple of
month's game releases have all been excellent, either from experience or
online reactions. I hope that this situation continues; and it appears that
will.
I've just learned that there will be a large Jaguar promotional event
going on in the El Paso, Texas area sometime soon. Although information is
sketchy at the moment, it appears that about 30 McDonalds will be giving
away Jaguars. There will be radio promotions and likely other events
occurring. We've been told to expect more news soon, so stay tuned. Also,
I've been told that this is a local promotional event, not an
Atariªsponsored one (just to prevent those "why did Atari limit this
promotion to one city?" comments!).
Our Jaguar game listing has been updated recently; and after the
shakeªups at Atari which included the delays or cancellations of some
expected games, we suggest that you give the current list a look to see what
the progress is on those games you're anticipating.
We've also got that review of "Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands" review
that I've been promising. Other games in the process of being reviewed
include Power Drive Rally, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Highlander, and
Ruiner Pinball. There are others, as well, on the way. It should be an
exciting next couple of months if things continue as they have been with
regard to new game releases.
Until next time...
Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile What's currently available, what's coming out.
Current Available Titles
CAT # TITLE
MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $29.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 Trevor McFur/
Crescent Galaxy $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9010 Tempest 2000$ 59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp.
J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp.
JA100 Brutal Sports FootBall $69.95 Telegames
J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari
Corp.
J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp.
J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari
Corp.
J9007 Checkered Flag $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp.
J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp
J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp
J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp
J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp.
Cannon Fodder $49.99 Virgin/C-West
Syndicate $69.99 Ocean
Troy Aikman Football $69.99 Williams
Theme Park $69.99 Ocean
Sensible Soccer Telegames
Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams
J9009E Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp.
J0144E Pinball Fantasies $59.99 C-West
J9052E Super Burnout $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9070 White Men Can't Jump $69.99 Atari Corp.
Flashback $59.99 U.S. Gold
J9078E VidGrid (CD) Atari Corp
J9016E Blue Lightning (CD) $59.99 Atari Corp
J9040 Flip-Out $49.99 Atari Corp
J9082 Ultra Vortek $69.99 Atari Corp
C3669T Rayman $69.99 Ubi Soft
Power Drive Rally $69.99 TWI
J9101 Pitfall $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9086E Hover Strike CD $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9031E Highlander I (CD) $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9061E Ruiner Pinball $59.99 Atari Corp.
Dragon's Lair $69.99 Readysoft
Available Soon
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9069 Myst (CD) $59.99 Atari Corp.
...Mutant Penguins $59.99 Atari Corp.
Atari Kart TBA Atari Corp.
Battlemorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
Breakout 2000 $49.99 Atari Corp.
Supercross 3D $59.99 Atari Corp.
Fever Pitch TBA Atari Corp.
Missile Command 3D TBA Atari Corp.
I War $49.99 Atari Corp.
Max Force $59.99 Atari Corp.
NBA Jam TE $69.99 Atari Corp.
Hardware and Peripherals
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $149.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable $19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95
CatBox $69.95 ICD
J8800 Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Corp.
J8908 JagLink Interface $29.95 Atari Corp.
J8910 Team Tap
4-Player Adapter) $29.95 Atari Corp.
J8907 Jaguar ProController $29.95 Atari Corp.
J8911 Memory Track $29.95 Atari Corp.
J8909 Tempest 2000:
The Soundtrack $12.99 Atari Corp.
Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles
Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher
Air Cars TBA Racing/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent.
Alien vs Pre+dator NOW Role Play/Adv $69.99 Atari
Assault 2Q/96 Action/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent.
Atari Kart 12/95 Driving TBD Atari
Att. Mutant Penguins 12/95 Arcade $59.99 Atari
Baldies (CD) 12/95 Action/Sim $59.99 Atari
Battlemorph (CD) 12/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Battlesphere 12/95 Space/Combat TBD 4-Play
Battlestar 11/95 Space/Combat TBD ?
Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games
Blue Lightning (CD) NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Braindead 13 (CD) 10/95 Action/Adv TBD ReadySoft
Breakout 2000 3/96 Puzzle $49.99 Atari
Brett Hull NHL Hockey 2/96 Sports TBD Atari
Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 3/96 Sports $69.99 Atari
Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99
Telegames
Bubsy NOW Action/Adv $49.99 Atari
Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adv $49.99 Virgin
Chas Barkley Bball 1Q/96 Sports $59.99 Atari
Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari
Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari
Commander Blood(CD) 2/96 RPG $69.99 Atari
Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Dactyl Joust TBA Action TBD Atari
Dante (CD) 6/96 Action TBD Atari
Defender 2000 1/96 Arcade $59.99 Atari
Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari
Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adv $59.99 Williams
Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari
Dragon's Lair (CD) 11/95 Adventure TBD ReadySoft
Dragon's Lair 2(CD) 12/95 Adventure TBD ReadySoft
Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adv $59.99 MidNite Ent.
Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adv $49.99 Atari
Fever Pitch Soccer 12/95 Sports TBD Atari
Flashback NOW Action/Adv $59.99 US Gold
Flip-Out NOW Puzzle $49.99 Atari
Formula 1 (CD) 1Q/96 Racing TBD Atari
Highlander I (CD) NOW Action/Adv $59.99 Atari
Highlander II (CD) 3/96 Action/Adv TBD Atari
Highlander III (CD) 5/96 Action/Adv TBD Atari
Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel
Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari
Hover Strike CD NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari
Hyper Force TBA ? TBD Comp. West
Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari
Iron Soldier II (CD) 1Q/96 Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari
I-War (aka Netwar) 12/95 Action/Adv $49.99 Atari
Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari
Magic Carpet (CD) 3Q/96 Action/RPG TBD Atari
Max Force (CD) 12/95 Action $59.99 Atari
Missile Command 3D 12/95 Action/Arcade TBD Atari
Mortal Kombat 3 4/96 Fighting TBD Atari
Myst (CD) 12/95 Interactive Novel $59.99 Atari
NBA Jam T.E. 12/95 Sports $69.99 Atari
Phase Zero 2/96 Action/Arcade $59.99 Atari
Pinball Fantasies NOW Arcade $59.95 Comp. West
Pitfall/Mayan Adv. NOW Arcade $59.99 Activision
Power Drive Rally NOW Driving TBD TWI
Primal Rage (CD) 12/95 Fighting TBD TWI
Raiden NOW Action/Adv $49.99 Atari
Rayman NOW Action/Adv $69.99 Ubi Soft
Rise of the Robots(CD) 11/95 Action/Arcade TBD TWI
Robinson's Requiem 2/96 Adventure $59.99 Atari
Rocky Horror (CD) 4/96 Adventure TBD Atari
Ruiner Pinball NOW Arcade $59.99 Atari
Sensible Soccer NOW Sports Telegames
Sky Hammer (CD) 3/96 Flying/Action TBD Atari
Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean
Soul Star (CD) 1996 Action/Sci-Fi TBD Atari
Space Ace (CD) TBA Space/Combat TBD ReadySoft
Super Burnout NOW Racing $59.99 Atari
Supercross 3D 12/95 Sports $59.99 Atari
Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean
Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adv $59.99 Atari
Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean
Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adv $49.99 Atari
Troy Aikman Football NOW Sports $69.99 Williams
Ultimate Brain Games TBD Puzzle TBD Telegames
Ultra Vortek NOW Action/Adv $69.99 Beyond Games
Val D'Isere Skiing NOW Sports $59.99 Atari
VidGrid (CD) NOW Puzzle/Music --- Atari
Wayne Gretzky (CD) 2/96 Sports TBD TWI
White Men Can'tJump (w/Team Tap) NOW Sports $69.99 Atari/TriMark
Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari
Zero 5 2/96 Space/Combat TBD Atari
Zool2 NOW Action/Adv $59.99 Atari
Zoop 1/96 Puzzle TBD Viacom
[Editor's note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are verified from Atari - all subject to
change]
Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Hoverstrike: Unconquered Lands" (CD)
"Hoverstrike: Unconquered Lands"
by Dana P. Jacobson
Developed by: Atari Corporation
Published by: Atari Corporation
Price: $59.99
Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands (HS-UL from now on) is the first Jaguar CD
title to come out, excluding the pack in games. For a first title, Atari
has a major hit.
The premise: "Fear the worst for the missing colonists. Terrakian Pirates
have taken over a distant planet and they're patrolling every section of the
surface. Only a state-of-the-art armored hovered craft, equipped with a
rapid fire cannon and powerful missiles, can battle through 40 levels of
fully texture-mapped 3D levels, including Night Vision missions. Knock out
key targets and make way for the Federation armada. Save the colony before
it's too late!"
HS-UL initially reminded me of Cybermorph, one of my early Jaguar favorites.
The basics are there: travel to a planet and knock out pre-defined targets
before going on to the next. Once you've achieved your goal, you have the
option to select your next mission.
Like Cybermorph, once you arrive at your selected destination, your goal is
to fly your fully-armed hovercraft all over the planet searching for, and
destroying, your targets. Along the way, you're confronted by various
defenses which you must destroy, or flee. To help you in your goal, you'll
also find fuel and ammunition on the planet's surface.
I've played both the cart version of Hover Strike and the CD version.
The CD version contains the same missions as the cart, but there are many
additional missions as well as some improvements and options. Both are
quite good, but I prefer the CD version.
When you load the game, you're greeted with some nice Full Motion Video
(FMV) sequences. I prefer the FMV, if done well and it's fairly short, to
"set up" the game and to aid the transitional stages of the game. The FMV
in HS-UL is really done well, if somewhat repetitious in areas. But, you
can always bypass any of it at the press of a fire button, at any time (a
useful feature!).
After the introduction sequences, you're faced with selecting your initial
mission. If you're fortunate to have a Memory Cart (highly recommended for
a game of this nature), you'll have the option of starting a new game or a
previously started one. You can also change your saved options. To make it
easy, let's start a new game.
