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Silicon Times Report Issue 1320
Silicon Times Report
"The Original Independent OnLine Magazine"
(Since 1987)
May 16, 1997 No.1320
Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine
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R.F. Mariano, Editor
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05/16/97 STR 1320 Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary 1987-97!
- CPU Industry Report - Compaq Ships LE PC - MAC IE Released
- IBM 5bg Notebook - TI & USR Team Up - Manzi Bankrupt
- RedNeck Rampage - UUNet Rate Increase - NEW IBM Thinkpad
- M.A.X. - People Talking - Classics & Gaming
Apple's Rhapsody Works with Intel
Microsoft Readies Office 97 Fix
Intel Confirms Bug
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Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary
1987-1997
Florida Lotto - LottoMan v1.35
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From the Editor's Desk...
It appears the "hush before the rush" of Spring Comdex.. Is upon us.
Not too much doing this week. Last week's editorial did it for me for at
least the month. In any case, down this way the sun is out. The temps
are in the mid eighties and the pool is beckoning. So, without further
ado. I wish you all a great weekend.
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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
Microsoft Readies Office 97 Fix
Stung by published reports that its Office 97 business suite fails to
adequately support files created by previous versions, Microsoft Corp. says
it will ship a software fix in July. The upcoming Office 97 Service
Release will address migration challenges, such as backward file
compatibility and coexistence with previous versions, says Microsoft.
"The majority of our corporate customers are currently in the midst of
deployment, and we are now hearing feedback from them about migration
challenges," says Richard Fade, Microsoft's vice president of desktop
applications. "Supporting customers is and always will be our primary
focus." In the meantime, Microsoft is advising Office 97 users to visit
its Office 97 migration web site: www.microsoft.com/office/migration/.
Intel Confirms Bug, Fears Not
Chipmaker Intel Corp. has confirmed its Pentium Pro and just-released
Pentium II chips have a minor math bug, but says the problems could be
fixed easily with rewritten software and plans no recall. "Unlike its
controversial handling of a similar flaw in an earlier chip in 1994," says
The Associated Press, "Intel this past week publicly acknowledged the bug
soon after learning of it. In addition, Intel on Friday released statements
of support from major software makers, including the three biggest --
Microsoft, IBM and Computer Associates -- saying that so far they haven't
seen any problems with the bug."
AP says many of the software companies said that if they find any problems,
they would create ways around them in their programs. Confirming reports
of the flaw (GO OLT-190) Intel said the problem related to operations that
convert floating point numbers -- which express a number in two components,
the significant digits and an exponent, without using a fixed decimal point
-- into integers, or whole numbers.
"The chip is supposed to issue an 'overflow' warning when large floating
point numbers will not fit into the integer format, but in certain
circumstances it apparently failed to do so," AP adds. Intel spokesman Tom
Waldrop told the wire service the company would start shipping revised
chips without the flaw in about six months.
Sub-$1,000 Mac Clone Debuts
Beginning today, Macintosh enthusiasts can join PC buffs in shopping for a
sub-$1,000 computer. UMAX Computer Corp., a Macintosh clone maker based in
Fremont, California, has unveiled a Mac OS-compatible system with an
estimated street price of $999. The company's SuperMac C500LT/140 is based
on an upgradeable 140MHz PowerPC 603e processor. Other features include
16MB of memory, 1MB of video DRAM, an 8x CD-ROM drive, a 16-bit surround
sound system, a 1.2 GB hard drive, and two PCI slots.
For $1,195, UMAX is also offering the SuperMac C500i/180, which adds a
33.6K bps external Global Village fax/modem with speakerphone/microphone
capability. "We are aggressively seeking to expand the consumer segment of
the Mac OS-compatible market," says Phil Pompa, UMAX's vice president of
marketing. "These new systems are perfect for the cost-conscious consumer
or student user who doesn't want to sacrifice performance."
Epson Ships Photo Printer
Epson America Inc. has begun shipping a new ink-jet printer targeted at
digital photography enthusiasts. Street priced at $499, the six-color Epson
Stylus Photo can print a 3 by 5-inch photo at 720 dots per inch in less
than 90 seconds.
"The Epson Stylus Photo has been built from the ground up for serious
photographic printing applications," says Michael Isgrig, Epson's product
marketing manager. "Epson's 'photo reproduction quality' output is an
incredibly important development, as people have come to expect
continuous-tone printing because of their experience with silver-halide
photography."
The Epson Stylus Photo's print driver supports Windows 3.1, Windows 95,
Windows NT 4.0 and Macintosh, as well as Windows 95 ICM and Apple ColorSync
profiles. The printer comes bundled with Digital Darkroom software and a
hybrid CD-ROM featuring LivePix 1.1 for Windows 95 and Live Picture 2.6 SE
for Macintosh. Adobe PostScript Level 2 software with Pantone-approved
colors is set to become available in June for $99. For more details, visit
Epson America's web site at www.epson.com.
Panasonic Unveils Digital Camera
Panasonic is entering the digital camera market with two models starting at
under $400. The Panasonic CoolShot, available with or without an LCD
viewfinder, measures 5.2 by 2.4 by 0.8 inches and weighs 7.1 ounces with
batteries. Either model can store up to 96 still pictures in normal mode,
or up to 24 pictures in a high-resolution mode. In high-resolution, the
camera provides images with a 640- by 480-dot output in 24-bit color. In
the normal mode, the camera achieves a resolution of 320 by 240 dots in
24-bit color.
The base model KXL-600A is due out in June at an estimated street price of
$399. The KXL-601A, with an LCD viewfinder, is set to become available in
July for $599. Both models with be bundled with image editing software, a
PC Card adapter, a TV video cable and a serial interface cable. "The
CoolShot should have broad appeal among consumers, business people
and virtually anyone who has a computer," observes John Gawa, manager of
Panasonic Computer Peripheral Co.'s multimedia systems division in
Secaucus, New Jersey. "With two versions, we have something for everyone."
IBM Unveils New ThinkPad
A new ThinkPad notebook computer with an "all-in-one design" -- integrating
a hard drive, a floppy drive and a CD-ROM in one unit -- is being unveiled
by IBM this week. Previously ThinkPad included a floppy drive as an
external device, attached by cable. According to the Reuter News Service,
reporting from Somers, New York, the ThinkPad 380 Series also has a 12.1
inch screen, a Pentium microprocessor at varying speeds and the computing
power of a desktop computer.
Estimated reseller prices for the ThinkPad 380 start at $2,199, depending
on the model, Reuters says, adding the models come standard with 16
megabits of memory, a full duplex speaker providing excellent sound
quality, an external microphone jack and stereo speaker or headphone jack.
Meanwhile, IBM's Web site (http://www.pc.ibm.com/thinkpad/ tp380) invites
customers to participate in a contest in which a ThinkPad 380 and ThinkPad
related prizes will be awarded every week for six weeks, beginning today.
ThinkPad purchasers also can get refunds on accessories, such as carrying
cases or modems.
Mac Internet Explorer Released
Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer 3.01 now is available for Apple
Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers. In Redmond, Washington, Microsoft
officials told the Reuter News Service the newly designed 3.01 browser
requires 4 megabytes of memory and includes two features originally slated
for Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.
