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Silicon Times Report Issue 1325
Silicon Times Report
"The Original Independent Online Magazine"
(Since 1987)
June 20, 1997 No.1325
Silicon Times Report International Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
R.F. Mariano, Editor
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06/20/97 STR 1325 Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary 1987-97!
- CPU Industry Report - Corel NewsWire - NET PCs RSN
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FCC Chairman Nixes AT&T/SBC Merger
ClariNet News Service Sold
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Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35
Results: 06/07/97: two of six numbers with no matches
From the Editor's Desk...
Tomorrow morning is officially the beginning of the Summer Season.
Summer Solstice I believe is the name. Full Moon, Higher than high Tides.
also known as Neap Tides will occur. Summer means Outdoor Activities, Sun,
Fun, Beaches, BBQ's and of course, travel. All I ask is that when it comes
to the Travel, please what ever means you are using or doing. do it safely.
And if any of you are in Our Hometown area, look us up for a hello or two.
Cakewalk 6.0 Pro is out and I might add it's a dilly. Talk about a
powerhouse of a Midi Application! This one literally takes the Cake! We
will be doing a full review of the program. At this point, its best said
in one word; Wow. Musicians check this Midi Package out you will not be
sorry.
We have tried to make a good thing even better for you. L.E. Pulley's
Shareware Listings is a great feature article each week. We have now made
it even better. Directly from the PDF edition one may click on the Hot
Links in the Shareware list and the system's browser will be immediately
called. Of course you must be "connected" to the Internet via your ISP or
whatever you use for a gateway to the `Net. You can breeze right out to
any hot link, look over the site and perhaps download the program. You can
then drop the browser and move to the next item in the issue. Every week,
a FRESH up to date listing of the latest and greatest of shareware made
directly available to you. Enjoy.
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Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Publisher, Editor
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PC Section Mac Section Shareware Listings
R.F. Mariano Help Wanted Lloyd E. Pulley
Classics & Gaming Kid's Computing Corner
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STReport Headline News
LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
FTC Warns Junk E-Mailers
The Federal Trade Commission is firing a warning shot across the bow of the
junk e-mail industry, saying regulators will punish businesses that put
false information in the unsolicited mail sent to millions of World Wide
Web users. Business writer David E. Kalish of The Associated Press the
commission also has asked the online industry to figure out ways to stem
the flood of commercial mail that has clogged the Internet, making it
difficult for users to go online.
Look for the FTC to ask industry groups to supply lists of junk-mail
senders to help its new drive to detect fraud. "Penalties for junk mailers
who break the law," says Kalish, "could include court injunctions to stop
the practice. ... Repeat offenders could face fines of tens of thousands of
dollars." FTC commissioner Christine Varney told the wire service, "We
will try to go after them and prosecute some fraud."
The commission says it will focus on two types of e-mail scams:
ú Businesses using a bogus name or Internet address, leaving consumers
with no way of stopping the junk mail because their messages bounce back
from the false addresses.
ú Junk mailers who lie to consumers in an effort to lure them into
investment, business opportunity or other scams.
AP says several major emailers and industry groups said they would
cooperate with the FTC and would supply names of fellow mailers. Sanford
Wallace, president of the controversial super-spammer Cyberpromotions Inc.,
told AP, "We have to play by the rules. We want to set an example."
Meanwhile, the FTC has decided for now to let industry figure out how to
slow the flood of unsolicited mail instead of pushing for government rules,
such as an outright ban on junk mailings. Regulators at yesterday's FTC
hearing asked industry and consumer groups to create a group to examine the
problem and report back in six months.
E-Mailers Try to Reform Image
A new group called the Internet Marketing Council has been formed by a
number of direct marketing firms to try to change their image as a venue
for junk e-mail. For the Newsbytes computer news service, writer Bill
Pietrucha reports from Chevy Chase, Maryland, that the goal of the IMC is,
according to director Jay McCrensky, "to create a positive and receptive
environment for commercial e-mail, and put an end to the misuse of
deceptive and unwanted mail sent through computers."
Said McCrensky, "Although there is tremendous potential in commercial
e-mail, the industry has suffered from a backlash to e-mail marketing, and
the real cost of the backlash is to the consumer." IMC Vice President
Douglas Wood, the group's legal counsel, adds, "The Internet is so vast,
open, and unregulated that virtually anyone can offer products for sale.
Unfortunately, you cannot market online through Web sites alone. The most
effective way is through direct response marketing, including e-mail."
Pietrucha says the group is establishing a "certification" and "labeling"
program for member commercial e-mail To obtain the IMC endorsement and the
right to use the certified log on the address and heading, an applicant to
the IMC must provide:
ú A significant give-away or discount to the recipient.
ú Credit or points toward free Internet access and product discounts to
the recipients for receiving and looking at e-mail.
ú -A commission to member Internet service providers on each certified
e-mail received and looked at.
Judge Says AOL Not Liable
A judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, has ruled America Online is not liable
for customers who use the service to peddle pornography in cyberspace.
Judge James Carlisle says federal law leaves it up to parents to police
their personal computers. AOL was sued in January on behalf of a
14-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted by Richard Lee Russell in 1994.
The two met by exchanging messages in an AOL "chat room." The Associated
Press notes Russell, who pleaded guilty to federal and state charges
stemming from the assault and is in federal prison, said he used AOL to
talk to other pederasts around the country, according to the lawsuit.
The suit contended AOL's rules prohibiting customers from posting obscene
or illegal material were so poorly enforced that the provider became "a
home shopping network for pedophiles and child pornographers." However,
Judge Carlisle cited the Communications Decency Act of 1996. "Though the
bulk of the law consists of anti-pornography measures, which have been put
on hold pending a U.S. Supreme Court ruling," says AP, "one section says
companies such as AOL cannot be sued for the statements of others. It also
says service providers cannot be sued if they prohibit certain material
from being transmitted but don't police themselves well."
As reported here earlier, the legal action sought $8 million in damages, $1
for each American Online subscriber. The boy's lawyer, Brian Smith, said he
plans to appeal Carlisle's ruling. A separate lawsuit is pending against
Russell. AOL attorneys have said it is impossible to monitor all of its
chat rooms, where 14,000 conversations can take place simultaneously, and
that the company has employees who search for pedophiles.
Feds Brace for Porn Ruling
While saying it hasn't changed its stance on restricting the availability
of pornography to children on the Internet, the White House is
acknowledging it is weighing what to do if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes
down a controversial law that limits such access. The Reuter News Service
quotes White House spokesman Mike McCurry as saying, "Our administration
views are those that we've argued in front of the court. We want to look
... at ways that we can help families that want to protect kids from smut
and indecency."
However, McCurry also notes the White House is studying what to do if the
Supreme Court strikes down 1996's so-called "Communications Decency Act,"
which makes it a crime punishable by two years in prison and a $250,000
fine to transmit such material on the Internet in a manner available to
minors. The New York Times reported yesterday the White House may be
preparing a new policy undercutting its strong support of the law until
now.
On this, McCurry says the White House wanted to keep pornographic material
away from children. "We're figuring out how to do that depending on what
the court might rule." The CDA already has been struck down by lower
federal courts as being unconstitutional. The Supreme Court judgment is
expected any time within the next few weeks.
Ramsey Probe Intruder Target?
Word from Boulder, Colorado, is that documents containing information on
the JonBenet Ramsey case may have been stolen from a police computer.
Authorities told United Press International someone gained access to a
computer early last Saturday in the so-called "war room," used by
detectives and prosecutors working on the 5-month-old case. The room was
set up the previous Monday. Detective Commander John Eller told the wire
service, "We don't believe anything has been lost, but we don't know what,
if anything, has been copied."
Police have asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to launch a probe.
There were no signs of forced entry to the room, which is protected by
electronic security, police said, adding that in the wake of the breach in
security, the system is being upgraded. UPI characterizes this episode as
"the latest wobble in a murder investigation that has drawn a great deal of
attention, not only because of the mystery surrounding the slaying but
criticism of how the probe has been handled." The 6-year-old beauty queen
was found strangled in the basement of her parents' Boulder home on Dec.
26. There have been no arrests.
Financial Encryption Code Cracked
The encryption technology that has protected electronic financial
transactions since the 1970s has been cracked by a group of programmers and
researchers, using tens of thousands of computers across the Internet.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning, Reporter Don Clark says
the group was able to decode a message that had been scrambled using the
Data Encryption Standard, "which," he notes, "most banks and many companies
rely on to protect sensitive information from thieves and eavesdroppers."
(The Data Encryption Standard uses a 56-bit key.)
Adds Clark, "The result of the four-month computing effort, in response to
a public challenge by the encryption company RSA Data Security Inc., is
believed to be the first time anyone has claimed to have cracked the code."
The paper comments that while it may be years before criminals could mount
such an attack, "the breakthrough highlights the long-term threat to codes
that protect electronic money transfers, ATM transactions and private
documents moving electronically around the globe."
Also, look for the breakthrough to be used as further ammunition for
Clinton administration critics in their efforts to persuade the government
to relax export controls on encryption technology. Writes Clark, "The
administration still contends that the standard is adequate protection
under most circumstances. Government agencies have long opposed export of
stronger products because the technology would make it difficult to read
the messages of terrorists or criminals."
Loveland, Colorado, programmer Rocke Verser, who helped lead the decoding
effort, told the Journal, "We have demonstrated that DES can be cracked,
and it's not difficult to do it. It means that we need to take a very
serious look at how data is encrypted and stored and passed." Competing
against a team in Sweden, Verser drew assistanc from university students,
scientists and companies around the country to run a software routine that
he developed to try out all of the mathematical possibilities for a key
that might decode a message that RSA posted in its challenge. Participants
made use of spare time on an assortment of large and small computers in
what is called a "brute force" attack.
Says Clark, Cracking the message meant that the team faced the theoretical
possibility of having to test 72 quadrillion possible numbers as a
potential key to decode the message. As it turned out, a personal computer
operated by a Salt Lake City company called iNetZ Corp. stumbled on the
correct number after about 25 percent of the possible numbers had been
tried."
Quebec Demands French on Web
In Montreal, a computer store has been warned by the agency that enforces
Quebec's language laws that its English-language Web site violates a law
requiring businesses to use French. The Associated Press says owners of
Micro-Bytes Logiciels were given until July 2 to provide a French version
of the Web site or face a fine of up to $1,000. "The store initially
decided to shut down the home page," says the wire service, "but has
reinstated it after supporters encouraged them through email messages,
phone calls and visits."
Store manager Marc Silverman told AP, "It's totally a matter of principle.
I got a lot of French supporters telling me they have French Web pages on
the Internet and they're going to translate them into English-only pages."
AP adds, "The watchdog agency -- known among Quebec's English-speaking
minority as the language police -- has received a wave of electronic hate
mail since reports of the May 29 warning surfaced in the Montreal media
last weekend."
Agency spokesman Gerald Paquette told the wire service, "It's not pleasant,
but we're used to it." The agency says the store's Web site didn't comply
with a section of the language law requiring that catalogs brochures and
other commercial publications be in French. Paquette notes the Internet
hadn't been mentioned specifically in the law, but has now been included.
Says Silverman, "The question right now is whether Quebec has the right
to control what goes on the Internet. Our position is, `No, they don't have
that right.'" Right now, the store is working on a bilingual home page,
but owner Morty Grauer said he wasn't sure if it would be ready by July 2.
Mom Accused of 'Net Addiction'
A Cincinnati mother of three is accused by authorities of devoting so much
time to her computer and to the Internet's World Wide Web that she
dangerously neglected her children. The 24-year-old mother -- who is
ironically named Sandra Hacker - was released on bond yesterday after
pleading not guilty to charges of child neglect. Authorities are telling
reporters the situation may have resulted from Hacker's possible "addiction
to the Internet."
The Associated Press quotes Hacker's estranged husband as saying her
compulsion to surf the Internet broke up their marriage and, adds AP, "now
her preoccupation has led authorities to take away her children." Hacker
was arrested Saturday by police who said the playroom of her apartment had
broken glass, debris and children's hand prints in human feces on the
walls. Said Sgt. Paul Neudigate, "She would lock the children in the room
so not to be bothered. The place was in complete shambles, but the computer
area was clean -- completely immaculate."
Alexander Hacker, who moved out of the house two weeks ago, told police his
wife spent up to 12 hours a day on the Net. He complained Saturday that
the couple's children -- aged 2, 3 and 5 -- were not receiving adequate
care. AP says police turned the children over to the Hamilton County
Department of Human Services. Meanwhile, psychologist David Greenfield of
Hartford, Connecticut, told AP he likened Net addiction to gambling,
saying, "It's potent. There's instant gratification. It becomes a pretty
powerful drug. ... The normalcies for time and space disappear."
And Kimberly Young, an assistant professor of psychology at the University
of Pittsburgh who also has studied the condition, says exaggerated computer
use should be recognized as an addiction. Young, in a study of nearly 400
people she considered psychologically dependent on the Internet, found
users sometimes sneak online in the middle of the night, or skip work to
stay home and surf the Internet.
Pre-Millennium Bug Found
While there has been much talk in computerdom about the millenium bug --
that is, what will happen when clocks in older computers try to click over
in the year 2000 -- researchers now say there is a pre-millenium flaw that
could strike in 1999. London's Financial Times carries a report today that
programmers in the 1970s had entered the date Sept. 9, 1999 (that is
"09/09/99" or "999999") to denote the end of a project or set of records.
Writes the Reuter News Service, "The code was devised to ensure records
were processed in the right order. The first file was numbered 000000.
As Sept. 9, 1999, approached, many of the end-dates would be activated and
bring programs to a premature halt." This would appear to pre-date the
problems anticipated with the millenium bug. That difficulty stems from
computer systems using two digits to show the year, which programmers
originally used to save scarce processing capacity. "At the turn of the
century," notes Reuters, "many computers will show 00 for the year and
interpret it as 1900, potentially causing havoc. Companies are now racing
to reprogram old software."
Netscape to Fix Bug Next Week
Confirming a bug in its Internet browsers that allows unwanted access to
users' personal computers, Netscape Communications Corp. says it should
have a fix available for the problem by next week. As reported, the flaw
was found by a Danish consultant who reported it to Netscape. Reporter
Samuel Perry of the Reuter News Service says the consult reportedly
demanded money in exchange for details. Jennifer O'Mahony, spokeswoman for
the Mountain View, California, software publisher said her firm assigned
engineers to find a solution to the problem after the consultant demanded
more than the customary $1,000 that Netscape pays for bug reports.
She said, "We have created a fix which we are currently testing
extensively," adding the bug was "quite complex to recreate. The bug
requires that you create a malicious World Wide Web site and have knowledge
of the names and locations of the files on the users' machines." Reuters
says the bug can occur in older versions of the product: Navigator 2.0 and
3.0, as well as the browser supplied with the new Communicator software
package released on Wednesday. Netscape has received no reports of
incidents involving the bug, O'Mahony said, adding the first fix will be
supplied for Communicator and fixes for the earlier versions right
afterward.
NEC and IBM in Hard Drive Pact
NEC Corp. and IBM Corp have signed an agreement that calls for NEC to
manufacture specific IBM-developed 3.5-inch desktop disk drives. NEC is
set to begin shipping the drives early next year. IBM will also continue
manufacturing the drives, which will be sold by both companies under their
respective brand names. To accommodate the new production, NEC will expand
a Philippines manufacturing plant to a capacity of five
million disk drives per year by late 1998.
"Due to a high demand for PCs and servers, there is a strong demand for
3.5-inch hard disk drives," notes a statement issued by the companies.
"Computer software applications have become more complex, driving the
requirement for higher capacity hard drives. NEC and IBM have formed this
business relationship in order to help meet this demand for high
performance desktop hard drives." For more information on IBM storage
products, visit the company's Web site at http://www.storage.ibm.com.
NEC's Web site address is http://www.nec.co.jp.
Microsoft Buys Java Developer
Microsoft Corp. has acquired Cooper & Peters Inc., a Boulder,
Colorado-based developer of object-oriented user- interface framework
technologies for the Java and Smalltalk environments. The move is designed
to accelerate the acceptance of Microsoft Application Foundation Classes
(AFC), a set of Java class libraries that help developers create Java
applications more quickly. The deal's terms weren't disclosed. "With
nearly a decade of object-oriented design experience, Cooper & Peters
brings a proven expertise that can help extend the Application Foundation
Classes' lead as the industry's most comprehensive foundation classes for
Java," says John Ludwig, vice president of Microsoft's Internet client and
collaboration division.