You begin the game with three hovercrafts (lives). Before you select a
mission to start playing, it's important to select your various options. You
can leave the background music on or off ª a nice feature for those hectic
missions where you need total concentration! You can also control the
volume of the sound effects (leave them loud!). Joypad controls are
important so you'll be able to get the right feel for you. The controls
involve acceleration, weapons firing button, and the brakes. You can also
change the gunsight control, up and down, via the joypad.
What I feel is a significant change from the cart version to the CD version
is the ability to alter the controls of the hovercraft with regard to how it
reacts during gameplay. Although there are defaults depending on the
difficulty selected, they are configurable. The cart version doesn't have
these options.
The hovercraft controls are:
Hover Mode:
Like the cart version, controlling your hovercraft's movement requires
getting used to doing. Once you're adjusted to maneuvering the hovercraft
well, you'll be able to concentrate on the mission atªhand. However, in
HSªUL you have the ability to turn off the hovercraft's "characteristics".
Unlike the cart version, if you let up on the accelerator, your hovercraft
stops.
Terrain Damage:
In the cart version, running into any of the planet terrain causes damage to
your hovercraft; in the CD version, you can turn on/off this characteristic.
Reactions When Hit:
In the cart version, your hovercraft will move when hit by an attacker;
in the CD version, you can turn on/off this characteristic.
FMV:
You have the option to see all FMV or shut it off.
Save Game:
Only available on the CD version with the Memory Track in-use. You can save
up to two games in progress. With the cart version, you can save a game but
I'm not sure how many saved game "slots" are available. To control your
craft, you need to use two of the three fire buttons. The 'A' button allows
you to accelerate and the 'C' button is the brake. Using both buttons
simultaneously allows you to go backwards. These are the default options
which can be changed. The 'B' fire button is your main fire button, using a
photon cannon.
Alternate weapons, if available, include missiles, guided missiles, and
mortars. In some missions, you'll automatically have access to flares to
light up parts of darkened planets. I've found that my mortars and guided
missiles are my dominant weapons, but I'll use the normal missiles and
cannon quite a bit also to save my supply of the others when not needed.
I've found the game to be quite enjoyable, although frustrating at times.
Controlling the hovercraft is very important, and sometimes difficult. This
is something that is necessary to overcome before you can really enjoy the
game. The only times that control plays a major factor, other then when you
turn all of the "hovercraft modes" on, is when you're flying into craters
and other "valleys" during the game. It's not simple to get yourself out of
these areas of a planet's terrain.
This brings me to one other factor of the game that I was disappointed with
ª pilot perspective. You have two options, when flying, to view the game
looking out the windshield or far above and behind your craft. I prefer the
windshield option, but it's a limited view ª you can only see directly in
front of you with little peripheral vision. I would have preferred the
external view to be slightly above and behind my craft.
Perhaps I'm being picky, but I think I'd enjoy the game more in this mode. I
haven't found a really good use for the existing external view, yet. The
graphics are excellent in this game. I understand that the graphics are
fully textured 3D. The landscape on the planets is really nice, although
repetitious after a while. The enemies encountered look terrific! Whether
they be stationary defenses, mobile land attackers, or various ships ª
they're unique and look (and play) very well. When being fired upon, the
incoming salvo looks good. Likewise, when you fire and hit your targets,
the resulting explosions make it all worthwhile.
The music is pretty good, but I tend to turn it off after awhile as I tend
to get distracted. The game's sound effects are very good; and I usually
have the volume turned all the way up for the best effect! The manual is
better than I expected. There's a good description of the game, how to
control your craft, weapons, options, enemy descriptions (including
pictures),tips and strategy, and much more.
The entertainment value of this game I rate very high. This is a FUN game
to play. It's not easy, but not so difficult that you'll be likely to try
it a couple of times and put it aside. I keep finding myself playing it
even replacing my gaming time with Rayman, which I was hooked on and haven't
completed yet! I wish that I had more free time to really work at
completing this game. I'm currently in the second set of missions, about
half way through them. This is a game that I really want to keep playing
and beat; and I know that after beating it I'll still be enthusiastic about
starting all over again and bettering my scores, trying different
strategies, and enjoying it all over again! I'm also looking forward to
playing this game in two player cooperative mode where one player controls
the flying while the other controls the weapons. This should be
interesting.
Reviewer's Rating 8.5
Entertainment: 9.5
Reviewer's Overall: 9.0
Overall, this is one game that I would highly recommend. If you have a
JaguarCD, I'd suggest the CD version over the cart. There's nothing wrong
with the cart version, but the CD has more missions and a number of options
that the cart version doesn't, as mentioned earlier.
HS UL looks great, sounds good, plays well, and is very enjoyable. I can
find very little to complain about with this game other than getting used to
controlling the hovercraft and the view perspectives. One comment I'd like
to make about the various FMV sequences is that it's quite good. There is
one humorous sequence if you're not a perfect player. Since you start off
with three hovercrafts, there's a good chance that one of your crafts will
be destroyed. When you succeed in a mission, the FMV that you encounter is
your hovercraft being picked up from the planet's surface and brought back
to your base of operations. Looks nice, sounds nice, but gets boring
eventually. However, if your hovercraft is disabled or destroyed, the FMV
sequence is a little different! When returned to your base, the transport
ship enters the hangar, maneuvers to the docking area, and then just drops
your hovercraft! The first time that I saw that sequence, I almost fell out
of my chair laughing. It was just so unexpected and funny.
