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Silicon Times Report Issue 1248
Silicon Times Report
The Original Independent OnLine Magazine"
(Since 1987)
November 29, 1996 No.1248
Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano, Editor
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11/29/96 STR 1248 The Original Independent OnLine Magazine!
- CPU Industry Report - Corel News - AWE 64 INFO
- Diamond Monster 3D - USR Update Info - Kids Do the Web
- AOL Settles Dispute - SAIC buys BellCore - Excite AOL Searcher
- GEMvelop 2.96 - People Talking - Dana Reporting
MUSTANG IN TROUBLE?
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Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35
Results: 11/23/96: 2 of 6 numbers, no matches
From the Editor's Desk...
It's a nice.. Long weekend! Feels good to know there'll be
peace and quiet for the next few days. Except perhaps for the
screams and hoots coming from either Diablo, LinksLS or any of
the other new, superb entertainment goodies that are available.
With the new hardware that's on the market like the Matrox super
high power graphics card and of course, the Monster 3d card from
Diamond the eye candy is unbeatable. Now couple all this with
the AWE32 or 64, and you've got darn near virtual reality on a
monitor.
The new goodies are fantastic and its only going to get
better. In all fairness, I must admit I used to get the very
same feelings a long time ago on another platform. I was always
so proud to think I was on the "cutting edge" back then. And
when it all dulled I was broken hearted. Compared to then, I'm
skateboarding on the sharp edge of a self sharpening razor blade
today. Its neat to see it all happening again and again on a
regular basis. It was only yesterday I remarked to a friend of
mine; "its amazing. when I stop and think of all the hours of
sheer enjoyment this computer has afforded me." its absolutely
amazing.
I'll waste no more time.. one more item, next week there
will be some info about a great new capture, snap it grab it and
go program called HyperSnap. Don't miss it because you'll want
this program.
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Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Editor
Dana P. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs
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PC Section Mac Section Special Events Section
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Gaming & Entertainment Kid's Computing Corner
Dana P. Jacobson Frank Sereno
STReport Staff Editors
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Doyle Helms John Duckworth Jeff Coe
Steve Keipe Victor Mariano Melanie Bell
Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins
Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Vincent P. O'Hara
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David H. Mann Angelo Marasco Donna Lines
Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith
Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Technology Eases Wayfaring Strangers' Journeys
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1996 NOV 27 (Newsbytes) -- By Linda
Dailey Paulson. Thanksgiving week is traditionally the busiest
travel period of the year at United States airports as harried
travelers attempt to catch flights over the rivers and woods to
Grandmother's house. This year, air travelers will find
technology, in many forms, designed to ease their
journeys.
There's nothing worse than checking in early for a flight and
sitting and waiting interminably. To while away that time for
travelers of all ages, Nintendo and Southwest Airlines are
offering passengers at the Burbank Airport GameBoy hand-held
video games to play while waiting for their flight. Nintendo will
be at the Southwest Airlines check in counter between 10 am and 2
pm Wednesday.
Meanwhile, business travelers have found ATCOM/INFO's pyramid-
shaped Internet kiosks useful on their travels. The San Diego-
based company has plans to eventually install more than 1,000
Internet kiosks in airports, hotels, and convention centers
across the US. With GTE, a cellular telephone service provider,
ATCOM/INFO installed 10 kiosks in Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport in August and September, 1996. The company
will be installing kiosks in terminals at the Bradley
International Airport in Connecticut, some time in January 1997.
At least two other airports may also join the growing list of
locations in early 1997.
"In the relatively short time the GTE kiosks have been
operational, those kiosks have really played to what I call 'rave
reviews,' from both business travelers and airport patrons
alike," says Joe Dealey, Jr., D-FW International Airport
spokesperson. "Admittedly the GTE kiosks represent a first for D-
FW ... but I think it is highly likely improved versions and
competing versions of this technology will show up at other
airports, hotels, convention centers ... just about everywhere
large numbers of people congregate for business or for pleasure."
The cost of using the public access kiosk averages about $20 per
hour. Typical users log on briefly at a cost less than $3; 70
percent of people using the system do so to retrieve e-mail. "I
can deal with a lot of business in 15 minutes by reviewing e-mail
messages," says Peter Van Horne, president of ATCOM/INFO. "By
responding to e-mail, I can respond and prioritize my time rather
than being dependent on other people's priorities."
One of the first technologies to find its way into airports was
the in-flight telephone. Most major airlines carriers have some
sort of telephone available to be accessed with a major credit
card or telephone company calling card.
These phones are as convenient as they are practical. A young
mother on her way from Nashville to Sacramento was able to check
on her infant son who had a doctor's appointment - - and talk to
the doctor directly while somewhere over Nevada. Too, late
flights necessitate a call to hold a reservation or connect
with that person picking you up from the airport. "Just as
technology has moved the in-flight telephone from the bulkhead to
the seat back," says Dealey, "it also has made it very
affordable to let someone know your flight is running late or
you're OK, but you forgot something. It's an added a measure of
convenience. "The advances in technology here and globally have
really made the shrinking world cliches an operating fact of
life. That you can get online and check e-mail or go into your
company's network and transact business ... has really made
business travel and holiday travel as well, a rather enjoyable
experience," says Dealey.
AOL Settles Price Complaint
Because of a settlement with Washington state's attorney general,
America Online now will give users nationwide more time and more
information with which to consider a new pricing plan. Reporting
from Olympia, Washington, Associated Press writer Hal Spencer
says the agreement follows negotiations over AOL's plan to
automatically switch subscribers to a new $19.95 flat rate on
Dec. 1 unless they advised the company they preferred to stick
with the current basic plan -- $9.95 a month for five hours and
$2.95 an hour thereafter.
State Attorney General Christine Gregoire complained that AOL's
plan, announced last month, violated the state's consumer-
protection law. Under the new agreement, AOL will notify its
subscribers with an electronic message when they log onto the
service. The message is expected to start of next week.
"Customers automatically switched to the new plan on Dec. 1 will
be able to change back to the original plan through March 31 and
get a refund for the price difference," AP says. "The new choices
are: a standard monthly plan offering unlimited use of America
Online and the Internet for $19.95; a rate of $9.95 for unlimited
access to America Online for those who already have an Internet
connection; three hours of the service per month for $4.95, with
additional time priced at $2.50 per hour." Attorneys general in
17 other states also are examining AOL's marketing practices,
Gregoire told the wire service.
Clinton Rejects New Taxes on Net
The Clinton administration says it has no plans to try to impose
new federal taxes on the Internet. Of course, the key word,
though, is "new." The White House's 46-page policy paper,
released yesterday, indicates the administration is looking for
thoughts on how to apply existing taxes to electronic commerce.
And, says Associated Press writer Dave Skidmore, "The answers
have interstate and international ramifications and are not
always obvious."
About the Clinton position on new taxes, Glen A. Kohl, deputy
assistant treasury secretary, told the wire service, "We think
electronic commerce is to be encouraged and we want to make sure
the tax system doesn't get in the way. We don't think electronic
commerce justifies new taxes." But on the matter of existing
taxes, AP notes the most vexing question is if a transaction
occurs in cyberspace, where does it occur for tax purposes?
"In the pre-Internet world," says Skidmore, "two principles have
covered assessment of income taxes: the location of the source
of the income and the residence of the person receiving the
income. But, if an Australian offers services to U.S. customers
from a computer in Canada, what is the location of the source of
the income?" In its new paper, the U.S. Treasury Department
says the rise of electronic commerce likely will lessen the
importance of source-based taxation and emphasize residence-
based taxation, but it offers no definitive answers.
Kohl said his department is seeking to open a discussion, rather
than issue policy pronouncements, adding the goal is to develop
rules and international agreements that prevent double taxation
and provide certainty. "Another issue," says Skidmore, "concerns
whether a tangible product, such as a book or photograph or
musical recording, is converted into anintangible product when it
is digitized and transmitted over the Internet. How should the
transaction be taxed?"
The Treasury report also does not address the applicability of
state taxes to the Internet, an issue that has bothered the
industry more than the international issues. As reported earlier,
several states, including Massachusetts and Florida, have
examined applying taxes designed for telephone service to
Internet service. The new Treasury paper has been posted on the
department's World Wide Web site (http://www.ustreas.gov).
WOW's Fate Worries Industry
Industry observers and financial analysts are wondering this
morning if the closing of CompuServe's WOW service is a
harbinger of problems to come for similar general-interest, flat-
rate projects online. "WOW's experience may be a precursor to
what's going to happen to America Online, Microsoft and others,"
Vice President Peter Krasilovsky of Arlen Communications Inc.
research firm told reporters Jared Sandberg and James P. Miller
of The Wall Street Journal this morning. "Because of their new
flat-rate pricing, it may quickly become uneconomical."
CompuServe says it will shut down the family-oriented WOW service
by Jan. 31, freeing the company to focus on the business users
and experienced online computerists who have always been its
primary market. WOW used a flat-fee approach, charging $17.95
for unlimited access, "but," says the Journal, "the low pricing
appealed more to sophisticated heavy users who went online for
hours at a time, driving up the company's costs."
CompuServe Vice President Scott Kauffman told the paper, "It's
not a particularly profitable business for us," adding he thinks
online services aren't ready for the mass market. "It's still an
early-adopter business," Kauffman said. On this, the Journal
commented, "The collapse of WOW may provide a sobering lesson to
other online services that hope to appeal to mainstream users and
that use flat-rate fees." (Currently, CompuServe charges
users$9.95 a month for five free hours and $2.95 for each
additional hour.)
CompuServe officials told the Journal the company will launch new
services aimed at businesses and small offices early next year.
"This is a back-to-basics strategy," said Kauffman, who noted
that 45 percent of the company's 2.2 million domestic subscribers
are business users and 60 percent of the company's 826,000
European subscribers use the service
primarily for business. "It's a more profitable segment of the
market."
Lycos Licenses Tools to CompuServe
Lycos Inc. says its search technology and proprietary content
will be used to enhance the offerings of CompuServe Inc.'s
online services. The licensing deal will allow CompuServe will
provide a CompuServe-rebranded set of customized search tools for
its suite of services, giving members powerful, fast and flexible
search capabilities both within CompuServe content and on the
World Wide Web.
Lycos says the agreement is a reflection of its two- pronged
business strategy to pursue advertising revenue while
aggressively initiating licensing partnerships that seed the
market with Lycos content and technology. "Through CompuServe,
the number of people using Lycos Web products is boosted by
millions," says Bob Davis, Lycos' president and CEO. "This
reinforces our position as leaders in effectively providing
powerful products for mainstream use, whether directly through
Lycos or through our partners."
Babbage, Software Etc. Sale OK'd
Sale of Babbage's and Software Etc. to one of the original
founders -- instead of to the stores' biggest competitor in
malls nationwide, Electronics Boutique -- has been approved by a
Dallas bankruptcy court judge. Writing in The Dallas Morning
News, reporter Maria Halkias notes a group of investors led by
Leonard Riggio -- a founder of Software Etc. and the chairman and
principal stockholder of the Barnes & Noble bookstore chain --
was the successful bidder in an auction conducted during three
days of court hearings.
Says Halkias, "The decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven A.
Felsenthal leaves as competitors the two biggest boutique
sellers of video games and software in malls. It also preserves
the headquarters operation in Dallas." The paper says Riggio's
group will pay $58.5 million for the video game and software
boutiques, whose parent company, NeoStar Retail Group, has been
operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since mid-
September.
Riggio told the paper the new entity will be called Babbage's,
Etc. He also named his new management team, picking R. Richard
"Dick" Fontaine (formerly CEO of Software Etc. during its
expansion in the late 1980s and early 1990s) to be CEO of the new
company. Another Software Etc. executive, Dan DeMatteo, was
named president and chief operating officer of the company.
Belarus Web Site Destroyed
Word from Minsk is that a site on the Internet's World Wide Web
providing news about the opposition to Belarus' hard-line
president has been destroyed. Site editor Vladimir Korvatsky has
told The Associated Press the Web page was destroyed just after
posting photos and information from a Nov. 17 rally at which riot
police beat several protesters. "We just wanted to give out
unbiased information," Korvatsky said. "What good did it do to
destroy a free information service for the whole world?"
He added there have been more than 5,000 attempts to visit the
site since it was cut off. Those trying to visit it see only a
notice saying "Sorry! The Enemies of Democracy Have Destroyed
Our Server." Korvatsky said the group hopes to reopen the site
this week. AP quotes the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists as saying the site is one of the few sources of
independent news out of Belarus, adding it has been carrying news
of the legislative and judicial branches' attempts to resist a
crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko.