"More world- class talent means Microsoft can move even faster on its goal
to deliver the world's best solutions for developers of Java and other
object-oriented languages." "We want to make the largest possible impact
on the industry, and Microsoft is the place to do that," adds Ted Peters,
principal at Cooper & Peters, who along with fellow principal Ken Cooper
will join Microsoft's AFC development team. "The opportunity to help drive
the next generation of user interface frameworks is a win-win for us,
Microsoft and our customers."
Toshiba Makes Pocket Camera
What is said to be the world's thinnest, lightest digital still camera is
being launched this summer by Toshiba Corp., going on sale next month in
the U.S. and in August in Japan. Reporting from Tokyo, the Reuter News
Service says the pocket-sized PDR-2 -- to be called the Allegretto in Japan
- - measures 105mm by 55mm by 20mm and weighs 130 grams, excluding the
battery.
Toshiba officials told the wire service the product is the first to use a
one-quarter inch 330,000-pixel complimentary metal oxide semiconductor
image sensor as the eye, which uses one-10th the power of models with
commonly used image sensors, a Toshiba spokesman said. "The camera uses
SmartMedia, a 0.76mm thick removable stamp-sized flash-memory storage
card," adds Reuters. "A built-in personal computer card allows the camera
to be plugged into a computer to download the images."
ClariNet News Service Sold
In a stock deal said to be worth about $7.7 million, ClariNet
Communications Corp., an Internet news company, is to be purchased by
electronic publisher Individual Inc. Reporting from Individual's
Burlington, Mass., headquarters this afternoon, the Reuter News Service
quoted officials with Individual as saying the privately held ClariNet has
annual revenue of about $3.9 million and has shown a positive cash flow in
each of the last five years. Reuters says ClariNet was employee-owned "and
funded predominantly from internal cash flow," adding it has 1.5 million
licensed readers as of early 1997.
"ClariNet's services are provided to more than 350 Internet Service
Providers, corporations and educational institutions, who in turn
incorporate ClariNet in their own services," the wire service adds.
ClariNet founder Brad Templeton and Roy Folk, its president and chief
operating officer, will become officers of Individual in addition to their
operating roles at ClariNet. Templeton also will be one of Individual's
largest shareholders, with about 7 percent of the outstanding shares. All
40 of ClariNet's staff will become Individual employees.
Reuters says ClariNet will continue to operate from its headquarters in San
Jose, Calif. Individual has been on a shopping spree. Earlier this month,
it acquired CompanyLink, a research product from Delphi Internet Services.
Adds Reuters, "Individual said it will explore ways to add advertising to
ClariNet's products. Advertising revenue now accounts for less than 5
percent of ClariNet's revenue, which is dominated by subscription fees."
Editor Decries Apple Knockers
Editor-in-Chief Scott Kelby of Mac Today, a new Macintosh-oriented
magazine, thinks the media is giving Apple Computer a bum rap. "How is it
that a computer company ranked 22 spots higher than Microsoft in the latest
Fortune 500, which has $1.4 billion in the bank and sold over four million
computers last year -- more than even IBM -- is branded as beleaguered,
troubled and struggling?" he asks.
Kelby says the bimonthly Mac Today, which bills itself as "the Alternative
Macintosh Magazine," was created to counter the doom-sayers and "provide
Mac users with plenty of 'ammo' in their war against the misinformation
about Apple and the Mac." "It seems like the only news the public hears
about Apple is bad news, so we set out to be an alternative to the
Apple-bashing," says Kelby. More details are available on the
publication's Web site: http://www.mactoday.com.
Net PCs Begin Their Debut
Pared-down, Internet-ready "Net PCs" are having their debut this week as
major computer makers unveil machines that cost as little as $1,000 and are
touted as being cheaper to maintain than traditional desktops.
"The machines run on Intel Corp. chips and Microsoft Corp. operating
software, like most traditional personal computers," notes The Associated
Press this morning, "but they are less expensive than PCs because they
would download software from a central mainframe machine -- instead of
requiring each PC's hard drive to be periodically updated with new
software."
Backers says the systems will save thousands of dollars in annual
maintenance costs for each desktop.
Starting with this week's PC Expo computer industry trade show in New York,
makers are demonstrating their systems, many of which go on sale this
summer. While an Intel spokesman declined to name the manufacturers ahead
of a Manhattan event, three of the largest makers of PCs -- Compaq, Dell
and Hewlett-Packard -- have helped lead Intel's drive.
And reporter Therese Poletti of the Reuter News Service says IBM,
Mitsubishi Corp., and others also are expected to unveil scaled-down,
diskless PCs designed as lower-cost devices for corporate networks.
President Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies Inc. told Poletti, "The NetP
is the big thing to watch. You will want to see what the response is from
corporate buyers." Notes Reuters, "The NetPC evolved after Microsoft and
Intel saw that industry officials were intrigued by Oracle Corp. Chairman
Larry Ellison's plans for a network computer, a stripped-down PC designed
to access corporate networks and the Internet."
Poletti comments that Ellison and Sun Microsystems Inc. CEO Scott McNealy
have attacked the PC as being too difficult to use, with hefty, unwieldy
software programs that have too much code and are too costly to maintain
and run, even for corporations. Analyst Louis Mazzucchelli of Gerard
Klauer & Mattison says "What they are finding out is that customers
actually want this. With this next wave of PCs in the $1,000 area, people
are realizing they can get a whole lot done" for less money.
Meanwhile, detractors say the widely touted features of the NetPC -- such
as the ability to be managed in a network -- already are being incorporated
into standard PCs. Also, says Reuters, "users may object because NetPcs
are "sealed," meaning they cannot be opened if users want to install
memory, graphics cards and other add-ons."
Microsoft Releases Word Converter
Microsoft Corp. has released an add-in utility that lets Word 97 users
convert word processing files created with Word 95 or 6.0. The Word 6.0/95
Binary Converter for Word 97 is designed to replace a built-in conversion
utility that has been severely criticized by many Word 97 users. The new
Binary Converter allows users of Word 97 to save documents with a true
.DOC file extension by default.
"We are committed to listening and responding to our customers," says
Dennis Tevlin, Microsoft's director of desktop applications. The Binary
Converter is available for downloading from the Microsoft Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/office/. Next month, Microsoft is planning to ship
the Office 97 Service Release, which will incorporate the Word 6.0/95
Binary Converter, enhanced support for POP3 and SMTP Internet e-mail in
the Outlook desktop information manager and other minor enhancements.
PlanetWeb First to Provide Internet Chat Server
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. (June 16) BUSINESS WIRE -June 16, 1997 -- Internet
appliance users can now connect to virtually any IRC compatible chat server
with PlanetWeb Browser Software to debut at E3. PlanetWeb, Inc., a leading
developer of consumer Internet software, announced that its popular World
Wide Web Browser will now incorporate IRC Internet chat capabilities. For
the first time ever, consumers accessing the Internet from TV-based
Internet appliances can hold real-time discussions with multiple people on
any platform using the industry standard IRC potocol.
"We want to give people more bang for their buck when it comes to surfing
the Web from their television." said Kamran Elahian, chairman and CEO of
PlanetWeb. "In fact, PlanetWeb as a company is all about providing
easy-to-use and affordable Internet solutions. We leverage the benefits of
existing consumer electronic products, such as video game systems, with the
strength of our standards compatible software. Once again, PlanetWeb is
leading the way by offering the first IRC chat solution without the expense
and complications of a personal computer."
"PlanetWeb's IRC chat solution brings an exciting new dimension to consumer
Internet appliances," commented Ken Soohoo, vice president of engineering
and CTO of PlanetWeb. "We've expanded our Browser features so that people
can participate in live IRC Internet chat sessions from TV-based Internet
appliances." PlanetWeb's chat feature is industry standard Internet
Relay Chat (IRC) compatible, offering a text-based, real-time chat for
multiple users. Users need only click on a hypertext link, or type in the
IRC server they wish to connect to and then engage in real-time
discussions.
PlanetWeb software is currently shipping with the Sega Saturn(TM) Net Link
product. A beta version of the software upgrade for Sega Saturn Net Link
users is available for free to download off the PlanetWeb website
(www.planetweb.com). Production software will be available from Sega of
America. The PlanetWeb Browser makes it simple, easy and fun for consumers
to surf the Internet and send email. Moreover, the Browser works with
existing hardware designs and allows users to choose their own Internet
Service Provider (ISP).
The portable architecture, small memory requirements and lack of need for
an operating system enables it to be quickly and inexpensively customized
for a wide variety of Internet appliances. PlanetWeb software also
incorporates a proprietary Internet filtering system that allows parents to
either use age-based default settings or customize specific levels of
access for their children.
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
LEXMARK OPTRA C
COLOR
LASER PRINTER
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to
you that demonstrates LEXMARK Optra C SUPERIOR QUALITY 600 dpi Laser Color
Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business
sized envelope please) to:
STReport's LEXMARK Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the LEXMARK Optra C has to be the very best yet in its price range.
It is far superior to anything we've seen or used as of yet. It is said
that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. The out put from the Lexmark
Optra C is worth ten thousand words! Send for the free sample now. (For a
sample that's suitable for framing, see below) Guaranteed. you will be
amazed at the superb quality. (Please.. allow at least a two week turn-
around).
If you would like a sample printout that's suitable for framing. Yes
that's right! Suitable for Framing. Order this package. It'll be on
special stock and be of superb quality. We obtained a mint copy of a 1927
COLOR ENGRAVER'S YEAR BOOK. Our Scanner is doing "double duty"! The
results will absolutely blow you away. If you want this high quality
sample package please include a check or money order in the amount of $6.95
(Costs only) Please, make checks or money orders payable to; Ralph Mariano.
Be sure to include your full return address and telephone number . The
sample will be sent to you protected, not folded in a 9x12 envelope. Don't
hesitate.. you will not be disappointed. This "stuff" is gorgeous!
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
Shareware Treasure Chest STR Feature "The Latest & Greatest"
Shareware Treasure Chest
By Lloyd E. Pulley
lepulley@streport.com
------------
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Seterra 1.10 6/12/97 348kb Shareware $30.00
A very comprehensive geography program with more than 50 map exercises
and six quiz exercises. Learn about countries, capitals and cities all over
the world! Examples of exercises: countries in Europe; American states;
American state capitals; French cities; cities in Mexico; countries in
Asia, etc, etc... Runs in English or Swedish. Each exercise has a high
score list to keep track of your progress. A colorful and addictive way to
learn geography!
Home Page Site -
http://www.arrowartoft.se/produkter/seterra/index_eng.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
SB NewsBot 32-bit 4.5 6/13/97 .46mb Shareware $15
SBNews/News-Robot is designed to automatically download and uudecode
files from binary newsgroups. Binary newsgroups contain binary files which
are typically encoded via uuencode and sent as text. These newsgroups are a
popular means of distributing images across a wide area, and this is the
primary purpose that SBNews was designed for. It has some nice features
including a built in JPEG viewer, Dupe-Checking capabilities, logging, and
some miscellanious statistical functions.
Home Page Site - http://smbaker.simplenet.com/sbnews/sbnews.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Championship Spades for 95 3.0 6/11/97 1,746kb Shareware $39.00
Provides a polished Spades card game for serious players. Features good
layout, fast game play,rich sounds, extensive options, and good help and
tutorials. Specializing in multiple, editable, computer personalities for
very challenging play. Spades is more interesting than Hearts, but not
quite as complex to learn as Bridge.
Home Page Site - http://www.dq.com/spades.htp
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Thumbs Plus 32-bit 3.0g beta 3 6/13/97 2.60mb Shareware $65
ThumbsPlus is a graphic file viewer, locator and organizer which
simplifies the process of finding and maintaining graphics, clip-art files,
fonts and animations. It displays a small image (thumbnail) of each file.
You can use ThumbsPlus to browse, view, edit, crop, launch external
editors, and copy images to the clipboard. You can use drag-and-drop to
organize graphics files by moving them to appropriate directories.
ThumbsPlus will also create a slide show from selected graphics, and
install bitmap files as Windows wallpaper. You can print individual
graphics files, or the thumbnails themselves as a catalog. ThumbsPlus can
convert to several formats, either one at a time or in batch mode. You can
also perform image editing in batch mode. ThumbsPlus will also convert
metafile graphics to bitmaps (rasterize). One important new feature in 3.0g
is the ablity to generate Web pages of thumbnails.
Home Page Site - http://www.cerious.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Igames 2.92 6/13/97 2,146kb Demo
Unique Internet chat room with multiplayer card and board games that
occupants can play. Current games include Spades, Hearts, Cribbage, and
Backgammon. Many more games being added!
Home Page Site - http://www.igames.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Abuse.net 32-bit 2.1 6/13/97 .95mb Shareware $10
Abuse.Net is the ultimate file protector utility for Microsoft Windows
95/NT systems. It protects your files from copying, viewing, removing and
executing, while you are surfing on the net. It protects against file
attacks from the outer space. Intruders -- including ActiveX controls and
Java applets (!) -- can't open your locked files. 100% (operating system
level) protection for the selected files, so no more browser and other
Internet application security holes on your computer!
Home Page Site - http://www.datanet.hu/BusinessNet/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
TypeTool 1.0 6/10/97 2,487kb Demo $99.00
Design your own fonts or convert and modify existing fonts with this
affordable, easy-to-use, powerful program. Now you can create specialized
characters, logos, foreign language characters and more.
Home Page Site - http://www.pyrus.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Twinsen's Odyssey for Win95 6/13/97 15.00mb Commercial Demo
The sequel to the sleeper hit "Relentless: Little Big Adventure".
Twinsen's Odyssey is a mixture of action and adventure (kind of like Tomb
Raider) and features beautiful texture mapped enviorments and smooth 3d
characters.
Home Page Site - http://www.activision.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Hezal Player 1.5 6/12/97 445kb Freeware
A small CD, video and sound player. It supports a variety of files,
including WAV, AU, AIF, MOV, AVI, MPG, MPEG and MIDI. Using the same button
interface, users can view movies, listen to sounds and play CD music.
Lights indicate playing status, and track length is displayed in minutes,
and seconds.
Home Page Site -
http://pegasus.acs.ttu.edu/~z4d36/download/download.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PhoneFree 32-bit 1.1M plug-in 6/13/97 .19mb Free
PhoneFree is the first Internet Telephony application to cut through the
Tower of Babel and offer compatibility where it counts:
*PhoneFree is an intergrated Netscape and Internet Explorer Plugin Module,
no need to learn a new and confusing interface... just click on someone's
name to call them!
*PhoneFree is compatible with Vocaltec's Internet Phone(TM) and Netscape's
Cool Talk(TM), offering you the ability to place calls to more people then
any other product.
*PhoneFree features integrated Voice Mail to any user with an email
address... and they don't need any special software to retrieve their
messages!
Home Page Site - http://www.phonefree.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Postmark 32-bit 1.0 beta 1 6/14/97 3.20mb Shareware $29.95
Anawave Postmark represents a breakthrough for people who desire a fast,
32-bit, "knock-your-socks-off" e-mail client. In addition, Postmark's
colorful user-interface makes sorting, searching, reading and composing e-
mail messages fun! And, that's not all.
This powerful new application features HTML & RTF support (as well as
plain text), drag & drop attachments, built-in address book, spell
checking, auto-forwarding, pager support, advanced inbound and outbound
message filters, multiple POP accounts, as well as MIME & uuencode. And,
best of all, Postmark includes great sound effects, "smileys" and interface
"themes", as well as a fully customizable toolbar.
Home Page Site - http://www.anawave.com/postmark/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Idyle Phone Book 97 2.12 6/10/97 1,210kb Shareware $15.00
Tired of having to buy new address books when they're full, can't read
your girlfriend's phone number on this piece of paper that went in the
washing machine? Idyle Phone Book 97 is here to help. Maintain your phones,
addresses and internet information on a nice user interface, preview and
print pocket-sized phone books, address books, franklin, dial phone
numbers, leave e-mail and connect to the web. Also new, import data,
exports to netscape, internet explorer and print envelopes.
Idyle Phone Book PRO 97 2.12 6/10/97 1,240kb Shareware $25.00
Trying to find a contact manager? Try this one out. You can keep record
of all your business or personal addresses, phones and internet
information. The user interface is quite intuitive, and the options are
many. Dialing, leaving e-mail and browsing the web are a mouse click away.
Keep printed copies of your phone book with you so you can have all this
information whenever you need it. PB97 can print it in several ways: pocket
booklet, franklin type, or full page. New version includes birthday
reminder and quick preview search.
