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Silicon Times Report Issue 1315
Silicon Times Report
"The Original Independent OnLine Magazine"
(Since 1987)
April 11, 1997 No.1315
Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
R.F. Mariano, Editor
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04/11/97 STR 1315 Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary 1987-97!
- CPU Industry Report - HR 400 Inventor Terror! - Oakland Hills Here!
- Who's ClubWin? - Compaq Buys Microcom - Newton sees Sunlight
- Visa's "InfoMoney" - MS buys WebTV - New Color PC V-Cam
- Calamus Re-Birth - People Talking - Classics & Gaming
Motorola Ships 300 MHz CPU
Apple Ships Mac OS 7.6.1
AOL Offers MORE Refunds
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The Publisher, Staff & Editors
1987-1997
Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35
Results: 04/05/97: 3 of 6 numbers, 1 three number match
From the Editor's Desk...
Its been a hectic week, the new stuff coming down the pike is amazing.
There's an article in this week's issue that spotlights an old familiar
name that was the mainstay, if not one of the very best programs, on a now
dead platform. The resurrection or, should I more appropriately say, the
migration and complete re-write from the paper on up to the final code has
produced what promises to be a real show stopper. This program had all the
bells and whistles in the world of DTP before it was chic to do so. Its
name you say? Well, that's easy! One word sums it up for many of our
readers CALAMUS. Yes folks its back and I might add back with a vengeance.
This puppy is soon to be blazing new trails for even the old favorites to
learn from. Read about its plans both for now and the future right here in
STReport. For this old friend, I see nothing but the brightest futures.
ClubWin, a volunteer arm of Microsoft Corp., has been revamped and is
now wearing a brand new suit. One that will offer the very finest on
support for both Win95 etc., and NT users around the world. Known for its
excellent support of Win95 users in the past, ClubWin is now ready to
tackle its calling with great enthusiasm. ClubWin folks are found most
anywhere online and in particular at www.clubwin.com and news.clubwin.com.
No finer support can be found anywhere. Need help? Try them you will not be
disappointed.
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STReport's managing editors DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Publisher, Editor
Dana P. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs
Section Editors
PC Section Mac Section Shareware Listings
R.F. Mariano Help Wanted Lloyd E. Pulley
Classics & Gaming Kid's Computing Corner
Dana P. Jacobson Frank Sereno
STReport Staff Editors
Michael R. Burkley Joseph Mirando Victor Mariano
Allen Harkleroad Vincent P. O'Hara Glenwood Drake
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David H. Mann Angelo Marasco Donna Lines
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STReport Headline News
LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
AOL Offers More Refunds
Still working to appease customers unable to get onto clogged networks,
America Online Inc. is offering more refunds as part of the settlement of a
class-action lawsuit. Business writer David E. Kalish of The Associated
Press says AOL has agreed to expand its refund offer to cover customers who
had trouble logging on in February and March. "The agreement, tentatively
approved by a court in Chicago, gives subscribers up to $10 back to compensate
for problems dialing into the online service these past two months," AP adds.
"That is on top of the up to $40 they can get back under an earlier
nationwide settlement of access troubles in December and January. Like that
deal -- reached with 36 states in January -- the expanded agreement applies
to all of AOL's roughly 7.5 million U.S. members."
AOL chief counsel George Vradenburg told the wire service the company
reached the settlement to put the issue behind it, describing the deal as
providing "further relief and value to our members." While the new
agreement doubles the refund period from the previous deal, it reduces the
compensation. The expanded deal gives customers who couldn't log on for
more than 8 hours in either February and March a refund of about $10, or
about half of one month's fee. "Subscribers who got online anywhere from 8
to 15 hours during either month will get back about $5," writes Kalish.
"Subscribers who were online for more than 15 hours but who experienced
access problems can get a free month of AOL service. The earlier deal gave
people with trouble logging on in December and January refunds of up to two
months' online fees."
AP notes dozens of class-action lawsuits against AOL still remain
unresolved, but yesterday's deal "is expected to be accepted by those
plaintiffs as well." Consumers have until June 30 to apply for the refunds
in writing to the plaintiffs' attorneys, but need to wait for the judge to
give final approval before submitting requests. In the meantime, lawyers
say members can write for information about the refunds.
Social Security Site Questioned
A published newspaper report says the Social Security Administration's site
on the Internet's World Wide Web is inviting snooping into the financial
status of millions of Americans. The Social Security Administration site
(http://www.ssa.gov) last month added a feature intended to make easier for
taxpayers to look up their records, but USA Today reports this morning the
site also allows easy snooping. Chairman Evan Hendricks the U.S. Privacy
Council in Washington told the paper, "As soon as crooks start exploiting
this service to get other people's information, Social Security is going to
have a real problem on its hands."
However, John Sabo, head of electronic services in the Social Security
Administration, told the paper the dangers are minimal, adding, "We have
confidence that in the huge majority of cases, the people requesting these
things are the right people." The agency added the new system can save
millions of dollars that it costs to mail financial reports to taxpayers
who request the information about themselves. However, manager Beth
Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego, Calif., said it is
easy to abuse the system by obtaining the Social Security numbers of others
and using them to gain on-line access to the records.
USA Today said various types of abuse are possible, including:
ú Potential employers could get the salary history of job applicants.
ú Co-workers could determine how much fellow employees make.
ú Landlords could use the information to determine whether someone can
afford an apartment.
Social Security Site Pulls Plug
The plug has been pulled on a Social Security Administration Internet site
that provided individual earnings and retirement benefit records.
Associated Press writer Alice Ann Love reports the SSA has decided to begin
asking Americans whether such information should be available online and,
if so, how much. As reported earlier, the site (http://www.ssa.gov) last
month added a feature intended to make it easier for taxpayers to look up
their records, but news developed this week that it also enabled easy
snooping, prompting calls by members of Congress that the site be shut
down.
John J. Callahan, acting commissioner of Social Security who said he
personally will be involved in the effort, told AP, "For the next 60 days
we will be conducting public forums in Washington and across the country on
the issue." The suspended online service had allowed people to retrieve
their personal Social Security records because it raised privacy concerns.
Callahan called the Internet "a new world," adding, "We want to make sure
we can provide the highest level of security for our beneficiaries and our
workers." He said the agency will consider whether new safeguards are
needed for the Internet service, including possibly giving people personal
access codes or allowing them to request that their individual records not
be placed in the database.
Love says the Social Security Administration's entire Internet site will be
inaccessible for two or three days while the database is being disabled,
but general information and documents about the nation's retirement program
will be back online soon. "Then taxpayers will be able to request
information about their personal records through electronic mail to the agency,"
she writes, "but reports will be sent through regular mail rather than via the
Internet." Callahan said requests from lawmakers, questions raised by computer
experts, and telephone calls from the public persuaded him to pull the fully
automated version of the service.
Cracks Seen in Net Security Code
Some are saying the new security protocol for safeguarding credit-card
transactions on the Internet may have to be changed because the underlying
cryptography is both too easy to decode and too difficult to upgrade.
MasterCard International vice president in charge of electronic commerce
and new ventures, is quoted by the Reuter News Service as saying it could
take vandals as little as a year to break the industry's standard
encryption code, which is supposed to render credit-card numbers unreadable
to outsiders on the Internet's World Wide Web.
"For that reason," adds Reuters, "the consortium of technology companies
and creditors that has spent two years developing the Secure Electronic
Transaction protocol may switch to a faster encryption system called
Elliptic Curve, which is produced by Certicom Corp." Reuters says the
first complete version of SET, known as SET 1.0, will be available to
software makers June 1 with core cryptography provided by RSA Data
Security, a unit of Security Dynamics Technologies Inc.
Micro Warehouse Confirms Probe
Computer catalog sales company Micro Warehouse Inc. says an informal
investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding
company-reported accounting errors recently became a formal investigation.
Micro Warehouse officials haven't commented, but the Dow Jones news service
reports the announcement was included in a Form 10-K the company filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Last September, Micro
Warehouse reported discovering errors in its accounting principles,
primarily impacting accrued inventory liabilities and trade payables since
1992. In February, the company filed restated financial statements with
the SEC for the 1992 through 1995 fiscal years, reflecting an aggregate
after-tax charge of $24.9 million, the news service notes.
Apple and IBM Feud Over Fees
The alliance between Apple Computer Inc. and IBM Corp., formed in 1991 to
challenge Intel and Microsoft, may be unraveling. The New York Times
reports that Apple and IBM executives will hold a video conference today to
iron out differences following Apple's decision to boost licensing fees for
its Macintosh operating software from $50 to $500. Apple's decision is
apparently aimed at slowing the erosion of Macintosh sales to current and
potential clone makers, including IBM. In 1991, Apple joined with IBM and
Motorola Inc. in an alliance to produce computers based on Power PC chips
made by Motorola and IBM. Power PC chips lie at the heart of current
Macintosh and Macintosh clone systems. The Times says the current market
for Power PC chip market now exceeds over $800 million per year.
NEC Developing New Web Language
A description language called SGML -- or Standard Generic Mark-up Language
-- that enables users to automatically scroll World Wide Web pages has
been developed by Japan's NEC Corp. Reporting from Tokyo, the Dow Jones
news service quotes NEC officials as saying that instead of clicking on an
icon to move from page to page, the program allows users to proceed
uninterrupted on a given Web site.
"Information is presented automatically without the need to search for and
download information, scroll through pages or operate a mouse," the wire
service adds. NEC expects SGML to attract advertisers since ads inserted
to the program cannot be skipped, adding it will provide the service for
free until the end of September. NEC said the price of the program starting
in October hasn't been determined and no revenue targets have been set.