"One upgraded feature," says the wire service, "automatically monitors
user-specified sites and notifies users when those sites have been updated.
The other feature automatically completes typed addresses based on the
Favorites and History lists." Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 for
Macintosh is available free for immediate download and also is scheduled to
be available with the upcoming Apple operating system, Mac OS 8.
IBM Unveils 5GB Notebook PC Drive
IBM Corp. has unveiled a notebook PC hard drive that's not much larger than
the palm of a child's hand yet holds a record-breaking 5GB of data. The
computer maker notes that its 2.5-inch Travelstar 5GS can hold 50 years
worth of a typical daily newspaper, or about one million printed pages --
equivalent to a stack of paper as tall as a 62-story building. IBM says
its new Magnetoresistive Extended (MRX) head technology is largely
responsible for the drive's high capacity. No bigger than the head of a
pin, the MRX head sends out stronger signals than competing technologies,
meaning it can write and read larger volumes of information. "MRX is a
major step beyond the older generation magnetoresistive head technology,"
observes Bob Scranton, vice president of technology at IBM's storage
systems division in San Jose, California.
Another new IBM 2.5-inch hard drive -- the 4GB Travelstar 4GT -- also
features MRX head technology. The drive is thinner than the Travelstar 5GS
-- about the thickness of two cassette tapes. IBM notes that the
Travelstar 4GT sets a new density record, holding the most data per square
inch of any disk drive -- 2.64 billion bits, or about 120,000
double-spaced, typewritten pages. IBM notes that several major notebook
computer manufacturers including Dell Computer Corp., Gateway 2000 Inc. and
itself plan to offer one or both of the drives in their notebook computers
starting this year.
Filter Promises to Boost Modems
Australian Protective Electronics is promising that its new ModemGuard
power filter can boost modem speeds by up to 25 percent by reducing
telephone line noise. The company says its bit stream filtration
technology allows the ModemGuard to deal with both line interference and
noise. The $54.95 device also includes a surge protector. Australian
Protective Electronics' U.S. operation is based in Denton, Texas. More
details are available on the company's web site at www.modemguard.com.
Apple's New OS Works with Intel
Apple Computer Inc.'s next generation operating system -- code named
Rhapsody -- also will run on personal computers equipped with Intel Corp
chips. That is the word from Apple Chairman Gilbert Amelio, who told an
industry conference in San Jose that developers will be able to write for
Apple's Macintosh computer at the same time as Intel PC's. The Reuter News
Service says Rhapsody, intended mainly for the PowerPC, will be the primary
development and deployment platform for Apple's Yellow Box applications. It
includes four components:
ú Core OS, based on Mach technology.
ú Blue Box/Mac OS compatibility environment.
ú The Yellow Box development environment.
ú Advanced Macintosh User Interface.
Reuters adds, "Apple intends to host the Yellow Box on a future version of
the Mac OS, code named Allegro. Allegro will be the follow up release from
Mac OS 8, scheduled for introduction in July 1997. Expected to be
available in mid-1998, Allegro will be based on current Mac OS underlying
technology and will include both the traditional MacOS APIs as well as the
capability of hosting the Yellow Box." Apple said Rhapsody for Intel is
the code name for Apple's next generation operating system for Intel
processor-based personal computers. It includes three components: Core OS
based on Mach technology; Yellow Box development environment; and Advanced
Macintosh User Interface.
Shipment of Handhelds Up 29%
Surprising some observers, shipments of handheld computers jumped 29
percent in 1996, led by strong sales of U.S. Robotics Corp.'s Pilot, and
Dataquest Inc. analysts expect shipments to rise another 23 percent this
year. Reporting from San Jose, California, the Reuter News Service says
worldwide shipments of handheld computers -- including devices such as
Apple Computer Inc.'s Newton and U.S. Robotic's Pilot -- rose to 1.6
million units in 1996. Dataquest says the Pilot, a hot-selling gadget that
stores appointments and address books, had 51 percent of the handheld
market.
"Handheld computers based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows CE software also
expanded the market," Reuters says, "but did not do as well as the Pilot."
Dataquest analyst Mike McGuire told the wire service, "We feel the first
Windows CE handhelds, while reasonable first products, will not generate
significant unit volumes, but will help the market in terms of providing
another plateau."
German Giant Teams With Lycos
In Frankfurt, Germany (AP), Bertelsmann AG's Internet unit is set to invest
$10 million in a 50-50 joint venture with Lycos Inc., provider of a
highly-regarded Net search engine, to provide search services to European
Internet users. The Associated Press says that in addition to existing
service in Germany, the United Kingdom and France, the joint venture will
make its services available in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain by
autumn using local languages. Christoph Mohn, president of
Lycos-Bertelsmann, told the wire service the venture is expected to break
even within four years.
Compaq Overhauls Sales Unit
Compaq Computer Corp. is launching a major sales overhaul aimed at cutting
PC prices, and at the same time is trying to reassure distributors the
changes won't cut them out of the selling process. Business writer David
E. Kalish of The Associated Press notes an unusual meeting was held this
week with about 30 middlemen executives in which Compaq detailed plans to:
ú Double its sales force.
ú Build made-to-order PCs to pare inventories.
ú Cut the cost of selling through the resellers.
"Compaq's relations with its distributors is extremely important," Kalish
notes, "because, while they handle 90 percent of Compaq's computer sales,
they could always shift their alliances to rival suppliers." Several who
attended Wednesday's closed-door meeting at Compaq's Houston
headquarters told the wire service they were assuaged.
"For one thing, they said, Compaq appeared to back off from a plan to sell
computers directly to small- and medium-sized businesses," Kalish reports.
President Bob O'Malley of MicroAge Inc., a $3.5 billion computer
distributer based in Tempe, Arizona, told AP, "They realize now that will
not work. They are looking at a model that will be much more of a
partnership with ours. There was a tone change here -- very much a
willingness to develop what was collectively the best solution."
Kalish commented Compaq hopes building computers as customers order them,
instead of the current system of making products in advance and forecasting
demand, "will dramatically reduce inventories in warehouses and cut storage
costs," adding, "Smaller inventories also mean that Compaq can bring new
products to market faster because it doesn't have to spend months selling
out the old products first. The aim is to compete more effectively against
fast-growing makers such as Dell Computer, Gateway 2000 and Micron
Technology Inc., which sell directly to customers and avoid the middleman,
thus undercutting Compaq's prices."
Compaq Ships Low-End PC
Compaq Computer Corp. has added a new model to its Presario 2000 series.
The $999 Presario 2120 features a 150MHz Cyrix processor with MediaGX
technology, 24MB of RAM, a 33.6K bps modem, a 2GB hard drive, an 8x CD-ROM
drive and a stereo sound system. The computer also sports a slim, black
desktop design that's designed to blend in with consumer electronics
products.
"There is a trend of dual-PC ownership emerging in the consumer computing
arena and Compaq is continuing its efforts to offer the broadest assortment
of products designed to meet every home computing need," says Mike Larson,
vice president of U.S. retail operations for the Compaq's consumer group.
"Compaq has significantly increased the performance of this new lower-cost
PC, offering consumers more value for their family's multimedia computing
needs."