Jaguar Cheats, & Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles!
Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands Tips and Strategies
This is not an "official" tip-sheet, but I thought I'd offer some strategy
suggestions and tips that I've found to work fairly well while checking out
the game for review. Keep track of your available weapons (missiles, guided
missiles, and mortars) and watch your fuel and shield energy. You can
accomplish your mission without the special weapons, but I wouldn't
recommend it as it will take more time and energy to do so. Once you run
out of fuel, or your shields are depleted, it's all over.
The second important factor to remember is to utilize the hover craft's
radar and target "lock" to your advantage. Many players will be tempted to
find their targets and go up against them head-to-head. Wrong! While it
can be fun and exhilarating, it's dangerous. This is war. You have some
great "artillery" so use it. Your radar scope has three rings which
determine the distance from your targets. Anything within the inner ring is
close, and possibly right on top of you. Why wait until this happens?
Attack from a distance and wipe out many of your targets without even coming
close! What I recommend is the use of your mortar to do this ..it works
great! Find a target and move your craft into mortar range by flying until
your target appears on the radar and on or just outside the inner ring.
Line up your gun sight to the direction of the target, and fire. You can
watch your mortar fire on the radar, and make adjustments to your "range" if
you miss. Use your target lock to identify the target so you don't waste
mortars on flying targets. You'll know you scored a hit when the target is
no longer on the radar screen or the target display panel.
I've found that it's best to use my guided missiles in areas where there are
a lot of enemy ships around, or those that fly erratically that it's
difficult to hit them with a direct shot from my cannon or normal missiles.
Just hit the target lock and watch those enemy crafts get knocked out of the
sky! Use your normal missiles for stationary targets or slow-moving land
enemies. Remember not to panic (it happens!) and start firing your special
weapons in barrages and rapidly depleting them.
Use your radar to find power-ups (fuel, shield energy, and weapons) and go
after them when you start to get low. Remember, if you're already well-
stocked with either, you may waste a valuable asset if you go after these
power-ups and not needing them ª your arsenal capacity is a fixed level.
To achieve the highest scores, you need to defeat all enemies on each
mission. Once you destroy the mission targets, the mission ends and you're
not "allowed" to roam the planet searching for more power-ups and enemy
targets. Save the last mission target for last whenever possible. If you
have other tips or a strategy that works well for you, drop me a line and
let me know ..we'll publish them in a future issue. With the weekend upon
us, I'm getting ready to take on more Terrakians! Happy hunting!
Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
An open message from Mr. Jon J. Willig, President, Run PC
Quick intro from Don Thomas...
This message is in response to multiple reviews of the new Run PC Jaguar-
only store in Colorado. I have been sending many of them to Jon and he has
taken a lot of pleasure in the praise and coverage. I promised to openly
route his reaction to those reviews. --DT
I would like to say we appreciate the interest people have in RUN PC as
much as we do Atari for their efforts to help increase Jaguar distribution
through our store. Thank you for taking the time to visit our Jaguar
presentation. I hope your were able to find what you were looking for and
aid in our efforts by purchasing a Jaguar related product. I would like to
take the opportunity to update curious Jaguar owners on our progress, as
well as give you some insight into our goals.
I would like to focus a moment on the impressions that customers have
about the physical store and location. The Run PC Jaguar display is located
in center court of the Twin Peaks Mall. It is not off at the end of some
hall or disguised by an inset store front. We chose this format for several
reasons: First, we wanted as much exposure as possible, being in the center
of the mall with exposure from all four sides gave us the best opportunity
to achieve this. Second, we are strategically placed directly across form
the Santa Display (as close as we could get to our target market). As we
come closer to Christmas, the Jaguar will be on many wish lists.
I would also like to point out that our location is much larger than
one reviewer mentioned. Some say we are a "kiosk" since we are in the middle
of the mall, but we actually encompasses about 220 square feet; more than
enough space to stock cases of jaguars and Jaguar CD ROMs, as well as
display every product made for the Atari Jaguar and Lynx. In fact, more than
enough to be classified more of a store than a kiosk. Granted, there isn't a
lot of storage. As we sell out, more units are transferred from our Ft.
Collins retail storefront. The display boasts shelves stocked with Jaguars
and other related product. I will post a JPEG image for those who are
curious on our WEB page (currently under construction).
The monthly rent for a setup this size is several thousand plus a
percent of gross sales. On top of this expense, we must add another 1200-
1900 hours of manpower for just 2 months. At our current sales rate we are
already well ahead of our forecasted break-even point.
As noted in the reviews, Atari provided two arcade style "hands-on"
Jaguar and Lynx kiosks, which attract a lot of game play, but we also have
on display a Jaguar and CD ROM connected to a 35" SVHS Monitor which gets a
lot of use. We rotate games every 30 minutes or so; mostly between Rayman,
AVP, Ultra Vortek and Highlander. Customers can request to try any game
available before a purchase. This allows more consumers to see and touch
more Jaguar related hardware and software than any traditional retailer can
provide.