Claris Ships Enhanced EMailer
Claris Corp. has begun shipping Claris Emailer 2.0, an enhanced version of
its e-mail manager for Mac OS-based computers. The Santa Clara,
California-based software publisher notes that Claris Emailer 2.0 provides
enhanced information management. It also offers powerful filters -- called
Mail Actions -- for automatic message handling, including filing,
forwarding and replying. Other features of the $49 program include
integrated spell-checking; online help; an Easy Setup Wizard; a multiple
signatures feature; an e-mail address book; drag-and-drop functionality and
a single database in which to store all e-mail. The product is compatible
with leading Internet service providers and online services, says Claris.
A Windows version of Claris Emailer for Windows is set to ship later this
year.
Apple Ships Mac OS 7.6.1 Update
Apple Computer Inc. began shipping Mac OS 7.6.1 Update, enhancements to the
system software designed to improve the overall reliability of the Mac OS.
Reporting from Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters, the Dow Jones
news service quotes the company as saying the updated system brings the
benefits of Mac OS 7.6 to the most recently introduced Mac OS compatible
systems. The wire service notes Mac OS 7.6.1 Update was created to
improve stability through reliability improvements and to bring Mac OS 7.6
support to recently introduced computers not currently supported by Mac OS
7.6.
Compaq Unveils New Notebook
A new line of business notebook computers priced as low as $1,999 is being
unveiled by Compaq Computer Corp. Reporting from Compaq's Houston
headquarters, the Reuter News Service says the Armada 1500 series is meant
to be a value-prices line, equipped 120 MHz or 133 MHz Pentium processors,
hard drive, diskette drive, CD-ROM drive and 33.6 kilobytes-per-second
modem. Compaq says it also has began U.S. promotional price reductions
between eight up to 35 percent on select models of its Armada 4100 and
Armada 1100 family. Look for the company to introduce an Armada 1500
notebook early in the third quarter which includes Intel Corp.'s MMX
processor. The computer maker also has announced it will extend its
promotional pricing offer of $199 on its Mobile CD Unit for customers who
purchase an Armada 4100 notebook through June 30.
Compaq to Buy Microcom
Compaq Computer Corp. has reached a definitive agreement to acquire
Microcom Inc., a maker of remote access server technologies and solutions,
for approximately $280 million. A subsidiary of the Houston-based PC maker
will launch a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of
Microcom for $16.25 per share in cash. Microcom's board of directors and
management team have approved the acquisition and will recommend
shareholder acceptance, says Compaq. "Development of the strategically
important and rapidly growing remote access market is a top priority in
Compaq's move to expand its communication products business," says Alan
Lutz, general manager of Compaq's communication products group.
"Combining Microcom's superb modem and access technologies with Compaq's
renowned experience in NT platforms allows us to drive remote access
price/performance advancements, just as we have done in the NT server
market." A remote access server provides the link between a local area
network (LAN) and the many remote PC users who need to connect to the LAN
by modem. The server usually has numerous telephone line ports plus a
connection to the LAN. It requires special hardware and software to make
the remote connections both fast and secure.
Panasonic Debuts PC Video Camera
Panasonic has introduced EggCam, a PC-based camera designed for video
e-mail and videoconferencing applications. Panasonic notes that the
egg-shaped camera is capable of producing high-resolution video images in
24-bit color. "EggCam is a complete video e-mail solution that's going to
change the way PC users communicate," says John Gawa, manager of
Panasonic's multimedia systems division in Secaucus, New Jersey. "With
EggCam, people can send personal video messages to anyone with access to
e-mail. And, because the recipient doesn't need any special hardware or
software for playback, we expect it will be a big hit with both business
and home users."
Designed to sit on top of a PC monitor with a tilt-and-swivel base, the
3.2- by 1.6- by 1.8-inch unit produces images with a 542- by 496-dot video
resolution and 330 TV lines of horizontal resolution. EggCam also has a
built-in omnidirectional microphone that simultaneously captures audio. An
adjustable-focus lens captures subjects from 3.9- inches to infinity. For
correct exposure under varying lighting conditions, the camera features an
automatic gain control. The $129 EggCam base version includes CU-SeeMe,
VideoLink Mail and VideoLink 324 conferencing software, plus a cable that
links the camera to any PC or Macintosh equipped with a standard
video-capture board. A $199 high-end model is bundled with the base unit's
software, plus a PC-compatible miroVidCon PCI video-capture board.
Gates Woos Win95 Programmers
Outlining his company's product strategy for the next several years,
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates is trying to woo programmers to write
more software for the Windows software standard. Speaking in San
Francisco this week at the Software Development conference, Gates said
writing software for Win95 will remain lucrative because Windows will be
on all types of computers, from handheld PCs to dumb terminals to powerful
servers for giant corporate computer networks.
Covering the remarks to several thousand programmers, the Reuter News
Service quotes Gates as saying Microsoft plans to offer the most powerful
and easy-to-use development tools, the type of computer programs that let
programmers write other software. Reuters comments, "Part of Microsoft's
success has come from the company's efforts to convince commercial
programmers to make products that work with Windows. The Windows-based PC
has a far bigger library of software available than rival computers from
Apple Computer Inc. or Sun Microsystems Inc." Said Gates, "We're focused
on developer success. That's how the industry's done well and that's how
Microsoft's done well."
He added Microsoft:
ú In the next few months will release versions of Windows to run
non-traditional types of computers, including video game machines,
bare-bone terminals for data entry and DVD players.
ú Will embrace Java programming language while trying to help the
industry approve it.
Microsoft Buys Web TV for $425M
For $425 million, Microsoft Corp. is acquiring WebTV Networks, a company
that sells systems that allow people to surf the Internet over their TVs.
Reporting from the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las
Vegas where the announcement was made last night by Microsoft Vice
President Craig Mundie, Associated Press writer Jeannine Aversa quotes
WebTV founder Steve Perlman as saying the two companies clicked and
thought: "Let's get married." Added Mundie, "Through their efforts .... we
hope to dramatically accelerate the merger of the Internet and television."
Aversa notes Microsoft's announcement comes as the computer industry and
existing TV set makers race to define what the next generation of digital
TV sets will look like.
"The prize: $150 billion in spending needed to replace the existing 220
million analog TV sets in the United States," AP reports. "The computer
industry's vision is essentially a large-screen computer in living rooms
that people use not only to get a crystal clear TV picture, but to surf the
Internet and send e-mail. TV set makers have a different vision: a
wide-screen TV with superior picture and sound quality, but little, if any
computer capability." AP notes that for the computer industry's vision to
work, TV broadcasters would have to transmit programs in a different format
than they now use to display pictures on TV sets and "despite pressure from
the computer industry, TV broadcasters haven't showed any signs of doing
so."
In making the WebTV announcement, Mundie was conciliatory, adding, "It
isn't really a war to decide whether everyone should watch television on
their PCs exclusively or whether they should see television on TV to the
exclusion of personal computers. It's really about a parallel set of
evolutions to produce better PCs and better TVs." As reported, the FCC
last week cleared the way for broadcasters to begin offering cinema-quality
digital television to the American public.
Says Aversa, "Importantly, the action means that after 2006 the existing
analog system of broadcasting dies. That means people will either have to
go out and buy new pricy digital TV sets or converters for existing analog
sets to work."
Apple May Sell Newton to Sun
Word is Apple Computer Inc. is talking about possibly selling the Newton
operating system used in its hand-held MessagePad computer and its eMate
portable computer for children to Sun Microsystems.
USA Today this morning reported Sun could be a tough sell and no deal was
imminent, adding talks appeared centered on Newton and Sun's programming
language Java. The paper says the unit yet has to make money.
Hitachi, Toshiba Form Partnership
Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp., two of Japan's leading electronics
manufacturers, say they have agreed to cooperate in the field of
next-generation high-speed networking products for the Internet and
intranets. Hitachi and Toshiba say they will work together to deliver
leading-edge products for the world computer network market. The two
companies will also cooperate to establish themselves as market leaders in
the fast-expanding networking business.
As a first step, Hitachi and Toshiba will provide each other with products
and technologies, drawing on their respective strengths -- Toshiba's
routers and Hitachi's switches -- that each will integrate into the systems
they supply to the world market. In the future, the companies intend to
expand cooperation in the area of high-speed networking products.
"By working with Toshiba, Hitachi expects to provide a highly competitive
set of networking products to this fast- expanding market," says Masao
Kato, general manager of Hitachi's office systems division. "The phenomenal
increase in communications over the Internet and the growing use of
intranets as a corporate tool have created demand for a new communications
infrastructure -- one supporting high-speed transmission and real-time
processing of vast volumes of information."
Kaoru Kubo, general manager of Toshiba's computer & network product
division, adds, "This partnership is important for Toshiba's network
business, and we are sure that our partnership will make key contributions
to the technology for next-generation high-speed networks. We believe our
router technology, combined with Hitachi's advanced switch technology, will
bring a highly competitive solution to the market."
Motorola Ships 300 MHz Processor
Motorola Inc. is shipping what it says is the industry's first 300 MHz
volume desktop and portable microprocessor. A statement from the company's
Austin, Texas, facilities credits its own "aggressive manufacturing
process technology" in producing "this high-speed milestone with its
PowerPC 603e microprocessor family." Meanwhile, Apple Computer Inc. says
it is shipping its newest family of mainstream computers, the Power
Macintosh 6500 series, based on these new Motorola PowerPC 603e
microprocessors running at speeds from 225- to 300 MHz.
PowerPC 603e microprocessors at 300-, 275- and 250 MHz are manufactured
using an advanced process technology at Motorola's MOS 13 semiconductor
wafer fabrication facility, which takes advantage of its sophisticated
wafer fabrication technology, developed by the Advanced Products Research
and Development Laboratory. "The high performance and low power
consumption of the entire 603e family enables manufacturers to build
systems ranging from subnotebooks and laptops to high-performance notebooks
and desktop systems," Motorola's statement says.
Apple Unveils Fastest Computers
Apple Computer Inc. has unveiled the fastest personal computer available,
the latest Power Macintosh, priced at $2,000 to $3,000 without monitors.