Home Page Site - http://pages.infinit.net/idyle/idyle-soft/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Super Wave Player 1.0 6/14/97 254kb Shareware $10.00
A full featured Jukebox for playing wave files. Special features include
a command line interface (convient for useing as an alarm clock), a
randomizing feature, and a loop Feature.
Home Page Site - http://www.toptown.com/hp/zero_999/wave32.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Adobe PageMill 32-bit 2.0 (release 5) 6/14/97 5.00mb Shareware
$99
This demo version has the save feature
disabled
If you're a serious Web page designer, for example, you'll appreciate
PageMill 2.0 software's support for multimedia design, including frames,
tabular layouts, right-aligned text, and much more. Highly technical users
can take advantage of the program's source-code viewing feature to develop
industrial-strength sites, while the home or small business user will feel
comfortable with PageMill full WYSIWYG editing environment.
Home Page Site - http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/pagemill/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Install-us Wizard 2.2 6/1497 1,538kb Shareware $50.00
A setup-toolkit, which helps you to create installations for Windows
within seconds. Features: compressing and splitting files; different
configurations; Uninstall via Control Panel or programgroup; filename-
extensions; registry and ini-file modification; Drag and Drop; password;
expiration; dictionary-import possible (standard: english, french, german),
and more... at a very low price!
Home Page Site - http://www.donau.de/privhome/ds/index.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Tanarus 32-bit beta .90 (formerly called Armorgeddon)
6/14/97 10.00mb Free
Tired of playing against your computer? Then prepare yourself for the
ultimate online challenge in Sony Interactive Studio America's ArmorGeddon,
a futuristic multi-player action/strategy tank game in which all the
competition are other players just like yourself. Oh and this version adds
3dfx support so if you have a Monster 3d, Flash 3d,etc you are in for a
treat.
Home Page Site - http://armorgeddon.station.sony.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
EZ Loan Manager 97 4.20 6/14/97 1,440kb Shareware $10.00
EZ Loan Manager 97 for Windows 95 (Version 4.20) provides a very easy and
flexible tool for you to evaluate and manage your loans and mortgages. EZ
Loan Manager is just for you, whether you have a fixed, adjustable or
biweekly loan, or like to save interest money with early extra payments. If
you pay your loan early, EZ Loan Manager will show you how much interest
you will save.
For home users, the registration fee is $10.00 ($5.00 if you register
before June 30, 1997). This is a one tme registraion which means that you
get any future upgrade for free. For business users, please see details in
the readme.txt file in the distributed files.
Home Page Site - http://gsanet.com/www/Joy/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
FTP Explorer 32-bit 1.00.010 6/14/97 .71mb StatusFree for personal
use
A FTP Client thats an extension of Win95. You can make shortcuts to files
or directorys,right click access to options, etc. It has many nice features
such as download or upload files to one or more servers while browsing and
selecting files to tranfer on another. That's right!, FTP Explorer handles
all file transfer requests in the background, so you don't have to wait
while files copy to continue browsing the current server you can even
connect to a different server, and the program will automatically log off
of the original server once the requested transfer has completed, and the
new Transfer Manager allows you to ascertain the details of download or
upload requests at a glance. The source, destination, and status of each
request is detailed in the Transfer Manager window to keep you apprised of
multiple connections, and make it easy to see which files have been
transferred.
Home Page Site - http://www.ftpx.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Dungeons 1.1 6/15/97 846kb Freeware
Travel into a dark sinister world of evil as you get thrown into the
dungeon fo Diablo. Fight enemies and Diablo to escape from the Dungeon.
Home Page Site -
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Way/7888/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Net Term 32-bit 4.2.1 6/15/97 812kb Shareware $20
A windows communications program that provides a combination of ethernet
and dial up telnet, ansi bulletin board support , and dialer programs, all
in one. Enables fast dial up for SLIP/PPP Internet providers, as well as
Internet SHELL access. At last, zmodem file transfers over the Internet!
NetTerm will even allow editing a host file on your local computer, with
just one command, 'netedit'. Need to print a unix file on your local
printer, no problem, NetTerm will do that! NetTerm now supports
International keyboards and VT100 line drawing support.
Home Page Site - http://starbase.neosoft.com/~zkrr01/netterm.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Super '97 Software Games Collection Release 1 6/14/97 5,757kb Freeware
A Collection of games programmed by James Pickering, for Super '97
Software. Includes Alien 3-D 2, Doom Pinball and The Ping Collection
(available here), as well as such games as Doom Fighter, Pets, Alien 3-D 1,
Edu-Snooker and Schoolyard Soccer, plus many more.
Home Page Site -
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/members/james.pickering/limited.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Real Player 32-bit 4.0 6/16/97 1.10mb Free
From the makers of Real Audio comes Real Video, the only player you need
to get all the great RealAudio and the new RealVideo content on the web --
all without download delays. - Stereo audio at 28.8, near-CD quality at
higher bitrates, AM-quality audio at 14.4 - - Newscast-quality video at
28.8 and full-motion at higher bitrates.
Home Page Site - http://www.real.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
BuenSoft Spanish 1.0 6/15/97 2,840kb Shareware $19.99
An innovative listening-based interactive program designed to give adult
and adolescent learners a fast and easy way to learn or improve their
Spanish. BuenSoft Spanish is not based on the same format as many others
Spanish Software programs with fixed content, instead BuenSoft Spanish was
created as a conversational utility where users can add to the program only
the phrases they want to learn. Many Subjects ( of phrases) are now
available by mail or download from the Internet. There are several Subjects
to choose from, personal introductions, numbers, months of the year, jobs,
family relationships, daily expressions and much more. Every BuenSoft
Subjects are supported by high-quality audio and recorded with native
speaker voices.
Home Page Site - http://www.cport.com/~jlewis/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WetSock 32-bit 3.0 beta build 19 6/16/97 1.10mb Shareware $12
WetSock shows your current weather conditions and forecasts as an icon on
the tray notification area of the system taskbar.Designed specially for
Windows 95, WetSock will keep you updated about the weather over Internet
without even needing to dial into your Internet Service Provider. If you
periodically dial in for surfing, checking your mail etc., WetSock will
connect to the weather server and get the weather information in the
background , but can also dial in and hang-up by itself. WetSock is a
Winsock compliant weather client for PCs running Windows 95.
Home Page Site - http://www.locutuscodeware.com/wetsock.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Add/Remove Cleaner 1.0 6/15/97 130kb Freeware
A Windows95/NT program for cleaning up that list of application
uninstallers. If you anything like me you probably have tons of programs
that you have deleted listed there. This will let you take them off the
list with a click or two. This program does not delete any files, anything
you remove from the list will still be on your hard drive.
Home Page Site - http://www.distortions.com/software/addrmclr.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Hex WorkShop 32-bit 2.53 6/16/97 1.00mb Shareware
An excellent file and disk editor that features: Edit multiple files of
unlimited size.
*Edit both logical disks and raw fixed disks.
*Print high quality customized hex dumps. Find and Replace Hex or ASCII
values.
*Goto from the start, end, or cursor position within a file or disk.
*Use the Compare Tool to find differences in files.
*Calculate Checksums for all or part of a file.
*Use preferences to create a custom hex editing environment (screen shot).
*Search across multiple sectors on a Disk.
*Get File/Disk properties with the click of the mouse and much more.
Home Page Site - http://www.bpsoft.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WinZip 6.3 Beta 17-Jun-97 705kb Shareware
WinZip 6.3 allows users to download and open archives from the Internet
with one click via Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
There is no need to Save to disk and then switch to WinZip or to the
Windows Explorer or File Manager to open the downloaded file. In addition,
all files that have been downloaded are automatically copied from the
Internet Browser's temporary folders to a folder of the user's choice; this
ensures that a permanent copy of the download is saved on the user's
system, even if the downloaded file is automatically deleted by the
browser. WinZip 6.3 also features an updated zip/unzip engine with
automatic built-in disk spanning support for multi-disk Zip files. If you
create a zip file on diskettes and the first diskette fills, then disk
spanning is automatically activated, and you are simply prompted to put in
a new diskette to continue the archive. There is no need to specify that
you want to span before you start.
Home Page Site - http://www.winzip.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Multimedia Xplorer 32-bit 1.22 6/17/97 .80mb Shareware $20
Multimedia Xplorer is a new, powerful 32-bit application (Windows 95/NT
4.0) for handling most types of multimedia files including images, sounds,
videos and icons. Main idea is to provide ONE application that handles all
these different media types easily, so no need to mess with different
applications. It is designed to be powerful for powerusers and at the same
time it is as simple as possible, so novice users can view and manage files
easily. Multimedia Xplorer has some unique ergonomy features that make it
very handy to use.
Home Page Site - http://www.moonsoftware.ee/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WinImage Professional 3.00.03.3036 Pro 6/16/97 258kb Shareware
$60.00
Self extractor with unlimited redistribution licence, print the directory
of the image, edit boot sector properties (i.e. load another boot sector
file, edit a text in the boot sector).
Home Page Site - http://www.winimage.com/beta.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Pacific General for Win95 6/17/97 19.00mb Commercial Demo
Pacific General is a turn based strategy/wargame set in the Pacific
theater of conflict in World War II, pitting the Japanese Empire against
the combined might of the Allied forces.In this game, it is possible to
take either side in the conflict, which can be played from the dawn of
combat in 1937 through to the historical or hypothetical outcome(s) of the
war. Land, air, and naval operations play a key role in the battles to be
fought.
Pacific General is based on the 5-Star General engine first seen in Panzer
General. Pacific General has a unique naval combat system and AI to handle
the all important sea war. This unique system, coupled with other
enhancements, make Pacific General a top-notch finish to the 5-Star Line.
Home Page Site - http://www.pacificgeneral.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Fish Weight Estimator 1.0 6/15/97 600kb Freeware
You enter the length and girth of the fish, choose the species, and the
program estimates the fish's weight.
Home Page Site - http://www.geocities.com/Baja/2857/fish.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Netscape Communicator 32-bit 4.01 6/17/97 13.00mb Free
The newest version of Netscape navigator. It features: Enhanced visual
appearance and user interface, Taskbar that enables easy access to
Communicator components, HTML Editing, Collabra Conferencing and a lot
more.
Home Page Site - http://www.netscape.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
DriveMonitor 2.1 6/17/97 471kb Shareware $10.00
When you shutdown your PC, notifies ejects and then closes CD Drives,
Floppy Drives, and Removable Drives that still have Disks In them. Stop's
those nasty occasions when you boot from floppy disk (aaarrgghh boot
virus!). Or, when you shutdown your computer and leave a CD in the drive.
Take the empty case home (thinking the CD was in it) or lend it to a
freind, or go to play it in your hi-fi, only to find that the disc is still
inside your powered down computer!
Requires the VB 5.0 Runtimes.
Home Page Site - http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/8477/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Postmark 32-bit 1.0 beta 2 6/18/97 3.20mb Shareware $29.95
Anawave Postmark rep
resents a breakthrough for people who desire a fast,
32-bit, "knock-your-socks-off" e-mail client. In addition, Postmark's
colorful user-interface makes sorting, searching, reading and composing e-
mail messages fun! And, that's not all.
This powerful new application features HTML & RTF support (as well as plain
text), drag & drop attachments, built-in address book, spell checking, auto-
forwarding, pager support, advanced inbound and outbound message filters,
multiple POP accounts, as well as MIME & uuencode. And, best of all,
Postmark includes great sound effects, "smileys" and interface "themes", as
well as a fully customizable toolbar.
Home Page Site - http://www.anawave.com/postmark/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Signature Master 3.0.1 6/16/97 4,585kb Shareware $5.00
32-bit E-mail Signature/Tagline Generator. Primary and Alternate
Signatures. Up to 255 lines per Signature. The Tagline database can hold
millions of Taglines. Imports, filters Taglines. Date & Time Stamping.
Completely user configurable.
Home Page Site - http://www.wa.net/~voxpop/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PureVoice Player-Recorder 32-bit 1.0 beta 3 6/18/97 1.30mb Free
Introducing PureVoice Technology and its first Internet application: A
Player-Recorder for voice messages that you can use with your email
software. There's a Plug-in specifically for Eudora software, and a
separate application for other email products." The sound quality is about
the same as you'd expect on a standard telphone call and are very small.
PureVoice files can be up to ten times smaller than comparable .wav files.
Home Page Site - http://www.eudora.com/eudorapro/purevoice.html/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Spam Exterminator 1.2 6/16/97 999kb Shareware $27.95
Unlimited ways to exterminate SPAM from your e-mail.! In addition to the
included list of 1,500 known Spammers, you can also set any number of
"Rules" that SpamEx will use to weed out unwanted SPAM messages. Optional
retaliation options allow you to reply and report the SPAMer to thier
domain postmaster. Plus, quick mail preview feature allows you to instantly
see if and what mail is waiting for for you before you download it. This is
absolutely the most powerful and easy to use product in it's class. Don't
waste your time with the others -- arm your self against Spam.
Home Page Site - http://www.unisyn.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Jackhammer 32-bit 1.05 6/18/97 2.00mb Shareware $25
Next time you hit roadworks on the information superhighway, Jackhammer
will help you dig yourself out of the hole. Whenever you find a site that's
too busy to get on to, or an FTP server that's always full, paste the URL
into Jackhammer. Set it hammering and it will try the sites until it can
get on - and then launch a new browser window for you or automatically
download the file!
Home Page Site - http://www.sausage.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
The Bat! 1.00.81 Beta 6/16/97 608kb Shareware $35.00
Powerful and easy-to-use e-mail client for Windows 95 & NT working with
SMTP/POP3 transport, truly multi-threaded Win32 application. Now with Mail
Dispatcher which allows to manage mail on server on-line. Supports
unlimited e-mail accounts with secure or insecure access to messages,
comprehensive message filtering, multi-lingual interface, MIME standards
and UUEncode, comfortable text editor with message templates, text
highlighting which allows to read text easily and lots more other little
useful features.
Home Page Site - http://www.ritlabs.com/the_bat/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Wallaby 4.01 6/16/97 2,047kb Shareware $20.00
It's a fast and easy way to zip and unzip in Windows '95. But that's not
all - Wallaby can also create Self-Extracting EXE's - perfect for
installation and distribution, it also has a unique "Favorite Folders"
which will seek out and locate your files. Wallaby is also tightly
integrated with the Windows 95 shell, right-click any folder or drive and
in minutes it will be compressed.
Home Page Site - http://www.wallaby95.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Time & Chaos 32-bit 5.2.9 6/19/97 2.70mb Shareware $45
A really nice PIM that allows you to send email, faxes, make phone calls,
and visit web sites all from the "phonebook". It also has to do lists,
appointments books, and more.
Home Page Site - http://www.isbister.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Blast Doors 1.0 6/17/97 2,240kb Shareware $10.00
Nuclear Family Feud! Heavily armored bunkers lob colorful bombs at each
other, vaporizing the 3d rendered terrain. Similar to the classic cannons
game, Blast Doors is a high quality strategy / arcade game.
Home Page Site - http://www.ffiends.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Cripton Book Store 1.0 6/17/97 2,548kb Freeware
Lets you keep a database of all of your books. Areas covered are Book
Type, Author, ISBN Number, Category, and many many more. In addition, you
can easily create a web page, or a regular report containing all of the
items in your database. A must have for all book lovers!
Home Page Site - http://www.cripton.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
AOL Instant Messenger 32-bit 1.0 beta 6 6/19/97 2.20mb Free
AOL Instant Messenger is for anyone who wants to communicate "instantly"
with friends, family and business colleagues, on the Internet and AOL,
anywhere in the world. AOL Instant Messenger combines AOL's popular Buddy
List and Instant Message features. The Instant Message feature lets users
send and respond to messages immediately while the Buddy List feature lets
users know instantly when friends are online. Previously only available to
its 8 million members, AOL is now delivering these features to Internet
users worldwide.
Home Page Site - http://www.aol.com/buddylist/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Splitty 1.5 6/16/97 275kb Shareware $10.00
Enables you to split large files into smaller files that can be regrouped
later to reconstitute the original file. It is particularly useful for
sending large files over unreliable networks, and for saving large files to
floppy disks or other modest storage media.