Atari was most supportive. I have yet to work with a manufacturer who
has been as cooperative as Atari Corp., and Run PC deals with literally
hundreds. Don Thomas has been great to work with, and Atari's cooperation is
evidence of its strong new leadership. I know that they are as interested as
RUN PC Inc. in the success of this venture. If this proves to be profitable
we will not stop here.
Sales have been much stronger than anticipated, according to all our
sources 60-85% of our sales will come the last 3 weeks before Christmas. We
never expected to sell out of product this soon. The three Jaguar units
mentioned in one review were sold on Friday, November 10th by a single
employee, who works 1/2 of one day each week.
In fact, although it was a fairly slow day, we sold just under a couple
grand in Jaguar and Lynx related product. We understand that Run PC sold
twice as much volume (in Atari-Only products) that day as the KB Toys in the
mall sold in total. Currently the Jaguar is out selling the Playstation in
this mall over 20 to 1. The first weekend sales were well beyond what we had
ex
pected and we actually sold out of cases of Jaguar product including AVP.
On a typical day we have two employees working the mall store, the
exceptions are Tuesdays and Fridays where we only have one person until 6:30
p.m. and two employees after 6:30. Indeed, we will need more staff to work
this location as we approach the Christmas season.
Run PC chose the Twin Peak location after a lot of intense research. It
is not quite a large as the Crossroads Mall located 20 minutes away, but it
has seen a growth rate in the immediate area of over 10 times the national
average. The mall is over 55,0000 square feet and has 92% occupancy. All of
the information Atari included in the original press release was taken
directly from the ligature provided my the mall and the county of Boulder.
This area growth rate is literally exploding. The majority of the growing
work-force is involved in high-tech and computer related products. IBM,
Maxtor, Quantum, Conner, Storage Tech, are among the many companies located
within minutes of this shopping area.
The real reason we chose this location was that Atari has had no
exposure in this market. Our goal was to test market in an area where the
Jaguar was not already present. Both Run PC and Atari want to increase
product awareness. I honestly believe the we have already been very
successful in getting that well on its way. Most of our customers thus far
had seen the Jaguar for the first time, and were very impressed. We actually
had customers who wanted to trade in their recently purchased "next-
generation" game systems towards a purchase.
I want people to know that I appreciate the honest and positive
assessments of our efforts. I hope that I have been able to shed some light
on our motivations and goals as we have been bombarded by people calling and
asking us for details. Run PC is dedicated to the Atari Jaguar and our
customers and will continue stride towards total customer satisfaction. If
your are interested in any Atari related product please come by or call 800-
326-2344, or e-mail us at runpc@ezlink.com. We will match any legitimate
price on Atari related equipment & software.
Sincerely,
Jon J. Willig, President
Run PC
Atari's Don Thomas responds to last week's IG Online comments:
2 points.
One is that I can understand why a legitimate news media would protect a
source and I can understand a statement like: "We have no reason to doubt the
source of the information." I do not know how a legitimate news media can
unequivocally say their source is telling the truth unless they were somehow
as involved as the source themselves. AND, if they are as involved as the
source, then their biased involvement negates their claim to be a legitimate
news media.
Secondly, I do work at Atari and I am involved. I can say unequivocally
that the essence of IGO's report is fabricated by someone. If that someone
isn't IGO, then there is something very wrong with their eagerness to stand
behind the "100% truthfulness" of the reports.
You are welcome to repost my message. I am also willing to prove my
point by inviting anyone to call our 800/GO-ATARI number during business
hours. If our doors were locked last week, ask them how they got in and why
they are still answering phones.
I hope the people who have read and believed IGO's reports hold IGO
responsible for conveniently sensationalizing small bits of data to attract
attention to themselves. It sure is convenient to hide behind "protecting
their source", but the story they tell should be open to many forms of
validation by this time.
Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
IG Interviews Don Thomas
Finally, IG Talks to Someone at Atari:
"Atari layoffs, future strategy: An Interview with Don Thomas
By Brian Osserman
In an attempt to get official word on a number of rumors that have been
flying across the globe in recent days, I called Don Thomas, Atari's Vice
President of Customer Service to see how much he could tell me.
First I asked about the issue that has spurred the most rumors: the round of
layoffs that occurred last week. Don Thomas told me that there were a number
of layoffs of internal developers, but he emphasized that internal developers
have produced very few Jaguar games; most are being done either through
outside contracting or as fully 3rd party games. Mr. Thomas also stated that
Atari still has a fully active testing department, as they do much of the
testing for outside contractors, and are still committed to testing 3rd party
games to be sure they are up to par. Finally, to emphasize his point, he
stated that only about a dozen people were laid off last week.
On the subject of specific people, I asked him what Jeff Minter's situation
is. He confirmed that Minter has always officially been an outside
contractor, so his situation has not been affected at all (...cue collective
sigh of relief from Jaguar owners worldwide). Francois Bertrand has been let
go, although Don Thomas stated that as far as Atari is
concerned, Fight For Life's situation hasn't changed; it is still on
indefinite delay. He stated that rumors either that FFL has been killed or
that it is already in final testing are both incorrect.