Five different models come with software packages for home users, small
businesses and schools. As reported, the systems are built around Motorola
Inc.'s latest PowerPC chip, meaning the new Macs run at speeds of up to 300
megahertz, compared with the fastest IBM-compatible PCs that run 200 MHz
Intel Pentium processors.
"This gives Apple some pizazz in a very tangible way," analyst Eric Lewis
of International Data Corp. told business writer Catalina Ortiz. "It's the
best consumer Macintosh Apple ever had." Apple showed off the new Power
Macintosh 6500 series computers at a multimedia technology fair at Walt
Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The new machines 225- and
250-MHz models are available now; ones with 275- and 300-MHz chips will be
available in limited quantities later this spring.
Apple also announced faster versions of Power Macintosh computers that run
Microsoft's Windows 95 operating software as well as its own Macintosh OS.
The new 7300 series machines -- with Windows-compatible processors from
Intel and Cyrix as well as Mac-compatible ones from Motorola -- are priced
at $2,400 and $3,200. Ortiz says the Power Macs 6500 series replaces
Apple's slow-selling consumer-oriented Performa line. Weak demand for
Performas and the subsequent need to slash prices were blamed for much of
Apple's $120 million loss in the October-December quarter.
Survey: Web Surfers Active Readers
People aren't just "surfing" the Web, they're sinking their teeth into real
news and information, according to a recent survey by The NPD Group Inc.
Sixty percent of Web surfers frequently read newspapers and/or magazines
online, finds the market researcher's survey, with newspapers the most
popular type of publication on the Internet. Nearly 40 percent of those
polled said they frequently read a newspaper online. Yet despite impressive
numbers of readers in cyberspace, the survey also finds that online readers
still rely heavily on print.
Ninety-nine percent of those who said they frequently read online
publications often read print magazines or newspapers as well. It isn't
surprising that so many Web-capable consumers are looking to the Net for
their news and information," says Pamela Smith, president of NPD's online
research unit. "Our survey showed that while online publications are
considered harder to read, respondents felt that they surpass print in their
ability to provide current information that is easy to find."
Pulitzer Eyes Online Journalism
A committee has been appointed by the Pulitzer Prize Board to study the
possibility of starting a category for online journalism. The Associated
Press notes two submissions in the public service category this year were
disqualified because they did not conform to the requirements for print
journalism. One was by The New York Times for a CD-ROM and portfolio of
its presentation on the Internet of "Uncertain Paths to Peace," about
Bosnia. The other was from the Sun Herald of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, for
its online presentation of "Our Town: Charlotte."
MTV Teams With Intel Corp.
Beginning this weekend, Music Television (MTV) plans to begin offering a
new interactive broadcast feature for music fans called Intercast Jam.
According to the Reuter News Service, the feature, launching this Friday,
will allow viewers of the MTV cable channel and its M2 sister network to
watch broadcast music videos on their PCs.
"At the same time," says Reuters, "the Intel technology enables viewers to
read news, biographical information and tour and album data, among other
things, about the artist featured in the video being broadcast." The wire
service says MTV will offer the Intel feature two hours a day during its
music video programs, while M2 will begin round-the-clock Intercast
programming, adding, "The MTV-Intel link is part of an earlier deal
between the two companies, which includes on-air and online advertising."
Reaction Mixed to New Net Names
The Internet Society and a host of other groups have adopted a plan to
create more online addresses on the Internet, but while some major
Internet companies immediately endorsed the plan, online services providers
were cool in their reception. Writer Aaron Pressman of the Reuter News
Service says the plan provides seven new top-level domains, the last three
letters at the end of every electronic mail or Web site address, adding,
"New domain names such as 'firm,' 'arts,' and 'web' will be added to
existing top-level domains such as 'com,' 'net,' and 'org' starting in the third
quarter of 1997." The plan, first unveiled in February, has been praised by
computer maker Digital Equipment Corp., telecommunications company MCI
Communications Corp. and UUNET Technologies Inc., a unit of Worldcom Inc.
However, both America Online and AT&T, the largest "pure Internet" service
providers, were unenthusiastic.
AOL law director William Burrington told the wire service, "We are still
studying the proposal," adding he thought "it still needs some more work."
The company hopes to craft a better plan "that is more saleable." At AT&T,
spokesman Mike Miller said only, "We are still looking at these domain
names. We are studying them." Pressman notes the plan also has been
endorsed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the central
coordinator of Internet addresses and other standards operating under a
charter from the society and the Federal Network Council. As reported
earlier, the new plan also establishes an arbitration and mediation
procedure for resolving disputes over names, such as when a trademarked
name is used in an Internet address.
Said Internet Society President Donald Heath, "Responsible self-governance
is the key factor in assuring that the Internet will reach its fullest
potential." Pressman notes other groups have tried to establish alternate
domain names, but they have not succeeded in persuading the vast majority
of Internet service providers to add their new names to the computers that
route information across the network. Supporters contend the Internet
Society plan better meets the needs of major providers. Currently, only
one company -- Network Solutions Inc. -- registers addresses under most
existing top-level domains under a contract with the National Science
Foundation.
The new plan calls for up to 28 new registration agents will be chosen in a
process overseen by the Big Six accounting firm Arthur Andersen. This is
drawing fire from Network Solutions Vice President Don Telage who says
having so many registrars would create chaos on the Net. Telage says his
Herndon, Virginia, company has registered 1.2 million addresses and been
sued only 26 times. Incidentally, look for Network Solutions will come out
with its own plan soon for reforming the domain name registration system.
FBI Sees More Net Pedophiles
The FBI's chief says he believes pedophiles are increasingly using the
Internet to contact children and transmit child pornography. Testifying at
a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing in Washington
yesterday, FBI Director Louis Freeh called the Internet a wonderful
learning tool, but added, "The dark side of that technology is that
criminals and pedophiles can reach into your home. You never know who you
are speaking to. Increasingly, pedophiles and sexual predators are using
the Internet and online services to target and recruit victims and to
facilitate the distribution of child pornography."
He noted the FBI started an investigation in 1994, called "Innocent
Images," to focus on sexual exploitation of children through the Internet,
which has led to 83 felony convictions. Said Freeh, "Our highest priority
is on those individuals who indicate a willingness to travel for the
purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a juvenile and those who are
distributors of child pornography." Reuters quotes Freeh as saying the
bureau consolidated all its investigative operations involving child
victimization in an office of crimes against children to coordinate its
efforts.
Congress May Outlaw Net Gambling
Once again, a bill is being considered in Congress that would make it
illegal for Americans to place bets at casinos and sports books set up on
the Internet's World Wide Web. Writing in The Wall Street Journal this
morning, reporter Rebecca Quick notes the measure that seeks to ban all
gambling over the Internet would extend a wire act from the 1930s that
prohibits sports gambling over telegraph wires or phone lines. "Along with
pushing the ban into a new medium, though," Quick adds, "the legislation
also expands the pool of people held responsible for breaking the law.
Existing law makes it illegal only to operate a gambling venture; this
legislation targets the gamblers themselves with maximum fine of $5,000 and
up to one year in jail."
Sponsoring the bill is Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, who says making it
illegal for people to place bets is a natural extension of the law and is
only fair. "We thought it would be inconsistent if we only prosecute the
providers and not the gamblers," Kyl spokesman Vincent Sollitto told the
paper. Quick comments that even if this legislation becomes law,
"enforcing it could be all but impossible." Notes the Journal, "Most
Internet gambling sites are run by offshore companies; foreign governments
that have legalized gambling aren't likely to take kindly to intervention
attempts from the U.S. Simply tracking down illegal operations based in the
U.S. could be tricky because programmers can disguise a site's true
origins. And going so far as to track down gamblers in their homes could
prove to be prohibitively expensive and impractical -- not to mention an
invasion of privacy."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department hasn't taken a stand on the Kyl
bill, but a department spokesman acknowledges "transnational enforcement
issues" would make a ban on Internet gambling difficult to impose, adding,
"We're waiting to see what happens with the legislation." Quick says the
bill's fate is far from certain, that similar legislation introduced in
the Senate last year was never acted upon.
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A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
AOL To Extend Refunds, Credits
Digital TV To Rule The Waves By 2006
PCs' Big Three Enter Digital-TV Fray
Disney Wishes On A Starwave
FCC Given Proposal To End "Access" Charges
Researchers Pursue Software's "Holy Grail"
Premiere Purchase Will Lower Messaging Costs
Philips Launches CD-RW Drives
IBM Gears Up For TV Market
View Through Windows Will Be WebTV
Congressman Calls For Review Of Online Banking
Year 2000 Problem Hits Credit Card Issuers
Wide-Ranging Cordless Phone
Microsoft Comes Around On Network Computer
Compaq Markets Process For Speeding Up Video Data Transfer
Business On The Web: Lemonade Stand Or Shell Game?
China Enforcing Intellectual Property Laws
Social Security Site Shut Down Because Of Privacy Concerns
Compaq Moves To Direct Sales
The Mouse That Changed The World
Visa's Counting On "InfoMoney"
Mac Ramps Up To 300-MHz
AU Law Students Rule On Indecency Law
Canada Invites High-Tech Immigration
AOL Ramps Up Its Search For New Customers
Newton Sees Sunlight
Bell Giveaway Jolts ISP Industry In Canada
Chinese Computer Makers Challenge Big Blue And Compaq
AOL TO EXTEND REFUNDS, CREDITS
America Online has agreed to provide refunds or credits to customers who
were unable to use the online service during the months of February or
March, an expansion of a previous class-action settlement with 45 state
attorneys general that covered access problems in December and January.