Lukashenko has cracked down on political opposition and shut down
independent newspapers and radio stations, AP notes. Critics say
the result was one-sided information that crippled voters' choice
in a referendum last weekend that expanded Lukashenko's powers.
Germans Track Chip Counterfeits
An international gang suspected of counterfeiting computer
components has been cracked in Germany and nine other countries,
authorities in Munich say. According to the Reuter News
Service, more than 2,000 law enforcement officials raided
locations in France, Italy and Belgium. "Police in Bavaria
carted away truckloads of counterfeit components and files,"
Reuters says. "They issued arrest warrants for at least 24 Asians
of Chinese descent on charges of counterfeiting, fraud, money
laundering, and receiving stolen goods."
Reuters quotes police as saying they believe the gang smuggled
counterfeit components and sold them at market prices, causing
about 500 million marks in damage. Several individuals were
arrested, but police withheld further details for the time being.
Intel Corp. officials says the chip giant is cooperating with
the authorities and that the gang may have counterfeited its
computer chips. An Intel spokesman in Munich told the wire
service, "We are supporting theinvestigation but we don't know if
or how many of our chips were counterfeited or sold."
Neal Boudette of Reuters' Bonn newsroom reports, "The raids were
the culmination of a three-year investigation that began in
1993, centering on a Chinese businessman who held a Laotian
passport, whose computer company was allegedly involved in tax
evasion and money laundering."
Be Inc. Deals with Clone Maker
Be Inc. -- a privately held start-up lately linked by rumors with
Apple Computer Inc. -- has licensed its operating-system
software to Power Computing Corp., maker of clones of Apple's
Macintosh computer. Writing in The Wall Street Journal this
morning, reporter Lee Gomes says Be's talks with Apple itself
have hung up over price, adding the deal with Power Computing
had been long planned, "and is unrelated to acquisition
discussions between Apple and Be."
Adds Gomes, "Those talks have bogged down over how much Apple is
willing to pay for the Mountain View, Calif., start-up." The
new agreement calls for all Power Computing's machines shipped
after January to come equipped with both the Macintosh and Be
operating systems. "While the Be operating system has been
praised by technical reviewers," says the Journal, "it is still
new, and thus has few application programs yet written for it.
The Power Computing announcement is aimed mainly at
sophisticated users, the sort who enjoy testing out major new
pieces of software."
Meanwhile, insiders say Apple is offering about $100 million in
cash and stock for Be, which has a staff of 50, but that Be is
seeking nearly quadruple that figure, "arguing," says Gomes,
"that the company and its software would be the major component
of any long-term turnaround at Apple." Be, founded in 1990 by
former Apple research director Jean-Louis Gassee, is of interest
to the Cupertino, Calif., computer makers because Apple's planned
"Copland" operating system, which it had expected to use as its
next-generation operation system, is years behind schedule,
Gomes says.
As reported, Apple has acknowledged it is looking outside for a
new operating system, but it has never publicly confirmed that
it is talking to Be. Still, notes the Journal, it has done
nothing to discourage rumors of the talks, which "has resulted in
a number of enthusiastic articles in the Apple trade press about
a deal that has yet to be consummated." Nonetheless, says Gomes,
Apple officials recently pointed out they have alternatives to
purchasing Gassee's company. For instance, at last week's Comdex
trade show, Ellen Hancock, Apple's chief technology officer,
warned reporters that "not everyone we are talking to is talking
to you."
Mustang Software Struggles
Once on top of the world as the leading provider of stand-alone
bulletin board system software, Mustang Software Inc. now is
struggling, slashing its staff from the top down as it tries to
make a place for itself on the Internet. Described by
Computergram International as "badly ailing," Mustang's stock is
selling for less than 10 percent of what it was worth a year ago
and now major executives -- including Vice President/Chief
Operating Officer Richard Heming and Sales/Marketing Vice
President Brett Martin - have stepped down.
Taking over the jobs, President/CEO James Harrer, a co-founder of
the firm, told CI he is similarly consolidating other tasks
throughout the company, while the total extent of the layoffs is
still being worked out. Notes the newsletter, "Mustang is
struggling to convert its Wildcat! 5 bulletin board software,
once a best seller in the dial-up market, into a full-fledged
Internet offering. Among other things it's designed to instantly
convert bulletin board operators into Webmeisters."
Adds CI, "The first disaster was in writing the new version,
which slipped a half year before being released. The second was
the discovery that Internet servers don't sell well off-the-
shelf, virtually the only channel Mustang used to sell its
bulletin board programs." Share prices have fallen from as high
as $11.50 a year ago to as low as $1 earlier this month,
recovering a bit to the $2 range last week.
(Editor Note) Mustang Software's Wildcat Five suffers from a
MAJOR problem. It has been a lack of an affordable FRONT END
Mailer and Tosser for use with private networks like Fido and ITC
etc.. The only one available was so high priced it literally
KILLED Wildcat Five Sales to Sysops using Wildcat Four along with
running mailer/tossers. They refused to make the change and
suffer the excessive costs of the only compatible front end.
Once again, "a quick score" has practically killed a marvelous
product and a great company. Wildcat Five and Mustang Software.
Jim H. ought to BLOW the market OPEN to Wildcat Five by either
buying up the Front End Mailer that's available but excessively
expensive to the new consumer/upgrader or, provide one for use
with WC5 for Mustang's loyal consumer base thus neutralizing the
"high priced spread". This would be an effective move to boost
WC5 sales dramatically.
Two Valley Firms Lay Off Hundreds
Hundreds of Silicon Valley employees are being laid off by two
firms because of either factory or production line shutdowns.
In the San Jose, California, Mercury News, business writer Janet
Rae-Dupree reports:
ú VLSI Technology Inc. says it plans to shut down its San Jose
chip plant, idling 300 workers. Based in San Jose, the firm says
its chip plant was a victim of the rapid changes in the
semiconductor industry.
ú Seagate Technology Inc. says it will shut down an obsolete
media production line which employs 290 people. Its Recording
Media group, which employs 2,000 people in both Milpitas and
Fremont, says its production line's obsolete technology is not
suitable to making the recording media used inside today's hard
drives.
Computers Enable Beatles Film
Computer technology will be used to turn still photographs by
former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife Linda into moving
pictures, enabling the creation of a new film about the
legendary British rock group. In London, Beatles spokesman
Geoff Baker announced the project on the eve of the opening of an
exhibition of Linda McCartney's photographs in the northern
English city of Bradford.
Said Baker, "Paul and Linda are currently editing through some
4,000 of Linda's pictures of the Beatles -- all of which have
never been seen -- in order to make the new style of movie,
which they call a photofilm." The Reuter News Service notes
Linda McCartney took the photographs behind closed doors between
meeting her husband in 1967 and the break-up of the Beatles in
1970.
"The new Beatles film follows a critically acclaimed 'photofilm'
by Paul McCartney last year," the wire service notes. "He
selected two rolls of Linda's pictures of veteran West Coast
rockers The Grateful Dead and made the still photographs move
with the aid of computer technology." In a statement, Baker
said the Beatles film, not expected to be completed before the
end of 1997, would reveal "what is believed to be the richest and
most intimate photographic archive of the Beatles." Also
expected is a soundtrack of songs by the group that have never
been released. They are on tapes of a secret jam session the
Beatles recorded at the Roundhouse in London's Camden Town in
1968.
Clinton Wins APEC Victory
A major victory on the trade front is being claimed by the
Clinton Administration today as Pacific Rim leaders have
accepted the year 2000 as a deadline for cutting tariffs on
information technology. Calling it "a big deal" and a boost for
jobs in the U.S. information technology industry, which has
exports worth $100 billion a year, President Clinton said,
"Imagine if we went to zero tariffs in the entire world, what
that would mean to America and for exports in higher-paying
jobs."
Associated Press writer David Thurber, in Subic Bay, Philippines,
to cover the talks, quotes Clinton in remarks to U.S. Embassy
staff as adding information technology is "to the 21st century
what highways and railroads were to the 19th century." Thurber
says a communique ending the 18-government summit went beyond
the language accepted last week to partially meet U.S. demands
for freeing global trade in computers, semiconductors, software
andtelecommunications.
"But," he added, "it hedged by speaking of 'flexibility' and of
'substantially' eliminating tariffs -- caveats meant to appease
poorer nations which fear their high-tech industries will be
swamped by cheaper imports if all trade barriers come down at
once." AP says this will enable opponents like Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia to say they have kept their options
open and haven't caved in to U.S. pressure.
The statement read by Philippines President Fidel Ramos called
for "an information technology agreement" by the World Trade
Organization that would "substantially eliminate tariffs by the
year 2000." The wire service notes the U.S. -- backed by Japan,
Canada and Australia -- had wanted all tariffs on computers,
software, semiconductors and telecommunications abolished by the
year 2000. Malaysia led the objectors.
"When Washington failed to get its way in pre-summit talks last
week, U.S. negotiators insisted they were satisfied with the
wording adopted," says Thurber. "But Clinton, who arrived in
Manila on Saturday, clearly wasn't. According to U.S. officials,
he warned Ramos, this year's host of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit, that the meeting would be judged a failure
unless it took a stronger line on information technology." U.S.
officials told the wire service Ramos, along with Japanese Prime
Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and South Korean President Kim Young-
sam, also came to Clinton's support.
Alleged Net Hate Site Probed
An unprecedented investigation has been launched by Canadian
officials into an Internet site run by history revisionist Ernst
Zundel of Toronto whom many accuse of distributing hate
materials. Reporting from Ottawa, the French Agence France-Press
International News Service says the Canadian commission on
personal rights opened its investigation Friday, adding, "The
group has the power to shut down sites on the international
computer network even though the server unit for the material is
based in California." Zundel is known for his works denying the
Holocaust took place during World War II.
Max Yalden, head of the commission, told AFP that Canadian laws
gives his group jurisdiction over telephone communications,
including links between Internet sites made via telephone.
Yalden said the commission intends to close down the site and
defended the action saying it was not a case of censorship.
Said Yalden, "I don't think Zundel's engaged in free debate, I
think he's engaged in trying to incite people against Jews."
Nazi Symbols Halt Corel Sales
The top-selling Corel Draw computer program has been pulled from
the shelves in Germany by its Canadian publisher because the
software turns out to include four banned Nazi symbols. Corel
spokesman Thomas Layer told the Reuter News Service his employer
will remove three drawings of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and one
swastika symbol from future versions of its popular software.
Meanwhile, he said, Corel also is distributing warning labels for
computer shops to stick on their current stocks to be able to
resume selling them.
Reuters says the label warns the "improper use of digital images
and symbols" found in the programs Corel Draw 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0
is prohibited in Germany, which bans public displays of Nazi
symbols. In Munich, the state prosecutor launched an
investigation into the software Oct. 2 after learning someone
had used the banned images to print business cards for a neo-Nazi
group, the wire service says. German sales of Corel Draw --
which provides more than 24,000 "clipart" drawings and symbols
that computer users can copy into newsletters and
other documents -- was suspended last Tuesday, Reuters reports.
USRobotics Update News STR Infofile
Sportster 33.6k Upgrade
If you own a Sportster V.FC or Sportster V.34 modem, you can
upgrade to 33.6k! Order the 33.6k Upgrade Kit, which includes a
user-installable e-prom chip, or send your modem in and we can
install it for you. To place your order, call either of the
numbers below. Be sure to have your modem's serial number ready
when you call.
Call:
Voice: 847/982-5151
BBS: 847/982-5092
Pricing:
33.6k upgrade Kit $24.95
Installation of Upgrade Kit (option l) $20.00
Shipping and Handling $ 5.00
Ordering through the BBS:
To place your order through the BBS, dial the number listed
above. Once logged into the system, type SPV34 at the main
prompt and the system will prompt you along. Please have your
credit card information ready.
Upgrading your Sportster Vi Modem:
The upgrade to 33.6k for the Sportster Vi is free. There are
only two Sportster Vi modems that qualify for the upgrade. Look
at your 16 digit serial number. If it starts with 00027900 or
00028202 then it can be upgraded. You need to call or fax(847-
676-7314) in the following information to receive the upgrade:
* First and last name
* Complete phone number
* Shipping address(street, city, state, zip)
* Your modems 16 digit serial number
* If faxing in request, state that you are requesting
the Sportster Vi 33.6k upgrade chip.
Upgrading the Winmodem:
To receive the Winmodem upgrade from 28.8k to 33.6k, download the
appropriate file from the list below.