So, how does this affect Atari's future plans for the Jaguar? Mr. Thomas
stated that no projects have been cancelled as a result of the layoffs
(although he also added that if the question had been whether any layoffs
were caused by cancelled projects, his answer would have been "no comment.").
In response to rumors that Atari might not be present at E3 this year, he
stated that they do in fact plan to attend, and that any rumors to the
contrary are completely unfounded. He stated that Atari plans to continue to
push the Jaguar heavily, with new games being produced through outside
contracting, and he pointed to immediate plans for increased marketing,
including mailings and TV spots, as well as the Jaguar mall store as evidence
that Atari has no plans whatsoever to back away from Jaguar development.
Thomas also confirmed that Atari intends to develop a new line of PC games,
but stated that this is unrelated to the internal development cutbacks, and
is independent of, and will not replace, Jaguar product development. The PC
conversion of Tempest 2000 will one of the first games in this line, and they
are holding up any announcements regarding its status until they are ready to
make announcements about the entire line of PC games. He did, however, state
that the new line will include ports of Jag games.
Finally, he confirmed that the Jaguar VR headset is up in the air until a
number of issues have been resolved; Atari rejected Virtuality's optics,
although Mr. Thomas wasn't sure as to whether the problem was a lack of
quality or an unfeasible production cost. He stated that for the project to
continue, the optics problem would have to be resolved, but he also stated
that some other factors would have to come together, with an emphasis on the
need for convincing research that the market is ready for a Jag VR headset.
He pointed out Virtual Boy's poor sales and suggested that Atari wouldn't
want to have the same thing happen.
From Atari's official description, the layoffs last week were an indication
more of Atari's dissatisfaction with the development that has been done in-
house up to this point (and which includes such notoriously poorly-done games
as Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy and Club Drive) than of any plans to
drop the Jaguar. We will know for sure in the weeks and months to come.
Online reaction to the recent layoffs at Atari:
Message : 52429 [Open] 11-12-95 4:14am
From : Binney Stone
To : Sysop
Subject : Atari bye bye?
Sig(s) : 1 (General Interest)
12 Nov 1995
Lost technology is probably what Atari computers will become. It had
the potential to overtake Apple in the mid 80's and didn't. Apple almost hit
the skids back then and didn't. It could have been that the two major
platforms ended up being IBM and Atari, but it didn't happen that way.
Having extensively used Power Mac and IBM's from the XT to a 486 pentium
machine, I have no compulsion to go out and buy them. The only concern I
have is keeping my Atari running. I have all the software I need (and then
some). I can do everything I want with this rig.
After having read about the layoffs and resignations of Atari in the
most recent STReport (10 November 1995) I want to spit in the Tramiels'
faces. Of course, that wouldn't help them see how they destroyed a potential
giant. Perhaps they were hired by IBM to sabotage Atari. Or perhaps they
couldn't stand to see something good happen to many people (Atari users).
Maybe it was just plain greed.
One local ex-Atari dealer told me how the company screwed him by making
him buy thousands of dollars worth of spare parts before granting him the
right to be an authorized Atari dealer. The big Boston music store down the
street didn't have to spend any money to become such a dealer. This
eventually killed his (and many others', I imagine) Atari business. Also,
I recall his complaints regarding broken promises of promotional support
in the form of national advertising. Is there a good side to this? Taking a
look at the bigger picture may indicate a reason...perhaps some truth. The
popular view for any deception is that greed is the motive. I don't know the
Tramiels. I don't know what their motive was for destroying Atari. But the
intent WAS to destroy. It wasn't to help boom the company, because these
guys had enough smarts to deceive, so they must have had the intent to wreck
Atari. Why? Because they did just that.
Now it may be overstating the obvious to make such a statement. Look at
it this way. How many times have you heard people say, "well, I didn't MEAN
to____(kill the cat, spill the milk, crash the car etc.). Of course they
meant to! It is a lie to say one didn't mean to do this or that. Every
accident was intended by someone. This point of view requires that a person
is responsible for his/her own actions. When someone messes up and says that
he was really looking out for the best interests of everyone, or that he
wasn't responsible for what he did, DON'T BELIEVE IT.
I don't expect to be popular from holding this point of view. I am not
a big fan of being human if it means allowing the insane to rule, the con
artists run businesses, and the good, hard-working people of the world to
have less than the bums in $500 suits "running" countries. If being human
means spending billions of dollars on research to cure the incurable, year
after year, decade after decade, resulting in no cure, then count me out. All
these people INTEND exactly the results, or lack thereof, that you and I see.
There's no cure for cancer because it isn't profitable. All the research
facilities would go out of business if there were such a cure. There isn't a
center for polio research because there is a way to prevent it now. The
amount of money to be made in "research" is astounding. Tens of thousands of
people make their livings doing this research. But they're not interested in
a cure! They're interested in keeping their jobs. Think about it. If you
were working at some cancer or AIDS or muscular dystrophy research lab, and
some guy came along and said, "here's your cure," and it worked 100% of the
time on all cases, wouldn't you get a little nervous about your job? I'd be
sending my resume out in volume that very evening!