AOL chief counsel George Vandenburg says he hopes this latest offer will
put an end to lawsuits related to access problems. AOL is spending $350
million to increase its network capacity by 75% by the end of June. (Los
Angeles Times
4 Apr 97)
DIGITAL TV TO RULE THE WAVES BY 2006
The Federal Communications Commission voted to let every TV station in the
country use a second channel for broadcasting digital versions of the
programming now being distributed in analog format to conventional TV
sets. By 2006, all broadcasts will be transmitted in digital form only,
and all of the 240 million TV sets now in use in the U.S. will be obsolete
at that time. Digital television sets -- which are expected to go on sale
late next year --will offer extremely sharp, high-definition pictures on a
new wide-screen monitor along with six-channel digital audio systems. For
some period of time, the new digital programming will be available only
via broadcast TV, and not by cable or satellite television. (New York
Times 4 Apr 97)
PCs' BIG THREE ENTER DIGITAL-TV FRAY
Computer powerhouses Microsoft, Intel and Compaq Computer are still trying
to persuade television broadcasters to adopt their technical standards for
digital TV, which would emphasize Internet-based information services and
interactivity, as well as high-definition picture quality. PC makers are
hoping that their intervention will enable the large-screen personal
computer to migrate from the den to the living room, eventually replacing
the television set as the primary family entertainment device. "Any notion
that consumer electronics are not going to get smart is fallacious," says
Microsoft's senior VP of consumer products. "We are trying to stretch out
a hand to the consumer-electronics and broadcast industries and say, "We
can help you with this transition.'" Computer makers favor a "progressive-
scan" monitor technology, while consumer electronics companies have
traditionally used an "interlaced" approach. PC makers anticipate the
cost of building digital-TV technology into a personal computer to be
around $100 to $150. "More people are gong to watch digital TV on the PC
because it's going to be built into the architecture," says Compaq's
senior VP for technology and corporate development. (Wall Street Journal 4
Apr 97)
DISNEY WISHES ON A STARWAVE
The Walt Disney Company, which has purchased a controlling interest in
Starwave, an Internet publishing company, says the two companies will
collaborate on the development of a new World Wide Web site called
ABCNews.com that will use the resources of the news division of Disney's
ABC television network. The site will be in competition with the
Microsoft/NBC and the CNN news sites. Forrester Research analyst Bill Bass
says: "TV journalists are not used to thinking 24 hours and the Web
operation is a gnat compared to the TV operations. It's hard to justify
changing the operation of your TV news gathering operation to fit the
whims of a very small online population." (Financial Times 4 Apr 97)
FCC GIVEN PROPOSAL TO END "ACCESS" CHARGES
Three phone companies -- long-distance carrier AT&T together with regional
telephone companies Bell Atlantic and Nynex -- have sent the Federal
Communications Commission a joint proposal to eliminate the per-minute
access charges that long-distance companies pay local providers to connect
long-distance calls in local service areas. Instead of per-minute
charges, there would be a flat monthly fee ($1 per residential line, $2
per business line), plus a 75-cent monthly charge that would be applied to
the cost of wiring schools and libraries to the Internet. The three
companies making the proposal say their plan would result in lower long-
distance bills, but the proposal is being criticized by long-distance
provider MCI, by other regional telephone companies, and by consumer
groups that say the plan would hurt customers who do not place a large
number of long-distance calls each month. (New York Times 5 Apr 97)
RESEARCHERS PURSUE SOFTWARE'S "HOLY GRAIL"
Computer scientists at companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems
and Lucent Technologies are beginning to pursue the industry's next great
software challenge: universal virtual machines (UVMs). Working with
researchers at Taligent, IBM is developing a single virtual machine capable
of running applications written in C++, Smalltalk or Java, according to
IBM's VP of application development marketing: "I can't say exactly when
we'll get there, but it is something we expect to be able to do. You have
to look at it from our perspective: With all the languages we support, we
need this to happen." Once developed, a universal virtual machine would,
in theory, allow developers to write an application in any language and
run it on any system. Officials at Sun, which developed the Java Virtual
Machine, said the concept of a virtual machine for multiple languages is
intriguing. "The question we are trying to figure out is where would we
use it and how would we use it," says a SunSoft marketing director. "What
happens to C or C++ in Java virtual machines? We're still trying to figure
that out." (InfoWorld Electric 4 Apr 97)
PREMIERE PURCHASE WILL LOWER MESSAGING COSTS
Premiere Technologies Inc., which offers business travelers a one-stop in-
box service for all electronic messages, is purchasing privately held
Voice-Tel Enterprises for $185 million. The acquisition will enable
Premiere to offer its service, which consolidates e-mail, voice mail, pager
messages and faxes for retrieval by traveling business people, at a low
flat monthly rate, rather than its current charge of 25 cents per minute
for connectivity. The merger will give Premiere local phone access to 90%
of the U.S., and 100% of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. "It looks as
if Premiere is about to change the way small businesses communicate," says
an analyst with Equitable Securities Corp. (Investor's Business Daily 4
April 97)
PHILIPS LAUNCHES CD-RW DRIVES
Philips Electronics will launch three CD-Rewriteable drives next month,
including an internal IDE model with an expected retail price of $600, as
well as two external SCSI-to-parallel-port versions--one for Windows PCs
and one for Macintosh-- priced below $800. The CD-RW drives will be
equipped with the universal disk format (UDF) technology that enables
drag-and-drop file manipulation. Multi-Read will also be included to
ensure backward compatibility with all new CD and DVD products
incorporating the new standard. Philips also plans to incorporate a
software capability that will allow disks to be converted as they are
withdrawn from the drive to work with older drives that are not equipped
with UDF technology, says a company spokesman. (Computer Retail Week 5
Apr 97)
IBM GEARS UP FOR TV MARKET
IBM plans to supply digital production and transmission equipment, such as
video servers, for cable, broadcast and satellite TV systems, pitting the
computer giant against entrenched electronics firms such as Sony Corp.
IBM will work with about a dozen companies that have experience in the
television equipment business. (Wall Street Journal 7 Apr 97) In
addition, Big Blue will begin providing schematic boards and reference
designs for TV set-top boxes. "We're not getting into the set-top
business. We're in the silicon business, and we're just trying to provide
(the technology)," says IBM's set-top box platform marketing manager. The
reference design includes an IBM PowerPC embedded controller, a serial port
for infrared remote, and a smart card interface with 4MB DRAM of video and
an MPEG-2 transport chip. (Broadcasting & Cable 31 Mar 97)
VIEW THROUGH WINDOWS WILL BE WEBTV
Microsoft is acquiring WebTV Networks Inc., the Palo Alto, California,
company that delivers Internet content directly to television sets. The
$425-million purchase is intended to speed up the convergence of PC and TV
and to make Microsoft's Windows operating system software a standard for
the next generation of consumer devices. A Microsoft executive said about
the deal: "We bought these guys because we have a vision of a better TV
and a better PC." (Washington Post 7 Apr 97)
CONGRESSMAN CALLS FOR REVIEW OF ONLINE BANKING
House Banking Committee Chairman James Leach (R-Iowa) has asked the General
Accounting Office to review whether the Federal Reserve has sufficiently
protected its Fedwire funds transfer and security transfer system from
electronic trespassing. Fedwire processes around 380,000 securities and
funds transfers totaling $1.6 trillion each day. (BNA Daily Report for
Executives 7 Apr 97)
YEAR 2000 PROBLEM HITS CREDIT CARD ISSUERS
Here's a new wrinkle on the Year 2000 problem -- credit card companies have
discovered that the cards with a 2000 expiration date are being rejected
by thousands of point-of-sale terminals located across the country. First
USA has already recalled all cards with the troublesome date and MasterCard
International is asking member banks not to issue cards with an expiration
date later than 1999. Hypercom Inc. and Verifone Inc., the largest
manufacturers of debit terminals, have launched a program to help retailers
upgrade their terminals, but a Verifone consultant says many companies may
find it easier to just buy new machines. (St. Petersburg Times 7 Apr 97)
WIDE-RANGING CORDLESS PHONE
A new digital cordless phone made by Lucent Technology can make and receive
phone calls at a range of up to 4,000 feet -- nearly a mile -- from its
base. (Investor's Business Daily 8 Apr 97)
MICROSOFT COMES AROUND ON NETWORK COMPUTER
In response to competitors' efforts to reduce computing costs through
streamlined machines, Microsoft is developing its own network computer,
dubbed the Windows Terminal. The design is similar to that being promoted
by Oracle Corp. -- a desktop machine with no disk drive that relies on a
central server for applications programs and file storage. Microsoft's
earlier challenge to the network computer was a slimmed down machine
called the NetPC, but that approach has been questioned by analysts, who
call it "too little, too late." Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates touted the
advantages of the Windows Terminal last week in a speech to software
developers, noting that such a machine would avoid the constant upgrade
aggravation: "So that's a machine you never have to replace until there's
some radical change in the way that people interact with the computers."
(Wall Street Journal 7 Apr 97)
COMPAQ MARKETS PROCESS FOR SPEEDING
UP VIDEO DATA TRANSFER
Compaq Computer is marketing an accessory card for computer servers
developed by Integrated Computing Engines, a closely held company in which
Compaq holds a minority stake. The card's compression technology enables
a server to condense image data so that it can move considerably faster
across phone lines. The computer receiving the data must use a related
decompression program, which Compaq will supply for free. (Wall Street
Journal 8 Apr 97)
BUSINESS ON THE WEB: LEMONADE STAND OR SHELL GAME?
One participant in last week's Multimedia Roundtable, organized by UCLA
professor Martin Greenberger, said: "It's very simple. You buy sugar and
lemons; you sell lemonade. If you have some pennies left over, you have
a business. If you don't, you have a shell game." It's just a shell game
when an interactive media company runs through the money it obtained from
venture capitalists, then tries to get more money through a public stock
offering even though it has no realistic plan in place to produce long-term
profit. (New York Times 7 Apr 97)
CHINA ENFORCING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS
After years of ignoring demands from other countries to enforce copyright
laws, the Chinese government is making a sustained effort to arrest
individuals guilty of pirating CDs. In the last several months, Chinese
authorities have arrested more than 100 offenders and shut down 28
underground factories. (New York Times 7 Apr 97)
SOCIAL SECURITY SITE SHUT DOWN BECAUSE
OF PRIVACY CONCERNS
Because of privacy concerns, an Internet site used by the Social Security
Administration to supply information about an individual's personal income
and retirement benefits has been closed. The shut-down followed receipt
by the Administration of a harshly critical letter written by a bipartisan
group of legislators who said the site's security systems were inadequate.