U.S. Robotics, TI Team on Modems
Hybrid modems that can be used on conventional phone lines or with
high-speed digital technology will be offered by a new teaming of U.S.
Robotics Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc. Reporting from Chicago, Susan
Nadeau of the Reuter News Service quotes U.S. Robotics Vice President Ron
Westernik as saying consumers "can buy a single modem that with a software
upgrade will carry them really into the next decade." Reuters says U.S.
Robotics said it will launch its line of "x2/DSL" modems in the first half
of 1998, with full packages including software upgrades priced under $250
each.
"The modems," says Nadeau, "will include U.S. Robotics' new x2 technology,
which allows users to connect to the Internet at speeds of up to 56
kilobits per second over conventional analog phone lines. The modem will
also be upgradeable to include two options based on Digital Subscriber Line
technology. " The wire service says "ADSL Lite" will be targeted at
consumers and will allow for connections up to 384 kilobits per second. The
full DSL technology also will be available, which delivers information at
rates up to seven megabits per second.
UUNet Boosts Some Net Charges
Internet service provider UUNet Technologies is set to start charging as
much as $6,000 a month to mid-size providers that once hooked up the vast
UUNet system for free. Associated Press writer Anne Gearan, reporting from
Fairfax, Virginia, says the company "has effectively quit subsidizing firms
that it feels took advantage of a loose, swap-meet style arrangement that
allowed Internet service providers to use each others' computer space."
Noting that other large Internet providers now will likely follow suit,
Gearan says the change "alters the ground rules" for the companies moving
information around the Net and "signifies an end to the collegial days when
new Internet firms pulled together to make the system work." UUNet's new
policy means most firms that want to link up with UUNet "must pay for the
privilege," says Gearan.
Don Heath, president of the nonprofit Internet Society in Reston, Virginia,
says the change probably won't mean higher prices right away for the home
computer buff or others who use local or regional Internet hookups, that
"the real impact is going to be fallout among the Internet service
providers," if firms harmed by the new bills merge or fail.
AP characterizes the situation this way:
"If you think of the Internet as an old-fashioned telephone switchboard,
UUNet is an operator patching and plugging the calls. It is also a
long-distance carrier. Until recently, UUNet and other large- and mid-size
Internet service providers have provided that patching and plugging to one
another for free. The companies struck deals that meant one company would
carry the other's data and vice versa. That saved the cost of billing every
time one network patched into another to send electronic mail or allow a
computer user to view a World Wide Web site."
UUNet, which is owned by WorldCom Inc. in Jackson, Mississippi, recently
spent more than $100 million building its own nationwide fiber-optic
network and announced a $300 million planned expansion. Said UUNet
President/CEO John Sidgmore, "We don't feel we should be forced to pay the
freight for our competitors to use our network for free. I don't see how
anyone who really understands how this works could think it was fair."
Encryption Compromise Nearing?
A compromise on legislation that would relax export restrictions on
powerful data-scrambling computer devices may be reached by the Clinton
administration and House Republicans. "I am very encouraged and very
satisfied that we are very close to resolving our difficulties," Rep. Henry
Hyde, R-Illinois, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told
Associated Press writer Cassandra Burrell, adding he met with
administration officials Tuesday and expects to reach an agreement soon.
As reported, Clinton's people object to a provision that would allow
developers of the technology to export their products without giving law
enforcement agencies away to crack their codes during criminal
investigations.
Yesterday, the committee approved a bill regulating encryption but did no
work on the disputed section, which falls under the jurisdiction of the
House International Affairs Committee. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia,
sponsor of the bill, said current law forbids U.S. companies from exporting
their most sophisticated data-scrambling devices. Foreign companies,
however, are free to sell their products without restriction. Says
Goodlatte, "If the Internet is to advance from the curiosity stage to a
truly global marketplace, citizens and companies alike must have the
confidence that their communications and transactions are safe and secure."
AP says the bill (H.R. 695) would:
ú Give Americans the right to use any type of encryption anywhere in the
world.
ú Allow any type of data-scrambling device to be sold in the United
States.
ú Create "a level playing field by permitting the export of generally
available software and other types of software and hardware under a license
if a product with comparable security is commercially available elsewhere,"
Goodlatte's office said.
ú Set criminal penalties for unlawful use of encryption in the
furtherance of a crime. Violators could be sentenced to up to five years in
prison for a first-time offense and up to 10 years for each subsequent
offense.
Seagate Pays in Amstrad Suit
An English court has awarded $93 million to computer maker Amstrad Plc in a
lawsuit over allegedly faulty disk drives, directing Seagate Technology
Inc. to pay. Reporting from Seagate's Scotts Valley, California,
headquarters, the Reuter News Service says interest and other costs could
push the award $60 million higher. Seagate says it will take a charge of
"a like amount" in the current quarter ending in June, which is the
company's fourth quarter of fiscal 1997. A spokeswoman told the wire
service by "like amount" the company meant the award of $93 million plus
the estimated $60 million in interest and other costs. Meanwhile, Seagate
also plans to appeal the decision, which was handed down Friday by the High
Court of Justice in England. Adds Reuters, "Financial analysts said the
lawsuit was more of nuisance than a product performance issue for the
Silicon Valley-based company because it centers on products made in the
late 1980s whose technology is no longer used."
Gateway Rejected Compaq Bid
A published report says mail- order computer giant Gateway 2000 Inc. last
month backed out of a nearly $7 billion takeover deal with Compaq Computer
Corp. Time magazine is reporting this week billionaire Gateway founder Ted
Waitt rejected the deal only days -- possibly hours -- before its
announcement, citing a source close to Waitt as saying the deal apparently
fell apart after Waitt bristled at the notion of Gateway executives being
subordinates to Compaq bosses.
The magazine says Compaq's offer -- 46 percent above Gateway's current
market value -- would have boosted Waitt's personal coffers by another $3
billion. The Associated Press notes rumors of a Compaq-Gateway combination
have been circulating, worrying wholesalers and resellers that handle most
of Compaq's sales, though Compaq, the world's largest maker of personal
computers, has repeatedly declined comment.
Digital Sues Over Intel Pentium
Digital Equipment Corp. today alleged in a federal suit that Intel Corp.
willfully infringed ten Digital patents in making, using and selling
microprocessor products, including Intel's famed Pentium, Pentium Pro and
Pentium II microprocessors. Reporting from Worcester, Mass., United Press
International says Digital alleges Intel's patent infringement has caused
Digital economic injury and, if not stopped, will cause irreparable harm.
Digital seeks both an injunction and monetary damages, including triple
damages for Intel's willful violation of the patents. UPI says the
injunction would prohibit Intel from using Digital's patented technology in
its present and future microprocessor products. Says Digital chairman
Robert B. Palmer, "Over the years, Digital has made substantial investments
in developing computing architectures and microprocessor technology. It is
our duty to our shareholders, customers, partners and employees to protect
our intellectual property rights and the benefits of our industry-leading
research and development efforts."
Digital says the patents cited in the lawsuit protect its innovations in
high-performance computing architecture and micro-processor technology,
adding the patents were issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
between 1988 and 1996. Meanwhile, Howard High, a spokesman in Intel's Santa
Clara, Calif., offices told The Associated Press the company would not
comment until its lawyers had a chance to examine the lawsuit.