WINM336.EXE 555808 06-21-96 Full install files for all
| Sportster Winmodem models.
| This version supports 33.6k
| connections. Extract these files
| to floppy disk to install.
| Uninstall previous Winmodem
| software before installing this
| version.
WM336UPG.EXE 959614 06-21-96 Sportster Winmodem 33.6k
upgrade.
| To upgrade your Winmodem, run
this
| file from within Windows. Under
| Windows 95, click on Start then
Run.
| Under Windows 3.x in Program
| Manager, click on File then Run.
These files can be downloaded from our BBS(847-982-5092), FTP
Site(ftp.usr.com), or our Web Site(www.usr.com).
Keating Technologies:
Information for Canadian Customers
U.S. Robotics has a service company in Canada, specifically to
take care of our Canadian customers. They will take care of
your Service Repair Order(SRO) authorizations, technical
questions, and orders. Below is their address and contact
information.
Keating Technologies
25 Royal Crest Court
Suite 200
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9X4
phone: 905-479-0231
fax: 905-479-0232
email: support@keating.com
Web: www.keating.com
Flash Upgrading your Courier using X-ModemNote: The code of your
Courier must be at least 4/29/96 to support the X-Modem flash
update feature. To check your code date, open up a terminal
program and type ATI7<enter>. Look at the supervisor date line
on the ATI7 screen. If the code date is older than 4/29/96, you
will have to use the current DOS USRSDL.EXE file to flash your
modem
up to code that supports this feature.
Using X-Modem to update your Courier on a Macintosh:
1. Download USRSDL.XMD from our FTP site at ftp.usr.com, or our
Web Site at www.usr.com. This can be done on a PC or Macintosh
if your Macintosh can read PC disks.
2. Copy USRSDL.XMD onto the Macintosh.
3. Go into a communications terminal software program such as
MacComCenter, and make sure MacBinary is disabled(in
MacComCenter, go under Setup | File Transfer | MacBinary Options,
and select "Never MacBinary").
4. Go to a terminal window(in MacComCenter go under Data and
select On-Line). In the terminal window type AT~X! and enter,
and you will get "SDL X-Modem file transfer - (Y)es (N)o (T)est
>". Type 'Y'. You will then get the message "Begin X-Modem file
transfer now."
5. Start an X-Modem send of USRSDL.XMD(in MacComCenter go under
Data | Send File | X- Mmodem CRC, and select USRSDL.XMD).
6. The flash ROM of your modem will then be erased and re-
flashed with the code contained in the USRSDL.XMD file.
Using X-Modem to update your Courier on other operating systems:
1. Copy USRSDL.XMD onto the hard disk.
2. Go into your communications terminal software.
3. In terminal, type AT~X!. This will bring up the prompt "SDL
X-Modem file transfer - (Y)es (N)o (T)est >". Type 'Y'. This
will bring up the message "Begin X-Modem file transfer now."
4. Start an X-Modem send of the file USRSDL.XMD.
5. The flash ROM of your modem will then be erased and re-
flashed with the code contained in the USRSDL.XMD file.
If any errors or problems occur, please contact U.S. Robotics
Courier Support at (800)550-7800.
U.S. Robotics Corporation And Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Earnings
(In thousands, except earnings per share data)
(UNAUDITED)
Quarter Ended 9/29/96
----------------------------
Including Excluding
In Process In Process
Technology Technology Quarter
Charge Charge % Ended
--------- ----------------- 10/1/95 %
-----------------
Net sales $ 611,410 $ 611,410 100.0 $ 293,397 100.0
Cost of goods sold 355,238 355,238 58.1 170,365 58.1
--------- --------- ----------
Gross profit 256,172 256,172 41.9 123,032 41.9
Operating expenses
Selling & marketing 92,706 92,706 15.2 40,755 13.9
General &
administrative 26,768 26,768 4.4 13,844 4.7
Research &
development 28,945 28,945 4.7 17,416 5.9
Purchased in pro-
cess technology 54,000 - - - -
--------- --------- ----------
202,419 148,419 24.3 72,015 24.5
--------- --------- ----------
Operating profit 53,753 107,753 17.6 51,017 17.4
Interest income 1,155 1,155 0.2 3,307 1.1
Interest expense 1,663 1,663 0.3 1,173 0.4
Other income
(expense) (147) (147) 0.0 91 -
-------- ---------- ----------
Earnings before
income taxes 53,098 107,098 17.5 53,242 18.1
Income tax expense 39,626 39,626 6.5 19,023 6.4
--------- ---------- ----------
Net earnings $ 13,472 $ 67,472 11.0 $ 34,219 11.7
========= ========== ----------
Net earnings per
share $ 0.14 $ 0.71 $ 0.37
========= ========== ==========
Shares used in per
share calculation 95,681 95,681 91,717
========= ========== ==========
All share and earnings per share data have been adjusted to reflect the
two-for-one stock splits in the form of 100% stock dividends paid on
September 8, 1995 and May 10, 1996.
U.S. Robotics Corporation And Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Earnings
(In thousands, except earnings per share data)
(UNAUDITED)
Fiscal Year Ended
9/29/96
------------------------------
Including Excluding
In Process In Process
Technology Technology
Charge Charge %
---------- ------------------
Net sales $1,977,512 $1,977,512 100.0
Cost of goods sold 1,149,446 1,149,446 58.1
--------- ---------
Gross profit 828,066 828,066 41.9
Operating expenses
Selling & marketing 271,585 271,585 13.7
General &
administrative 93,717 93,717 4.7
Research &
development 109,437 109,437 5.6
Purchased in pro-
cess technology 54,000 - -
Non-recurring
merger costs - - -
--------- ---------
528,739 474,739 24.0
--------- ---------
Operating profit 299,327 353,327 17.9
Interest income 8,424 8,424 0.4
Interest expense 4,995 4,995 0.3
Other income(expense) (866) (866) 0.0
--------- ---------
Earnings before
income taxes 301,890 355,890 18.0
Income tax expense 131,870 131,870 6.7
--------- ---------
Net earnings $ 170,020 $ 224,020 11.3
========= =========
Net earnings per
share $ 1.79 $ 2.36
========= =========
Shares used in per
share calculation 94,932 94,932
========= =========
All share and earnings per share data have been
adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock splits in
the form of 100% stock dividends paid on September 8,
1995 and May 10, 1996.
U.S. Robotics Corporation And Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Earnings
(In thousands, except earnings per share data)
(UNAUDITED)
Fiscal Year Ended 10/1/95
Including Excluding
Merger Merger
costs costs %
Net sales $ 889,347 $ 889,347 100.0
Cost of goods sold 521,159 521,159 58.6
-------- --------
Gross profit 368,188 368,188 41.4
Operating expenses
Selling & marketing 136,585 136,585 15.4
General &
administrative 42,614 42,614 4.8
Research &
development 52,478 52,478 5.9
Purchased in pro-
cess technology - - -
Non-recurring
merger costs 29,449 - -
-------- --------
261,126 231,677 26.1
-------- --------
Operating profit 107,062 136,511 15.3
Interest income 7,700 7,700 0.9
Interest expense 5,465 5,465 0.6
Other income(expense) (377) (377) -
Earnings before
income taxes 108,920 138,369 15.6
Income tax expense 42,969 49,215 5.6
Net earnings $ 65,951 $ 89,154 10.0
Net earnings per
share $ 0.77 $ 1.05
Shares used in per
share calculation 85,304 85,304
All share and earnings per share data have been
adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock splits in
the form of 100% stock dividends paid on September
8, 1995 and May 10, 1996.
U.S. Robotics Corporation And Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheet
(In thousands)
(UNAUDITED)
September 29, October 1,
1996 1995
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and marketable securities $ 16,814 $ 232,803
Accounts receivable, net 490,040 168,365
Inventories 185,855 103,032
Deferred income taxes 45,493 22,373
Prepaid expenses and other 7,739
current assets 12,407
Total current assets 750,609 534,312
PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT- NET 276,591 117,156
OTHER ASSETS 40,083 8,155
$ 1,067,283 $ 659,623
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Current maturities of long-term
obligations 12,174 249
Revolving credit borrowings 32,500 -
Accounts payable 130,959 78,386
Accrued liabilities 138,747 78,171
Income taxes payable 19,324 9,525
Total current liabilities 333,704 166,331
LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS 54,044 65,651
DEFERRED INCOME TAXES 7,665 3,246
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Common stock 881 422
Additional contributed capital 356,266 273,939
Retained earnings 312,492 148,617
------------ -----------
669,639 422,978
Cumulative translation adjustment 2,231 1,417
and other
Total stockholders' equity 671,870 424,395
$ 1,067,283 $ 659,623
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
LEXMARK OPTRA C
COLOR
LASER PRINTER
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample
printout sent to you that demonstrates LEXMARK Optra C SUPERIOR
QUALITY 600 dpi Laser Color Output, please send a Self Addressed
Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to:
STReport's LEXMARK Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the LEXMARK Optra C has to be the very best yet in its
price range. It is far superior to anything we've seen or used
as of yet. It is said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand
words. The out put from the Lexmark Optra C is worth ten
thousand words! Send for the free sample now. (For a sample
that's suitable for framing, see below) Guaranteed. you will be
amazed at the superb quality. (Please.. allow at least a two week
turn-around).
If you would like a sample printout that's suitable for framing.
Yes that's right! Suitable for Framing. Order this package.
It'll be on special stock and be of superb quality. We obtained
a mint copy of a 1927 COLOR ENGRAVER'S YEAR BOOK. Our Scanner is
doing "double duty"! The results will absolutely blow you away.
If you want this high quality sample package please include a
check or money order in the amount of $6.95 (Exp, S&H only)
Please, make checks or money orders payable to; Ralph Mariano.
Be sure to include your full return address and telephone number
. The sample will be sent to you protected, not folded in a 9x12
envelope. Don't hesitate.. you will not be disappointed. This
"stuff" is gorgeous!
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
CompuServe Drops WOW!,Retrenches After Loss
IBM's New Mainframe
San Diego Supercomputing Center Warns of Unix Flaw
Finding Images In A Database
SAIC Buys Bellcore
AudioNet's Hoop Dreams
Big Screen Laptops Steal The Show
Year 2000 Problem Will Cause Lawsuits, Bankruptcies
The Net's Impact On Voter Decisions
Tapscott On The "N-Gen" (Net Generation) World
Hello? Is This A Computer? Do I Place It Near My Face?
Digital TV Accord ReachedAPEC
Support (More Or Less) For Info Tech Free TradePower To Be
FCC Does "Two-Step" Dance Against International Pricing Cartel
Excite Takes Over As AOL Search Engine
Intranets Are Lifeline For Some Companies
New Borland Chief Executive
Life After Bellcore
Computer Attacks Show New Patterns
COMPUSERVE DROPS WOW!, RETRENCHES AFTER LOSS
After posting a $24.5-million loss, CompuServe announced it will
pull the plug on Wow!, its novice- and family-oriented service
launched eight months ago in an effort to compete with America
Online's similar service. Early next year CompuServe will offer
a separate service for business customers, who typically
generate 30% to 50% more revenue than the home user market.
CompuServe currently claims 3.3 million subscribers, compared
with AOL's 7 million customers. (Investor's Business Daily 22
Nov 96 A17)
IBM'S NEW MAINFRAME
The new version of the IBM System 390 mainframe computer that
will be introduced this week is expected to process information
up to 10% faster than current versions. Apparently the company
will be able to manufacture only a limited number of the new
machines, because of inadequate supplies of the microprocessor
chips needed to produce them. (New York Times 23 Nov 96 p21)
SAN DIEGO SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER WARNS
ABOUT UNIX FLAW
The San Diego Supercomputing Center has issued a warning to
system administrators that a flaw in software associated with
Unix operating systems can be exploited by crackers, allowing
them to gain "root access" to the computer, making it possible to
alter or destroy data residing on the server. The flaw is in
the "rpc.statd" part of the software that works with
the "Network File System." For more information, check out:
<http://www.sdsc.edu/Security/public_bulletins/96.03.rpc.statd ?\
>. (Chronicle of Higher Education 22 Nov 96 A23)
FINDING IMAGES IN A DATABASE
Software from Virage can compare images with a kind of visual
template, in much the same way that the human brain functions.
The Virage software reduces the essence of each image into a 1-
kilobyte file called a feature vector, based on shapes, textures,
colors and placement. (Forbes 2 Dec 96 p240) See <
http://www.virage.com > for demo.