To obtain information, a computer user needed merely to supply a name,
address, telephone number, place of birth, Social Security number, and
mother's maiden name -- items that are available in many private
databases. (Washington Post 10 Apr 97)
COMPAQ MOVES TO DIRECT SALES
Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer has declared war on direct PC marketers Dell
Computer and Gateway 2000, outlining plans for Compaq's own direct sales
model, which will be offered side-by-side with its existing sales
channels. The company hopes to guarantee delivery of its server and PC
products within five days of ordering. Compaq also has established
partnerships with 17 other firms to jointly develop and market software
products for the Internet, including metering software for Internet
applications. (InfoWorld Electric 8 Apr 97)
THE MOUSE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
Douglas Engelbart, the man who invented the computer mouse, accepted this
year's $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. As he received the award, Engelbart
was described by economist Lester Thurow as "the father of the way we do
the Internet, videoconferencing, e-mail and most of our modern interactions
with computers. With his help, the computer has become a friendly servant
rather than a stern taskmaster." Nicknamed the mouse because connecting
wire resembled a tail, the device was patented as an X-Y position indicator
for a display system. Engelbart, now 72, says, "In 20 or 30 years,
you'll be able to hold in your hand as much computing knowledge as
exists now in the whole city, or even the whole world." (AP 9 Apr 97)
VISA'S COUNTING ON "INFOMONEY"
Visa USA CEO Carl Pascarella says that "InfoMoney" -- a combination of
paper bills and personal data -- will be the key to next-generation
electronic commerce: "We are moving from a value exchange to an
information exchange. Information is becoming the new currency." Visa
recently outlined its global chip card strategy based on the Java
programming language, with cards that enable consumers to store personal
data, applets and financial information. "We need to be able to provide
this information exchange over open networks the same way we do over
proprietary networks today... The Internet sprung from technology, but
will succeed due to human behavior." (Computer Reseller News 9 Apr 97)
MAC RAMPS UP TO 300-MHZ
Apple has taken the wraps off its new Power Mac 6500 -- an "entry-level"
model boasting the first-ever 300- MHz PowerPC 603e microprocessor. Other
models use chips running at 225, 250 and 275 MHz. "We've been looking
forward to these models," says Mac retailer. The 300-MHz machine will run
about $2,999 and will come complete with 64 Mbytes of RAM, a 4-Gbyte hard
disk and a Zip drive. (MacWeek 4 Apr 97)
AU LAW STUDENTS RULE ON INDECENCY LAW
Students at the American University's Washington College of Law have
already issued their opinion on the recently enacted law restricting
"indecent" material online. In a classroom exercise, the students ruled
that the law is unconstitutional, with a majority striking down the law
"because it is not the least restrictive means to achieve the compelling
state interest in protecting children from indecency, because it is
unconstitutionally overbroad and because it is unconstitutionally vague."
A mock dissent accuses the majority of being "carried away by the
enthusiastic burbling of the Internet's defenders. In fact, of course, the
Internet is a shallow and unreliable electronic repository of dirty
pictures, inaccurate rumors, bad spelling and worse grammar, inhabited
largely by people with no demonstrable social skills." (Chronicle of
Higher Education 11 Apr 97)
CANADA INVITES HIGH-TECH IMMIGRATION
In order to compete more effectively with its American counterpart, the
Canadian high-tech industry is urging a parliamentary committee to expand
a new immigration program that would allow people with specialized skills
to enter Canada quickly on temporary work permits. (Ottawa Citizen 9 Apr
97)
AOL RAMPS UP ITS SEARCH FOR NEW CUSTOMERS
After slowing down its customer recruitment efforts this winter after its
new unlimited-access rate caused heavy congestion and angered many of its
8 million existing customers, America Online is now again stepping up its
marketing efforts. AOL chief executive Steve Case says: "We will begin
marketing on a limited basis, slowly ramping up over time so we can
measure the impact of each incremental increase in marketing." (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution 10 Apr 97)
NEWTON SEES SUNLIGHT
Apple and Sun are in negotiations about a possible sale to Sun of the Apple
division responsible for the Newton personal digital assistant. The
Newton operating system is used in Apple's hand-held $1,000 MessagePad
computer and its $700 eMate portable marketed to schools. Although both of
those systems are selling well, the Newton R&D costs are high, and Apple
has lost $936 million the past five quarters. (USA Today 10 Apr 97)
BELL GIVEAWAY JOLTS ISP INDUSTRY IN CANADA
Independent Internet service providers say Bell Canada's giveaway of five
free hours of Internet access per month to loyal long-distance customers
is unfair competition and could end up overwhelming Sympatico, Bell's
Internet affiliate, similar to the problems experienced by America Online
last year. ISPs maintain that long-distance promotions require federal
regulatory approval, but Bell insists its Internet division is not subject
to such regulations. (Montreal Gazette 10 Apr 97)
CHINESE COMPUTER MAKERS CHALLENGE
BIG BLUE AND COMPAQ
The giant Asian market that has U.S. PC makers salivating could end up
buying locally, now that Chinese PC makers are making a comeback. After
years of being outclassed by the likes of Compaq, IBM and AST, Chinese
companies such as Legend Group, Beijing Founder Electronics and China Great
Wall Computer Group
are whipping out models that often are cheaper and
just as powerful as foreign ones. Legend Group, which ships
motherboards to 26 countries, has opened a design center in California's
Silicon Valley, and pays Microsoft $12 million a year to load the Chinese
version of Windows 95 onto most of its PCs. As a result, "they've
translated what's going on in technology abroad and brought it to China,
where they understand the market," says a Beijing-based analyst.
(Business Week 14 Apr 97)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu).
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Gov't. to Kill Inventiveness STR Focus Your Politicos "at Work"
HR400 --- A Call to Citizens
Is the US Government trying to stop American Inventive Genius?
TO: Concerned Citizens of the United States
FROM: Concerned faculty and students from the Massachusetts Institute of
TechnologyDATE:March 7, 1997
Dear Concerned Citizens,
We are writing to inform you of our concern about the omnibus patent
"reform" bill HR400. This bill is backed by multi-national corporations and
has provisions that will/may? negatively affect small businesses. As is
well documented, the growth of small business has allowed the US economy to
flourish in the past several years. Small business growth exists, in part,
due to current patent laws that reward innovation and protect the innovator
from powerful conglomerates with advantages due to size and wealth.
The HR400 patent "reform" bill contains some provisions that will be
detrimental to many small businesses and independent inventors. The bill
proposes to force inventors and small innovation companies to disclose the
details of their heretofore secret US patent applications by automatic
publication 18 months after filing, whether or not a patent is even
ultimately granted. This attempt at "harmonizing" the US system with those
of Japan and Europe, who do not have our large and prodigious independent
inventor and small start-up communities, does not appear to benefit the US
people or economy.
The purpose of the US patent system is to encourage the inventor to share
his or her knowledge for the benefit of the entire country, while rewarding
inventors for their innovation by granting exclusive rights for a limited
time. HR400 would force patentees to automatically give a FREE license
under their patent, once issued, to companies that had earlier chosen not
to patent but to take a chance on secret use of the invention in their
business (so-called "prior user" rights).
It is our concern that the small inventor and start-up company will not be
heard over the large multi-national corporations who back this bill. We
want to ensure that this bill will not be simply rushed through congress
without careful consideration of all the issues and repercussions.
Thank you for your time. We are confident that you will take this matter
seriously and we appreciate your efforts.
Sincerely,
Concerned Students & Faculty. MIT
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Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
fsereno@streport.com
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
In the News
A New Software Give-Away
As promised, The Kids' Computing Corner and the Silicon Times Report are
sponsoring another software give-away promotion. Thanks to the fine people
at MECC, I have a copy of Storybook Weaver Deluxe to give a lucky reader.
This excellent program encourages children to develop their writing skills
and to express their creativity with words and pictures. It's recommended
for children ages 6 and up, and the software comes on a hybrid format CD-
ROM for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems.
The rules are very simple. Send an entry by e-mail to fsereno@streport.com
or fsereno@uti.com using the title Storybook. Please include your correct
e-mail address. Entries must be received by 12:01am, Thursday May 8, 1997.
The winner will be announced in the May 9th edition of the magazine.
Winners of any contests held within the last 60 days are ineligible.
Taxes, if any, are the responsibility of the winner. So flood my mailbox,
gang!
CorelDRAW 7--The Official Guide
by Foster Coburn and Peter McCormick
Published by CorelPRESS
a Division of Osborne/McGraw-Hill
Suggested Retail -- $34.99
http://www.osborne.com
Authors' Web Page -- http://www.unleash.com
Review by Donna Lines
This is the only Corel 7 reference book officially endorsed by Corel
Corporation. The book highlights tips on harnessing the features of
CorelDRAW 7 quickly and easily. The authors are CorelDRAW experts, having
written numerous CorelDRAW reference books and having presented many
CorelDRAW seminars.
The book is well laid out for easy reference with 37 separate chapters on
topics ranging from installing DRAW 7 to extracting and merging text to
designing a Web page. The explanations are brief and do assume that the
reader is somewhat familiar with previous versions of CorelDRAW. The
tutorials are short, easy to follow, and best of all, you end up with the
same results as the authors.
Also included is a 32-page color insert with award-wining designs and
examples from CorelDRAW's World Design Contests. These illustrations and
the tutorials presented in the book prove with a little imagination and
some skill, anything is possible with CorelDRAW 7.