The way I see it, the Tramiels decided somewhere along the line that the
only way to help people would be to get as wealthy as possible and go off and
live in their own private island in the South Pacific. How would that help
people? By removing the Tramiels from the main channels of business,
preventing them from doing any further harm. It is only a question of when
they actually make the move and where they end up. Basically, the Tramiels
are insane. They only appear sane. Their actions show their intent. Get a
company and run it into the ground. I hope they take over all the world's
medical research organizations and run them into the ground.
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
compiled by
Joe Mirando
73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. I promise right at the start that I'll
be more upbeat than I was last week. If you remember, last week we heard
that CompuServe will be dropping support for ASCII (including TTY and Vidtex)
access. What this means is that, in the future, you'll have to access
CompuServe with either a DOS/Windows PC or (for now) a Mac. While this
change won't take place immediately, it doesn't bode well for those of us who
don't use "acceptable" computers.
For the time being, ASCII access is still available. However, as more
and more of CompuServe's stuff (that's a technical term, folks) is moved to
new host machines, less and less of the system will be available to ASCII
users. Time will tell whether there will be any option for us
nonconformists.
On another front...
Last week in my other column, TECH... No Babble, we learned about PGP
and RSA compression. This past week, the author of PGP, Phil Zimmerman, was
in the news. It seems that our friends in the U.S. government decided that,
since Phil's new product, an encrypted phone program for the Macintosh, was
so good that they couldn't eavesdrop on it, he should have to have to apply
for some sort of munitions license. Mr. Zimmerman did send in the
application, along with the requisite fee of $250.00. What's wrong with this
picture?
Now, on with the reason for THIS column: All the great news, hints,
tips, and info available every week right here on CompuServe.
From the Atari Computing Forums
Bruno Kozlowski posts:
"Hello! I'm new to Compuserve, and I dont know how to download
files... I curently use Connect 2.46 on my Falcon, and dont know how to
configure the download protocols... it always say something like "time
out" or "bad checksum" and I never have one byte of the files... could
you please help me?"
Sysop Jim Ness tells Bruno:
"Tell us how you set up the download. Do you select a CIS protocol
from a menu, or do you use a command line? What protocol do you select
within Connect?"
Bruno Replies:
"I use the Connect 2.46 internal protocols, and have made a lot of
tests, but downloading has never worked... here are the choices I have,
and my actual config:
Protocol:
- XMODEM
- YMODEM
- ZMODEM
- XMODEM7
- CompuServe B
- CompuServe B+ * (actual setting)
Blocks:
- 128 byte blocks
- 256 byte blocks
- 512 byte blocks
- 1024 byte blocks *
escapes:
- No escapes *
- escapes on
type of file:
- Binary files *
- ASCII files
- Bin/Asc (autom)
CRC:
- no CRC
- CRC16
- CRC32 *
My port is set to 115200 bps 8N1, but compuserve using 7 bits and a
parity bit, i have an option "strip 8th bit" in a compatibility menu...
hum, nothing other to say, the download window opens automatically when
I ask a file. And with all this, all I have is a serie of <Checksum
error> (10 times), then a <Remote is not responding>, a <File Transfer
Failed>, the dl window closes and reopens immediately, and a last
<Checksum error>... that's all! the file is not created on my disk (I
say this because with I-dont-remember-what other settings, I sometimes
got a zero length file...) (but NEVER a good file) (and various error
messages, from <timeout> to <unexpected data block>)."
Jim tells Bruno to...
"Tell me about how you are commanding CIS to begin the download. I'm
trying to make sure CIS is trying to use the same protocol you are
trying to use.
It sounds as though you have Connect set up right (8N1, strip bit)."
Bruno tells Jim:
"...compuserve uses thes same protocol as connect, I've set in my
profile the option "choose protocol by menu" or something like this...
but it works now! it was the "strip 8th bit" problem... strange,
because I tested this... hey, now dl works, I'm happy!"
Michel Vanhamme tells Bruno:
"In my experience, to download you must _not_ strip the 8th bit when
using Connectt. That's how it's worked for me in the past. When I
download, I get one CRC error mmessage, and afterwards everything goes
fine."
Bruno tells Michel:
"Yes! thats it! downloading works now, when I unset the "strip 8th
bit" just before dl (and reset it just after), I have _ONE_ error crc
message (why?), but the download then continues normally...
Well I'm _sure_ I tested this hint before, but it didn't work...
probably this day another parameter was not good...
now I set in my compuserve profile to not emit this 8th bit (Parity
zero/none) (well, I think it's rather zero than none) and no more use
the Connect strip bit option...
I've downloaded 2 files, at a good 1060 CPS (good for my 9600 no
compression access, because zmodem on V34 BBS it's rather 3300 CPS...).