SAIC BUYS BELLCORE
Bellcore, the research group owned jointly by the seven Baby
Bells, has been acquired by Science Applications International
Corp., a government contractor that provides consulting, systems-
integration, national-security, transportation and health-care
services. Executives familiar with the deal have estimated the
cost of the acquisition at about $700 million. (Wall
Street Journal 22 Nov 96 B6)
AUDIONET'S HOOP DREAMS
AudioNet has been granted the rights to Internet carriage of
radio broadcasts of the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament
through 2001. The company, which received a total of $9 million
in support from Motorola and Premiere Radio Networks in
September, hopes to have 500 radio stations online by the end of
next year: "It dawned on us that this was a tremendous way to
reach a national audience. What we've done with AudioNet is to
turn it into the third broadcast medium," says AudioNet's
president. The company drew 9,000 listeners last month when it
broadcast the first game of the American League Championship
Series. (Broadcasting & Cable 18 Nov 96 p76)
BIG SCREEN LAPTOPS STEAL THE SHOW
One of the big hits at the Comdex show last week were the "big
screen" laptop computers, sporting flat-panel LCDs measuring
13.3- to 14-inches. Digital Equipment Corp., NEC Computer
Systems, Compaq Computer, Toshiba, Sharp and Samsung all have
plans to roll out the larger screen models in the early part of
1997, resulting in significantly lower prices for the smaller-
screen laptops. "My forecast for 1997 is that you'll see a
significant increase in sales of laptops as they gain the larger
screens and can compete more functionally with desktops," says a
computer consultant. "And then you'll see the price of existing
laptops go way down." (InfoWorld Electric 18 Nov 96)
YEAR 2000 PROBLEM WILL CAUSE
LAWSUITS, BANKRUPTCIES
At a recent meeting sponsored by the Electronic Banking Economics
Society, one speaker predicted that a bankruptcy rate of between
1% and 5% could result directly from costs related to fixing the
notorious "Year 2000 Problem." "If you have not yet begun a Year
2000 conversion today, you will not be able to convert by 2000,"
he said, noting that there are only 150 weekends left to work on
systems affected by the problem. If companies choose to ignore
the problem, they'll be liable for millions in lawsuits brought
by shareholders when company stock prices begin to plummet.
Only one third of U.S. companies are addressing the problem,
with another third entering the preliminary discussion phase, and
the other third doing nothing. Still, that's better than the
rest of the world: "Britain is three steps behind the United
States on this issue, Europe about 10 steps behind the United
States on the issue, and Japan is about 15 steps behind the
United States on the issue," the consultant said. (BNA Daily
Report for Executives 20 Nov 96 A16)
THE NET'S IMPACT ON VOTER DECISIONS
An Election Day telephone poll of 1,030 voters contacted by
Worthlin Worldwide, a political consulting group, found that
about 9% of voters in the recent elections said that the Internet
influenced their choice of candidates. (Atlanta Journal-
Constitution 22 Nov 96 F2)
TAPSCOTT ON THE "N-GEN" (NET GENERATION) WORLD
Don Tapscott ("The Digital Economy") says that the importance of
brand names is the Catch- 22 of the culture shared by the
generation that has grown up the new digital media, especially
the Internet. "The contradiction is formed in the gradual shift
from broadcast dictatorship to interactivedemocracy. The brand
appears important for now as they still have the need to belong
to the familiar, but the axis of belonging is shifting. In
sales, as it is in education, increased interactivity equals
increased individualization. In the future you won't be cool
because you wear Gap jeans. You'll be cool if you wear jeans
I've never heard of" (Advertising Age 14 Oct 96 p31)
HELLO? IS THIS A COMPUTER?
DO I PLACE IT NEAR MY FACE?
Hudson Institute Fellow Mark Helprin thinks not. "Terrified lest
their children be computer illiterate, lemming parents have
pushed the schools into a computer frenzy in which they spend
years learning to use Windows and WordPerfect. This much like
'Sesame Street,' which, instead of waiting until a child is five
and teaching him to count in an afternoon, devotes thousands of
hours drumming it into him during his underdeveloped infancy. But
while numbers will remain the same, fifth-graders will, when
they get to graduate school, have no contact with Windows 95.
The 'teaching' of computer in the schools may be likened to a
business academy in the 1920s founded for the purpose of teaching
the telephone: 'When you hear the bell, pick up the receiver,
place it thusly near your face, and say 'Hello?'" (Forbes ASAP 2
Dec 96 p15)
DIGITAL TV ACCORD REACHED
The television and computer industries have reached a compromise
on technical standards for the new generation of digital TV
sets, smoothing the way for a transition to nationwide digital
TV service. The agreement failed to specify a video format, one
of the sticking points between the two industries, but instead
lets companies choose formats they think will best suit
consumers' needs. The agreement was hailed as a success by FCC
Chairman Reed Hundt who said it "eliminates needless government
regulation on technical issues better left to the marketplace."
Television makers have said the new sets could be in stores
within two years, priced at $1,500 to $3,000 each. (Wall Street
Journal 26 Nov 96 B10)
APEC SUPPORT (MORE OR LESS)
FOR INFO TECH FREE TRADE
At the conclusion of the APEC summit, the leaders of the APEC
(Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) countries have agreed to
support free trade for computers and other information
technology products, substantially reducing tariffs by the year
2000. President Clinton described the agreement as "a big deal,"
but Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore said the APEC
members can interpret it as "anything they want it to be" and
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia said the year 2000
deadline has no binding force. (Financial Times 26 Nov 96)
POWER TO BE
Power Computing, the largest maker of Macintosh clones, will
license the fast, simple operating system developed by Be, Inc.,
the Silicon Valley start-up company created by former Apple
executive Jean-Louis Gassee. Beginning in 1997 all Power
computers will be shipped with the BeOS operating system in
addition to the Mac operating system. This development will not
affect ongoing discussions between Apple and Be regarding a
possible acquisition or some other form of alliance with Be.
(New York Times 26 Nov 96 C4)
FCC DOES "TWO-STEP" DANCE
AGAINST PRICING CARTEL
The Federal Communications Commission will issue an order
intended to bring international phone rates closer to actual
phone-company costs. Foreign telephone companies currently
charge U.S. phone companies fees, which on average are 50% higher
than cost. The FCC plans to let American companies negotiate
fees with foreign carriers rather than rely on the present system
of government tariff agreements -- but permission to negotiate
will be granted only if the FCC determines that the foreign
carrier's country is open to competition. FCC Chairman Reed
Hundt says the order is "the first step in a two-step dance we're
doing that we hope will celebrate the end of the international
telephone pricing cartel." Next month the Commission plans to
set "benchmark" limits on what U.S. companies will pay foreign
carriers to complete calls. (Washington Post 26 Nov 96)
EXCITE TAKES OVER AS AOL SEARCH ENGINE
Excite Inc. will buy America Online's Internet directory for
about $15 million in stock, securing its position as AOL's only
search engine and acquiring an instant audience of more than 7
million. The move will give Excite's service the second largest
exposure on the Internet, after Netscape, according to PC-Meter,
an Internet measurement service. (Investor's Business Daily 26
Nov 96 A9)
INTRANETS ARE LIFELINE FOR SOME COMPANIES
Just a year or so after companies started using Web technology to
exchange information internally, intranets have taken hold, and
are transforming their organizations. Rockwell International
has created home pages for the plant's computer-controlled
machine tools and linked them to the company's intranet.
Quality-control managers can check the status of any machine by
calling up that page and seeing how many pieces the machine made
that day, what percentage of an order that represents, and how
the machine is performing. Human Genome Sciences, a genetic
research firm, uses its company intranet to process and transfer
information on DNA sequencing. "All the lab equipment is
connected to the network," says Mike Fannon, director of
bioinformatics. "We use the whole computational structure as a
research tool." (Information Week 18 Nov 96 p106)
NEW BORLAND CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Former Apple and Tektronix executive Delbert Yocam is the new
chairman and CEO of Borland International, the Scotts Valley,
California, company that became 3rd-largest software company by
selling spreadsheet, database, and other applications programs,
before refocusing two years ago on its software development tools
and database software for large organizations. The company has
been hurt by the increasing interest by programmers in Sun's
Java programming language, but Yocam says that "there are still
a lot of people enamored of Borland products." (New York Times
26 Nov 96 C1)
LIFE AFTER BELLCORE
Some industry watchers are wondering who'll take over the
standards-setting fun admirably executed by Bellcore all these
years, once it's acquired by SAIC. If nobody picks up the
reins, the nation's network could deteriorate over the next few
years, says a manager at Shiva Corp. "When you call California
and North Dakota answers the phone, there will be lots of
complaints." Although most observers think things won't get
quite that bad, there is general concern over the situation, and
some Bellcore insiders are hoping they'll be allowed to continue
their tradition as standards-setter for the industry: "If you
don't have someone writing standards, it's a problem, but that
problem is a business opportunity for us." (tele.com Nov 96 p26)
COMPUTER ATTACKS SHOW NEW PATTERNS
The major trends in computer break-ins involve denial of service
and data-driven attacks, says a Department of Justice lawyer.
Denial of service occurs when an attacker "bombs" an Internet
service provider with so many e-mail messages that the server
becomes overloaded and shuts down. Data-driven attacks occur
when a virus program is disguised as a data-only file. The file
can be hidden in a Java program on a Web page, and when a visitor
clicks on the site, he or she unwittingly downloads the virus.
A computer crime consultant with SAIC warns that these attacks
can be launched on an innocent party's Web server, but once that
happens, the server can become the subject of a wiretap and a
search warrant. "The title of your computer vests with the
government as soon as a hacker uses it to commit a crime," he
says . (BNA Daily Report for Executives 25 Nov 96 A20)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne
Douglas (douglas@educom.edu).
Voice: 404-371-1853, Fax: 404-371-8057.
Technical support is provided by the Office of Information
Technology,
University of North Carolina.
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
The CAUSE organization's annual conference on information
technology in higher education is scheduled for the end of this
month in New Orleans. The conference will bring together
administrators, academicians and other managers of information
resources. For full conference information check out
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Creative Technology NEWS STR Focus
Creative's New Sound Blaster AWE64 Line
Takes PC Audio Standard to the Next Level
New Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold Delivers Uncompromised Performance
For Professional-Quality PC Audio
COMDEX, Las Vegas, NV -- November 18, 1996 -- In line with its
strategy to continue offering solutions that raise the standard
for PC audio, Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF), today
introduced Sound Blasterr AWE64 GoldT, and Sound Blaster AWE64T -
- two new audio cards designed to dramatically increase the audio
performance of PCs. Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold is targeted at music
and audio enthusiasts, high-end gamers and consumers who demand
superior audio. Sound Blaster AWE64 is an advanced, value-priced
solution targeted at a broader base of home PC and corporate
users. The Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold, and Sound Blaster AWE64,
are priced at US$249, and US$199 respectively. They will be
available in January through Creative's extensive network of
retailers and distributors.
Sound Blaster AWE64 and AWE64 Gold
The new Sound Blasters deliver a powerful combination of audio
technology that provides a more flexible, professional-quality
audio solution while maintaining compatibility with all of the
previous Sound Blaster products -- Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster
Pro, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster 32 and Sound Blaster AWE32.
Creative is committed to ensuring compatibility with all of its
Sound Blaster products for the broadest possible software and
hardware support. Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold and AWE64 incorporate
64-note polyphony; professional-quality advanced wave-table from
E-mu Systems; SondiusT WaveGuide technology; SoundFont
technology; and 3D Positional Audio all combined to offer a
dynamic and more expressive audio experience. With the new AWE64
line, users and developers alike have a complete, richer, more
flexible suite of hardware and software for audio playback,
recording, composing and editing. The user is no longer limited
in their pursuit of uncompromised quality for the creation and
playback of audio that rivals what is produced in professional
recording studios.
The Technology
Creative's charter is to take very high-end audio technology and
make it accessible to the general consumer. The new cards build
on Creative's Sound Blaster audio standard and represent over a
decade of research and development from Creative and E-mu Systems
-- Creative's U.S. subsidiary known for its high-end professional
synthesizers. Creative is also the first company to take Sondius
WaveGuide technology -- a technology used in very high-end
professional products -- and deliver it in solutions for the
consumer PC market. Based on Acoustic Physical Modeling,
WaveGuide technology is a technique for efficiently simulating
the behavior of musical instruments. WaveGuide technology allows
instrument sounds to be reproduced with a precision that is more
natural and expressive.