Home Page Site - http://www.basta.com/ProdSplitty.htm
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
Majority Of Colleges Charge
Technology Fee
Digital Seeks "No Gab" Order
FTC Versus Spammers
Protecting Net-Kids
Netscape Fixes Bug Found By Bounty-
Hunter
Data Mining For Fool's Gold
ISDN Pushes Data
McNealy Touts A Java Future
Cheaper Chips = Cheaper PCs
Language Rules
Log On And Play Ball
Edupage 101
White House Does Somersault On
Decency ActNew Access Fees Will
Hasten ISP ShakeoutInternet Use
Leveling OffE-Commerce
RulesAmazon.com Slashes
PricesIndividual To Acquire E-
Publisher Clarinet
Micronics Courting Hayes
Microcomputer
New Help From Microsoft For People
With Impairments
Amelio: "This Stuff Is
Complicated"
Hooked On The Net
FCC Chairman Opposes AT&T- SBC
Merger PlansFinancial-Data
Encryption Code CrackedEncryption
Bill Introduced In Senate
Ivy League Eyes Distance Learning
Minding The Business
Deep Blue Does Data Mining
Packard Bell NEC Plans Direct Sales
Online Banking
Ada Gets Pentagon Demotion In Grade
Internet Growth Figures
MAJORITY OF COLLEGES CHARGE TECHNOLOGY FEE
More than half of all U.S. public higher education institutions charged
some type of technology fee last year, according to a survey by Claremont
Graduate School's Kenneth C. Green. Such fees have become a "tried and
true" way to fund technology upgrades, says a spokesman for the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities. "They are not as
controversial as they were when they started. When you go to college, you
expect you'll have an e-mail account and go on the Web," he says, but the
cost of providing these services "was not built in or funded in the past."
Still, not everyone thinks the fees are a good idea: "An institution
proud of its technology environment and of its cost management doesn't
need such tricks," says John Stuckey, director of university computing at
Washington and Lee U. "Collecting it independent of overall tuition and
fees is, at this time, little more than a ruse for hiding or denying some
of an institution's cost." (Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Jun 97)
DIGITAL SEEKS "NO GAB" ORDER
Digital has filed a motion to prevent a former employee now working at
Intel Corp. from divulging information about his previous work. Also, as
part of the move, Digital has asked that Intel be ordered to preserve
correspondence, including e-mail, regarding the patent infringement
lawsuit Digital recently filed against Intel. "This is a huge area
because every engineer knows something about his or her employer that the
employer doesn't really want to share with the competition," says an
antitrust attorney. Digital says its real purpose in making the request is
to prevent other former Digital employees now working at Intel from
violating Digital's confidentiality agreement. (Wall Street Journal 13 Jun
97)
FTC VERSUS SPAMMERS
FTC commissioner Christine Varney says the Federal Trade Commission will
increase its efforts under existing fraud laws to punish e-mail spammers,
saying: "A lot of the problem with unsolicited e-mail is that it is
fraudulent and we want to start enforcing the laws in this area."
Spamming (unsolicited mass mailing by e-mail, which costs the sender
virtually nothing), has become so pervasive, that it's estimated that
unsolicited Internet messages account for 5 to 30% of the 15 million
messages received by America Online subscribers every day. (Washington
Post 13 Jun 97)
PROTECTING NET-KIDS
A presidential task force is demanding assurances from the information
agency that children will not be allowed to give out their names, ages, or
other personal information unless it can be verified that they have
obtained parental permission to do. Ira Magaziner, the task force head
(though better known as architect of the Clinton health care plan) says:
"If the industry doesn't do it, we may have to legislate." (AP 13 Jun 97)
NETSCAPE FIXES BUG FOUND BY BOUNTY-HUNTER
Netscape has written code to fix a serious security flaw in its Navigator
software found by a Danish computer consultant who had demanded a reward
far larger than the standard $1,000 bounty Netscape pays to bug finders.
If uncorrected, the problem might have allowed a Web site operator to
appropriate files stored on someone's personal computer. The consultant,
Christian Orellana, sent Netscape a message saying "`I think the person
most suited for handling this is somebody in charge of the company
checkbook." Orellana also threatened to release the information to news
organizations and said: "I'll leave it to you to estimate what impact
that would have on Netscape stocks.'' (San Jose Mercury News 14 Jun 97)
DATA MINING FOR FOOL'S GOLD
Along the same lines as the theory that a bunch of chimps locked in a room
with a bunch of typewriters could eventually come up with Shakespearean
prose, a finance professor at MIT warns: "Given enough time, enough
attempts, and enough imagination, almost any pattern can be teased out of
any data set." Wrong-headed correlations among financial indicators are
common, says the managing director of First Quadrant Corp., who
illustrates his point with "Stupid Data-Miner Tricks": for instance, after
sifting through a United Nations CD-ROM, he's discovered that the single
best predictor of the Standard & Poor 500-stock index was butter
production in Bangladesh. The problem will only get worse, say industry
observers, who point out that more powerful desktop machines will be
capable of making even more bizarre statistical predictions. (Business
Week 16 Jun 97)
ISDN PUSHES DATA
Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell and BellSouth will unveil new ISDN services
next week that provide "push" technology to users. The new service makes
use of the ISDN D channel -- which handles the signaling between the
subscriber and the phone company central office -- to transmit data such
as e-mail, stock quotes or credit-card transactions. "What's wonderful
about this is that we already have a network that supports it," says a
Pacific Bell spokesman. (Communications Week Interactive 13 Jun 97)
MCNEALY TOUTS A JAVA FUTURE
Speaking at last week's Netscape Developer Conference, Sun Microsystems'
CEO Scott McNealy outlined a future in which the Java programming language
is embedded in a range of computational devices, from the mainframe to the
smart card. At the same time, he down-played Microsoft's efforts to steal
Java's thunder: "When you hear the word 'thin client,' you may think of
this," he said, pulling a smart card out of his wallet. "See how thin
this is? Now can you imagine any Windows technology on a smart card? If
you wanted to put it in your wallet, you'd have to redesign every pair of
trousers on the planet." Java's scalability allows it to fit into tiny
places, such as a wristwatch which, combined with a hand-held antenna,
could act as a debit card, a car key or an airline boarding pass.
(TechWire 14 Jun 97)
CHEAPER CHIPS = CHEAPER PCs
Intel has found a way to shrink its Pentium and Pentium MMX chips by about
10%, thereby raising the number of chips it can squeeze onto a single
silicon wafer and cutting manufacturing costs per unit. As a result, the
company plans to reduce the price of a 200 MHz Pentium MMX processor from
$492 to about $240 in July. "That shows aggressive pricing," says an
industry observer. "Intel's strategy is to make sure MMX plays through
all price points." The new prices will mean computer manufacturers will be
able to offer $1,000 desktop machines and $1,500 notebook PCs later this
summer. (InfoWorld Electric 13 Jun 97)
LANGUAGE RULES
Micro-Bytes Logiciels, a Pointe Claire, Quebec, computer store, has removed
most of its home page from the Net after receiving notice from the Office
de la Langue Francaise that the company is in violation of the French
Language Charter. The store owner said: "I don't need subpoenas, fines
or going to court so that was the easiest thing to do." The charter states
that catalogues, brochures, leaflets, commercial directories and all other
publications of that nature must be in French. (Montreal Gazette 14 Jun
97)
LOG ON AND PLAY BALL
Major League Baseball has rescinded a directive issued in April prohibiting
teams from cybercasting games over the Internet. An executive of the
Internet radio network AudioNet in Dallas, Texas, estimates says that Net
markets for baseball in cities such as Baltimore and San Francisco have
reached about 5,000 for some games. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 13 Jun
97)
EDUPAGE 101
As you may imagine, Edupage is used in a number of technology-related
courses as supplementary material. Here's how one college teacher
included Edupage in the final examination for his computer science course:
"I asked them (one on one), specifically: 'Did Edupage encourage you to
think of the breadth of computing?' (Using Edupage is part of our effort
to instill in first-year students the fact that computing is much more
than programming)." The response? "Student feedback is lively, typically
around one issue they followed, e.g., the year 2000 date problem; and
students used the material to help them 'tell stories' -- in computing, a
valuable skill for sharing information." (Marc LeBlanc, Wheaton College)
WHITE HOUSE DOES SOMERSAULT ON DECENCY ACT
A policy statement being drafted by a Clinton Administration task force
headed by Ira Magaziner seems to be a repudiation of the administration's
earlier position on the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which makes it a
federal crime to transmit indecent material over the Internet in a way
that makes it accessible to minors. Pleading before the U.S. Supreme
Court in March, the government defended the CDA enthusiastically and
called the Internet "a revolutionary means for displaying sexually
explicit, patently offensive material to children in the privacy of their
own homes"; now, however, the administration seems to be anticipating
that the court will rule the CDA to be unconstitutional, and is taking the
position that regulation of the Net should be left to industry. Privacy
advocates are pleased but startled by the sudden change of position.
David Sobel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center says: "To come in
right after the Supreme Court decides the issue and say we didn't really
mean what we said up to now -- I can't imagine anything that would be seen
as more of a waffle than that. It raises waffling to an art form." (New
York Times 16 Jun 97)
NEW ACCESS FEES WILL HASTEN ISP SHAKEOUT
UUNet's decision to start charging smaller Internet service providers for
use of its backbone network will accelerate the ISP shakeout that industry
analysts have been predicting for some time. "The window of opportunity
is closing for smaller ISPs," says a senior analyst with Jupiter
Communications. Under the new deal, service providers that don't qualify
as UUNet "peers" -- those whose network runs at a rate slower than 45-Mbps
and can't connect into the backbone at four or more locations -- will pay
$2,000 a month for a T1 connection and $6,000 a month for a fractional T3
connection. "We are not abandoning peering," says UUNet's VP of marketing
and business development. "This monthly charge is not going to break any
ISP, unless they didn't have a viable business plan in the first place."
A Zona Research analyst says, "Consolidation is coming and there will be
hundreds, not thousands, of ISPs." (Investor's Business Daily 16 Jun 97)
INTERNET USE LEVELING OFF
The number of new Internet users appears to be stabilizing, with growth
rates hovering at less than 5%, according to a demographics study released
last week by the Georgia Institute of Technology. According to Tech's
survey, the number of users is now around 30 million -- that's a good bit
lower than Nielsen's recent estimate of 50 million. "What brought people
online were all the different service providers really gearing up," says a
Tech researcher. "We don't know whether it will pick up again. There
hasn't been that much change of the last three surveys." (Tampa Tribune
16 Jun 97)
E-COMMERCE RULES
A group of international business leaders is warning governments they must
negotiate trade treaties to include electronic commerce or risk seeing tax
revenues vanish through a hole in cyberspace -- saying that national laws
are no longer adequate to cover e- commerce, where it is difficult to
determine where buyers and sellers reside, or even where the sale took
place. In its report titled "Electronic Commerce: Opportunities and
Challenges for Government," the group advocates speedy action on
international agreements that will close the loopholes created by
differing national policies on such transactions. (Toronto Globe & Mail 13
June 97 B7)
AMAZON.COM SLASHES PRICES
Suddenly faced with online competition from rival bookseller Barnes &
Noble, Amazon.com says it will cut its prices for online book purchases as
much as 40% on select titles. The company says hardcover discounts will
start at 30%, and paperback at 20%. Barnes & Noble says it has no plans
to match the price cuts. (St. Petersburg Times 16 Jun 97)
INDIVIDUAL TO ACQUIRE E-PUBLISHER CLARINET
In its latest move to bolster its online content, Individual has agreed to
buy ClariNet Communications, an electronic newspaper publisher, and will
incorporate its breaking news products into Individual's service. The
deal follows Individual's June 6 purchase of Delphi Internet Services.
(InfoWorld Electric 16 Jun 97)
MICRONICS COURTING HAYES MICROCOMPUTER
Micronics Computers Inc., best known for making motherboards, is in talks
with Hayes Microcomputer Products regarding a possible purchase, but so
far there's no letter of intent or binding agreement. Hayes has bounced
in and out of bankruptcy proceedings over the past couple of years and is
the No. 2 modem maker after U.S. Robotics. (Wall Street Journal 16 Jun 97)
NEW HELP FROM MICROSOFT FOR PEOPLE WITH IMPAIRMENTS
Later this year Microsoft will provide new technology to allow developers
to add closed- captioned titles to Web pages and multimedia software; the
company is also busy developing technology that will generate audio
descriptions for the blind. (Z-D News Network 17 Jun 97)
AMELIO: "THIS STUFF IS COMPLICATED"
Asked whether he might someday run for political office, Apple chief
executive Gil Amelio says "people ask me about that all the time"; he is
active in Republican circles and shares a mentor with Newt Gingrich --
Georgia Tech computer science professor emeritus Pete Jensen. But Amelio
says that Apple currently has his full attention, and that he plans to
devote his full energies to company for the next six or seven years: "I
think of myself as an intellectual leader. Can you imagine Albert
Einstein being asked by someone in the press to explain E equals MC
squared in seven seconds? This stuff is complicated.'' (San Jose Mercury
News 8 Jun 97)
HOOKED ON THE NET
Police in Cincinnati have taken placed into protective custody two children
whose mother neglected them to spend up to 12 hours a day on the Internet.
A policeman said: "She would lock the children in the room so as not to
be bothered. The place was in complete shambles, but the computer area
was clean." (Washington Post 17 Jun 97)
FCC CHAIRMAN OPPOSES AT&T- SBC MERGER PLANS
Reed E. Hundt, outgoing chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,
has decided to go public in criticizing the proposed merger of phone
giants AT&T and SBC: "I don't think people who are exploring deals
should be left in the dark about what the Government is likely to say.
People need to be able to decide which board room discussions are a waste
of time." Why would they be wasting their time? "Congress, in my view,
intended these companies to be in separate war rooms, planning strategies
directed at each other's markets. Congress did not intend AT&T and the
Bells to be in each other's board rooms, discussing combinations." (New
York Times 19 Jun 97)
FINANCIAL-DATA ENCRYPTION CODE CRACKED
It took four months and tens of thousands of computers, but a group of
programmers and researchers, has succeeded in cracking the Data Encryption
Standard that's used to protect most financial transactions, including
electronic money transfers, ATM transactions, and other private documents.
The group, which was competing against a team in Sweden in response to a
challenge by RSA Data Security, used the "brute force" approach - running
software that theoretically would test all of the 72 quadrillion possible
number combinations to decode the 56-bit key. As it turned out, the key
was discovered after testing only about 25% of the possible combinations.
"We've been saying for a long time that DES is no longer secure and here
is the proof," says RSA president Jim Bidzos, who had offered a $10,000
bounty to the successful code-cracker. (Wall Street Journal 19 Jun 97)
ENCRYPTION BILL INTRODUCED IN SENATE
Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) have introduced the
"Secure Public Networks Act," calling for the establishment of a key
management infrastructure for key recovery encryption products.. The act
would allow the export of encryption products "based on a qualified system
of key recovery" following a one-time review, and without any restrictions
on the strength of the product. Export licenses could be denied if the
Commerce Department finds evidence that the product was destined for
military, terrorist or criminal use, or for re-exportation to third
countries, or for acts against the national security, the public safety,
transportation systems, communications networks, financial institutions or
other essential interstate commerce systems. (BNA Daily Report for
Executives 18 Jun 97)
IVY LEAGUE EYES DISTANCE LEARNING
Elite private institutions are beginning to compete for distance learning
dollars, focusing initially on offering continuing education courses to
alumni and professionals in need of further educational opportunities.
Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Duke, Rice and Stanford Universities are just a
few that have recently created or expanded their distance learning
opportunities, and Yale and the University of Chicago are considering
similar moves. Behind the momentum is the fear of losing out on the next
big thing in education: "You could be, at some point, like the Post
Office, watching Federal Express and UPS taking away a piece of your
business," says the vice-provost for information systems and computing at
the University of Pennsylvania. But distance learning courses at Ivy
League prices are a difficult sell: "The one thing (Ivy League schools)
sell is that the people sitting next to you are smart people. (They
haven't figured out) how to recruit a comparatively talented pool over the
Internet." Still, most schools are coming to the realization that some
type of electronic learning program is essential to future survival. "This
is evidence that there's money to be made in this business," says Jim
Mingle, executive director of the State Higher Education Executive
Officers. "This is a search for new markets." (Chronicle of Higher
Education 20 Jun 97)
MINDING THE BUSINESS
Electric Minds, the "virtual community" created by well-known writer and
cyber-enthusiast Howard Rheingold, is having financial difficulties and
may not last for the rest of this month. The Electric Minds site has
about 6,000 members. Rheingold says: "It was not a fad. The enterprise
was culturally successful. That didn't fail. What failed was the
business." (San Jose Mercury News 19 Jun 97)
DEEP BLUE DOES DATA MINING
The leader of the IBM team that designed the chess-playing Deep Blue
machine says the company already is finding new ways to use the computer's
technology to research new drugs and maximize stock market returns: "One
of the things we're looking into is portfolio management. Deep Blue-style
computers could do economic modeling of large databases very fast. Some
of the mathematics for such an application would be very similar to what
we used for Deep Blue to play chess. Data-mining algorithms can search
through millions of data and draw logical inferences to make conclusions.