Digital's position as an Intel client made the lawsuit unusual, analyst
Rajiv Chaudhri of Goldman Sachs in New York told business writer Richard
Lorant of The Associated Press. Said Chaudhri, "It's very uncommon for
Intel to be sued by its customer. It's one thing to sue your competitor.
But suing your vendor -- especially when you're in a critical situation
like Digital is -- is taking a lot of risk, at least on its face."
Intel Surprised by Digital Suit
Officials with chipmaker Intel Corp. say they were taken by surprised by
yesterday's federal lawsuit in which computer maker Digital Equipment Corp.
alleges Intel's popular line of Pentium microprocessors were copied from
Digital technology. As reported yesterday, the suit contends Intel
willfully infringed 10 Digital patents in making, using and selling
microprocessor products, including the Pentium, Pentium Pro and Pentium II
chips.
Business writer Richard Lorant of The Associated Press says Intel, which
made nearly all its $5.2 billion in revenue last year from Pentium chips,
vows to vigorously defend itself, adding it was surprised by the suit from
its long-time business customer. Digital, which uses Intel chips for about
half its computers, took the action four years after Intel launched its
first Pentium chip. Lorant comments the legal action is seen "as
highlighting the frustration faced by Digital in trying to boost sagging
sales of its Alpha microprocessors."
Researcher Dean McCarron with Mercury Research of Scottsdale, Arizona, told
the wire service, "One would presume that (the lawsuit) was calculated to
cause maximum upheaval." "At stake," notes AP, "is ownership of technology
critical to the improved speed and power that has placed Intel in increased
competition with Digital for high-end office computer systems." At issue
are Digital patents covering cache management -- a section of memory used
to improve computer performance -- high-speed instruction processing and
other technologies Digital said are vital to "state-of-the-art"
microprocessor design.
Intel spokesman Howard High said the company was caught off guard by the
lawsuit after finding out about it Tuesday morning, adding, "We have a long
history and relationship with Digital as a customer and as companies that
have been involved for a number of years." He noted Intel has a track
record of substantial spending for its own research and development.
Meanwhile, Digital Chairman Robert B. Palmer said his company did not learn
until recently about Intel's alleged use of its technology.
He said that in 1990 and 1991, Digital and Intel engineers shared
microprocessor technology during talks about a collaboration between the
two companies that never came about. The next year, Digital released its
Alpha chip. Intel followed with the Pentium in 1993 and the Pentium Pro in
1995. Though he noticed a stark improvement in the Pentium Pro's abilities,
Palmer said he assumed that Intel had developed its own innovations.
Palmer said that assumption changed after an August 1996 Wall Street
Journal article included comments from top Intel executives alluding to the
appropriation of technology developed by other companies. Says AP, "Palmer
ordered Digital's attorneys to investigate and filed suit when the
investigations revealed the company's patents allegedly were being
infringed." Palmer told the wire service the decision to file suit "was
not made lightly, adding, "Intel is a Digital customer and supplier, as
well as a competitor, but we had no choice except to take action." Lorant
says observers believe there is little chance of Digital's injunction being
granted or of Intel, which has a reputation of defending itself in court,
pushing for a quick settlement.
ACLU Challenges Virginia Law
A Virginia law banning state employees from viewing "sexually explicit"
communications online is being challenged in court by a suit filed by the
American Civil Liberties Union, which contends the measure
unconstitutionally curbs the free speech rights. Reporter Bill Pietrucha
of the Newsbytes computer news service says the suite was filed on behalf
of six professors from Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason
University, Blue Ridge Community College, Old Dominion University, and the
College of William and Mary.
ACLU's complaint contends that under the law, a professor of English could
be sanctioned for accessing a Web site with poetry by Algernon Charles
Swinburne, who was denounced during the Victorian Age for his sexually
explicit writings about sado- masochism, necrophilia, flagellation, and
male and female homosexuality. Marjorie Heins, and ACLU national staff
attorney and counsel for the plaintiffs, told the wire service, "Sexuality
is an important subject in human history, and sexually explicit ideas and
images are common in online conversations about literature, art,
psychology, history, feminism, law and popular culture. This pernicious law
censors online speech that can be found on libraries and college texts,
that is constitutionally protected and not obscene."
The law:
ú Makes it illegal to use the state's "information infrastructure" to
access or download materials with "sexually explicit content" as defined by
existing Virginia law.
ú Prohibits "storage" of sexually oriented communications on state owned
computers and bars employees from using e-mail, chat rooms, and list
servers, if the exchange involves sexually explicit words or images.
ú Requires professors and other state employees wishing to download,
post, transmit, or store sexually explicit material on their computers to
first ask for approval in writing from agency heads, such as a university
official, after which the requests are made available to the public.
The six professors named in the law suit are: Melvin I. Urofsky, professor
of history, Virginia Commonwealth University; Paul Smith, professor of
English and cultural studies, George Mason University; Brian J. Delaney,
associate professor of English, Blue Ridge Community College; Dana Heller,
associate professor of contemporary American literature, Old Dominion
University; Bernard H. Levin, professor of psychology, Blue Ridge Community
College; and Terry J. Meyers, professor and chair of the Department of
English, College of William & Mary.
Anti-Net Tax Bill Moves On
Hearings are expected in the next few weeks on federal legislation aimed at
preventing state and local governments from imposing new taxes on Internet
transactions. As reported earlier, Rep. Chris Cox (R-California) and Sen.
Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced identical bills back in March to impose an
indefinite moratorium on state and local taxation of electronic commerce.
Aaron Pressman of the Reuter News Service quotes Peter Uhlmann, a Cox
staffer, as saying the Senate Commerce Committee's Communications
subcommittee will hold a hearing on the measure in the next few weeks.
Speaking at a meeting yesterday sponsored by the Internet Caucus, Uhlmann
added Commerce Committee chairman John McCain of Arizona and subcommittee
chairman Conrad Burns of Montana are co-sponsors of the Wyden bill, adding
that in the House, both the Commerce and Judiciary Committees will consider
the bill.
In March, Rep. Cox said he wanted to prevent the World Wide Web from
becoming the "World Wide Wallet" for governments looking for additional tax
revenues. At yesterday's meeting, industry officials urged Congress to
prevent excessive or inconsistent taxation of Internet commerce. For
instance, AT&T's Jim Eads commented electronic commerce "is not an issue
that state taxation can be left out of. It should be addressed and, I
think, will be addressed ultimately by Congress." Reuters notes sales of
goods and commerce online are projected to grow to over $7 billion in the
year 2000 from under $1 billion last year, according to market researchers
at Jupiter Communications.
Still, says IBM's Roger Cochetti, that pales compared to traditional sales
and mail order transactions. "Since the value of tax revenues that are at
risk today is relatively small," he said, "these are areas where
governments ought to restrain themselves from leaping to some tax
conclusion." Pressman reports a complete online audio recording of the
Internet caucus event will be posted in the next few weeks on the Web at
http://www.democracy.net.
WHO Warns of Drugs on Internet
A global fight is being urged by the World Health Organization's general
assembly against uncontrolled and dangerous sales of drugs on the Internet.