"At Creative we're focused on making the PC a dynamic and ever-
more expressive tool capable of truly captivating the user and
enhancing creativity," said Dave Rossum, chief scientist at
Creative Technology. "With the AWE64 Gold, we pulled out all the
stops and designed a very powerful and easy to use audio card
that gives the user a phenomenal audio experience!"
Features and Benefits
The Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold and AWE64 incorporate Creative's
latest audio features and technologies:
ú 64-note polyphony from a single MIDI device for more
sophisticated compositions Upgradeable with up to 28MB of
additional memory for adding SoundFont banks
ú Advanced Wave Effects Synthesis with a patented multi-point
interpolation algorithm for smoother reproduction and minimal
distortion
ú SondiusT WaveGuide for precise mathematical modeling
resulting in highly expressive sound reproduction
ú Creative WaveSynth for software-based wave synthesis
ú 3D Positional Audio and spatialization for a more immersive
audio experience
ú Real-time digital effects and SoundFont downloadable samples
for flexibility and personalization of the audio experience
ú Full-duplex capability for Internet communications and
simultaneous playback and recording.
The Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold includes the following additional
features and benefits:
ú 4MB of RAM standard on the card for better quality MIDI
playback
ú 2MB, 3.5MB and 4MB General MIDI SoundFont banks for
expressivity and customization True digital output via a SPDIF
connector for the highest possible recording quality, digital
audio and MIDI
ú Gold plated RCA connectors for superior line level output
ú High-quality sound with the highest signal-to-noise ratio
and lowest total harmonic distortion of any Sound Blaster.
"The Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold is a result of Creative's pursuit
for uncompromised audio fidelity," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman
and CEO of Creative Technology Ltd. "With these new products, and
more to come, we expect a paradigm shift in the music creation,
publishing and distribution industry that will result in a
larger, expanded market."
The Complete Solution
The Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold, and Sound Blaster AWE64 include a
microphone and a complete suite of applications that provide
tools for recording, playback and customization. Creative also
includes a powerful combination of Internet applications for
browsing, streaming audio, Internet phone calls and conferencing.
These applications include Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
NetMeeting, Creative WebPhone and Progressive Network's RealAudio
Player. In addition, bundled in are two new titles that take
advantage of Creative's technology: Accolade's Eradicator, and
EA/Bullfrog's Magic Carpet 2.
AWE 64 FAQ
What is the Sound Blaster AWE64?
The Sound Blaster AWE64 is the next generation of the Sound
Blaster audio card providing 64 voice, true instrument
reproductions with new WaveSynth/WG and advanced wave-table
synthesis technology. With full-duplex hardware audio and 16-bit,
CD quality stereo recording and playback, your multimedia
experience has never been better. In addition to realistic
instrument sounds amplifying from your PC, you get 512K of
onboard memory for SoundFont and E-mu 3D positional audio
support. All this in an easy to install plug-n-play card and
exciting Internet software to surf and communicate on the World
Wide Web. The AWE64 is targeted at gamers, multimedia enthusiasts
and consumers who are looking for the latest technology and Sound
Blaster compatibility.
Is the AWE64 truly a 64 voice Sound Card?
The AWE64 achieves the 64 voice count through the combination of
E-mu's synthesizer (EMU8000) and the Creative WaveSynth/WG
synthesizer. Thus, 32 voices are hardware and 32 voices are
software. There are two perspectives to answering this question;
from a typical multimedia user's point of view and the musicians'
perspective:
For the typical users, one must first understand that it is not
possible to:
1. Play back a 64 voice MIDI file on a single sound board as
most of them can only handle 32 notes.
2. Even if combining a sound board with a daughter board such
Wave Blaster, a 64 voice file may only be played back on a MIDI
sequencer and not on a regular MIDI player such as the Creative
Ensemble MIDI player.
Multimedia / Typical User
With the AWE64, users can seamlessly create or listen to a 64
voice MIDI file using any Windows MIDI player (in addition to a
sequencer). During installation, the AWE64 installs a unique
driver that empowers the regular MIDI player with this
capability. Users need only assign the various instrument patches
to their favorite synthesizer in the Creative MIDI instrument
mapper to make this happen.
Musician
Today, a musician wanting to create a 64 voice music file can
only do so if he outputs his music through two separate
synthesizers using two MIDI ports. With the AWE64, the musician
need not buy two synthesizers to achieve a 64 voice count. The
AWE64 lets the musician allocate voices in one of two ways:
1. Allocate voices to specific MIDI channels using two seperate
MIDI ports or
2. Assign voices by MIDI patches (when mapped to a synthesizer
in the Creative MIDI Instrument Mapper)
What is Creative WaveSynth/WG?
Is it comparable to hardware Wave-table? Creative WaveSynth/WG
is a software-based wave-table synthesizer that is incorporated
into the Sound Blaster AWE64 family of sound cards. Like its
hardware counterpart, Creative WaveSynth/WG also produces high
quality music for Windows multimedia applications and games.
WaveSynth/WG is not only a software implementation of wave-table
synthesis. Creative WaveSynth/WG also includes another technology
called WaveGuide that makes its instruments more expressive than
those found in wave-table synthesizers. This technology uses a
new method of music reproduction called physical modeling.
Physical modeling builds mathematical models simulating actual
instruments, while taking into consideration the physics of sound
in that instrument. In doing so, the AWE64 offers instruments
that let musicians express themselves as if they are playing the
real instrument. The AWE64 family combines the best synthesizer
technologies today to achieve accuracy and fluency, and takes
advantage of these features where they are most appropriate.
While the Creative WaveSynth/WG is capable of producing quality
equivalent to some competitive wave-table cards, it can be
computationally intensive and memory hungry, like other software
wave-table synthesizers. Its playback can be effected when the
system's resources are occupied with processing of other similar
resource-hungry applications. This is not a problem given the CPU
power of PCs today and the very affordability of Pentium
computers.
The regular AWE (EMU8000) synthesizer, combined with Creative
WaveSynth/WG makes the AWE64 stand out in terms of quality,
expressive sound and sets the standard for 64 voice polyphony.
What is the CPU utilization when using WaveSynth/WG on the AWE64,
on say, a Pentium 133 or, will there be a noticeable slowdown
when playing a file with a large voice count?
Like all software wave-table synthesizer, several factors will
determine if there is a slow down:
1. Maximum polyphony at one time
2. Whether WaveGuide voices are involved (the more WaveGuide
instrument used, the more the CPU utilization)
3. Whether reverb is turned on
4. Whether the musician does real-time pitch-shifting using
pitch bend
To better manage the system's resources, the AWE64 comes with a
WaveSynth applet that lets you dynamically allocate memory to the
sound samples according to the required need. It is also tightly
integrated with the Windows Memory Manager to maximize the memory
size and manage the memory usage more effectively.
On average, usually 10-15% of the CPU power is used if a
moderately complicated MIDI file is played.
How is AWE64 comparable to AWE32+Creative WaveSynth/WG? What's
the difference? Or is the AWE64 a repackaged AWE32?
While the AWE64 may seem to look like a combination of an AWE32
and Creative WaveSynth/WG (since both has a 1 MByte ROM and
512KByte DRAM), the opposite is true. The AWE64 and the AWE32 are
two different boards in terms of design and architecture. Efforts
were made to improve the signal-to-noise ratio on the AWE64 to
enhance the audio quality. Another notable feature is that AWE64
no longer uses SIMM sockets but uses memory headers. The memory
modules will be available from Creative.
Why upgrade to AWE64?
Wave-table sound cards offer better quality MIDI music. Most
games and windows applications use MIDI (Musical Instrument
Digital Interface) to produce music that is played back by the
built-in synthesizer on a sound card. The quality of this built-
in synthesizer determines the quality of the MIDI music you hear.
Unlike regular cards which artificially create the sound of
instruments, wave-table cards use wave-table synthesis to record
the actual wave sample of real instruments which are then used to
generate high quality music.
The overall result is that the background music (and to a certain
extent, sound effects) that accompanies CD-ROM applications and
games sound much more pleasant and realistic.
The AWE64 and Windows 95
The AWE64, like its predecessor, offers features that other sound
cards do not offer. While it supports DirectSound, the AWE64 in
addition, allows the user to modify their General MIDI
synthesizer settings. General MIDI defines an instrument map of
128 instruments which all General MIDI devices comply to.
In simple terms, the AWE64 lets the user modify the synthesizer
to add more reverb and chorus effects. With the bundled editor
called Vienna SF studio, the instrument sounds can be tweaked to
add more flavor. Or even change it! If the user is tired of
hearing the same old sounds in Windows 95 games, new sounds can
be created with the synthesizer that consists of their favorite
instruments (that conforms to the GM standard).
The AWE64 also supports an important technology called SoundFont.
SoundFont basically allows the user to create or play back any
sample and turn it into a MIDI instrument. The result? Record
virtually anything and turn it into a musical instrument (or what
is called a SoundFont). The technology of SoundFont are flexible
when it is used in games or applications. For example, if a Win
95 game uses a SoundFont instrument that is a "Scream", there is
the flexibility of replacing the "Scream" with a different sound
of the user's choice.
Can I upgrade the AWE64 with additional RAM? What type of RAM
does it require?
Like the AWE32, the family of AWE64 cards can be upgraded with
additional RAM for downloading SoundFonts. Instead of using 30
pin SIMM's, the AWE64 requires memory modules that are available
from Creative.
Sound Blaster is a registered trademark and AWE32, AWE64, AWE64
Gold and Blaster are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. E-mu
is a registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc. Microsoft,
Windows and MS-DOS are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their
respective owners and are hereby recognized as such. Sondiusr
Sound Synthesis made under license from the Board of Trustees of
the Leland Stanford Junior University. "Sondiusr and the Sondiusr
symbol are trademarks of the Board of Trustees of the Leland
Stanford Junior University. This product contains one or more
programs under international and U.S. copyright laws as
unpublished works. They are confidential and proprietary to the
Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. There
reproduction or disclosure, in whole or in part, or the
production of derivative works therefrom without the express
written permission of the Board of Trustees of the Leland
Stanford Junior University is prohibited. Copyright 1992, 1993,
1994, 1995, 1996 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford
Junior University. All rights reserved.
Apple/Mac Section
John Deegan, Editor
Little Red Riding Hood
(Updated, Politically Correct, Lawyer
Polluted, Nineties Version)
There once was a young person named Little Red Riding Hood who
lived on the edge of a large forest full of endangered owls and
rare plants that would probably provide a cure for cancer if
only Congress would appropriate the money to study them.
Red Riding Hood lived with a nurture giver whom she sometimes
referred to as "mother," although she didn't mean to imply by
this term that she would have thought less of the person if a
close biological link did not in fact exist.
Nor did she intend to denigrate the equal value of nontraditional
households, although
she was sorry if this was the impression conveyed.
One day her mother asked her to take a basket of organically
grown
fruit and mineral water to her grandmother's house.
"But mother, won't this be stealing work from the unionized
people who have struggled for years to earn the right to carry
all packages between various people in the woods?"
Red Riding Hood's mother assured her that she had called the
union boss and gotten a special compassionate mission exemption
form.
"But mother, aren't you oppressing me by ordering me to do this?"
Red Riding Hood's mother pointed out that it was impossible for
women to oppress each other, since all women were equally
oppressed until all women were free.
"But mother, then shouldn't you have my brother carry the basket,
since he's an oppressor, and should learn what it's like to be
oppressed?"
And Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her brother was
attending a special rally for animal rights, and besides, this
wasn't stereotypical women's work, but an empowering deed that
would help engender a feeling of community.
"But won't I be oppressing Grandma, by implying that she's sick
and hence unable to independently further her own selfhood?"
Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her grandmother wasn't
actually sick or incapacitated or mentally handicapped in any
way, although that was not to imply that any of these conditions
were inferior to what some people called "health".
Thus Red Riding Hood felt that she could get behind the idea
of delivering the basket to her grandmother, and so she set off.
Many people believed that the forest was a foreboding and
dangerous place, but Red Riding Hood knew that this was an
irrational fear based on cultural paradigms instilled by a
patriarchal society that regarded the natural world as an
exploitable resource, and hence believed that natural predators
were in fact intolerable competitors.
Other people avoided the woods for fear of thieves and deviants,
but Red Riding Hood
felt that in a truly classless society all marginalized peoples
would be able to "come out" of the woods and be accepted as
valid lifestyle role models.