Several New York investment firms have already expressed interest in Deep
Blue." (Investor's Business Daily 18 Jun 97)
PACKARD BELL NEC PLANS DIRECT SALES
The world's fourth-largest PC maker says it will join direct sales pioneers
Dell Computer and Gateway 2000 in selling its computers directly to
business customers, bypassing the computer reseller middlemen. Packard
Bell NEC says it will still sell to customers through stores, and that
corporate clients will have the choice of buying directly from the company
or through the existing resell channel. The new program, called NEC Now,
is a risky move, say industry analysts, who point out that the dual
strategy could be confusing for customers, while running the risk of
alienating dealers. "The very little channel support they have is what
they will be sacrificing," says one reseller, who adds: "To me, it's just
a joke and I don't think it's going to fly." Meanwhile, Packard Bell's
CEO says, "Our formula is not to undercut the resellers but to benefit
them." (Wall Street Journal 18 Jun 97)
ONLINE BANKING
A study by the Ernst & Young consulting firm says that Canadians are ahead
of the rest of the world in online banking applications. A fourth of the
16 financial institutions surveyed had Internet transaction processing up
and running in 1996, and all will make it available by 1999. In contrast,
only 13% of the 130 financial institutions surveyed worldwide allowed
transactions on the World Wide Web, and about 80% plan to offer the
service by 1999. (Ottawa Citizen 19 June 97 D1)
ADA GETS PENTAGON DEMOTION IN GRADE
The Pentagon is planning to reduce the status of Ada, the Pascal-like
language used throughout the Department of Defense, from "mandatory" to
"preferred." Although the language is still best for building real-time,
dependable, custom software for battle- related applications, it no longer
is the best choice for many other DoD software projects. (Computer
magazine
Jun 97)
INTERNET GROWTH FIGURES
A Georgia Institute of Technology group has disputed the interpretation
placed by the Tampa Tribune on its recent survey of Internet use. The
study can be found at ech.edu/user_surveys/survey-1997-04/ (Edupage 17 Jun
97)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu).
Voice: 404-371-1853, Fax: 404-371-8057.
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE The CAUSE organization's annual
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For Immediate Release
Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 8 Now Shipping
Ottawa, Canada- June 17, 1997 - Corel Corporation, award-winning developer
and marketer of productivity applications, graphics and Internet software
announced today Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 8 is now shipping and available
in stores.
Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 is available for a suggested retail price of $395
US. Corel WordPerfect users and users of competitive office suites may
upgrade to Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 for a suggested retail price of $179
US. Customers requiring 3.5" diskettes can purchase them through Corel
Customer Service at 1-800-77 COREL for $29.99 US. Only Corel WordPerfect
8, not additional applications, is available on 3.5" diskettes. Corel
WordPerfect Suite 8 Academic is available for a suggested retail price of
$49 US for all eligible academic customers. Within Canada and U.S.A.,
Corel will be offering a $20 rebate for customers upgrading to Corel
WordPerfect Suite 8. See rebate coupon for details. Prices are subject to
change without notice. Dealers may sell for less.
"Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 includes state-of-the-art applications which
offer a new level of responsiveness and performance with advanced Internet
tools that make publishing and presenting on the Web a seamless process,"
said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel
Corporation. "We expect Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 to meet tremendous
success on the market as it has been highly anticipated by our customer
base over the past year. The suite offers users the tools and features to
optimize productivity and get results quickly."
Also included in Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 is CorelCENTRALT, the suite's
new personal information manager to be integrated with Netscape
Communicator client software, Netscape's new integrated suite of java-based
client software for open e-mail, groupware and Web browsing. The new
integrated products give users a suite of applications optimized to meet
the needs of the average desktop user including the ability to communicate,
publish and share information across the Internet and Intranets.
"Corel's products are highly complimentary to Netscape Communicator and
today's announcement brings a new generation of network-centric office
productivity tools to enterprise customers," said Bob Lisbonne, Vice
President of Client Product Marketing for Netscape. "This joint solution
we've developed with Corel meets a growing need people have to use products
that are optimized for today's networked environment and that help them to
take advantage of the Internet and Intranets."
Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 recently collected several honors at the "Best of
RetailVision Awards", an event that gathers over 200 computer software and
hardware retail executives across North America and Europe. The suite won
awards for Best Product Productivity/Reference Software, Best New Product
Software and Best Retail Strategy.
Corel's new personal information manager, CorelCENTRAL, combines
calendaring, scheduling, to-do lists, an address book, contact log and
cardfile. CorelCENTRAL, with Netscape Communicator integration, is not
included in this release of Corel WordPerfect Suite 8. Customers who
purchase Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 without CorelCENTRAL 8 will receive a
voucher to obtain the software upon its release. Additional taxes,
shipping and handling charges apply. In Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 8
Professional, due to ship late summer, e-mail, Internet browser, discussion
groups and conferencing will be fully supported by an integration with
Netscaper CommunicatorT.
The Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 includes core applications Corelr
WordPerfectr 8, Corelr Quattror Pro 8 and Corelr PresentationsT 8 as well
as a number of bonus applications including:
ú Corel BaristaT - a JavaT tool that allows users to easily publish
content-rich, attractive pages to the Web without complicated programming.
ú Corel Photo HouseT 1.1 - photo-editing, touch-up effects and special
effects make it easy to touch up photos.
ú Corelr Versionsr - Corel's archiving software helps you keep track of
document revisions.
ú Desktop Application DirectorT - the powerful, customizable DADT gives
one-click access from the Windowsr 95 taskbar to all the core applications
and abilities of Corel WordPerfect Suite 8.
ú EnvoyT 7 Viewer - allows users to view any document published to
Envoy, whether they have the software used to create it or not.
ú Netscape NavigatorT 3.0
ú Bitstreamr Font ManagerT
ú 1000 top-quality fonts
ú 10, 000+ clipart images
ú 200 photos
ú Corel WordPerfect Suite Software Development Kit (SDK).
Corel Adds the Grolier Encyclopedia
to
Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 8
Ottawa, Canada- June 17, 1997</B>- Corel Corporation, award-winning
developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics and Internet
software, announced today it will be licensing the 1998 Grolier Multimedia
Encyclopedia from Grolier Inc. for inclusion in Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 8
and Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 Professional editions.
"We are very excited to be including the Grolier Encyclopedia with our
Corel WordPerfect Suite 8," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief
executive officer of Corel Corporation. "The Grolier Encyclopedia's ease
of use and efficient organization fits well with our new comprehensive
Corel WordPerfect Suite 8."
"The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia and Corel WordPerfect Suite 8
compliment each other for the complete reference solution," said David
Arganbright, president of Grolier Interactive.
The 1998 Deluxe Edition of the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, to be
included in Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 Professional, consists of improved
Help and Quick Tour features to make it faster and simpler to find answers.
Volumes of information are stored on two CD-ROMs and organized intuitively
by subject to facilitate in-depth research.
The 1998 Deluxe Edition of the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia features the
Online Knowledge ExplorerT which will provide one-stop entry to thousands
of Grolier-approved resources. The Online Knowledge Explorer provides
online access to articles from two other encyclopedias published by
Grolier, The New Book of Knowledge and the Encyclopedia Americana; the
Grolier Internet IndexT, a proprietary tool developed by Grolier to link
articles to editorially-selected Web sites; and numerous article updates.
Other features in the Encyclopedia include a drill-down Atlas,
Interactivities, Multiplex Presentations, Guided Tours and Timelines.
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia has been the recipient of a number of
industry accolades. In January 1997 PC Computing claimed, "its (Grolier
Multimedia Encyclopedia) atlas has the best and most detailed interlinked
maps. And its activities...are spectacular." Family Life, in its
March/April 1997 issue, said the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is "more
solid than Encarta or Compton's, less weighty than Britannica....".
The Standard version of the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, consisting of
one CD-ROM, will be included in Corel WordPerfect Suite 8. The Deluxe
version of the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, contained on two CD-ROMs,
will be included in Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 Professional. CorelCENTRALT,
the new personal information manager in Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 with
exclusive integration with Netscape CommunicatorT, was not included in the
initial release of the suite due to the fact that Communicator will not
ship until late June. Customers who purchase Corel WordPerfect Suite 8
without CorelCENTRAL 8 receive a voucher to obtain the software upon its
release. As an added bonus, the 1998 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-
ROM will be shipped to these customers along with CorelCENTRAL. Additional
taxes, shipping and handling charges apply.
Corel Corporation
Incorporated in 1985, Corel Corporation is recognized internationally as an
award-winning developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics
and Internet software. Corel's product line includes CorelDRAWT, Corelr
WordPerfectr Suite, Corelr Office Professional, Corelr WebMaster Suite,
CorelVIDEOT and CorelCADT. Corel's products run on most operating systems,
including: Windowsr, Macintoshr, UNIX, MS-DOS, and OpenVMS and are
consistently rated among the strongest in the industry. The company ships
its products in over 17 languages through a network of more than 160
distributors in 70 countries worldwide. Corel is traded on the Toronto
Stock Exchange (symbol: COS) and the NASDAQ - National Market System
(symbol: COSFF). For more information visit Corel's home page on the
Internet at http://www.corel.com.
Corel, WordPerfect, Presentations, CorelDRAW, CorelVIDEO and CorelCAD are
registered trademarks or trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel
Corporation Limited. Sylvan and Sylvan Learning Systems Centers are
registered trademarks and Authorized Prometric Testing Centers and Sylvan
Prometric are trademarks of Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., in the U.S. and
Canada. All product and company names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
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From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
VACATION!!!! Finally, I can kick back, pop open a cold one, and
relax. In fact, I can do absolutely nothing if I so choose! A couple of
weeks to just be concerned with everyday life without the pressures and
responsibilities of work. A little golf, some house-hunting (okay, a lot
of house-hunting!), catch up on some reading, and who knows what else.
At this time of the year, the focus is on Atlanta and the gaming
world. Just about everything else in the computing world comes to a
standstill! So goes this week's issue - I've been spending most of the
past week checking out E3 news for the show that rocks the gaming industry.
Suffice to say, Atari computing news is taking a back seat. As to whether
or not
the next couple of issues will be jam-packed with _any_ news will depend on
a number of factors; but, vacations are vacations! We'll see.
Until next time...
Hi all!
Think You've found out that I'm using frames now at my homepage; maybe it
all looks better now, who knows. Users of CAB v2.0a or CAB v2.0a Demo can
switch off the frame support and everything will be as before. (If You
touch the little frame window at the top gives the same result). Think that
my new buttons gives a better overview now; each color corresponds to it's
own Language, so You will know what Language the Webpage is written in. To
access these smaller buttons You have to, of course, click on one of the
Language buttons first.
aFTP is a FTP-Client made by ATACK from The Czech Republic and it now works
with STiNG and STiK (There's still a version for MiNT/MiNTnet). aFTP uses a
GEM file display window, similar to the installed one on the desktop. You
can use this window as an ordinary one, copy, move and rename files and
it's possible to use Drag&Drop too. With aFTP You can move your off-line
made homepage from your computer to your provider's server for Internet WWW
access and of course access FTP-Servers worldwide.
I've made an english support page too where you can view a snapshot,
download and read about the program. For swedish spoken users, I can tell
that I've just translated the program along with the Hyp manual and have
sent the whole package to the Authors.
Peter Rottengatter have made some new updates in some of his packages for
STiNG. You will find them at:
http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~perot/STinG.dl-bay-e.html
I've met Peter at The Nordic Atari Show here in Gothenburg, he held, like
myself, a seminar about TCP/IP and about how Atari Computers can connect
with each other in a network. My seminar was about how You can make your
own homepage with CAB/QED/HP Penguin/OLGA and some other apps.
Best Regards
Mille Babic
eMail: mille@mail5.tripnet.se
http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille (English, German, Swedish, Croatian)
Gaming Section
Gearing Up for E3!!
Jaguar's 'World Tour Racing"!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
As mentioned a few paragraphs ago, this is the beginning of the E3
show. All of the big guns will be in Atlanta for this industry show. This
is the place to be to learn what's to come for the next big push in the
gaming world.
In past years, we might have had the opportunity to also see Atari at
these shows. Alas, it's not to be any longer - nor has it been the past
few years. Anything that comes forth for the Jaguar will be learned by
word-of-mouth and messages on the Internet - typical for Atari supporters.
Enjoy what we can, for as long as we can...
Meanwhile, PC games and the flourishing game consoles will be amply
represented at E3. Many of us have multiple platforms, so the news of E3
will be informative and we'll be anticipating seeing the fruits from this
showing. Let's see what some of the fun is that's to come!
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
E3 - Electronic Games, Internet, & DVD Lead Show
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1997 JUN 18 (Newsbytes) -- By Patrick McKenna.
Three years ago, Electronic Entertainment Expo began as a
business-to-business show for the video gaming industry. As the third
annual show opens tomorrow, attendees will witness a grand display of the
latest and greatest games and supporting technologies. Multi-player
Internet games, DVD technology, and MMX games will lead more than 1,500
titles on display.
E3 is about video gaming on personal computers, Sony's PlayStation, Sega's
gaming console, and Nintendo's 64-bit console. Every corner of the
equivalent of 35 football fields will be packed with gaming sounds in
excess of 100 decibels, actors in costumes designed to replicate game
characters, $5 million booths by Sega and Nintendo, and aisles packed with
attendees.
E3 is not open to the public. "This is a business-to-business show," began
Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software
Association (ISDA). "This is the place for gaming professionals to meet,
to make deals and learn what others are doing." A recent ISDA survey
forecasts that computer and video gaming industry sales will grow from the
$3.7 billion in 1996 to $5.8 billion this year. While 37 percent of the
games debuting at the show are fast-action and adventure titles, strategy,
puzzle, sports, and edutainment titles round-out the show.
The latest joysticks, controllers, special keyboards, and three-dimensional
(3-D) glasses will also hold their place in Atlanta for the next three
days. But some new technologies never make the show floor. Behind the
doors of small conference rooms, some companies show their future
technologies. For example, one company, Comfy Interactive Movies, is
showing D-Zone, a pad a player stands on and moves across to enhance play
on standard games. Tom Brokaw, NBC broadcaster will open the show with the
first keynote address. On Friday, Andy Grove, co-founder of Intel will
begin the second of three days of games, games, and games.
Midway Rocks the House at 1997 E3!
ATLANTA (June 16) ENTERTAINMENT WIRE -June 16, 1997 -- Midway Home
Entertainment introduces eight new video game titles at:
1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (E3) -
Midway Home Entertainment Rocks the House at this year's Electronic
Entertainment Expo with the introduction of eight of the industry's most
eagerly anticipated video game titles. With titles representing a wide
array of different video game genres, including exciting new sports,
fighting, shooting, and driving games, as well as sequels to popular
existing titles, Midway Home Entertainment offers something for everyone!
Here's a look at the explosive Midway Home Entertainment titles scheduled
for preview at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo: Live by the
Sword...Kill for the Mace...Everything's a Weapon! Mace(TM): The Dark Age:
Midway Home Entertainment presents Mace: The Dark Age, the wildest 3D
fighting game ever. Based on the popular arcade game, Mace boasts ten
all-new player-selectable characters, two amazing bosses and seven hidden
characters - each possessing complete 3D movement and set within unique
ground-breaking interactive backgrounds. Each character is fully equipped
with a cool weapon, unparalleled fighting style, and the desire to inflict
serious pain. Mace: The Dark Age will be released for the Nintendo 64 and
Sony PlayStation in September 1997.
Pull the trigger! Maximum Force(TM): It's you versus the terrorists... they
must be stopped at all costs and only you can stop them! From the team
that created the breakthrough sci-fi adventure hit arcade shooting game
Area 51(TM), this powerful precision-based shooter for 1 or 2 players
features incredible live-action cinematic styling that catapults the player
right into the action. Maximum Force boasts thousands of shootable bad
guys and objects set within interactive backgrounds, making it the deepest
gun game ever. Coupling explosive graphics with heart-pounding game play,
Maximum Force pits the player against near impossible odds in a series of
three power-packed missions. The storyline involves three groups of
oddball terrorists who are out to unleash their own brand of chaos on the
world. The player's goal, not surprisingly, is to stop them at all costs.
Maximum Force will be available for play on the Sony PlayStation in
September 1997.