On the subject of CompuServe's dropping ASCII support, which CompuServe
management hasn't confirmed by the way, folks started talking about
using Spectre GCR, the Macintosh emulator to use the Mac version of the
CompuServe-specific software. Dan McNamee posts:
"I have a GCR, and MacCIM is not completely compatable and runs very
slowly on it. The one big thing that will not work on it is the CIM
usenet reader. It either loads VERY slowly (I don't know, I gave up
and reset after 30 min) or it just does not work. I would also not be
too suprised if the new 3.0 software would require System 7.0+, which
does not work on the GCR."
Sysop Ron Luks mentioned CompuServe's decision not to do a
CompuServe-specific program for the Atari ST and other "non-upgradeable"
systems. In a rare post, I tell Ron:
"I'm not completely clear on the "non-upgradeable systems" thing...
This makes it sound like a technical problem rather than a choice (no
matter how well grounded in economics).
Which is the case?"
Ron replies:
"It is partly a technical problem. One of the reasons CIS didnt do an
Atari ST version of CIM years ago was due to the technical limitations
of the machine. Little things like the fact that the vast majority of
ATari ST's only support 4 color or 16 color modes. Unless you have a
Falcon (and how many of those were sold? 300? 400? at best) you can't
even get to the minimum target resolution of 640x480 with 256 colors.
To port HMI to the Atari, you'd have to make some real technical
limitations. Add to the cost of doing this and the extremely small
potential customer base, the technical nightmares of supporting a
discontinued computer with a small installed base that uses a
discontinued operating system (TOS) which is designed around yet
another discontinued system (GEM from Digital Research) and you can get
an appreciation for the problems they would have faced even if CIS
tried to accommodate the Atari users."
Dan McNamee tells Ron:
"So, I take it from this that there are no plans to support monochrome
Macs either? If so, that is a large chunck of the userbase that is
going to be written off as well. It so, then the arguement about the
ST only having 4 and 16 color modes is hogwash then. If CIS does not
want to have to do support for small platforms, then they should
release the HMI interface standards to those users that would generate
the software themselves."
I reply to Dan:
"It seems to me that there could have been alternatives to the 256
colors and other things of that nature (using patterns instead of
colors _might_ have worked out since this part could've been done by
the Atari but I tend to think that it would've looked like hell), but
the bottom line is... the bottom line. If I were a company such as
CIS, I too would tend to look at the largest segments of the market.
It just doesn't make sense to spend as much money (or more) on
developing a front-end for a machine with "x" machines as you spend on
"x *100" machines. These folks have to look at the bottom line. As
long as they don't "sink below it", I can't really blame them.
I can't really blame them for not supporting a machine that isn't even
supported by the company that manufactured it.
To be sure, I'm VERY unhappy about this, but I do understand their
reasons.
If CompuServe had on-line elevator music, I'd be playing the blues
right now."
Dan, who has had the pleasure of debating with me in the past, tells me:
"Believe it or not, I agree with you. Compuserve can not afford to
support the older platforms with the smaller userbase, but that does
not prevent them from making their HMI information secrete. As we all
know, most of the support for these older machines comes from the
userbase hacking around with the machines, and I'm sure that someone
out there would be willing to write a CIS HMI interface on their own
just for the fun of it. There have been messages in here from people
that have asked for this information to do just that."
I reply:
"Believe it or not I _do_ believe you. <grin>
I've left several messages to feedback about this situation and
suggested exactly what you've just said... that they make the HMI
toolkit info availiable to willing developers (with a NDA, of course).
I know that _someone_ would be interested in doing it. My only
concern is that the finished product might not live up to our
expectations. While I believe that a an ST could handle a lot of the
things that CIM does, a lot of it would end up being below "CIM
Standard".
I really hope that someone in CIS management decides that it might be
worth a try. CIS was my first online home, and still my favorite. I'd
hate to have to find another neighborhood just because I drive a Buick
instead of an Olds.
By the way folks, the response from FEEDBACK was that "...the rumor
has been heard quite frequently..." and that they ..."have made no
definite plans to do away with the connection process."
Enough leeway to give them some manuevering room. Not that this is a
bad thing... just painful for those of us who rely on ASCII because
it's the only option."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next week, same
time, same channel, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
- Rockville, MD- General Electric Co is selling GEnie Online Service
GEnie, an online service currently targeted at game users, reportedly has
been declining for a number of reasons for some time ..industry sources said.
A spokesman for General Electric Information Services, the GE unit that GEnie
is part of, declined to confirm or deny GEnie Online Services is up for sale.
The sources said GE has decided to focus on its GEIS network to connect
corporations to corporations. They said GE is working with Allen & Co, an
investment bank that has done several deals for GE in the past. Allen & Co
officials did not return calls seeking comment. The GEnie Online Service
has an estimated 70,000 subscribers. "GE has decided that GEnie plays little
or no role in GEIS," said Peter Krasilovsky, an analyst with Arlen
Communications in Bethesda, Md. "They are not willing to put the money into
an all-out war (in the consumer online service industry)."
Editorial Quickies; "A Verbal Editorial Picture"
Happy Thanksgiving to All
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November 17, 1995
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Issue No. 1146