Whether you are a veteran DRAW user or a beginner, you will find this book
a valuable guide to the numerous new, powerful tools that version 7 has to
offer. If you want to get the most out of CorelDRAW 7, with as small of a
learning curve as possible, you will want to get your hands on CorelDRAW 7-
-The Official Guide.
College Advisor '97
Windows and Mac hybrid CD-ROM
Street Price: around $20
Potential college students
Princeton Review
50 Mail Road, Suite 210
Burlington, MA 01803
1-617-272-7027
http://www.review.com
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
OS: Windows 3.1, Windows 95 OS: System 7.1
CPU: 486DX CPU: 68030/25
HD Space: 2 MB HD Space: 1 MB
Memory: 8 MB Memory: 8 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 sound card
Other: mouse, modem optional
review by Jason Sereno (jason.sereno@mules-ear.com)
As many young people have discovered when they have searched for a college
that fit their criteria perfectly, there is no such thing. Just when they
thought they had have found the perfect school with a nationally known
research facility, great on campus living, and was in close proximity to
their friends and family, they find that the tuition is too high or there
is not enough financial aid.
Princeton Review's College Advisor `97 has been created to make the college
selection process easier. The program works with you and your counselor to
find a university or college that is best for you depending on your preset
requirements and scores on your ACT and SAT. You pinpoint a college
depending on things such as location, tuition and financial aid, gender
ratio, or you can look at the 1200 schools in depth with the help of over
75,000 student surveys. The program consists of mathematical data of 1200
schools of all divisions through out the United States. There is a chart
of the years prior to high school graduation that explain the steps you
should take to attend a college. The program also takes a closer look at
your financial condition and explains scholarships and loans that can help
you to go to the college of your choice. There is even a feature that lets
you contact a college's web site to discover more information about that
school. If you are looking for an easy to use college selection program
with abundant information, College Advisor '97 is for you.
College Advisor '97 is meant to coincide with your school counselor, not to
replace him. It tries to pinpoint a few colleges that would be good for
you. Later, you and your counselor can make the decisions. The program's
college information is accurate as of the date of publication. You begin
by answering a questionnaire about the type of school you wish to attend.
The questions range from the importance of location to the financial aid
that is available. The program uses the answers from these many questions
to determine which colleges fit your criteria and provide you with a list
of suitable schools.
After you have the list, you can choose to examine the colleges more
carefully. You will find graduation percentages, dropout rates and more.
There is also information about extracurricular activities and sports.
Each college has students' opinions and statements about their discoveries
while on campus. They will recount what they have noticed about the school
and the differences between what was advertised and what the school is
really like. This is very informative and gives you a feeling about what
life is like at a particular university compared to another.
The program contains mathematical data also. It shows you the averages of
ACT scores, SAT scores, and the competition rating of each school. Each
one is compared with your scores and ratings. The program explains to you
that these are just averages, not the requirement levels. If you are not a
school's level, you may still have a good chance of admission. The data
just gives you a clear idea of the abilities of the average student in that
college.
To make the trip easier, College Advisor '97 contains a detailed map of the
steps you should take to make it to a good college. It has tutorials that
deal with your essay, ACT and SAT testing, and even advises you on the
classes that you should consider taking. This helpful tool lets you plan
up to two years ahead of your graduation date.
If you are having troubles financially, the program lists your expected
family contribution after you have filled out the questionnaire. You will
then be able to compare your budget with the price of attending your choice
college. You can also fill out a form about your personal interests and
skills to find what scholarships or possible sources of funds are available
to you.
If you need more information, the program has an option to visit the
college's web site. College Advisor '97 does not include a browser, but it
does have hyperlinks to the home pages of most universities and colleges in
the nation. You can use these links with your favorite Internet browser.
This program has no music, but it does have QuickTime movies. These are
used when your guide is speaking about an option that you have chosen, or
to tell you more information about an area. The sound is somewhat off
synch when the QuickTime is playing, but overall it is not very obvious.
The movies are used sparingly and the reason for using the program is to
pick a school of higher learning, not to look at the video.
I believe that College Advisor '97 is a great program for high school
students or anyone, for that matter, that plans on attending a college. It
gives great first hand advice and a real insight into 1200 different
universities and colleges. There is a much information that you would
probably be unable to get anywhere else, especially the school averages
that help you to see the level of scholastic ability at a particular
college. This is a terrific tool for anyone, parent or student, involved
in choosing a suitable college. Pick up Princeton Review's College Advisor
'97 today.
Sony signs licensing agreement to bundle
MGI PhotoSuite with new PCs
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 1997--MGI Software Corp. (Canadian
Dealing Network: MGIS), a leader in photo and video software, today
announced a worldwide licensing agreement which entitles Sony Electronics
to include a copy of the best-selling MGI PhotoSuite with Sony personal
computer lines. Originally designed to create a new entertainment,
information and communications experience for consumers, the Sony PC now
offers users a new way to experience photography.
"We created the Sony PC to deliver a computing system that is as limitless
and multisensory as the user's imagination," said Tim Errington, senior
vice president of sales and marketing for Sony Information Technologies of
America, a divisional company of Sony Electronics. "MGI PhotoSuite allows
our customers to work with photos in creative and exciting ways on their
computer."
With MGI PhotoSuite, Sony's PCV-100 and PCV-120 personal computers allow
users to edit, organize and be creative with their photos. They can add
special effects, make greeting cards, calendars and posters, arrange photos
in albums, send and share photos over the Internet. Users can work with
pictures from a library of photos included with MGI PhotoSuite, regular
film cameras, digital cameras, scanners, photo CDs,
videos, or the Internet. "Sony's commitment to MGI PhotoSuite reflects the
growing consumer interest in PC photography," said Anthony DeCristofaro,
president and CEO, MGI Software. "With MGI PhotoSuite, Sony customers can
expect a complete set of photographic tools that allow them to turn their
Sony PC into a personal darkroom. Users can improve the quality of their
picture taking and create hundreds of new images from a single photo."
About Sony Information Technologies of America
Based in San Jose, Calif., Sony Information Technologies of America is a
divisional company of Sony Electronics that markets Sony-branded computer
products, including Sony PCs, Trinitron( displays, digital still cameras
and other multimedia products through distributors, resellers and consumer
retailers. For additional information about the PC by Sony call 800/4-SONY-
PC (476-6972) or visit Sony's World Wide Web site at
http://www.sony.com/pc .
About MGI Software
Founded in 1995, MGI's mission is to "change the way you picture the world"
by revolutionizing the way people use photos, videos and other multimedia
on their computer and the Internet. The company's award- wining product
lines include MGI PhotoSuite, MGI VideoWave, MGI 3DVision, and MGI Calamus
Publisher. MGI Software http://www.mgisoft.com is publicly traded on the
OTC market in Toronto and based in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Special Notice!! STR Infofile File format for Articles
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STReport. All in the name of progress and improved readability. The
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to stay.
Many grateful thanks in advance for your enthusiastic co-operation and
input.
Ralph F. Mariano, Editor
rmariano@streport.com
STReport International Online Magazine
Gaming Hotwire STR Feature - The World of Contemporary Gaming
Access Software has waited a long time to produce Oakland Hills Country
Club, one of the world's mainline golf courses. Since its very beginnings
in the early 1920s, Oakland Hills has made its mark in the annals of golf
history. The 1924, 1937, 1951, 1961, 1985, and 1996 US Opens, along with
the 1972 and 1979 PGA Championships and the 1981 and 1991 US Senior Opens
were all held at this proud venue.
It was at the memorable 1951 US Open-when the South Course was revamped and
made almost unbearable by Robert Trent Jones-that it received its nickname,
"The Monster." Only two players that year had rounds under par. Ben
Hogan's 287 total won the Open and caused him to exclaim his joy at having
"brought this course, this MONSTER, to its knees." Now, in this newest
addition to the Links Championship Course lineup, you too can play The
Monster and experience for yourself why the 18th at Oakland Hills is
considered by many to be "the toughest finishing hole in golf."
Oakland Hills Championship Course Product Information
Compatibility: This LINKS LS Championship Course is compatible with
Reversions of LINKS (both MAC end PC) and with Microsoft Go/f 1.0, 2.0, or
3.0.
Requirements for use: Hardwere must run at least one of the software titles
listed above.
Format: Multi format CD-ROM for Macintosh and MS-DOS (fully compatible with
WINDOWS).
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95 UPC Code #: 0-81192-31294-2
ACCESS SOFTWARE INCORPORATED
4750 Wiley Post Way, BlUg 1, Suite 200, SLC UT 84116
18001 8004880, FAX 180il359-29<S8
Worldwide Web Site: WWW.ACCESSSOFTWARE.COM
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Okay, the snow from last week's April Fool's Day blizzard is gone - all two
feet of it! It's time to get back to work and forge ahead on our web page
tutorial. If you remember, a few weeks ago we put together a web page
devoted to our feathered-friend, Beau-Coo. What we ended up with was very
basic, but it was a "working" sample. What we're going to this week is
take that basic page and punch it up a bit - adding some color, graphics,
a comments option via an e-mail link, and a few (imaginary) links to other
web sites dealing with african grey parrots. Ready?
Here's the HTML code that we ended up with last time. You may want to keep
it handy as we'll be inserting "code" into it as we go along to add the
various embellishments mentioned above.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>"Beau-Coo", An African Grey</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H2>How Beau-Coo Gets Adopted!</H2>
<P>
This is some text to describe what an African Grey is, how I first "met"
Beau-Coo, and how it came about that we adopted him.
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Okay, let's add some color to this bland white background, and "colorize"
the body text. Since we know we're going to add some links, let's also
make sure the color of the links' text is different from our body text, to
make it easy for our visitors to distinguish.