The Mortal Kombat(R) Saga continues with an entirely new chapter! Mortal
Kombat(R) Mythologies: The Adventures of Sub-Zero(TM): Mortal Kombat
Mythologies: Sub-Zero, the first brand new Mortal Kombat game developed
specifically for the next generation video game systems, features a mix of
2D and 3D elements and a totally fresh in-depth storyline that embellishes
the ongoing Mortal Kombat saga and catapults its myth to a whole new level.
Developed by John Tobias, one of the original Mortal Kombat creators, this
all-new action-adventure game is the prequel to the events featured in the
first three Mortal Kombat games and offers the unique combination of
hard-core action and hours of heart-pounding excitement that gamers expect
from the Mortal Kombat brand. While most of the action takes place in true
Mortal Kombat style, Mortal Kombat Mythologies also incorporates features
found in roll playing games and adds many new moves. Mortal Kombat's
signature 2D digitized actors are now uniquely combined with fully rendered
3D sprites and intermixed with such intense realism that gamers are
virtually plunged into the most exciting fighting game experience of their
lives. Mortal Kombat Mythologies: The Adventures of Sub-Zero will make its
national retail debut on the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation in October
1997.
Lace up your high-tops, hit the hardwood and slam one home! NBA Hardwood
Heros (TM): Midway's new high-flying, five-on-five hoop simulation is
officially licensed by the NBA and features hi-tech wizardry,
state-of-the-art graphics and multi-tap support for up to ten players in
fierce five-on-five player competition. NBA Hardwood Heros boast special,
never-before-seen animations, play modes, and gameplay options -- offering
players the most ultra-realistic basketball video game playing experience
available! NBA Hardwood Heroes is scheduled for a November 1997 release on
the Sony PlayStation.
The Most highly anticipated computer game since DOOM(R) hits the Nintendo
64 QUAKE(R) 64: Midway's translation of the notorious, nightmarishly
intense 3D shoot-em-up computer game, will fully utilize the spectacular
technological capabilities of the Nintendo 64 system, letting gamers rip
through QUAKE'S worlds at incredible speeds - without sacrificing the
game's intense graphics. QUAKE 64 will feature in-your-face lightning-fast
game play, intense weapons and monsters, amazing sound effects, and
mesmerizing environments for the most extreme battling experience possible
on a home video game system. QUAKE(R) 64 is currently scheduled for a late
1997 retail release.
They're coming to your house! They Can't be stopped! Rampage(TM) World
Tour: This eagerly awaited home video game adaptation of the smash-hit
arcade game of the same name, as well as the sequel to the phenomenally
popular classic Rampage game is a wild smash 'em up romp with universal
appeal. Rampage World Tour is simple enough to be played by gamers of all
ages, yet so chock-full of enough exciting gameplay depth and challenge
that it will satisfy the thirst of hard-core gamers too! In Rampage World
Tour, up to three players will embark on a killer "Rampage" inflicting as
much damage and destruction as "humanly" possible. Along the way, they
will demolish buildings, swat down aircraft, eat people and rack up points,
as they demolish entire cities! Rampage World Tour will be available for
the Sony PlayStation in November 1997.
Is it real? Or is it Rush? San Francisco RUSH(TM) Extreme Racing: The
eagerly awaited home video game version of the smash-hit arcade game of the
same name brings all of the adrenaline-pumping gameplay home to the
Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation. Engineered like a fine sports car, San
Francisco RUSH has what it takes to become a classic! Offering everything
from a simple and forgiving solo driving game to a full blown simulated
maniacal EXTREME racing competition for up to four players, San Francisco
RUSH combines an unparalleled level of realism, racing excitement and game
depth to provide gamers with an experience far beyond that found in any
other driving game. San Francisco RUSH Extreme Racing will be available in
November 1997.
He shoots... He scores! The Great One's legacy continues! The NHLPA(TM) &
NHL(R) Present Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey(TM) '98: Hammer the puck and rip
the net...with the world's best in The NHLPA & NHL Present Wayne Gretzky's
3D Hockey '98, the eagerly awaited sequel to the 1996 top-selling hockey
video game from Midway Home Entertainment. This fast action-thriller stars
hockey legend, Wayne Gretzky, and features the National Hockey League
Players' Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) licenses.
Playable in either simulation or arcade mode, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98
boasts all 26 NHL teams, team logos, uniforms and players, including player
name and physical likenesses, plus all the moves you'd expect from a
simulation and the action demanded for pure entertainment. The NHPA & NHL
Present Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98 will be released for the Nintendo 64
and Sony PlayStation in November 1997.
Hasbro Interactive Reinforces Mission to Lead the Family
BEVERLY, Mass., June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Furthering its mission to be a
leader in the interactive games industry with products that appeal to an
increasingly mass-market population of consumers, Hasbro Interactive
will unveil new games in every major entertainment software game category,
as well as its first titles for the Sony PlayStation(TM), at the Electronic
Entertainment Expo this week in Atlanta. "Our commitment to delivering
high quality, multi-player interactive games is stronger than ever," says
Tom Dusenberry, President of Hasb
ro Interactive. "Hasbro Interactive's new
product line up offers a broad range of titles that will not only appeal to
the serious gamer, but will delight every member of the family."
"This year we are going beyond the classic games genre, " adds Dusenberry.
"We are releasing exciting new entries into the action game category, that
will not only strengthen our overall position in the interactive games
market, but will enable us to appeal to a larger number of consumers."
Hasbro Interactive headlines three stellar action games that are sure to
fire-up the fingers and imaginations of avid gamers:
Frogger(R), a brilliant revival of the coolest, high-jumpin',
tongue-flickin' Atari game from the '80s, is sure to become an all-family
favorite in the '90s. Hasbro Interactive's Frogger has been rebuilt with
sophisticated 3D graphics, redesigned for fast action single and
multi-layer, split screen Internet game play, and will include over 50
levels in 10 new Frogger worlds. The new Frogger will remain true to the
addictive play patterns of the original arcade game, but will appeal to a
whole new generation of gamers with its new look, new features and hoppin'
music. (Oct./WIN 95 and PSX)
H.E.D.Z. - Head Extreme Destruction Zone(TM) -- Gamers are sure to lose
their heads over Hasbro Interactive's first original content game that
features a cast of 225 irreverent "heads" characters, each with their own
special physical attributes and battle powers. It's a totally original
action game concept that invokes collectability and adrenaline-pumping fun.
Try the fighter plane-launching Aircraft Carrier Head on for size or the
flesh-eating Velociraptor Head. Network and Internet play take
collectability to a whole new level! (Fall/WIN 95)
Beast Wars, based on the top-rated Transformers toy line and television
series, is a fast-action, shoot 'em up game that features 3D rendered
models that morph from Beast to Transformer in spectacular fashion under
the player's control. Pick from two opposing factions - the Maximals and
Predicons -- and battle for control of the universe. The game features
include 10 different characters for each mission, 32 missions in six
high-resolution 3D environments, and ear-pounding sound effects. (Sept./WIN
95 and PSX)
Family Fun
Joining the Monopoly(R) Game CD-ROM in the family category this fall will
be Sorry!(R) CD-ROM, the classic chase and race game. Sorry! CD-ROM is
based on the classic board game, but in this version the character tokens
have their own distinct personalities. The tokens spring to life as they
bump, hammer and hop over their opponents, adding even more humor to the
game's playful on-board antics. Sorry! CD-ROM includes four games in one -
from the classic game, "everyone for himself," to Team Sorry!, where tokens
must collaborate to make their way home and win. Voice and text chat allow
the players to scream "Sorry!" across the "wired" miles as they play their
opponents over the Internet. Sorry! CD-ROM is sure to be one of the most
popular Internet games for children and the entire family, with its
fully-animated tokens that banter and playfully bop each other as they try
to slide "home." (Nov./WIN 95)
One of the world's most popular word games explodes onto CD-ROM! Boggle
CD-ROM offers something for everyone at any level with five unique word
games in one. The game features multiple skill levels and many ways to
compete -- against yourself, with a friend, or with multiple players over
the Internet. Now Boggle lovers young and old can find a challenge, any
day, any time.
Pictionary(R) CD-ROM will light up the house, with hours of
picture-guessing and mouse-drawing fun. Pictionary CD-ROM is "the game of
quick draw" and more! The game features six exciting new ways to play,
including incredible "computer drawing" variations, full color picture
reveals, and hundreds of picture-guessing rounds. Humorous banter and
dialogue, along with great music definitely let players have a party on
their PC. Players can play the Pictionary CD-ROM game solo, in teams or
over the Internet. Pictionary CD-ROM will be enabled for play over
Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone(TM) (www.zone.com), for spontaneous
Pictionary "parties" on-line. (Sept./WIN 95)
adults will also love the first Puzz 3D(R) adaptation for the PC, as they
recreate the enthralling Notre Dame Cathedral. Puzz 3D CD-ROM gives a new
dimension to puzzles. As the player pieces together the walls of the famous
cathedral in realistic 3D fashion, he is rewarded with the keys to unlock
each room's mystery. Wander through dozens of rooms that are brimming with
centuries of historical tales. (Aug./WIN 95.)
New Titles for the Youngest Gamers in the House
New children's games from Hasbro Interactive include a sequel to the
award-winning Tonka(R) Construction CD-ROM, called Tonka Search and Rescue
CD-ROM, and the Mr. Potato Head(R) Activity Pack, starring everyone's
favorite spud! Hasbro Interactive has specially designed both titles to
encourage creative play on and off the computer.
Tonka Search and Rescue CD-ROM celebrates Tonka's 50th anniversary with 22
3D Tonka vehicles to master and maneuver through 12 different land, air and
sea rescue missions. Kids are in command of their own rescue squad made up
of the most formidable Tonka vehicles, including construction trucks,
helicopters, fire engines and rescue boats. In the print shop, children
can create and print custom license plates and decals that adhere to their
real Tonka trucks, for hours of additional fun away from the computer.
(Oct./WIN 3.1, WIN 95 and MAC)
Mr. Potato Head Activity Pack CD-ROM is loaded with fun-filled creative
activities for preschoolers, including a puzzle maker, a connect-the-dots
game, and a dress-up activity in which children adorn Mr. Potato Head with
all sorts of crazy outfits! Each play area has three different skill
levels rich music, fun and wacky sounds, and of course, plenty of spud
humor. Reward animations will keep kids delighted as they reinforce word
associations. Special printing features will enable kids to extend their
play away from the computer. (Sept./WIN 3.1, WIN 95 and MAC)
More Ways to Play
While each of Hasbro Interactive's games delivers great solo play, Hasbro
Interactive recognizes that one of the best features of every great game is
its ability to bring people together. So this year, Hasbro Interactive
will begin enabling its entire line of games for Microsoft's Internet
Gaming Zone (www.zone.com), which offers easy Internet connection and
round-the-clock player-matching.
"Multi-player gaming is the hottest area in the interactive games industry
today," says Tom Dusenberry. "The idea of playing games with friends and
family from around the world is a wonderful way to bring people together.
We are very pleased to be able to lead the social gaming movement on the
Internet."
Internet play of several of Hasbro Interactive's games also will continue
through MPath's MPlayer gaming network. In addition, several of Hasbro
Interactive's action, strategy and family games are playable on a LAN and
modem-to-modem. Hasbro Interactive offers game samples and player
registries at its own web site, www.hasbro.com.
Frogger(R), The Blockbuster Video Game
He's Revived, Rebuilt And Ready To Hop Onto PSX And PC CD-ROM Hasbro
Interactive President Tom Dusenberry Leads the Initiative to Bring
FROGGER(R) to a New Generation of Gamers
BEVERLY, Mass., June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Who's the coolest, high jumpin',
power croakin', tongue flickin' amphibian in town? He's FROGGER! Hasbro
Interactive and Konami Co., Ltd. join forces to unveil the hot new
FROGGER(R) action game for Sony PlayStation(TM) and PC CD-ROM. Based on the
blockbuster arcade game of the early 1980s, the new FROGGER will be true to
the addictive play patterns of the original game, but will be rebuilt with
sophisticated 3D graphics, redesigned for fast action, single or split
screen, multi-player game play, and will include numerous levels in
multiple unique play environments.
"We are extremely excited to bring the beloved FROGGER game back to life,"
says Tom Dusenberry, President of Hasbro Interactive. "FROGGER has a
special place in my heart, since I helped launch it fifteen years ago as
part of the Parker Brothers Arcade Action Series."
"When we first started the Hasbro Interactive company, I definitely had
FROGGER in mind as a premier, all-family entertainment title for the '90s,"
adds Dusenberry. "FROGGER was an icon in the gaming industry during the
'80s, and I am thrilled to recreate it with modern technology for a whole
new generation of gamers to enjoy."
Konami Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, brought FROGGER to life as
an arcade game in the early 1980s. Parker Brothers partnered with Konami
Co., Ltd. to develop the first version for home use and it became a huge
success. Designed for the Atari and Commodore platforms, FROGGER was quick
to leap onto Billboard's best-selling video cartridge and computer game
charts. In addition, the program won a number of industry honors,
including Best Arcade Video/Computer Game Merit Award from Electronic Games
Magazine.
Now Hasbro Interactive and Konami Co., Ltd. team up again to create a new
FROGGER for the modern era. As gamers leap into the crazy 3D computer
world of FROGGER, they must guide their frogs to safety through a number of
dangerous obstacles including multiple lanes of busy traffic; a treacherous
river filled with moving logs, swimming turtles, and hungry alligators; a
desert wilderness of stampeding buffalo, vicious rattlesnakes and tumbling
mountain boulders, and much more!
Powerful new abilities have been added to the game such as super jump, the
power croak and a heat seeking tongue. Multiple original music scores in
surround sound will keep players hoppin' for hours. In the multi-player
game mode, up to four players can try to beat their opponents on the time
clock and obtain power ups as they race simultaneously through specially
designed world maps in split screen.
The new FROGGER is scheduled for worldwide release this fall for gamers age
10 and up. The approximate street prices will be $49.99-$59.99 for Sony
PlayStation and $39.99 for CD-ROM.
E-3 Media Alert -- Kalisto Unveils New Multimedia Titles
(June 16) BUSINESS WIRE - ADVISORY...For Thursday (June 19) Who:
Kalisto(TM) Entertainmnent (formerly Mindscape Bourdeaux) and its
publishers/distributors: NEC, Electronic Arts and Sony Computer
Entertainment
What: Four new multimedia titles: -- Dark Earth (TM): Two years in the
making and heralded as the PC game which promises to "revolutionize" the
adventure game category, Dark Earth is a stunning 3D adventure in real time
set in an original universe for Windows 95. Features include incredible
realism, totally immersive environments with 250 pre-rendered backgrounds,
over 90 stunning characters animated in real time and more than 5,000
animations. -- Nightmare Creatures (TM): a revolutionary 3D fighting
adventure game for SONY PlayStation. -- Ultimte Race(TM): This PowerVR(TM)
title is an 3D arcade racing multiplayer game for Windows 95. This
realistic computer environment game provides highly detailed visual effects
and gives gamers an "arcade-like" game play experience on a PC. Gamers can
experience new realism in a racing game with incredible effects. -- Fifth
Element(TM): Kalisto will provide a "sneak preview" of this 3D adventure
game based on this summer's blockbuster movie from Gaumont studio starring
Bruce Wills.
Phil Hartman Teams Up With PlayStation
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (June 17) BUSINESS WIRE -June 17, 1997--Sony Computer
Entertainment America announced that it has signed accomplished character
actor, Phil Hartman, to provide the voice for its first originally-created
superhero, Captain Blasto(TM), the feature character in the upcoming
PlayStation(TM) videogame title. Scheduled for release in October 1997,
Blasto is being developed bySony Interactive Studios America exclusively
for the PlayStation game console.
Blasto is a character-driven 3D action/platform PlayStation videogame with
stunning 3D animation and interactive environments. Created in a style and
tone reminiscent of 1940's big-studio cartoon features, Blasto combines the
best elements of platform, action and shooter games with capabilities never
seen before in previous titles.
"PlayStation will bring a new kind of gaming to its fans with Blasto," said
Andrew House, vice president, marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment
America. "The addition of Phil Hartman as the voice of Captain Blasto will
bring to life the personality of this pompous superhero and emphasizes the
degree to which Blasto will appeal to all age groups."
Hartman has appeared as many of the most lively and memorable characters in
movies and television, from such films as "Jingle All the Way" and "Sgt.
Bilko" to his portrayal of Bill McNeal on the hit television series
"NewsRadio." He can be heard weekly as the voice of Springfield's B-movie
actor and foremost spokesperson, Troy McClure on "The Simpsons" and was a
cast member for eight seasons on "Saturday Night Live."