Passing a resolution today in Geneva, the U.N. health agency said it fears
cyberspace could become a medium for the promotion and sales of
unauthorized drugs that could lead to consumer misuse, abuse and public
health risks. The Reuter News Service reports the resolution adopted by
consensus calls on member states to boost cooperation among law enforcers,
drug companies and the business community to control online sales of
medicine. Martign ten Ham, WHO's chief of drug safety, told the wire
service his agency has found at least three or four firms selling
prescription drugs on the Internet without detailed information.
"Drugs offered online included an acne drug which could cause severe birth
defects if taken by pregnant women, toxic drugs used in cancer therapy and
even morning-after pills," Reuters adds, quoting ten Ham, a doctor from the
Netherlands, as saying: "Apart from the fact that these drugs should not be
available just for anyone who wants them, they're also not accompanied by
proper information on their use. These people selling drugs on the
Internet, we never know where they are. We have no assurance on the quality
of these products. I've been told there are possibilities to obtain even
narcotic drugs on Internet." ten Ham added:
Internet drug sales and promotion also open the way to trade in convincing
but counterfeit copies of life-or-death medicines such as insulin and
antibiotics. Regulations on sales, prescriptions and promotion of drugs by
mail and by pharmacists differ from one country to another and are
impossible to enforce online.
It is difficult to assess the scale of the problem because it is relatively
new, but "it's like a fire growing fast. There's no real control. Anyone
can sell drugs on the Internet. We want regulators to take up the matter."
35 Named in Copyright Crackdown
The Justice Department and the FBI say 35 indictments have been returned as
the first results of a nationwide crackdown -- dubbed "Operation Counter
Copy" -- against trademark and copyright fraud involving counterfeit
products. According to the Reuter News Service, the indictments were
returned in various cities for copyright or trademark infringement as part
of the crackdown that began in October 1996. Attorney General Janet Reno
said in a statement Operation Counter Copy "sends a strong message to major
counterfeiters and copyright pirates all across the U.S. -- you will be
investigated, prosecuted and, if convicted, sent to jail."
Besides computer software and pirated video and audio cassettes, the cases
included counterfeit products appearing to be made by such companies as
NIKE, Calvin Klein, Guess and other makers of brand-named goods.
"Department officials said various domestic industries sustain about $2.8
billion in estimated losses a year as a result of copyright infringement
and counterfeit products in the United States," Reuters reports. "They said
industry groups estimated that piracy outside the United States totaled $20
billion in 1996."
Deep Blue Defeats Human Champ
It's chess and computing history. IBM supercomputer Deep Blue has defeated
reigning world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match,
concluding yesterday with a shunner in which Kasparov's legendary resolve
broke down after only 19 moves. Reporter Grant McCool of the Reuter News
Service comments Kasparov was "under psychological stress since game two of
the six-game series a week ago, when he needlessly resigned in a drawn
position." Going into yesterday's sixth and final game tied with the
computer, Kasparov gave up after just more than an hour of play.
Later, Kasparov told a news conference, "One man, maybe the best in the
world, cracked under the pressure and that has nothing to do with the
computer being unbeatable. I could hardly explain what I did today."
McCool characterized the champion as "humbled," saying he "apologized for
his performance and said he was 'ashamed.'" Nonetheless, Kasparov
"persisted with his view that the match was essentially unfair because he
had no access to the computer's pre-match games or any of the IBM printouts
during the contest, worth $700,000 to the winner and $400,000 to the
loser."
Said Kasparov, "All games must be published. Everyone who knows chess has
an interest in seeing it. I believe it is your obligation to publish the
printouts of everything Deep Blue was doing in this match." Deep Blue team
manager Chung-Jen "CJ" Tan responded at the news conference that the
printouts would be made accessible "at an appropriate time" but did not say
exactly when.
Reuters notes that during the contest the two sides agreed to secure the
printouts with a neutral party, Match Arbiter Carol Jarecki. In six games
played over nine days, the computer won two, drew three and lost one -- the
opening encounter on May 3 -- for a final match score of
3 1/2 points to 2 1/2 points.
This is the first match won by a chess-playing computer in a traditional
format in which games can last as long as seven hours. Observers says the
34-year-old Kasparov lost a match because he didn't play his usual,
swashbuckling attacking style, says McCool, instead opting for a careful,
slow maneuvering to try and outwit the machine. U.S. grandmaster Ron
Henley concurred. "The reason Garry lost," he told the wire service, "was
that he was not true to himself, not true to his character or his
reputation.
He psyched himself out with his anti-computer strategy and he was unable to
play with his full potential and full genius." McCoon notes Kasparov
himself said as much yesterday evening after walking quickly out of the
playing room looking stunned, waving his arms in distress. Said Kasparov,
"I was playing against myself and something I couldn't recognize" (another
reference to the impressive way the system played). "My biggest mistake was
following the advice of computer advisers who recommended I play this way."
Analysts say Kasparov blundered in yesterday's final game by allowing Deep
Blue to sacrifice a knight and obtain an overwhelming positional advantage.
Deep Blue, playing with the white pieces, went on to take Kasparov's queen
in exchange for a rook and a bishop but the position
proved hopeless for the human player. Here are the moves of the final
game:
CARO-KANN DEFENSE
Deep Blue Kasparov
(White) (Black)
1. e4 c6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 dxe4
4. Nxe4 Nd7
5. Ng5 Ngf6
6. Bd3 e6
7. N1f3 h6
8. Nxe6 Qe7
9. O-O fxe6
10. Bg6+ Kd8
11. Bf4 b5
12. a4 Bb7
13. Re1 Nd5
14. Bg3 Kc8
15. axb5 cxb5
16. Qd3 Bc6
17. Bf5 exf5
18. Rxe7 Bxe7
19. c4 Resigns Final Positions
White: King on g1; Queen on d3; Rook on a1; Bishop on g3; Knight on f3;
Pawns on b2, c4, d4, f2, g2 and h2. Black: King on c8; Rooks on a8
and h8; Bishops on c6 and e7; Knights on d5 and d7; Pawns on a7, b5,
f5, g7 and h6.
Man Vs. Machine Debate Rages On
The relentless IBM computer Deep Blue toppled international chess champion
Garry Kasperov this week in a grueling sixth and final game of the heralded
match between human and machine. After just 19 moves, Kasparov, touted as
the greatest chess player in history, stated, "I lost my fighting spirit."
Members of the CNN Forum and Chess Forum are logging on to register their
shock at Kasparov's sudden resignation from the match. CNN Forum's
"FourthRider" says, "Many characterize this as a dark day for humanity in
that a machine has bested the efforts of a human being ... this is a very
good thing and bodes well for future technological advancements ... people
should not feel threatened by these recent events, but should appreciate
what they mean for the brightness of the future."
Chess Forum participant John Stribling notes, "I believe Garry got psyched
out. He knew that a lot of effort went into analyzing his style and so he
tried to confound that effort by playing to the contrary. It took him into
the ozone. I think he should *immediately* demand a rematch." Henry L.