On her way to Grandma's house, Red Riding Hood passed a
woodchopper, and wandered
off the path, in order to examine some flowers.She was startled
to find herself standing before a Wolf, who asked her what was in
her basket.Red Riding Hood's teacher had warned her never to talk
to strangers, but she was confident in taking control of her own
budding sexuality, and chose to dialogue with the Wolf.
She replied, "I am taking my Grandmother some healthful snacks in
a gesture of solidarity."
The Wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little
girl
to walk through these woods alone."Red Riding Hood said, "I find
your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it
because of your traditional status as an outcast from society,
the stress of which has caused you to develop an alternative and
yet entirely valid world view.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to be on my way."Red
Riding Hood returned to the main path, and proceeded towards her
Grandmother's house.
But because his status outside society had freed him from slavish
adherence to linear, Western- style thought, the Wolf knew of a
quicker route to Grandma's house.
He burst into the house and ate Grandma, a course of action
affirmative of his nature as a predator.
Then, unhampered by rigid, traditionalist gender role notions, he
put on Grandma's nightclothes, crawled under the bedclothes, and
awaited developments.
Red Riding Hood entered the cottage and said, "Grandma, I have
brought you some cruelty free snacks to salute you in your role
of wise and nurturing matriarch."
The Wolf said softly, "Come closer, child, so that I might see
you."
Red Riding Hood said, "Goodness! Grandma, what big eyes you
have!"
"You forget that I am optically challenged."
"And Grandma, what an enormous, fine nose you have."
"Naturally, I could have had it fixed to help my acting career,
but I didn't give in
to such societal pressures, my child."
"And Grandma, what very big, sharp teeth you have!"
The Wolf could not take any more of these slurs, and, in a
reaction appropriate for his accustomed milieu, he leaped out of
bed, grabbed Little Red Riding Hood, and opened his jaws so wide
that she could see her poor Grandmother cowering in his belly.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Red Riding Hood bravely
shouted.
"You must request my permission before proceeding to a new level
of intimacy!"The Wolf was so startled by this statement that he
loosened his grasp on her.At the same time, the woodchopper burst
into the cottage, brandishing an ax.
"Hands off!" cried the woodchopper.
"And what do you think you're doing?" cried Little Red Riding
Hood.
"If I let you help me now, I would be expressing a lack of
confidence in my own abilities, which would lead to poor self
esteem and lower achievement scores on college entrance exams."
"Last chance, sister! Get your hands off that endangered species!
This is an FBI sting!" screamed the woodchopper, and when Little
Red Riding Hood nonetheless made a sudden motion, he sliced off
her head.
"Thank goodness you got here in time," said the Wolf.
"The brat and her grandmother lured me in here. I thought I was
a goner.""No, I think I'm the real victim, here," said the
woodchopper.
"I've been dealing with my anger ever since I saw her picking
those protected flowers earlier. And now I'm going to have such
a trauma. Do you have any aspirin?"
"Sure," said the Wolf.
"Thanks."
"I feel your pain," said the Wolf, and he patted the woodchopper
on his firm, well padded back, gave a little belch, and said,
"Do you have any Maalox?"
Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
In the News
7th Level Announces New Subsidiary
Dallas, TX - 7th Level announces the creation of Kids' World,
Inc., a subsidiary that will focus on educational products. This
will include 7th Level's current educational software lines
including the Great AdventureT series, the Virgil RealityT series
and the new Kids' WorldT Online service.
Kids' World Online will feature online games and interactive
educational cartoons. You can preview the site by visiting
http:www.kidsworld.com today.
Adobe Press Introduces `Kids Do the Web'
A new book from Adobe Press teaches children, parents and
teachers how children can get the most educational benefit from
browsing the Web and by creating their own Web pages. Kids Do
the Web also includes a list of cool sites to visit. It features
intricate details on how students created many award-winning
websites that are sure to spark creativity and interest in many
children.
Kids Do the Web is distributed by Macmillan Computer Publishing
USA at a retail cost of $25. For more information you can check
their website at http://www.mcp.com. For more information about
Adobe Systems Incorporated, you can browse their homepage at
http://www.adobe.com.
Davidson and Associates Ships Reading Blaster 2000
Reading BlasterT 2000 is the latest addition to the Blaster
series of educational software programs. It is designed for
children ages 6 to 9 and provides progressive challenges in
reading comprehension, vocabulary building and phonics. The
Blaster characters have been encouraging children to participate
in learning activities for over a decade.
The program features six activities, more than 2000 words, nine
levels of difficulty and 100 pages of challenging reading.
Arcade games provide a fun and enticing learning experience that
will keep kids coming back for more. Parents will appreciate the
Parents Tips and the program's parents options that allow the
tracking of the child's progress and allows emphasis to be placed
on building a particular reading skill.
Reading Blaster T 2000 is available now with an approximate
street price of $35 on a hybrid format CD-ROM for both Windows
and Macintosh computers. Consumers can call 1-800-545-7677 for
more information.
Reading BlasterT Jr. Brings Science to Youngsters
Davidson & Associates Inc. has just released Reading BlasterT
2000 to aid children in their never-ending quest to answer the
question "Why?" It features games, 3D graphics, animation, music
and humor to make an entertaining quest. The program also
features open-ended exploration activities that will allow
children to see the effects of certain actions.
The program has a space theme and the activities involve
collecting and sorting the discoveries made during a rocket
voyage. Reading BlasterT 2000 features progressive difficulty
levels, original music and a print kit. The program is available
now on a hybrid format CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh systems
and has an estimated street price of $35.
New Online Shopping Center for Children's Software and Toys
Kids Universe has created a new website that features the latest
and greatest in children's educational toys and software. It
even allows customers to create a Web page online. Visit
http://www.kidsuniverse.com for more details.
Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library 4
Hybrid CD-ROM
Ages 5-8
$29.95
The Learning Company
6493 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, CA 94555
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System
7.0.1
CPU: 386SX/33 CPU: 68030/25
HD Space: ? HD Space:
?
Memory: 4 MB, 8 MB for Win95 Memory: 4 MB
Graphics: 640 by 480 with 256 colors
Graphics: 256 colors, 13" monitor
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 8-bit Windows compatible card
Other: mouse
reviewed by Angelo Marasco
Well, it looks to me like The Learning Company has done it again.
Their latest addition to the age-sequenced Reader Rabbit series
is one great piece of software. Reader Rabbit's Reading
Development Library 4 is colorful, detailed, action-packed and
full of features.
Reading Development Library 4 is two feature-packed storybooks
with moving pictures that go along with the stories. The
storybooks feature two classic stories: King Midas and The Ugly
Duckling. When I first started this program, I was a little
disappointed that there are only two storybooks in it. That was
until I found out that each story is presented from three
different perspectives. One is the "classic version." The other
two are told from the perspectives of two of the characters in
the story. Together that gives you six different stories. The
stories told by the two characters are really quite different
while still being the same basic story. Children will learn how
perspective can change a story.
After selecting which version of the story you want, you can
choose whether you want to read the story with the storyteller or
have it read to you. Choose to have it read to you and the story
unfolds continuously without any need to intervene. The
animation above the text plays out in synch with the story as it
is read. The reader pauses in appropriate places and the
animation carries the story for a while, but the animation
doesn't just freeze while the storyteller reads. The animation
remains in action but the characters don't say anything. Choose
to read the story yourself and the program gives you two special
"extras" to reward your courage. The first is "Story Map." Here
you can put pieces of the story together in the order they belong
in, something like a puzzle made out of pieces of story. Another
option in Story Map is to match up the names with items that
appear in the story.
The second extra is "Express It." Here you will help Sam the
Lion, one of the storytellers, to write a letter to one of the
main characters in the story. To write the letter you fill the
blank in each sentence with one of three choices. The choice you
make will determine which of several sentences the program will
choose to use next. By doing this the program does a really good
job of keeping the theme of the letter from wandering all over
the place. Plus, each letter you help Sam to write is different
from the last. I tried writing several letters in a row and they
were never the same.
What I found really surprising and delightful is that after Sam
mails the letter, he gets a letter back from the character he
wrote to! They're wonderful letters, too. This program is just
full of surprises.
Graphics are sharp and colorful. The text is highlighted as the
storyteller reads the story and that helps younger children to
keep track of what is being read to them. The words are
highlighted while the words are spoken which helps to give
children a feel for cadence and emphasis.
Just as in other programs I have reviewed by The Learning
Company, the mouths of the characters form the sounds they are
speaking. I really appreciate the great amount of work that it
must take to accomplish this. The drawback is that the animation
sometimes lagged behind the sounds. This was disappointing.
Maybe it's because I tested this software on a 486SX/33.
Hopefully, things sync up better on faster machines.
The graphics are cartoon-like in their quality. I don't know if
this is good or bad, but it surely is impressive. Combine that
with a lack of delays and you come up with a program that is
really delightful to watch. Sounds are all of the highest
quality. The music is pleasant. The voices are well done,
clear, easy to understand and full of life.
Interface is excellent. You maneuver through the entire program
with single clicks of the mouse button. All selections are large
and easy to target. "POP," the Program Options Pad, is always
available for going back to the sign-in screen or changing
settings (although it is seldom needed). Play value is also
excellent. Getting caught up in Reading Development Library 4 is
very easy for anyone because there is so much to do. You can
read, play games or write letters. There is a lot to do here.
Educational value is also excellent. This program will help kids
learn how to read while also teaching a myriad of other things
such as story structure, cadences, perspective, vocabulary, etc.
Each story begins with a list of words that the reader will come
across in the story. Those readers that are interested can watch
for those words to come up. I simply cannot list all the reading
skills this program teaches young readers.
The retail price of Reading Development Library 4 is $29.95. I'm
sure you can find it for a bit less than that, but even at $29.95
I am comfortable recommending this program. It is packed with
features and options that make it well worth the price.
Overall, Reading Development Library 4 is a real winner. I'm
glad to have it in my collection and it will make an excellent
addition to yours.
Special Notice!! STR Infofile File format for Articles
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to be used. Please use proportional fonting only and at eleven
points.
ú No Indenting on any paragraphs!!
ú No Indenting of any lines or "special gimmickery"
ú No underlining!
ú Columns shall be achieved through the use of tabs only. Or,
columns in Word format. Do NOT use the space bar.
ú No ASCII "ART"!!
ú There is no limits as to size, articles may be split into
two if lengthy
ú Actual Artwork should be in GIF, PCX, JPG, TIF, BMP, WMF
file formats
ú Artwork (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.)should be sent along
with the article separately
ú Please use a single font only in an article. TTF CG Times
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If there are any questions please use either E-Mail or call.
On another note. the ASCII version of STReport is fast
approaching the "end of the line" As the major Online Services
move away from ASCII.. So shall STReport. All in the name of
progress and improved readability. The amount of reader mail
expressing a preference for our Adobe PDF enhanced issue is
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ascii readers have nothing to worry themselves about.
Many grateful thanks in advance for your enthusiastic co-
operation and input.
Ralph F. Mariano, Editor
STReport International Online Magazine
Monster 3D STR Focus Diamond Multimedia does it again!
Arcade games?
Dedicated game consoles?
Who needs them!
Monster 3D brings the arcade into your PC with blistering, in-
your-face 3D graphics. 3D graphics for games and games only.
Based on the state-of-the-art 3Dfx Voodoo 3D accelerator, Diamond
Multimedia's Monster 3D works with your existing graphics card to
transform your ordinary, unassuming computer into a monstrous
gaming machine. Monster 3D will transform any Direct 3D game for
Windows 95 into a reality all its own.
Using the supplied pass through cable, Monster 3D patiently waits
for your normal VGA card to finish it's boring word processor
jobs. Then, when you are ready for a heart pounding adrenaline
rush, start a Direct 3D game or a DOS game accelerated for 3Dfx,
and your PC roars to life in a blitz of color, motion and depth.
Monster 3D is THE fastest 3D accelerator available!
Finally, Arcade quality performance for your PC. Diamond
Multimedia brings it to you with Diamond Monster 3D. Based on
the on 3Dfx VooDoo Graphics chipset, Diamond Monster 3D sets the
new standard for affordable, real-time, full screen 3D rendering
on personal computers. Designed for compatiblity and
flexibility, Diamond Monster 3D, it works with your current VGA
accelerator. Using pass-through technology, the PCI bus based
Diamond Monster 3D, provides outstanding 3D without the need to
replace your current 2D graphics solution.
Monster 3D is the fastest performing Microsoft Windows '95
Direct3D accelerator available with equally high-performance 3D
in DOS. Full-featured 3D graphics brings games to life at over 30
frames per second, with action so real that, if you don't watch
out the Monster `3D' will get you!!!