Psygnosis Showcases Newest Games at E3
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (June 17) BUSINESS WIRE -June 17, 1997--For E3 '97,
Psygnosis will push the envelope with third-generation PlayStation game
console titles that take the format to new heights of excellence in
graphics and gameplay. The company has also been working on bringing the
same degree of finesse and excitement to the PC marketplace. Utilizing the
latest advances in 3D acceleration technology, Psygnosis will debut PC
titles at E3 '97 which will turn heads in the same way the company's first
PlayStation efforts did at the very first E3. As this trade event grows,
Psygnosis continues to grow with it.
G Police(TM)
G Police for the PlayStation and Windows 95 PC CD-ROM is an all-action
flight-shooter set in a gritty, urban jungle environment, with
unrestricted, "fly-anywhere-shoot-anything" freedom. Patrol the skies of a
futuristic cityscape as a member of the ultimate law-enforcement agency,
the G Police, in the DASA-Kamov Havoc close air-support gunship. Over 35
missions test both flight skills and battle instincts to the full as the
game's true 3D flight model allows for awesome inner-city, mid-air
shootouts and more strategic 'copter adventure.
On the PC, G Police takes 3D accelerated arcade action to the next level
with dazzling explosive effects, as you blast away at enemy vehicles on
land and in the air. For PlayStation, Psygnosis re-affirms their
reputation as the premier developer on the console format, with a
technologically inspiring game that's the jewel in this year's Psygnosis
portfolio.
Formula 1 '97
The sequel to the million units worldwide blockbuster Formula 1, Psygnosis'
Formula 1 '97 takes pole-position as the leading sports-racing title for
fans of arcade racing with realistic simulation options. Formula 1 '97 for
PlayStation and Windows 95 PC CD-ROM gives players all new features the
fans demanded, including split-screen two player racing and more
spectacular, dramatic collisions and crashes.
The latest statistics plus all the teams and drivers of the 1997 season are
ready to race over 17 circuits, with even more of the attention to detail
and finesse that made Formula 1 a legendary release. Formula 1 '97 lets
gamers experience the thrill, speed and excitement of the ultimate racing
challenge. Sample the driving dynamics and pit stop tactics that make the
world of F1 so exciting, driving the meticulously recreated curves and
straights of representations of the world's finest tracks.
Colony Wars(TM)
Colony Wars, exclusively developed for the PlayStation game console, is a
real-time 3D space-shooter combining arcade action with epic drama, in a
galactic adventure spanning five solar systems. The player is invited to
sign up as a rookie pilot in the League of Free Nations, caught in the
middle of a vicious war to free the Colony Worlds from the stranglehold of
the Empire.
With dizzying space dogfights, spectacular, pyrotechnic weaponry and
involving strategic missions, Colony Wars plays out this bold story with
all the impact, action and awe of a Hollywood blockbuster -- only this
time, the player is really in control.
The Psygnosis Liverpool studio is creating this non-linear adventure with
over 60 intricate missions, which fall into 18 acts. Dramatic, fully
rendered 3D sequences tell the story of the Colony Wars (and six
drastically different endings to the game). But the emphasis is on
interactivity, not FMV. Real time databases update with strategically
vital info on both spacecraft and planetary activity as the game unfolds,
and the player enjoys full flight freedom for white-knuckle combat
missions.
Psybadek(TM)
Developed by the creators of the acclaimed PlayStation classic WipeOut(TM),
Psybadek combines the fun of 3D platform-style gameplay with the constant,
kinetic motion of snowboard-style "hoverdeks". Featuring Xako and Mia --
the most contemporary characters in gaming, with a look that's half
skate-punk, half Manga (Japanese animation) - Psybadek is a game that'll
appeal to both connoisseurs of cutting-edge game development and mainstream
gaming fans who are looking for the next level in 3D platform fun.
Psybadek's gameplay is fast and fluid. Mastering the skills of hoverdek
stunts is crucial to completing the game's ten "go anywhere" locations,
collecting power-ups, avoiding bad guys and confronting level-bosses.
Cool weapons like magnetic mines, "snowball" bombs, smart-bombs and
boomerangs keep the action frantic, while a huge selection of collectibles
will reveal secret levels, provide extra stunt-boosting energy and offer
bonuses like temporary invulnerability.
Shadow Master(TM)
Boasting lush, other-worldly environments and bizarre, bio-mechanical
enemies, Shadow Master is a graphically intense real-time 3D shooter
inspired by the vision of renowned fantasy artist Rodney Matthews, whose
distinctive landscapes and strange creators have graced many sci-fi book
covers and album sleeves. Shadow Master is under development for the
PlayStation and Windows 95 PC CD-ROM.
Your mission in Shadow Master is to protect your planet from a dictatorship
that has stripped bare the resources of the other planets in your system.
You must do battle with insectoid and bio-mechanical lifeforms in your
fight to confront the leader of this evil dictatorship, traveling across
seven different worlds, each of which has different characteristics -- an
arid desert environment, a lush fertile world with lakes and forests, a
seascape with volcanic islands and several other locations and terrains
where your gaming mettle will be tested.
Overboard!(TM)
Overboard! brings havoc to the high seas with a nautical mix of scrolling
shoot 'em up action, brain-teasing, puzzle-packed level design and
swash-buckling strategy, all from a free-reaming, top-down 3D perspective
that lets you gaze out over hazard-packed oceans and coves.
Captain a heavily galleon on a quest to discover a long lost treasure and
annihilate your pirate nemesis, Blowfleet. Along the way you'll destroy
enemy strongholds, ports and shipyards while building their own fleet of
strangely enhanced ships and various add-ons (for example, ships can morph
into Jules Verne-style airships in this swashblucking extravaganza).
Overboard! is under development for the PlayStation and Windows 95 PC
CD-ROM.
Rascal(TM)
Rascal is set to storm the exciting 3D platform gaming genre with a
distinctive blend of "old school" gameplay values and up-to-the-minute,
free-roaming 3D environments. Rascal is the latest creation of notable
developers Travelers Tales, the team behind console classics Mickey Mania
and Toy Story. Bringing extra spice to the mix is the Jim Henson Creature
Workshop (London), who have collaborated on character design, helping make
the eponymous Rascal a new gaming icon who is set to capture the
imagination of gamers everywhere.
Our hero is a street-smart kid who takes his scientist father's prototype
time-machine for a test drive and into twenty-one levels of "go-anywhere"
mayhem. Rascal's lightning fast 60 frames per second graphics, and
fully-explorable environments, combined with the tried-and-tested gameplay
skills of the platform experts at Travelers Tales are set to make our hero
king of the hill in the emerging real-time 3D platform genre. Rascal is
under development for the PlayStation and Windows 95 PC CD-ROM.
Nintendo's E3 "Powerhouse Series" Advances Game Technology
ATLANTA (June 18) BUSINESS WIRE -June 18, 1997
Industry Leader Introduces Revolutionary Nintendo 64 Graphics, Game Play
For Award-Winning System; Introduces Color For Game Boy pocket Hardware
The power of Nintendo continues to dazzle and amaze! Building on the
strength of its incomparable video game hardware, Nintendo of America Inc.
today announces a new series of 64-bit, advanced technology video game
titles featuring new realism for true 3-D graphics and character
interaction. Having jump-started the video gaming industry in 1996 with
the launch of Nintendo 64 (N64), Nintendo "expands the magic" in 1997 with
the introduction of phenomenal games including Star Fox(R)64,
Banjo-Kazooie(TM), GoldenEye 007(TM), Conker's Quest(TM) and Major League
Baseball(R) Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr. This powerhouse line-up, being
unveiled at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta, is
projected to keep Nintendo 64 as the hottest selling video game system in
America.
"Our new 'powerhouse series' not only exceeds current expectations for the
64-bit system, it continues to demonstrate our dedication to quality and
innovation," says Howard Lincoln, chairman, Nintendo of America. "For
nearly a decade, consumers have seen the best video games on Game Boy,
Super NES and most recently Nintendo 64. It's been an exciting ride, and
it'll keep getting better as developers produce games that make use of the
technological prowess of Nintendo 64." Shigeru Miyamoto, the world's most
revered video game designer, brings Fox McCloud and friends back to their
arwings in Star Fox 64 - a game already receiving accolades from gaming
experts and offering new concepts in 3-D space shooting.
Also exploring the breadth and depth offered by the N64 is the world-famous
video game design team at U.K.-based Rare, Ltd., who have teamed with
Nintendo to create two breath-taking action/adventure series additions -
Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Quest - both with thrilling escapades, loveable
new characters, lush landscapes and inspiring graphics. Further
demonstrating the power of Nintendo 64, Conker's Quest characters actually
show emotion and are aware of their environmental conditions. These
conditions assist players through the game in numerous ways from pointing
out missed objects to alluding to impending trouble based on the
character's facial expressions.
In the strategy/action genre, the Nintendo/Rare collaborators shake (not
stir) it up even further with the mission-based GoldenEye, a video game
simulation based on the box-office smash featuring secret agent and
adventure hero Bond...James Bond. For those interested in heroes of the
sports variety, Nintendo and Angel Studios, along with the help of the best
player in Major League Baseball(R) (MLB), Ken Griffey Jr., have developed
Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. Created using the new
proprietary Nintendo Reality System - which takes advantage of Nintendo
64's unparalleled artificial intelligence features - Griffey showcases
intricately detailed MLB stadiums that include more than 35,000 frames of
motion-captured character animations. Additionally, Nintendo has secured a
license with the Major League Baseball Players Association(R), which allows
the game to feature the complete 1997 MLB roster.
And, if this isn't enough, Nintendo also will provide sneak peeks of other
upcoming Nintendo 64 titles including Zelda 64, Yoshi's Island 64, Body
Harvest(TM), Tetrisphere(TM), F-Zero(R) 64...and more! In addition to the
Nintendo 64 "powerhouse series," Nintendo also unveiled new releases for
its Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES) and Game Boy platforms
- two tried-and-true systems that have maintained their unwavering
popularity with Nintendo fans of all ages for years. For Game Boy,
Nintendo showed heightened fashion sense this spring with the introduction
of new Game Boy pocket "Colors." This handful of entertainment now is
available in six new color casings including green, red, yellow, black,
transparent and silver.
In other bytes, Nintendo will release new 16-bit Super NES and Game Boy
games including perennial favorites for its Player's Choice Series. For the
Super NES, new games include Arkanoid(TM), Space Invaders(R), Super Star
Stacker and Kirby 3. Also, the re-release of Super Metroid(R),
Tetris(R)/Dr. Mario(R), F-Zero(R) and Donkey Kong Country(TM) will add to
the current Player's Choice Series. Game Boy titles being released are
Donkey Kong Land(TM) 3, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball(R):
Game Boy Edition(R), Tetris Plus(TM), Wario Land(TM) 2, Game and Watch
Gallery(TM) 2 and James Bond 007(TM). Similarly, Nintendo has added Donkey
Kong Land(TM), Metroid II(R) - Return of Samus(TM), Little Mermaid(R) and
Mickey's Dangerous Chase(R) to the Game Boy Player's Choice Series.
Bandai Launches CD-ROM Version Of Tamagotchi
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1997 JUN 19 (Newsbytes) - Tamagotchi, the small egg-shaped
"virtual pet" that is sending the stress level in kids up all over the
world, can now be as near as the nearest computer desktop. Bandai Digital
Entertainment Co. (BDEC) launched a CD-ROM version of the pet in Japan
earlier this week and will debut it in the United States today, at the E3
show in Atlanta. Bandai, Japan's biggest toy company, is keen to expand
those caring for Tamagotchi to as wide a range of people as it can. The
company's press release, announcing the US launch, says the CD-ROM, like
the toy, "is designed for children 8 years through adults" and talks about
the disc enabling users to "expand the personal care experience."
Just like the pocket version, owners will have to care for their pet, play
with it, clean-up after it and feed it for it to live a long and happy
life. Failure to do so will lead to a spoilt chicken, for that's what a
Tamagotchi is, that gets up late and goes to sleep way past bed-time. The
PC version includes several different games and extras, like a screen
saver, said Bandai. In the future, Bandai said it will be building an
entire community based on the creature, including chat areas, virtual day
care centers and more. The CD-ROM will be available from September and cost
$24.95. In Japan, the company has promised versions for the Apple
Macintosh and Pippin AtMark (World in the United States) soon. It recently
launched a version of Tamagotchi for the Nintendo GameBoy Pocket.
And the Winners Are...
Interactive Gaming Enthusiasts Pick Favorite Games For
The Sixth Annual GamePro Readers' Choice Awards
ATLANTA, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Interactive gaming enthusiasts throughout
the country are eagerly waiting to see if their favorite games for 1996 are
sure winners. All votes are in and tabulated -- GamePro Media Group, the
world's largest interactive entertainment information provider, today
announced the winners of The Sixth Annual GamePro Readers' Choice Awards.
GamePro readers were asked to pick their favorite games in various
categories in the March issue of GamePro magazine and on The GamePro Online
Network (http://www.gamepro.com and America Online Keyword: GamePro) during
the month of March. Readers eagerly cast their votes for their favorite
games in 1996:
Best Action/Adventure Game
Super Mario 64 by Nintendo for Nintendo 64
Best Fighting Game
Tekken 2 by Namco for PlayStation
Best First-Person Shooter
Die Hard Trilogy by Fox Interactive for PlayStation
Best Racing Game
Wave Race 64 by Nintendo for Nintendo 64
Best Sports Game
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey by Midway Home Entertainment for Nintendo 64
Best Vehicle Shooter Game
Twisted Metal 2 by Sony for PlayStation
Best Action/Adventure Game for 16-Bit Systems
Donkey Kong Country 3 by Nintendo for Super NES
Best Sports Game for 16-Bit Systems
Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run by Nintendo for Super NES
Best Role-Playing Game
Super Mario RPG by Nintendo for Super NES
Best PC Game
Duke Nukem 3D by GT Interactive Software
Best Arcade Game
Tekken 2 by Namco
Best System
Nintendo 64
The GamePro Readers' Choice Awards is in its sixth year, solidifying
GamePro magazine's loyal readership and a name that teens trust for quality
information about interactive gaming. "GamePro reaches 3.7 million gamers
and represents the core interactive gaming enthusiast," says Wes Nihei,
Editor-in-Chief of GamePro magazine. "The GamePro Readers' Choice Awards
is the only industry event representing the true judges of what makes a
great game -- the teen gaming enthusiast."
Sony Computer Entertainment America Experiencing Lead
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. (June 19) BUSINESS WIRE -June 19, 1997-Offering
videogame players the freedom to choose from an industry leading library of
more than 250 diverse, high-quality games, PlayStation software sales have
achieved an unparalleled tie-ratio of more than five software games to each
PlayStation game console. In comparison, the Nintendo 64 is only selling
2.5 games per system, according to an industry tracking study, TRSTS, by
the NPD Group.
With more than four million PlayStation game consoles already sold in North
America -- in comparison with approximately 2.6 million for N64 -- plus
more than twice the worldwide installed base of N64, PlayStation is clearly
the dominant global and domestic videogame system. Further cementing its
leadership in the new generation videogame market, fiscal 1998 North
American PlayStation brand retail sales - including hardware, software and
peripherals -- are expected to exceed $3 billion, with worldwide retail
sales expected to exceed $9 billion; again substantiating a dominant
domestic and worldwide leadership position.
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. expects fiscal year 1998 first and
third party software sales of more than 40 million units. In addition to
providing the most compelling video game software, Sony Computer
Entertainment America Inc. also expects 1998 fiscal year PlayStation
hardware sales of six million units, for an expected 1998 fiscal year end
cumulative North America installed base exceeding nine million PlayStation
units.
"The primary reason behind the PlayStation's success is the fact that we
remain keenly aware that consumers make videogame purchases based the
quality, rapidly increasing diversity and quantity of PlayStation games,
and affordable software pricing," said Ken Kutaragi, chairman and chief
executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "Our
unprecedented software sales speak directly to that."
"The degree of global dominance the PlayStation has experienced is
unprecedented in the videogame industry," said Kaz Hirai, chief operating
officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "PlayStation's success is
testament to the fact that our business model provides the technologies to
assist in creating a wide variety of software. This new concept, the
concept of expanding the horizon of videogame entertainment, has been
overwhelmingly embraced by gamers."
With leading sports, fighting, platform, action-adventure and role playing
games -- and lots of them -- PlayStation offers consumers a comprehensive
library of games in every genre. In fact, continuing its solid commitment
to diversity in software -- which is made possible on a CD-based platform
-- the PlayStation and will introduce 100+ new titles at this year's
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
As of end of May 1997, the worldwide PlayStation companies have
collectively shipped 16 million units of hardware (7.5 million in Japan,
4.8 million in North America and 3.7 million in Europe) and 114 million
pieces of software (59 million in Japan, 30 million in North America and 25
million in Europe).