Terrie of Chess Forum says, "He was under tremendous pressure going into
the last game and he cracked ... for all his genius he is as mortal as any
of us. It's too bad that it had to end this way but this is not the final
word. In no way can IBM now claim that it has left all human chess players
behind."
Ex-Lotus Chief Manzi Bankrupt
Jim Manzi, former Lotus Development Corp. chairman, says new Nets Inc.
business has filed for Chapter XI bankruptcy. He cites problems with
investor skepticism of Internet companies, adding he has lost millions of
his own dollars. Reporting from Cambridge, Massachusetts, United Press
International notes Manzi new company was designed as a
business-to-business marketplace, called Industry.net on the Internet's
World Wide Web and was headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Following the filing of bankruptcy papers on Friday, Manzi said most of the
firm's 200 employees have been dismissed, except in Cambridge and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where skeleton crews are maintaining the site.
"It was established to act as a shopping mall for industrial companies,
with some 380,000 engineers and purchasing agents signed up for free
membership that allows them to buy from about 4,500 companies," UPI
reports.
"The companies paid up to $200,000 to be listed on the website." Manzi
added that recently he was spending nearly $500,000 a week of his own money
to support the venture because it was difficult to raise outside
investment. Investor skepticism stems partly, he said, from recent stock
value declines of Netscape Communications and Open Market Inc., two major
Internet software companies. In 1995 IBM paid $3.5 billion to buy Lotus,
where Manzi, a former newspaper reporter, rose to become chairman of Lotus.
During his tenure, the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet became one of the most
popular worldwide, but the program lost its dominance to competition from
Microsoft Corp. Manzi resigned from Lotus three months after IBM's
takeover, "upset that IBM Chairman Lou Gerstner refused Manzi control over
IBM's entire software business," UPI says.
Gateway Leads Home PC Loyalty Poll
Gateway 2000 Inc. has a firm hold on the hearts of most home PC buyers,
according to a new survey conducted jointly by International Data Corp. and
ACNielsen Corp. The study, which polled 52,000 households in 19 markets,
found that 51.1 percent of the Gateway 2000 owners planning to buy another
PC intend to select the Gateway brand again. Apple Computer Inc., Dell
Computer Inc., IBM Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. rounded out the survey's
top five PC makers, with loyalty percentages ranging from 47.6 percent to
30.9 percent. Hewlett-Packard Co., Acer America Inc. and Packard Bell came
in at the list's bottom, with percentages ranging from 30.9 percent to 25.6
percent. The survey also discovered that 43 percent of consumers planning
to buy a PC are undecided about which brand to buy. "Vendors must win the
'undecided' vote to be successful," says Bill Ablondi, an IDC vice
president, The undecided vote is a significant portion of the installed
base that appears ready to upgrade and/or add systems, and many of these
buyers are looking beyond the brands they currently own."
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
PointPlus 32-bit 2.0 plug-in 5/15/97 .23mb Free
The PointPlus plug-in viewer enables users of Netscape 2.0 or later to
view any Microsoft PowerPoint presentation within the browser window.
Either slide-by-slide manually, or displayed hands-free on auto-play.
Home Page Site - http://www.net-scene.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
GremlinSoft Organizer 97 1.12 5/07/97 187kb Shareware $7.00
A Personal Information Manager and Notes Organizer. It allows you to
organize notes into groups and automatically saves all text that is copied
to clipboard into a special 'Clipboard' group. This means that you can add
new note to it by simply selecting text and copying it to clipboard. It can
edit notes as well (in fact, each note can be up to 4MB each). It also has
a Tray Icon which allows you to copy favorite notes to clipboard with just
a mouse-click.
Home Page Site - http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/4146/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PowerPoint/Internet Explorer Security Fix 32-bit 1.0 5/09/97 .15mb
Free
The problem involves the potential misuse of a PowerPoint 95/97 feature
that allows an application to be run from within PowerPoint without warning
the user. The problem can occur in browsers such as Internet Explorer that
support the viewing of PowerPoint files from within the browser. The fix we
have provided will prompt you before any PowerPoint file is opened from
within Internet Explorer.
Home Page Site - http://www.microsoft.com/ie/security/powerpoint.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Critec Accounting Beta 1.03 5/08/97 3,584kb Freeware
Includes Debtors, Creditors, General Ledger, Cashbook, Reports, Fixed
Assets, Inventory, etc. Features Office '97 Style toolbars and menus. Join
the Beta program to get regular updates, and many more advantages.
Home Page Site - http://www.critec.co.nz/accounting/index.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Schedule Wizard97 32-bit 1.3g 5/09/97 .76mb Shareware $25
Schedule Wizard allows you to schedule programs to run, schedule messages
to pop-up, keep a list of dated reminders or appointments, and keep a to do
list. Scheduling can be done with many variations including advanced
warnings and alarms, and most importantly, it can be done with ease!
Home Page Site - http://www.net1fx.com/ScheduleWizard/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
HyperCam 32-bit 1.19 509/97 .25mb Shareware
An application that captures the action from your Windows 95 or NT screen
and saves it to AVI (Audio-Video Interleaved) movie file. Your machine must
run in 8 bits per pixel color mode (maximum 256 colors) for it to run. Do
not try it on Windows 3.1 or 3.11. Sound from your sytem microphone is also
recorded.
Home Page Site - http://www.hyperionics.com/www/hypercam.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Super Dot 2.3 5/08/97 3,526kb Shareware $10.00
This is an enjoyable 3d puzzle/adventure game for Windows 95.This game
features full midi music and sound, along with 256 color graphics.The
shareware version includes 30 levels with monsters traps, bombs and other
cool stuff.The registered version has 100 levels with even more monsters
and traps, it also comes witha level editing tool so you can design your
own levels and give them to your friends.
Home Page Site - http://www.superdesign.com/vulture/sdot2.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
DNEWS USENET NNTP Server 32-bit 4.2i 5/09/97 1.90mb Shareware
$495
Free to non-profit organizations
DNEWS News Server is an easy-to-use, fully functional, highspeed server
software which in conjuntion with any NNTP news reader software allows
users to create and participate in multiple discussion groups on any topics
of interest to them over the Internet or local TCP/IP-based networks
Home Page Site - http://netwinsite.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
ZipPrint 1.0 5/09/97 383kb Freeware
This freeware program prints non-stick labels for your Zip disk jewel
cases.
Home Page Site - http://www.microworld.com/specsoft/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
FaxMail 16-bit 5.19 5/10/97 .73mb Shareware $55
FaxMail attaching itself to and becomes a part of the actual Microsoft
Windows environment, whereby it appends itself to all system menus thereby
adding its features to all Windows Applications. FaxMail has hundreds of
useful features such as Dynamic View/Edit Cover Page, FaxBook Import,
Windows Dynamic All Class Fax/Modem Driver, and Technical Support. You can
import up to 1000 name and phone numbers into each FaxBook (Phone Book) at
a time from any xBase data base program, and you can have as many FaxBooks
as you want.
Home Page Site - http://www.blkbox.com/~jonk/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Fund Manager 2.4 5/03/97 591kb Shareware $29.00
Fund Manager is a portfolio management application for the individual
investor. Fund Manager is designed to help investors monitor and analyze
their stocks, mutual funds, and other investments with a wide variety of
easy to use graphs and reports.