Let's start with the background first. We could simply make the
background a specific color, but let's make ours something unique! For
the sake of argument, let's say that I have a picture, in .GIF format, of
an African Grey's talon "print". Since the file size is really small and
the colors aren't that dark as to make text difficult to read when
transposed over the graphic, let's make our background appear to have
"parrot tracks" all through it! Try to use a small graphic (a thumbnail)
so the picture will appear as background "wallpaper". You can use a
larger sized picture (I haven't experimented), but that single image will
appear rather than a lot of smaller ones.
The best place in our HTML code to place the coloring schemes is after the
TITLE and HEAD lines. We'll also add the color for the body text, links,
and "visited" links. Let's make the body text color blue; the links color
dark red; and the visited links magenta. By the way, a "visited" link
means that once you have selected that particular link to visit, the text
will change color - in this case, from dark red, to magenta. It's a
mechanism to tell a user which links have been visited and which ones have
not. It comes in handy when your memory is as bad as mine sometimes!
Okay, ready? Let's do it!
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>"Beau-Coo", An African Grey</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BACKGROUND="footprnt.gif" text=#0000FF link=#C00000 vlink=#FF00FF>
Add the rest of the code we did earlier and we have the same page, but with
a background graphic and blue text for the body. Now let's add a link or
two, and an e-mail option.
First of all, you'll need to decide where you wish to place any links that
you want to add, within your page. In our example, we want our visitors
to read our story first, and visit elsewhere afterward! So, let's place
our links near the end of our page. We'll place the links after our
"adoption" tale.
Let's break up the page with a horizontal line first. After the paragraph
break but preceding the closing BODY command, add a <HR SIZE=1> command.
This will create a narrow (designated width according to the "size=1")
horizontal line below the body text.
Now let's add those links. We'll want to set them apart from normal text,
so let's add a small graphic and then a header to describe what's to
follow. After the horizontal line command, let's add the following
code:
<H3><img src=r_ball.gif width=15 height=15> Parrot Links</H3> <BR>
The "H3" will determine the size; the "img src=r_ball.gif" is telling us to
use the r_ball.gif (red ball) file that's included with your HTML code;
and the width/height figures determines the size of the red ball. The
text "Parrot Links" will appear after the red ball. The <BR> sends a line
break so our links won't be crammed-in right after the header.
Let's add the links:
<li><a href="African">http://www.parrots.com/greys.htm">African Greys!</a>
<li><a href="Parrot">http://www.amazon.net/parrots.htm">Parrot Lovers!</a>
<br>
The above code, without going into detail, are HTML references to the web
site addresses (URLs), with a text description of where we're "pointing"
our visitors. Be sure to include the opening and closing brackets! By
the way, these web site links are fictitious!
Let's be a little selfish here and make sure people know who put this web
page together; and then add the capability to send us feedback. The code
should be self-explanatory.
<ADRESS><AU>Dana P. Jacobson</AU><BR>
E-Mail: <A HREF="mailto:dpj@delphi.com">dpj@delphi.com</a>
</ADRESS><P>
Copyright © 1997 Dana P. Jacobson<BR>
<I>Created on April 09, 1997 at 21:00</I><BR>
<HR SIZE=1>
Let's put it all together now!
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>"Beau-Coo", An African Grey</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BACKGROUND="footprnt.gif" text=#0000FF link=#C00000 vlink=#FF00FF>
<BODY>
<H2>How Beau-Coo Gets Adopted!</H2>
<P>
This is some text to describe what an African Grey is, how I first "met"
Beau-Coo, and how it came about that we adopted him.
</P>
<HR SIZE=1>
<H3><img src=r_ball.gif width=15 height=15> Parrot Links</H3>
<BR>
<li><a href="African">http://www.parrots.com/greys.htm">African Greys!</a>
<li><a href="Parrot">http://www.amazon.net/parrots.htm">Parrot Lovers!</a>
<br>
<ADRESS><AU>Dana P. Jacobson</AU><BR>
E-Mail: <A HREF="mailto:dpj@delphi.com">dpj@delphi.com</a>
</ADRESS><P>
Copyright © 1997 Dana P. Jacobson<BR>
<I>Created on April 09, 1997 at 21:00</I><BR>
<HR SIZE=1>
</BODY>
</HTML>
And we're done with this installment! Next time, we'll add a few pictures
to spice up the page. Remember, when you're creating a web page, not only
do you have to upload the HTML code (beau_coo.htm) file,
but the actual graphics files that are to be referenced by your code. In
this example, include the r_ball.gif and footprnt.gif files.
Until next time...
Hi all!
You will find a new version of CAB v2.0 Demo at one of my pages:
http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille/english/cab.html dated 1997 Apr 7, with
German and English RSC-files.
It's executable on all Atari & compatible computers (PC's with MagicPC and
Apple Mac's with MagicMac) with a minimum of 2 MB RAM. Multilingual
versions like Swedish, Italian, Spanish and Croatian also
available.
Best Regards
Mille Babic
eMail: mille@mail5.tripnet.se
http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille (English, German, Swedish, Croatian)
Atari Falcon CPU40MHz:DSP50MHZ (12MB RAM 540MB+1.0GB HD)
N.AES Operating System with MiNT Kernel and N.Thing Desktop
Gaming Section
"Cup Crazy"!
Psygnosis
"It's Been Quiet!"
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
Very little gaming news this week during my travels. It must be all of the
different weather conditions throughout the country! And we even had some
weird sunspots activity. Is there a full moon too?? Still nothing new on
Iron Soldier 2 for those of us still waiting for the next batch of Jaguar
News. I can only imagine what Telegames is going through trying to get
this game out, as well as the rest. More power to them for their patience,
and their support.
Let's get on to the news, as little as it appears this week.
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
Sponsors, Star Power Make NHL Cup Crazy
Washington, DC, APR. 08 (ISWire Sports Beat) - The National Hockey League
(NHL) Cup Crazy marketing campaign begins a full force assault this week
when the league launches as many as twelve 30-second television commercials
featuring stars from all walks of life: foul-mouthed comedian Don Rickles,
Matthew Perry from NBC television's Friends, talk-show host Tom Snyder, and
rock and roll legends Kiss. Print advertisements will appear in USA Today,
The Hockey News, and The Sporting News. The NHL's official Web site on The
Internet's World Wide Web (NHL.com) will offer Cup Crazy activities
sponsored by league marketing partners Lee Apparel Co.'s Lee Sport-brand,
New Era, Logo Athletic, Sony Corp.'s Playstation interactive video
technology, and Franklin Sports. JC Penney Co. again in 1997 offers the
Bring The Cup Home sweepstakes where a fan from the NHL Stanley Cup winning
market will host the Stanley Cup at his or her home for a week in Summer
1997. Chrysler Corp.'s The New Dodge division, an active and highly visible
NHL sponsor, holds the Cup Crazy Caravan, a mobile fan festival going from
one playoff market to another to whip fans into a playoff frenzy with
games, prizes, and a ticket sweepstakes.
I.T. SERVICES: Psygnosis to Implement
High Speed Data Communications
APR 10, 1997, M2 Communications - I.T. Services, a leading network
solutions provider, has won a GBP 250,000 contract to deliver a new high
speed data communications infrastructure to Psygnosis Ltd, the specialist
video games software house. With almost 700 staff and turnover exceeding
GBP 300 million, Psygnosis is one of the world's largest games development
houses, specialising in software for the Sony Playstation and other
platforms. The company has its Head Office in Liverpool, with other
locations in Chester, Stroud, Leeds and two in London.
Games software is developed by fifteen-strong teams of programmers,
artists, designers and producers based at each location. In additional to
conventional PCs, each development team has Silicon Graphics workstations,
with very high file storage capacity, to create the advanced graphics
required for new games.
The main requirements from the new network are support for more efficient
backup of large graphics files, better transfer of information between
different development teams, and configuration of virtual LANs to allow
individuals to form new teams and interoperate more easily without moving
from their own desk or location. "We need the new network to support inter
site communications for better on-line exchange of software development
files and business information," says Adrian Myatt, Network Manager for
Development at Psygnosis. "I.T. Services impressed us with their skills set
and proposed a cost effective solution designed to protect our investment."
I.T. Services' solution, which replaces existing Ethernet 10Base2 shared
media LANs, is designed to prevent bottlenecks in the network, ensuring
power users and conventional users can work alongside each other. Each
location is adopting a network which incorporates a number of Bay Networks
Baystack twelve port Ethernet hubs cascaded into 10Mbps switched Ethernet
ports on Bay Networks Centillion 100 backbone switches. Bandwidth intensive
Silicon Graphics clients are allocated dedicated 10Mbps switched ports
providing low latency access to 100Mbps connected servers across existing
Category 5 UTP cabling. Wide area connectivity is provided by Bay Networks
ASN and AN routers over a mix of MegaStream and ISDN.
Anixter, a leading Bay Networks distributor, provided support for I.T.
Services during the bid by helping the company prove the technology case
for its proposed solution to Psygnosis. The Bay Network Centillion 100
supports the implementation of virtual LANs, enabling reconfiguration using
visual network management software tools. It also supports simultaneous
LAN-to-LAN, LAN-to-ATM, and ATM-to-ATM switching, protecting investment in
LAN infrastructure but with a flexible migration path to ATM, should
Psygnosis decide to adopt it. "This is a technically advanced solution
which meets Psygnosis' current requirements, but with a clear migration
path to even faster LAN and WAN technologies," says David Raine, Head of
I.T. Services' Network Solutions business unit.
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
Compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@streport.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Let me say right off the top that,
last week, we _almost_ got this formatting thing squared away. The format
problems you saw last issue were caused by the fact that I was using a two-
space tab, and the finished product ended up with a five space tab.
Because of this, the longer lines overflowed and messed up the format.
Let's see if I get it right this time around! <grin>
I'd also like to say thank you to the handful of people who wrote to
tell me that the formatting was still incorrect but that it was getting
better and that they liked the indented format on the whole. I've spent a
lot of time lately thinking about the World Wide Web and its implications
for us. Most of the things that I see coming are good; widespread access
to information, more information to choose from, the ability to do
everything from planning a vacation to paying for it, and last, but
certainly not least, getting some of us away from that demon television
for several hours a week.