1997: So Far, The Year of Nintendo; Company Sales
ATLANTA (June 18) BUSINESS WIRE -June 18, 1997--Resounding consumer demand
for the new Nintendo 64 video game machine has boosted year-to-date company
sales 156 percent from levels for the comparable period of 1996. From
January 1 through April 30, 1997, independent sales data show the world's
first and only 64-bit game machine is selling more than 60 percent ahead of
its nearest rival, Sony's 32-bit PlayStation. Additionally, the industry's
seven top-selling games are available exclusively for Nintendo 64.
Nintendo 64 has remained the top-selling system in America for each of the
eight months since its introduction (Sept. 29, 1996), according to TRSTS
sales data gathered by NPD Research, Port Washington, NY.
"As a company, we're known for making aggressive business plans," says
Peter Main, Nintendo of America executive vice president of sales and
marketing. "But even we failed to predict the magnitude of Nintendo 64's
success." Nintendo's leadership also extended to its two other video game
systems. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES) platform has
moved to a 66 percent share of the 16-bit category thus far in 1997, with
the Super NES game, Donkey Kong Country 3 also joining the seven Nintendo
64 titles on the list of top ten sellers. The portable Game Boy system,
newly launched in the "pocket" color versions, is running at 90 percent of
the hand-held category, with revenue volume up 15 percent compared to 1996.
In total, Nintendo year-to-date is the industry's leading seller of
hardware systems and games, and accounts for 56 percent of all industry
revenues. For its fiscal year, beginning April 1, 1997, Nintendo of
America predicts growth of 37 percent for total first-, second- and
third-party retail revenues to $2.5 billion. The company projects that
amount will represent 51 percent of the entire U.S. video game industry.
The Nintendo 64 system is a product of the worldwide joint development and
license agreement combining Nintendo's expertise in video game development
with Silicon Graphics Inc.'s (NYSE:SGI) renowned visual computing
technologies as used to create special effects in numerous blockbuster
motion pictures. Developed in partnership with SGI, the revolutionary
Nintendo 64 system launched in the U.S. on September 29, 1996, and has sold
more than 2.8 million units to date.
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the leader in the worldwide $15
billion retail video game industry. Nintendo manufactures and markets
hardware and software for its best-selling home video game systems,
including the hand-held Game Boy, the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment
System, and the 64-bit Nintendo 64, the fastest selling video game system
in history. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based
in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in
the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American households
own a Nintendo game system. For information about Nintendo products and
past press releases, log on to Nintendo's web site at www.nintendo.com.
Jaguar Online STR InfoFile - Online Users Growl & Purr!
World Tour Racing
By Patrick Holstine
I've been playing World Tour Racing the last couple of days, and I find it
to be a decent game. Its biggest problem is a somewhat-slow framerate: not
as bad as Supercross 3D, but not as good as Super Burnout. When you get
into heavy traffic, or use 2-player mode or crash into a wall, the slowdown
is more apparent. It's very difficult to play something like F1 or Ridge
Racer on PlayStation and then enjoy WTR as much on Jag CD. Still, as a big
Atari fan, it's nice to see all the Fuji logos and Atari signs all over the
many tracks and cars in the game.
WTR (developed by Teque, published by Telegames) comes packaged in a Jaguar
cartridge-size box, with nice cover art and full-color illustrations.
Inside, the CD is in a plain jewel case, and the instruction manual is in
black and white, looking just like the one for Breakout 2000 (also
published by Telegames).
There are lots of options available in WTR, including three racing modes,
one or two-player competitions (two-player contests offer a split-screen),
12 tracks, customizable races and cars, three levels of difficulty, and
eight different viewpoints. It's quite easy to customize the game to suit
your playing style, and this is perhaps WTR's best feature.
When you turn the game on, you are treated to a nice FMV intro that shows
off the benefits of the CD format. Of course, when the game starts you are
left wishing that the in-game graphics looked more like the intro sequence.
Once you select your options and get into play, you roll out of pit lane
and onto the track for some racing action. You can toggle on/off the
texture mapping on the track by pressing "8" on the Jaguar keypad. WTR also
makes use of the Jaguar Pro Controller for certain options.
WTR is very playable, and the car controls nicely with none of the annoying
Checkered Flag-type handling problems. The short but tasteful FMV sequences
are great, especially the ones for pit stops where it shows your front wing
being replaced, or tires being changed, etc. There are other good ones too,
like when you select the arcade mode, and a standup arcade size WTR machine
breaks through the wall of your living room and knocks over your TV, or
when you lose in arcade mode and a giant "Game Over" crashes down on your
car, creating a nifty scene of destruction. It's especially cool when the
driver's helmet comes tumbling back down after a few seconds (minus the
driver!).
However, as we all know, you can't play FMV sequences. The game itself is
what has to be scrutinized, and in many areas, WTR holds up quite well.
There are 12 different tracks to race on and they are quite varied,
offering nice background scenery and scrolling clouds. The tracks are lined
with advertisements for Atari and games like Doom and Super Burnout. When
you choose either the single race or championship season modes, you are
given the choice of free practice, qualifying, or just starting the race.
You will notice that the frame rate is higher when you are on the track by
yourself in the practice mode when compared to actual race conditions.
At the end of a race in the championship season mode, you are given a
password to write down so that you can turn off the game and resume later
for your next race. Unfortunately, the game relies on this password system
instead of making use of the Memory Track. It would have been nice to be
able to save the game on the Memory Track instead of having to write down a
32-number password after every competition.
Racing sim fans will enjoy the car workshop available in WTR, where you can
customize your tires, wings, gearbox ratios and brake balance. Make no
mistake though: WTR is an arcade-style racer with only limited sim
features. If you're looking for the authentic Formula One-type experience,
stick to PC games like F1GP2. When you crash into other cars on the track
during a WTR race, or when you hit the wall, you easily bounce right back
into place most of the time, often maintaining speeds over 100 miles per
hour. When playing at higher difficulty levels, it seems like you are more
likely to lose your front wing or otherwise damage the car and have to make
a pit stop, costing you valuable time during the race.
So overall, it is difficult for me to fairly evaluate WTR. I am a big fan
of Atari, and to have another piece of Atari 'memorabilia' and another
decent game for my Jaguar CD is a big bonus. To say that WTR is truly worth
$59.99 is a bit of a stretch. You would probably be better off buying three
copies of Ridge Racer for your PlayStation at $19.99 each. Despite its
64-bit label and CD capabilities, the Jaguar CD just can't compete with
PSX, Saturn or N64 in the racing arena. The slow frame rate in WTR is often
annoying (not to the degree of Supercross 3D thankfully), and the graphics
and gameplay don't really improve all that much on Virtua Racing for the
Sega Genesis. It is still fun to play, but since I have been exposed to so
many better games in the last couple years, it is hard to give WTR high
marks after seeing F1 for PSX or Daytona CCE for Saturn.
If you own nothing but a Jaguar CD, then WTR is definitely your best racing
bet. If you are interested in a collectable game that is still fun to play
and is packed with options, then WTR is still a decent bet. If you want
good value for your money and you have other new systems like Saturn or
PSX, then skip WTR and buy a more reasonably-priced (and far better) racing
game for one of those systems. Nostalgia still packs quite a punch, but
only serious Atari fans will want to fork over 60 bucks for a somewhat
outdated racing experience.
RATINGS GUIDE:
***** = Tempest 2000
**** = Missile Command 3D
*** = Cybermorph
** = Club Drive
* = 2600 Pac Man
WORLD TOUR RACING RATINGS:
Gameplay: ***
Graphics: ***
Sound: ***
Replay Value: ***1/2
OVERALL: ***
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. Sorry for missing last week's
column... I had it all done and had MIMEd it to send it on for publication,
and it must have gotten messed up in transit... it ended up unreadable on
the other end.
Yepper, it's time to take a look at what's going on in the Atari
world. No major announcements or break-throughs to talk about, just some
good old fashioned questions and answers between people who have only one
thing in common: Their use of Atari computers.
Does that make us special? Probably not. Some of us don't care which
computer we use. Some of us are 'stuck' with an ST and figure that, as
long as we've got it, we'd might as well use it to its fullest potential.
Still others _have_ made the jump to PC or Mac and like to keep in touch
with what's going on in this little community of ours. Some even go as far
as to buy a PC or Mac and then get an emulator to run Atari programs on
them. I must admit that I don't understand this. There are lots of hot
new programs (at least for the PC) that can do everything that their TOS
counterparts do, only much faster, with more colors, and with more
options. If you're going to use a PC, then use a PC. Of course there are
those who just miss their familiar desktop and some of the more endearing
programs (SEX! is one of my favorites and I'd try to find an equivalent
program for a PC, but I doubt I'd find one, so for THAT I'd use an
emulator)... and no, it's not what you think.<grin>
The one thing that really galls me is when someone who used to use an
Atari comes around and tries to talk 'down' to us. The conversation
usually consists of the person trying to belittle one or more current
Atari users and explaining that TOS is garbage and that anyone who uses it
is a fool. It usually ends with the person asking for a TOS image copy so
that he can try out one of the emulators that's around. Besides the
obvious about-face that the person does, I normally point out that TOS is
still a protected product of Atari, which is now actually JTS, and that
it's pirating to distribute copies of TOS.
The person usually responds with something to the effect that a copy
of a 'dead' operating system isn't going to hurt anyone and that it's
garbage anyway, so they certainly are not going to _pay_ for it. My
response is normally, "So do without it." Heck, if it's garbage, you
don't need it. And while it's true that JTS will probably never even care
if it's distributed, the fact remains that it is their property and
they have the right to do whatever they want to with it... even if they
choose to do nothing at all.
Now, I haven't seen this type of conversation on CompuServe much, but
a while ago it was in several of the UseNet Atari news groups. Oh, by the
way, did you know that you could view and reply to messages on the UseNet
from CompuServe? Well you can. Just type GO USENET at any "!" prompt and
follow the menus. I admit that CompuServe's UseNet reader is far from
perfect, but it does work. So if you want to see what the UseNet is all
about, this is an easy way to do it. And best of all, it doesn't require a
special program. Whichever terminal software you're using now will work
just fine. Check it out.
Well, let's get to the reason for this column... all the news, hin... aw
heck, you know the drill. <grin>
From the Atari Computing Forum
Folks are still trying to get WENsuite, the Web, Email, and News browser to
work with CompuServe, and not having much luck. There seems to be
something in the current program that doesn't like to log on to CompuServe.
Ben at TOC Oz. has been helping out by posting what success he's had so far
(getting to the PPP connection portion of the log on sequence).
Karen Stimson tells Ben:
"Thanks, Ben, for the info but I've tried your dialogue settings
and, like you, still can't get through. After a message that I am
"Connected" I get an ERROR message and it bombs. Although, from
the tracer log file it does look like I'm getting a little bit
farther (i.e. more lines in the log file). I found a file in the
CIS Membership section (GO LOGON) which details how to connect a
Mac to Compuserve's PPP and it lists the Domain Name Server number
as "149.174.211.5" (without the quotes), if this helps anyone. The
Mac file also says to put "compuserve.com" (without the quotes) in
the Mac address settings, but when I try it in the WenSuite address
settings it converts to the number "104.13.21.0". If anyone's had
any better luck, please post a message..."
Jerry Coppess tells Karen:
"I have also been trying to log on with Wensuite without success.
My first attempts failed at the ID: prompt, so I sent e-mail to
OXO. You cannot put the %r or %w on the same line as the input.
There are not enough lines in the dialog to get on CIS with single
inputs so I tried the command ID:
12345,6789/GO:PPPCONNECT\\PASS#WORD (this worked in the PPP1_4
kit). Just letting it run from dialog to dialog. with a %r in the
last dialog. There are still not enough dialogs to put it all on
seperate lines so I left the first two line as they were, since
they had been working. My last two logon attemps have failed on the
first line even though I did not change those lines.
I have not had any bombs from Wensuite so you should check your
set-up. My decompression of the LZH file did not put all of the
files in the correct folders.
OXO also said to get the latest version because there were less
bugs. The PPPLOG file I sent them had the version in it, so I
assume the one we have is not the latest. QCIS deleted the message
so I cannot post the version number.
If some one could upload the latest version it would be
appreciated."
Ben jumps in again and posts:
"I haven't got much further, but some Atarians that I know have
already got theirs going with providers other than CIS.
Though, in 'parameters', set compression for 'greyscale', I was
told does the trick for a PPP link ... at the moment anyway.
I'm still just getting garbage characters from CIS, so log-in
doesn't get very far .... <frown>
Next week I'll scout for a revision ."
Sysop Jim Ness, no slouch when it comes to telecommunications, asks Ben:
"Are you getting garbage just as you log in? There is a way to
get around that."
Well, c'mon Jim... drop the other shoe! HOW do you get around it? I'll
keep you informed if Jim decides to let us in on the secret.
Meanwhile, Michael Pappas asks for info:
"Someone told me that some Web sites support text only and I was
wondering how would you get to these sites through CompuServe. Is
there anyway we can find out if a site supports text or pictures
only?
I have a TT and I was wondering if there are any good Web browsers
available for it. One that is fully functional and supports sound,
video and whatever else the web has to offer."
Albert Dayes tells Michael:
"Browsers on the PC such as Netscape allow you to turn off
pictures so they do not load at all. The outline usually still
appears on the screen but no pictures. Probably the biggest issue
with text only browsers like lynx is that many extensions for
netscape and Microsoft Explorer are not supported. That can cause
problems since some web sites use those extensions extensively."
Joe Villarreal posts info about something I had hoped to never see again:
"I ran across the file "CARPDIEM.ZIP" on a FTP site recently. I
downloaded it and ran the Ultimate Virus Killer version 7.0 on it.
It showed to be a link virus. I've had a bad experience with this
file in the past. It affects the desktop and programs. It creates
a file in the autofolder called "~.PRG". Stay away from it."
Our own Dana Jacobson tells Joe:
"That's been a known infected file for some time now; I wonder why
people leave it available (other than the obvious reason)??"
Joe tells Dana:
"I don't know. I do know that it caused some major problems on my
system a a while back. Luckily, I figured it out about an hour
after I started having problems and was able to correct it."
Michel Tavir posts:
"If this can be of any interest, a little late:
We use a ST with a 540Mb interchangeable Nomai hard disk (similar
to a Syquest, thus probably to a ZIP drive) and a Links96 DMA
interface. When we want to transfer data to our MacIntosh PowerBook
- and MagicMac - we unplug the hard disk from the Atari and plug it
into the PowerBook before booting it.
Now here's the trick: if the disk (Atari-formatted) is pushed in
the Nomai (which has to be switched on, of course) at boot-up, then
the Mac says that it cannot recognize this format and it wants to
format it (but we have PC Exchange with System 7.5.5 and this does
not occur with PC-formatted floppies). So, only after boot-up has
taken place, from the Mac desktop, we push the disk in: when it is
almost done initializing itself (you can actually hear this), we
load MagicMac, which in turn initializes the Nomai's hard disk as a
set of partitions supplementary to its own Magic partitions. And
presto, the whole Nomai disk is accessible within MagicMac.
Now, if we want to transfer any of the data under the MacOS, we
copy it to one of the existing Magic partitions. These appear
actually as folders on the Mac desktop. You can find the transfered
data in these folders by opening them like any other Mac folder,
actually without even leaving MagicMac, thus allowing you to repeat
the operation as many times as needed.
This should probably work in the same way with a ZIP drive."
Gerd Brodowski tells Michel:
"Thank you very much for your message. It is n-e-v-e-r too late!
Well, unfortunately we have a lot of work since our message to the
ATARI FORUM. But in 3 weeks the german schools will have holidays
for 6 weeks - and we will have a bit more time to try out your
suggestion and all the other ones, we have got. We are in big
suspense, which of them will work."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Remember... Just Say NO to
piracy! 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
Trivia Jewels
Bank robber John Dillinger played professional baseball.
If you toss a penny 10,000 times, it will not be heads 5,000 times, but
more
like 4950. The heads side weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.
The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
The housefly hums in the middle octave, key of F.
If your eyes are six feet above the surface of the ocean, the horizon will
be about three statute miles away.
The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English
Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
The only other word with the same amount of letters is
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its
plural.
Hydroxydesoxycorticosterone and hydroxydeoxycorticosterones are the largest
anagrams.
Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los
Angeles de Porciuncula."
Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.
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