Home Page Site - http://members.aol.com/Beiley/fundman.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
TreeSize Pro 32-bit 1.0 beta 5 5/10/97 .98mb Shareware $30
TreeSize professional is a powerful and flexible space manager for
Windows 95 and Windows NT4. It shows you the size, allocated & wasted
space, the number of files, 3D bar and pie charts and much more information
for several folders or drives you choose. The application has an intutive
Explorer-like GUI and it is fast and multithreaded. You can print detailed
reports or export the collected Data to Excel or an ASCII file. TreeSize
Pro is in the context menu of every folder or drive.
Home Page Site - http://www.informatik.uni-
trier.de/CIP/marder/software.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PC Appraiser 1.2 5/09/97 1,012kb Shareware $25.00
Calculates the value of any new or used PC notebook or desktop with any
given configuration. Can also generate official appraisal forms such as Tax-
Proof-of-Value, Insurance-Proof-of-Value, Theft Evaluation, For-Sale-
Notice, ect...
Home Page Site - http://www.uce.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
ICQ 32-bit 1.10 beta 5/10/97 1.30mb Shareware
Would you like to know if your friends & associates are surfing the net?
Right now? No longer will you search in vain for friends & associates on
the net. on the net. I Seek You does the searching for you, alerting you in
real time when friends & colleagues sign on. You can chat, send messages
and files, play games or use it as the perfect business tool to find and
contact associates in realtime through the internet.
Home Page Site - http://www.mirabilis.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
CastleLand Cards 1.10 5/10/97 1.8mb Shareware $19.95
A multiplayer freeform card game.It allows you to play almost any card
game of your choice with up to five players over existing IRC networks.
Home Page Site - http://www.castleland.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
CD Wizard 32-bit 4.21 5/11/97 .32mb Shareware $19.95
CD Wizzard CD Audio Player for Windows has all the functions of a home CD
player plus many, many more! It saves the disc and tracks names in its
database. CD Wizzard has a full 3D look that is totally customizable. In
icon mode, the icon is updated with the disc and track time. There is a
full help file that describes all features of CD Wizzard.
Home Page Site - http://www.bfmsoft.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Printscreen95 32-bit 4.0 5/12/97 .89mb Shareware $19.95
Printscreen 95 is a print screen program for Windows 3.1, 95 and NT,
which allows you to print the
full screen by simply pressing the PRINT
SCREEN key on the keyboard, and print the active window using ALT + PRINT
SCREEN. A SELECT AREA option allows you to draw a rectangle using the
mousepointer, and print/save the contents of the rectangle. Full screen DOS
sessions are also printed using the PRINT SCREEN key. 16 and 24 bit True
Color color images are supported with Version 2.9. Also new with V2.9:
Enhanced print options allow you to position the output on the page, and
scale the size ofthe image. Printscreen 95 can be used with any Windows
compatible graphics printer, including HP Laserjets, Deskjets, Epson, Canon
Inkjet printers, etc.
Home Page Site - http://com.primenet.com/sssware/prtscr95.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Net2Phone 16-bit 8.21 5/13/97 1.30mb Free program
service costs $$$
Net2Phone is a new technology which makes it possible to place domestic
and international calls from a personal computer to any telephone in the
world. Net2Phone enables Internet users with sound-equipped PCs to initiate
calls from their computers and transmit them over the Internet to IDT's
phone switches. The switches then convert the signal from the "packet
switch network" Internet environment to the "circuit switch network"
telephone environment. And then to its' final destination - any ordinary
telephone. The result is real-time uninterrupted voice communication
between the two calling parties." Look out AT&T :)
Home Page Site - http://www.net2phone.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Voyager: Deep Space Rescue 1.2 5/11/97 1,317kb Freeware
Strap yourself into the Voyager Ship and help save clubland in "Voyager:
Deep Space Rescue", an exclusive chunk of arcade action from Universe, the
promotors of Tribal Gathering, the worlds greatest dance music festival.
Home Page Site - http://www.universe.co.uk/voyager/gindex.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Turbo Grapher 1.3.6 5/11/97 2,880kb Shareware $15.00
A 32-bit curve fitting and technical graphing program. Turbo Grapher also
has a full set of drawing tools for preparing presentation quality
graphics.
Home Page Site - http://www.midplains.net/~jradue/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
BackWeb 32-bit 2.0 Official Release 5/13/97 2.20mb Free
Download BackWeb today and you'll be on your way to getting personalized
information, entertainment, and software delivered automatically to your
desktop. BackWeb makes this possible by sending data to you in the
background, taking advantage of your Internet connection's idle time while
you're connected to the net. This means you no longer have to wait for long
downloads or go out and search for information. You subscribe to the
Channels you're interested in once and from then on information is
automatically delivered to your desktop.
Home Page Site - http://www.backweb.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
SSS ConvertAble 2.0 5/11/97 185kb Shareware $5.00
An excellent unit conversion utility to convert everything ranging from
engineeringunits to common household measures.
ú Over 1000 different conversions included. Convert anything ranging
from household measures to
ú engineering units.
ú Invert any conversion in seconds.
ú Choose measure category, suchas 'Flow' or 'Length',or view all
categories at once.
ú User-selectable precision up to 6 places, including scientific
notation.
ú On-line quick access help included.
ú Copy any conversionto clipboard as entire equation, or just the
answer.
ú Window minimization capability to place icon on launch bar - SSS
ConvertAble is available whenever you need it!
Over 850 different conversions are included. There are other unit
conversion programs out there, but none as complete and user-friendly as
this one! You'll wonder how you ever lived without it!
SSS NetLoan 2.0 5/11/97 175kb Shareware $5.00
A super-fast, super-easy loan calculator for us non-financial wizards!
ú Full amortization table.
ú Total payments andtotal interest display options.
ú Interest shown intrue 1/8% fractions
ú Calculate bi-weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly payments for any amount,
term, or interest rate.
ú On-line help.
ú Choose payment date at start of month or end of month.
ú Window minimization capability to place icon on launch bar - SSS
NetLoan is available whenever you need it!
Home Page Site - http://members.aol.com/sss5000/software.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Intermind Communicator 32-bit 1.52 5/12/97 1.40mb Freeware
Intermind Communicator makes it easy for everyone to get just the
information they want from the Web, without repetitive searching, without
bookmarking, and without sacrificing personal privacy. It also makes it
possible for anyone to publish information on the Web that is delivered
automatically to everyone else who wants to receive it, customized to each
person's individual interests
Home Page Site - http://www.intermind.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Internet Neighborhood 32-bit 1.1 5/12/97 1.00mb Shareware
Internet Neighborhood is a Windows 95 Shell Extension which is used for
browsing remote FTP sites as if they were directories/folders on your local
computer! With KnoWare's Internet Neighborhood, there's no longer any need
for those 'Explorer Like' applications and utilities; It's all integrated
into your existing namespace. Why launch a separate application to browse a
remote FTPsite, download the file, close the application, then run
Explorer? Simply launch Explorer directly, browse your way through the
Internet neighborhood, then drag-drop the files/application directly into
your file system
Home Page Site - http://www.knowareinc.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WetSock 32-bit 3.0 beta build 7 5/12/97 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
Coffee Break 1.1 5/10/97 139kb Shareware $10.00
This desktop tray accessory allows the user to set a periodical reminder,
which when triggered will display a message inviting the user to take a
well-earned Coffee-Break.