ú Works with Your Existing Graphics Card
ú Accelerates all Direct3D Games
ú Provides state-of-the-art 3D Features
ú Easy Pass-through Installation
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
Controller:
3Dfx Interactive Voodoo Graphics
Bus Type:
PCI 2.1 Compliant
Memory Configuration:
ú 4mb EDO DRAM
1. 2MB Frame Buffer for additonal resolutions and Z-buffer
2. 2MB for Texture Memory
Horizontal Sync Signals:
ú 31.5kHz - 81.5kHz
Vertical Refresh:
ú 43.5Hz - 120Hz
Maximum Dot Clock Rate:
ú 135MHz Standard
Connectors:
ú DB-15 with DDC support
ú VGA DB-15 pass through connector
MINIMUM SYSTEM CONFIGURATION:
ú Pentium PCI based system
ú PCI 2.1 compliant motherboard and available slot.
ú VGA display adapter (Windows accelerator recommended)
ú MS-DOS 5.0 or later.
ú CD-ROM Drive
ú 8Mb System Memory
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION:
ú Pentium-Class Processor, with PCI System Bus
ú 16Mb or More System Memory
SOFTWARE DRIVERS AVAILABLE:
ú Windowsr 95
All trade names referenced are the service mark, trademark, or
registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. Diamond
reserves the right to change specifications without notice.
Microsoft, Direct3D, Windows NT and Windows are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the US and/or
other countries. Monster 3D and NetCommander are trademarks of
Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc., and Supra is a registered
trademark of Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. All other
trademarks referenced are the service mark, trademark, or
registered trademark of their respective manufacturers. The
statements made herein regarding the availability of the Monster
3D are forward looking statements and actual results could
differ materially due to successful delivery of board components
and completion of quality assurance testing.
Gaming & Entertainment Section
with Atari User Support
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Burp!
Excuse me, but I really needed that! I've opened up a few
notches on the belt and I'm getting ready to stretch out and
relax. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday; I know
that I did. The in-laws are long gone and I started picking at
the leftovers already! That second slab of pumpkin pie was
delicious, but I'm starting to burst at the seams...
What a great holiday. It's really a great time to sit back and
contemplate all of the good things we all have to be grateful.
Our family and loved ones, friends, our health, and much more.
For me personally, all of the above. Plus, I'm really glad that
I still have my friends who still enjoy similar interests,
including working with Atari computers. I know, it sounds crazy;
but this is an Atari column after all! Whatever else you may
say, Atari computers are still fun to use and useful for many
things. There are also the memories.
I could go on, but you all know what I'm talking about. It's
been a short week and a lot of activity getting prepared for the
holiday. So, in order to give you, and me, another opportunity
to raid the fridge for some more leftovers, we'll make it short
this week.
Until next time...
GEMvelope 2.96 STR Infofile
From: Jeffrey Krzystow <cysco@tyrell.net>
GEMvelope 2.96
Finally, quick and easy printing of envelopes on your printer!
GEMvelope allows you to print envelopes on almost any printer.
Laser (and most other) printers will not feed an envelope so that
you may print across it. GEMvelope solves this problem allowing
you to print even legal size envelopes on virtually all laser
printers and dot matrix printers. GEMvelope was developed to
work hand in hand with most word processors and databases to
provide a complete solution.
GEMvelope Features:
ú Import allows extracting an address from a letter in almost
any work processor format (or from the GEM/Atari clipboard).
ú Mail merge/browse allows printing one or many envelopes with
an address imported from a database file such as CardFile by
Gribnif Software.
ú Adjustable positioning for different size envelopes.
ú Load-able and save-able addresses and configurations.
ú POSTNET bar code printing for speeding your mail. (Will also
save two cents per letter on the future according to the United
States Post Office).
ú A desk accessory version ideal for using from within program
like Tracker/ST.
ú GEMvelope uses GDOS and includes FontGDOS with drivers for
the following printers: Atari SLM804/605, HP Laserjet
compatibles, HP DeskJet, Epson FX80/LX compatible 9 pin,
Epson/Panasonic compatible 24 pin, NX1000, Okimate 20.
ú Includes Swiss, Dutch, and Typewriter fonts. Fully
compatible with scalable and bit-mapped GDOS fonts.
ú Compatible with all Atari ST(e)/Mega ST(e)/TT/Falcon030
computers with 1 megabyte of RAM. Atari SLM laser printers
require 2 megabytes of RAM.
Purchasing and Upgrade information:
New owners: $30.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.
CardFile 4 owners: $20.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.
Please send original CardFile 4 disk. The disk will be returned
with your GEMvelope package.
From previous versions: $5.00 plus $1.00 shipping and handling.
This includes versions by Synergy Software.
Please include your original disk.
If you would like a printed manual add $5.00 plus $2.00 shipping
and handling.
BRiSK Software
8702 Switzer Road
Overland Park, KS 66214-1924
(913) 541-0311 phone/fax
Internet Email: cysco@tyrell.net -or- J.KRZYSZTOW@genie.com
GEnie Email: J.KRZYSZTOW
World Wide Web: http://www.tyrell.net/~cysco/brisk.htm?z
(C) 1996 BRiSK Software
List of new features and problems corrected in GEMvelope 2.96
1) Under Geneva, it is now possible to get to the other windows
as well as GEMvelope's menu.
2) When pasting from the clipboard, if the last line doesn't
end with the carriage-return line-feed sequence, the last
character will no longer be entered twice.
3) Can now be setup with the Install Application feature of
most Desktops (including Atari's built-in Desktops). The
extension to use for the desktop should be GLP. Please consult
your user manual for the Desktop you are using for instructions
on how to Install Application.
4) With Cursor to Address selected, the cursor will go to the
first line of the address instead of the Return Address. This
feature is saved into the GLP file, so you must load, set the
option, and save any GEMvelope GLP you wish this option to be
enabled for.
5) Added a Clear button to clear the address or the return
address. If the cursor is in the return address, it is cleared,
and the cursor goes to the first line of the return address. If
the cursor is in the address, it is cleared, and the cursor goes
to the first line of the address.
6) When deselecting Print Return Address, if the cursor is in
the return address it will be moved to the first line of the
address. If the cursor is already in the address, it will not
move.
7) Changed all the arrows used to change the various offsets to
either a plus or a minus, depending on whether the value will
increment (+) or decrement (-).
8) Added a communication protocol for other programs to
communicate with GEMvelope. This has been added to Gribnif's
CardFile as of version 4.08.
9) When pasting, GEMvelope will paste in the return address, if
the cursor is in the return address, or it will paste in the
address, if the cursor is in the address.
10) All menu items under Edit are now functional.
ú Copy will copy either the return address or the address
based on the cursor position, to the clipboard. This makes it
possible to get addresses out of GEMvelope.
ú Cut will copy either the return address or the address
based on the cursor position, to the clipboard. This makes it
possible to get addresses out of GEMvelope. Then, whatever was
copied to the clipboard will be cleared and the cursor will be
placed on the first line.
ú Paste will paste in the return address if the cursor is in
the return address or it will paste in the address if the cursor
is in the address. This works like the Paste button.
ú Delete will clear the address or the return address. If the
cursor is in the return address, it is cleared, and the cursor
goes to the first line of the return address. If the cursor is in
the address, it is cleared, and the cursor goes to the first
line of the address. This works like the Clear button.
TRADEMARKS: ATARI ST, MEGA, STE, TT, and TOS are trademarks of
registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. GEM and GEM Desktop
are trademarks of registered trademarks of Digital Research Inc.
All other brand and product names mentioned are trademarks of
their respective holders and are acknowledged.
Entertainment Section
Nintendo News! Bubsy 3D!
Tobal 1 Does Battle!
And more....
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
I talked enough turkey above so I'll dispense with more. It's
been a fairly quiet news week. The bit of Jaguar news out there
tells us that Breakout 2000 and Towers II are delayed a few more
days before they'll start shipping. Jaguar owners having to face
delays? Gee, what a novel occurrence!
My impression is that these games are going to be short on
supply. It's still a battle to get a review copy of each from
Telegames word is that there are few eeproms available. It's my
guess that we'll have to wait for production copies - if I read
between the lines from my latest communications from Telegames.
I should have better news sometime next week.
Meanwhile, the "official" holiday shopping season starts today
and there should be plenty of games, for other systems other than
the Jaguar and Nintendo 64, to go around. Enjoy them.
Until the next time...
Industry News STR Game Console News The Latest Gaming News!
Nintendo Says US Dominance Regained
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1996 NOV 22 (Newsbytes) -- By Martyn Williams.
Despite launching a next generation games console a year after
its competitors, and extra competition in the video console
market, Nintendo said it has attained a 62 percent share of the
next generation games console market in the United States. The
data, which the company admits is based on its own data, covers
the first six weeks during which the Nintendo 64 was on sale.
During the period sales of the system were strong due to its long
awaited appearance. While not enough to support a claim of market
dominance in the long term, it shows the company has proved many
of its critics wrong who said the delays in launch would mean low
sales for the company.
The company sold 750,000 units in the United States since it
launched the Nintendo 64 on September 30, over a year after Sony
launched its PlayStation on September 9, 1995. First to market in
the US, and Japan, was Sega which launched its Saturn system in
May 1995.
In total the company said it has sold 2 million units in Japan
and the US. This makes Japanese sales of 1,250,000 units since
it's June launch. To keep up demand Nintendo is now concentrating
on offering new software titles for the system. Over 40 new games
are currently on show at "Shoshinkai," a Tokyo exhibition of
Nintendo related software and hardware.
The company also said Time Magazine had named the Nintendo 64 its
"1996 Machine of the Year," a category that covers the entire
consumer electronics industry. Nintendo said the magazine judged
its console, "has done to video-gaming what the 707 did to air
travel."
Move Over 2D Arcade Games, Bubsy's Back in 3D!
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (Nov. 25) BUSINESS WIRE -Nov. 25, 1996--Jump,
fly, climb,run, warp, swim and glide as Bubsy Bobcat, Accolade's
wise-cracking star of the Bubsy series, returns in his latest
adventure, Bubsy 3D. Bubsy 3D, which starts shipping this week,
is the first and only true 3D action platform game on the
PlayStation.
"Bubsy 3D has more levels, environments, puzzles, animations,
characters, moves, and gameplay experiences than any other game
of its kind," said Jim Barnett, CEO of Accolade. "With over 80
hours of gameplay, it's certain to be a favorite for the holiday
season." Bubsy 3D takes place on the planet Rayon to which
Bubsy has been abducted. In order to finish the game, Bubsy must
travel through six worlds and 16 huge levels filled with 24
challenging enemies, while collecting his lost rocket parts!
Bubsy runs, jumps, swims, flies and soars through a variety of
land, air and sea levels, all in true 3D. There are 64 hidden
areas,six bonus levels and four bosses for players to encounter
along the way.
Bubsy 3D offers a cartoon-rich, "go anywhere" 3D environment with
unlimited camera angles. All of Bubsy 3D's enemies are also
rendered in true 3D. Not available in any other PlayStation
platform game, Bubsy 3D offers a one-of-a-kind, first-ever two-
player experience. By using a "deathmatch" style of play,
players can compete against one another in five speciallevels.
Bubsy 3D will be available this week for the Sony PlayStation
game console at an estimated street price of $59.95.
Mad Catz Receives Sony License for Its
Analog Steering Wheel for PlayStation
San Diego, CA, November 1996- Mad Catz, Inc. announces Sony
Computer Entertainment has officially licensed the Mad Catz
Analog Steering Wheel for the Sony PlayStation. The Mad Catz
Analog Steering Wheel is the only true analog steering wheel
designed with a circular rotating range of 270 degrees. For an
incredible driving experience, the Mad Catz Steering Wheel
includes True Analog Brake and Accelerator pedals, 8 Activator
Buttons, a Stick Shift for ac
tion moves and a Directional pad.
Rubber Feet on the base of the steering wheel and the foot petals
prevent sliding. For aggressive players the Analog Steering
Wheel includes suction cups too.
The Analog Steering Wheel adds a new dimension of control and
realism to PlayStation racing and flight games. The present list
of games that recognize the analog wheel are: Ridge Racer, Ridge
Racer Revolution, Ridge Rave, Need for Speed, Wipeout, Wipeout
XL,Cyber Sled, Air Combat, Formula 1, Monster Truck, Andretti,
Die Hard Trilogy, Destruction Derby 2, Hardcore 4*4, Starblade
Alpha, NASCAR racing. ....More on the way.