There are a few pitfalls of course. Easier access to other peoples'
information means that someone may have easier access to yours as well.
And it may not always be information that you wish them to have.
Everything from digital banking to online Social Security Numbers and
payments may be available before too long (Social Security information was
available for a while, but it has been stopped just this past week). In
this case, the right to privacy is not something that can be taken away.
It is something that can only be given away. For this simple reason, I
hope to see a personal encryption system in place within the next decade.
Something on the order of PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) as opposed to the "V"
chip or "Clipper" encryption would be nice because not only is it more
secure, no one will hold the key or passcode but you. Clipper technology
has, by its very design, a "master key" held by the government in one form
or another. What this means is that, should the government deign is
necessary, they can simply unlock your encrypted checkbook, diary, or
correspondence. Using a system such as PGP, they would have to 'break' the
code using some high power computers. They have the capability now (the
National Security Agency does it routinely), so I can only assume that they
will be able to keep up with the increasing technology. It has been said
that "The NSA can read ANY encrypted message they want to. They just can't
read EVERY encrypted message they want to. And that's what makes them
mad".
Now, lest you think I'm either paranoid or completely off-base, let me
tell you that I have a feel for trends of the future. I remember the
first time I met John Jainschigg, the then-editor of Atari Explorer
Magazine. We talked at length about what we saw in the future of
computing. We both saw the internet or something very like it emerging as
a means of communication and data transfer. We both also thought we'd see
communications programs that were almost completely graphically oriented
and would build a library of images as they went along so that the next
time your program required the image it would be available on your hard
drive. That is exactly what HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language, the
language of the WWW is). Was HTML around back then? I really don't know.
But I do know that neither of us had heard of it. John saw flat fees for
online usage, while I saw providers charging for CPU time (the actual time
the provider's computer spends doing tasks for you) instead of connect
time. John seems to have won the first round here, but let's see what
happens in a year or two when most providers find they can no longer make a
profit on a flat rate schedule because of the various charges added on by
the phone companies and government agencies (and believe me folks, some of
these fees WILL go through).
Well, I'll bet you didn't know that there was more than one crystal ball
around here, did you? I'll put mine away for now and take it out again
when it's time to pick a lottery number (funny, but it never seems to work
then <grin>).
Okay, let's get to all the news, hints, tips, and info available on
CompuServe.
From the Atari Forums on CompuServe
Charles Eckert posts:
"I have a falcon030, would like to connect a 28k modem (or faster)
to it (presently using a 14K). I have downloaded FastSerial....
buit can't get Flash III to work with it. If i get a faster modem
how do i connect,set up FastSer and get Flash III to work?"
John Trautschold of Missionware Software tells Charles:
"Just as a point of reference, I think what you're asking about is
Flash II, version 3.0x, a telecom program for Atari computers.
In any case, the reason you can't get Flash II to work with
FastSerial is that Flash II doesn't need or use FastSerial (or any
other Atari serial port program). Flash II handles all serial
ports itself giving you the benefit of all data rates that your
Atari computer is capable of.
If you want to use a 28.8 or faster modem with your Falcon030, go
right ahead and purchase one. I regularly use a SupraFAXModem 288
on the high speed port of my TT030, which is basically the same as
the high speed port on your Falcon. Set Flash II to a baud rate of
38400 or higher and you're all set."
Dennis Larson takes the opportunity to ask John:
"I am also using FLASH II. I keep reading about using HSMODEM7 as
a patch for the serial port. Do I need this if I am using Flash
II? I have a ZOOM 28.8 modem and haven't had troubles that I have
noticed. I have not made any hardware modification to the serial
port so am limited to 19.2 baud."
Our own Dana Jacobson jumps in and tells Dennis:
"John has mentioned numerous times that you do _not_ need HSMODEM
or any serial patch while running Flash II. One less aggravation
to worry about! <grin>"
Rick Detlefsen asks for help:
"I just downloaded BATFAX, and it doesn't recognize my AT&T fax
modem. The modem is class 2 compatible as the fax software needs.
I need to know what the typical fax softwares does to determine if
a modem is class 1 or class 2 compatible. How does one tell the
modem to originate a fax call vs. a modem call? Maybe the software
is too old?"
Albert Dayes tells Rick:
"I have never used BATFAX so I do not know how it works. Does your
modem support both class 1 and class 2? If so you might try using
class 1 mode if it is available. Is your AT&T modem a v.34
compatible modem?
The only other alternative that I know of is the commercial product
called Straight Fax v2.x. I believe you can contact Toad computers
(I believe they still provide tech support) and see if your modem
is supported."
Philippe Bogdan, who recently decided to switch platforms (from Atari to
Mac) for his music composing, tells us:
"<<As for throwing the ST away?>> I will keep it, still have stacks
of songs I needs to transfer and hundreds of sounds and who knows,
the next vintage fad may be for the Atari :-)
Believe me or not I like my Atari, actually it's a STACY 4/50 but
I took the screen off because it was dead - working on music wears
out the screen too easily. Actually my SM124 is dying too.
Difficult to work on in broad day light.
But since I'm trying to live out of my arrangements, having a
integrate system is a must. And honnestly, after working for a week
with Performer 5,5, I don't regret Cubase anymore. Performer is
more 'musical', both in the way it work and how it 'sounds'. The
quantize section really 'groove'. Even applying a 1/8 quatize with
a 25% swing sounds great, not taling about the specific groove.
And it's very stable on the Mac. BTW, I trade my PowerBook DUO 230
for a Mac PowerPC for less that I would have paid for an
accelerator for the Atari. And Performer flies on a PowerPC :-)
And I found a shareware developer who is working on a RS422
connection for my EmaxII sampler to transfer samples from his
editor - a very god one BTW - from the Mac to the EmaxII.
So I think I'm through with Atari. Hope that Apple will not follow
Atari's path though."
Simon Churchill tells Philippe:
"Sound's like Performer has performed perfectly. (PHee, What a
lot of P's!!)
As for Apple, who know's. Here today gone tomorrow and the PC
might just end up doing the same."
Dennis Bishop tells us a bit about his "custom" hard drive:
"Right now it is sitting next to this Atari Falcon030 with a
syquest 44 meg drive installed in it, a hole cut in the top for a
home made holder for a ST157n sitting on to on top and chained into
the other 44 meg drive, that's the setup I'm using on this Falcon.
Over by the old ST is the bottem part of a sh204 that has a another
ST 157n bolted on it and over it in another home made frame is a
360meg 5.25in FULL Hight drive that's about 6 years old and is
waiting for a replacememt ICD Host to get back to working order!
My BBS is running on a TT/030 and a sysop of a beemer board that
shut down GAVE me a 540 meg scsi drive that is now inside the TT
and runs the BBS on it.
So you could say that I am one that puts things together to work
that would give a tech nightmares!"
Simon Churchill, who is quite the hacker himself, taunts Dennis a bit:
"A man of my own heart, if it might just work.......
.... That's better, now it's working.......
..... Bugger it's stoped again .........
...... Ha, that fixed it!!
Sound anything like a conversation you have had. 8-) (With
yourself!!) With that nest of wires you must be frightened to move
anything. By the way, how big is your BBS?? Where are you
located?? Can we call in??"
Dennis tells Simon:
"My BBS right now has about 20 some messages bases, lots go
unused, only realy a hand full of users, internets has taken a lot
of users away from BBSing. But I keep my board up, it started with
an Atari 800XL and 2 1050's and a XM301 modem! Now it's on a TT/030
(4meg st/4 meg tt) a 540meg hard drive that's gots lot of room and
yes anyone can call in.
Black Hole BBS 300 - 14.4kb
808 - 695 - 8310
If I could ever get any help on setting up stemper, I could inport
Fido or some of the other networks again like I used to with ISIS
before it died."
Stephen Wilson asks for help with a dormant monitor:
"Has anyone out there ever wielded a soldering iron over a dead
monochrome monitor. I can vaguely remember doing so a coupla years
ago when it went wrong, and getting away with it. But now it's
dropped dead again and this time I'm stumped.
All I get is a thin white line running horizontally across the
screen. I'd guess this is probably a dead give away as to the
faulty component, but I lack the experience to tell me which. Can
anyone help?"
Andreas Rosenberg tells Steve:
"I hope I can help you. I don't know if I can find the correct
technical terms to make it understandable. I quoted phrases I
translated word by word.
I think there is something wrong with the vertical deflection.
Either the generator for the signal called "saw tooth" (figure
below) or some subsequent processing (amplification) doesn't work.
The easiest way to create such a signal is by using a capacitor and
a resistor. Mostly capacitors die after a certain age, because
their "electrolyte" decays.
|\ |\ |
| \| \|
As you might know that sort of signal is being put onto the
vertical deflection coils and causes the electronic beam moving
from top to bottom. The retrace signal comes from the computer. It
would be worth looking at it too. Perhaps it's connected to ground
for some reason and causes a permanent retrace.
Let a TV technician take a look at it."
Steve tells Andreas:
"Thanks for the info Andy. I traced the fault to at least one
leaky capacitor, so I'm replacing that and a few other components
in the vicinity.
BTW I've another monitor (a medium rez colour jobbie) with a
hyperactive horizontal hold. It's virtually impossible to adjust
the preset in fine enough movements to get the picture to stay
still. Any ideas ??"
Andreas asks Steve:
"Does the color signal work correctly on a different monitor?
If not, the sync timing of the computer is no longer constant.
Otherwise it's the sync timing of the monitor. Perhaps termic
problems, an old capacitor or a weak sync signal ..."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
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inclined to think better of them, and to transfer the suspicion or
dislike to the one who found pleasure in pointing out the defects of
another..."
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