The suggested retail price is $69.99 and is available at all fine
retail stores throughout the U.S. Mad Catz's goal is to design
and manufacture the highest quality products while remaining the
low price leader.
www.madcatz.com
for sales: sales@madcatz.com
for technical: tech@madcatz.com
PlayStation Competition Brings "Tobal No. 1"
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (Nov. 27) BUSINESS WIRE -Nov. 27,
1996-PlayStation goes head to head with World Championship
Wrestling in national tournament. Savage skills, brute
strength, hand-to-hand combat requiring monster power and agility
-- prowess in the fighting arena where only the strongest
survive. Is this an in-your-face brawl between World
Championship Wrestling superstars like Hulk Hogan and Randy
"Macho Man" Savage, or is it a match from "Tobal No. 1," the new
3-D fighting game created by Squaresoft exclusively for the
PlayStation game console? Actually, it's both.
Sony Computer Entertainment America and WCW are teaming up in an
exciting competitive promotion titled, "WCW/PlayStation
Tournament of Champions," which features "Tobal No. 1," the new
brawler for the PlayStation game console. "At the core of the
promotion is a nationwide sweepstakes in which consumers will
have the opportunity to compete in the ultimate
PlayStation/Tobal No. 1 challenge," said Jeffrey Fox, senior
director, public relations and promotions, Sony Computer
Entertainment America. "At the 'Tournament of Champions,'
contestants will engage their fellow finalists in virtual combat
to determine the ultimate victor in 'Tobal No. 1'."
Interested participants will have the opportunity to enter the
drawing for the "WCW PlayStation Tournament of Champions" by
submitting entry forms at local WCW wrestling events where
PlayStation game console kiosks will offer hands-on sampling of
the "Tobal No. 1" game. Consumers can also enter by watching
participating Turner Broadcast networks for information on how to
write-in and win, or by entering either through the WCW Web site
at www.wcwwrestling.com or the PlayStation Web site at
www.sony.com.
Ten lucky winners and their guests, drawn at random from a
national pool of entries, will be flown to San Francisco for the
WCW SuperBrawl event on Feb. 23, 1997. In addition to the all-
expense paid trip, each national dinner will receive a
PlayStation game console, plus PlayStation and WCW branded
premiums. The grand prize winner will receive a Sony camcorder,
a library of 10 PlayStation titles and a private lunch with a
member of the world famous WCW team.
"Tobal No. 1" is one of the most complex winner-takes-all
fighting games in the video game arena. This title marks
Squaresoft's first venture into the "fighting" world. "Tobal No.
1" features a full 360-degree movement Battle System which allows
gamers to have absolute control within a 3-D environment,
offering a full range of motions and the ability to attack
opponents from all angles. The game's unique Grappling technique
redefines the meaning ofhand-to-hand combat that enhances the
tournament's physical nature, as competitors head-butt, body slam
and knee bash their way to the championship title.
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
Compiled by Joe Mirando
CIS ID: 73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, I did it again this year...
I gorged myself on turkey and all the trimmings (I just love
turkey! The trimmings you kind of have to eat to keep from
hurting anyone's feelings <grin>) and now I sit here feeling like
I'm going to explode. Oh well, I'll feel better tomorrow. Then I
can start on cold turkey sandwiches and turkey soup and hot open-
faced turkey sandwiches (or just 'turkey-face' sandwiches, as my
youngest sister used to call them when she was younger)... and,
well, you get the idea.
I hope that your Thanksgiving Day was special or, at least, safe.
It seems that every year during the holidays I see more and more
people on the road that really shouldn't be. I'm not talking
about people who are driving under te influence of alcohol or
some psycho-active chemical, I'm talking about people just plain
not paying attention to what they, or anyone else, are doing.
Please, please, please, for the next four weeks or so pay
attention not only to what you are doing, but to what the other
guy is doing as well. We'll all be a lot happier if you do.
Well, I'll jump down off of my soapbox now and get to all the
news, hints, tips, and info available every week right here on
CompuServe.
From the Atari Computing Forums
Gene Douglass asks for tech info:
"I have an Atari 8 bit system, and I want to upgrade my monitor
and set up a Pentium system to run next to it, are there any
high quality SVGA Monitors that can also hook up separated video
Chroma-Lumina, sound to it as well as the Pentium, I want to run
both systems on the same monitor with just the flick of a
switch. Thanks very much. I have no room on my desk for another
monitor. I plan on getting a Tower Pentium to go under my desk."
Albert Dayes tells Gene:
"The only monitors I can think of are the multi-media type which
accept composite video as input in addition to RGB. They usually
cost quite a bit and usually only support 640 x 480 resolution
on the computer side which is usually not acceptable in most
situations. You look at multi-media monitors from Sony,
Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Philips, for those type of features. The
other issue is these monitors are usually are very high
priced...Another method you might consider is a TV/card for the
PC which can accept composite video as input. Then you can run
composite video in a window on your PC."
Last week, Mark Showalter asked:
" Two other questions:
1: How do I set up LOGIN.SCR for TYMNET? This under the LOGIN VIA
on the config set-up screen. I treid this before w/o this
option, but couldn't find any way to make the necessary modem
changes, as in 8/n/1 from 7/e/1 from accessing TYMNET.
2: Is there a particular editor to use for the editor option? I
would like to be able to write all my e-mail & post messages
offf-line, then let ol' QUICKCIS do it's stuff. Is this
possible?"
Our friend Myles Cohen tells Mark:
"I am unable to answer [about TYMNET] since I have never had the
need...I was under the impression that this was covered in the
program docs...but if not...suggest that you contact Jim Ness
again... Particular editor? Absolutely...Right now I use
EDITPLUS 3.13 which was formerly known as EDHAK in previous
versions...and a usable (with QuickCIS) demo can be downloaded
from CIS...Look for EDITPLUS or EDHAK... Another program that
improves the ease of use of QCIS is QCMSG 2.41a. It is another
program that can be downloaded from these LIBS on CIS... If you
are not using version 1.72 Beta 3 of QuickCIS...I suggest you
download and use that..."
Alvin Baligad tells Myles:
"Thank you for the info...Is this in the library now? Does it
allow graphic interface with CServe that the other guys have?
Or is it still ASCII? Sorry for all the Q's, but this is the
first time I"ve heard of this and I am very interested.... Is
the ATari Web browser in the library, too?"
Myles tells Alvin:
"Yes...But since CIS adopted new protocols, it takes a few work
arounds to get it working up to snuff...For instance: I have to
load in a special MAIL.CNF file with just one Section in it
(MAIL)...because once it visits MAIL, QuickCis will just hang
there and not go on to the other sections in the CNF file...the
nice thing is that QCIS allows you to load in different CNF
files...You may not know what I am talking about but perhaps this
clue might be of help to others who are having the problem...
Another work-around that I have to sometimes do when there are
files to be downloaded that have those long names...is to load
the FILES.LST into a word processor after I have chosen the ones
I want and type the names in correctly and then save it back to
my SUPPORT file before I try to download...else I get the unable-
to-find message... Still only ASCII but it does do that
beautifully...
Web Browser? I think so...but I don't know if it is perfected
yet...I think my very good friend, Joe Mirando, has been fooling
around with that...and can tell you more...I'm sure he'll be
reading this and will give you a reply... What I do know is
that there seems to be a new version coming out every six
minutes and that the configuration is a royal pain..."
You know, Thanksgiving has always been a special holiday for me.
It's the holiday when you get to see old friends and relatives.
It is especially fitting then that Myles' post appears in this
issue, since I consider him one of my best online friends. I do,
as Myles said, find the message and reply:
"...You are quite correct about the current incarnations of the
web browsers available right now... they are a royal pain. In
the first place, none of them now support a PPP connection, and
a PPP connection is exactly what you need to surf the web
CompuServe-style. One of them does allow a workaround, but you
must use MiNTnet instead of TOS. This is a first- class pain to
use and slows the system down by a noticeable amount. In short,
none of the currently available browsers is a really good bet
right now. The program you mentioned that seems to have a new
configuration coming out every six minutes is CAB (Crystal Atari
Browser).. I can only assume that they picked the name because,
if you don't handle it just right, it'll shatter! <grin>
There is one bright spot however. Oxo Concept of Switzerland is
now promoting their program, WebMaster, which is supposed to
work on any Atari ST(e)/TT/Falcon with one meg or more of
memory. There is a demo available, but it is compiled for 68030
processors only (TT and Falcon). This move didn't make sense to
me, so I sent email to the authors to ask why the put out a demo
for 68030s instead of 68000 CPUs. The TT and Falcon would be able
to make use of the same 68000 version that would enable the rest
of us to check it out. I've received no answer from them yet,
and to be honest, I don't expect to. I've sent them several
pieces of email since they announced WebMaster and have not
received a reply to any of them.
If anyone else would like to check out the demo I can upload it
here, or if you have access to the web elsewhere you can get it
from the CNAM.FR FTP site (FTP.CNAM.FR). Their web address is:
http://www.oxo.ch The primary page is in french, but there is a
link to take you to an english version burried in the "products"
page. I _will_ keep everyone informed of any progress that I
hear about, so if you don't hear from me and wonder if you missed
it, drop me email and ask!
There are also one or two north american developers that I've
tried to interest in disigning a web browser for the ST, but
it's a huge undertaking and very few developers have the
manpower to put into a project like this... But I'm still
hammering at them anyway! <grin>"
Jonathan Moberly asks for internet/Atari help:
"We are trying to get a Mega4 running with some basic internet
software. The problem is, we have no way of getting even basic
COMMS software into the machine except via floppy disc. We can
get the COMMS software from the internet. But we can only access
the internet to do this via a MAC or a PC. So we want to
download the Mega4-ST compatible COMMS software from the
internet onto the MAC or PC and then transfer it via floppy disc
to the Mega4. This means EITHER the Mega4 should read MAC or PC
floppies, OR the MAC or PC should be able to format and write to
ST-TOS format. We do not think that the Mega4 will read MAC or
PC (although we are still testing this - maybe there is a way
built into the OS??). So... does anyone here know of any
software for the MAC or PC that can read/write/format for the
ST???"
Myles Cohen tells Jonathan:
1. Format a 720K disk on your PC...
2. Copy the files to that disk..
3. Now use that disk to move files between your PC and your
Atari..."
That's right folks, it's as simple as that.
Now Jack Hughes asks for info on file transfer errors:
"Attempts to d/l a rather large file today have consistently been
plagued with CRC errors. Four on the ~ 700000 byte file. And
of course it would not unzip! Am I correct in assuming that it
is phone line noise that is the problem? or is it a problem with
the file? The errors do not occur at the same place in the
file. For the record it is the CAB file, WWW130.ZIP @ 700416
bytes. My understanding of error correction is that the modem
did that. Maybe not. I have a Cardinal 14.4 which I think
supports V.42."
Albert Dayes asks Jack:
" I assume you are using STZIP v2.06 to unzip the file? What
protocol are you using? I assume compuserve B+?"
Jack tells Albert:
"I am using STZIP v2.06, but Y-modem. Have to do some study to
get B+ going. Is it faster?"
Albert replies:
"I have found CIS B protocol to be more reliable than the others
on Compuserve. It seems very fast for what I need it for. I
have not compared the different protocols except for ones that
did not cause me too many errors. I have not had any problems
except for minor ones that
were user error."
Sysop Jim Ness adds this bit about error correction:
"The modem does error correction, but only if your modem and
CompuServe's agree to do so. Sometimes, noise is bad enough
that the modem's can't negotiate properly. Depending on your
modem's command set, there is usually a command that requires
error correction, or no connection. That's the way mine is set
up. In my case, I would put \N2 in the init or dial string."
Dan Parrish tells Jack:
"If I am not mistaken (from what I remember) using CIS B+ with
Stalker is the easiest thing in the world. It is built into
Stalker (for all practical purposes that is). I believe you just
need to click on CIS B+ and Z-modem. and the rest is
automatic. Also, I believe for the CIS B+ download it will
automatically set your on-line session at 8N1 if you aren't using
that configuration already. But switch over to CIS B+ and try
again. Also the Stalker manual is quite good with explaining
those things."
Well folks, that's it for this week. I think I'm going to
hit the kitchen and see if there's anything to eat like
maybe....TURKEY! <grin> C'mon back next week, same time, same
station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
IT'S THE HOLIDAY SEASON. USE A DESIGNATED DRIVER!
THEY REALLY ARE LIFESAVERS!!
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Since 1987 Copyrightc1996 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1248