Home Page Site - http://www.powerup.com.au/~marver/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Stay Connected 32-bit 1.3 5/12/97 .89mb Shareware $19.95
Just as the name says, Stay connected will make sure that you never loose
your connection due to time outs, disconnections,etc.
Home Page Site - http://www.inklineglobal.com/stayconn.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
AVI Screen Saver 1.20.5997 5/09/97 75KB Freeware
Create a playlist of AVI, QuickTime, or MPEG (requires ActiveMovie) files
and use them as your screen saver.
Home Page Site - http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~bfcarter/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Shadow Warrior 5/13/97 13.00mb Shareware
The latest 3D shooter to use the Build engine (also used in games like
Duke Nukem, Redneck Rampage and several others). Basically your a suped up
Ninja and you roll around and kill stuff. The game actually looks pretty
good and if it's even half as nifty as Duke Nukem then it's worth the
download.
Home Page Site - http://www.shadowwarrior.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WebSeeker 32-bit 3.2 5/13/97 2.50mb Shareware $49.95
WebSeeker, a search engine unifier, combines the results of more than 23
of the most popular Internet search engines -- including Yahoo!, Lycos,
Excite, Alta Vista and WebCrawler -- to deliver one comprehensive report.
Within seconds, WebSeeker brings back search results; removes duplicates
and unrelated results; and sorts final results for users to visit,
manipulate, categorize, monitor, store and report.
Home Page Site - http://www.ffg.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
CDStore97 2.5 5/12/97 814KB Shareware $30.00
Music Collection Database that is Packed with Features. Full Drag-n-Drop
support, High-speed database engine, Unique 3D Interface that is easy and
fun to use! You can even play selected Tracks from assorted CD's in your
database and continue working while they Play! Auto-scans CD's for total
runtimes and track lengths and enters it for you! Store every aspect of
your Music Collection and includes 4 User-Defined fields for your own
unique information. Online Audio CD Player that lets you play while you
work! Mark CD's or individual Tracks, Alternate Grid View of the entire
database, Many User-Defined options, Unlimited Categories, NEW Drag-n-Drop
Report Builder, Uses a Track Wizard to simplify track entries, View ALL
Titles or Tracks in the database with a single click and many more features
not listed here. Full support and latest versions always available via our
Web site. The Ultimate in Music Database Programs!
Home Page Site - http://members.aol.com/JohnL486/pages/index.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Real Player 32-bit 4.0 beta 2 5/13/97 1.20mb 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
Shortcuts 3.0 5/09/97 1,779kb Shareware $5.00
Shortcuts is a nice little utility to allow you to manage those shortcuts
you place on your desktop in windows 95. If you are like me, you like to
add shortcuts for the things you are working on. You will have also come to
find that you end up with so many of them that life gets too confusing.
This program allows you to store groups of schortcuts categorized according
to activity or task. The program allows you to manage these groups and
paint them onto the desktop on demand.
Home Page Site - http://www.golden.net/~tgerman/sware.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
LiveList 32-bit 1.0 beta 1 5/14/97 .21mb
LiveList is a new way to instantly connect with your own list of friends
and colleagues whenever you're online. You can always tell when they are
online, and you can send a live message or even grab a whole group for a
conversation. Now there's no need to wait for e-mail or to wander the web
looking for your friends - with LiveList you'll always be in touch.
Home Page Site - http://livelist.onlive.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Perfect Weapon 1.0 5/13/97 7.0mb Shareware
Takes gamers on a 3-D journey through an unforgiving world as Captain
Blake Hunter, Earth Command Defense Force's top agent and world champion
martial artist. A man transported into an unfamiliar dimension without
cause or reason. Is the enemy unaware of Blake's exceptional skills or was
he hand-picked because of them? Blake is now facing the fight of his life -
and facing it alone. While he doesn't know what lurks in the world that
surrounds him, he does know one thing - the ultimate battle is the one you
fight alone.
Home Page Site - http://www.ascgames.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PlayIt 0.60 5/13/97 68kb Freeware
A FAST (probably the fastest) REALTIME 32Bit Mpeg Layer 1,2,3 Decoder.
Features: Audio Oversampling, Bass/Treble adjustment in software, Http
play, and funky flat toolbars.
Requires DirectX 2.0 or higher.
Home Page Site - http://www.dcs.king.ac.uk/users/playit/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Cosmo Player 32-bit 1.0 beta 4a plug-in 5/14/97 2.60mb Free beta
Cosmo Player was the first browser to support VRML 2.0, the industry
standard for 3D worlds on the Web with sensors, scripts and sound. To boost
your way through the infoverse, Cosmo Player has plenty of Silicon Graphics
visual simulation technology packed into it's engine room. Now you can
experience vast 3D universes on your PC without getting bogged down. It has
Spatial audio for presence in the virtual world, Embedded audio and video
to enliven the virtual world, and Constant frame rates for smooth
interaction with large worlds.
Home Page Site - http://webspace.sgi.com/cosmoplayer/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Double Wild Slots 95 1.1 5/12/97 345kb Shareware $15.00
A very fun and addictive slot machine game. The four-leaf clover symbols
are both doubling and wild. The highest payoff is for three clovers on the
payline, paying 10,000 credits for a two credit bet. The clover symbols are
useful even if not on the payline. Other symbols are not useful if not
directly on the payline. Clovers must be on the payline to double your
winnings, but are still wild and useful if above or below the payline.
Home Page Site - http://ultisoft.com/slots.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
StockAgent Pro 32-bit 1.0 5/14/97 .50mb Shareware $24.95
StockAgent Pro lets you track an unlimited number of portfolios and
stocks with everything from the latest price and volume to dividend
information. It features an unlimited number of open portfolio windows,
portfolio valuation, and our innovative "ticker tape" display that takes no
additional screen real estate. Data can be automatically updated at any
interval you'd like, or just hit F5 to update at any time!
But that's not all! To help you keep track of and research the companies
behind the stocks, StockAgent Pro also offers instant access to stock
charts, company news and profiles, EDGAR SEC Filings, and thousands of
messages posted every day about the companies in your portfolio.
Home Page Site - http://www.igsnet.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Automatic File Deletion System for Win95/NT 2.0 5/14/97 1.1mb Demo
$19.95
Program uses user defined definitions to delete unwanted files from the
hard disk based on the number of days to retain. Options to migrate, move
to recycle-bin, scheduler and much more. This is a demo/fully functional
copy of the real product. There are no time bombs etc. It is only limited
to 10 records. This release is 2.0. The current version is 2.03 which
addressed one known bug. Options include a secure delete and prompt before
deletion. This utility is great for keeping temp and cache directories
clean. Many more options and easy to use.
Home Page Site - http://www.wescosoft.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Notify CD Player 32-bit 1.21 5/15/97 .04mb Freeware
CDPlayer that resides in the Notify area of the taskbar in Windows 95 or
Windows NT4.0. It has some cool features such as: Features right-click
menu with all common CDactions and a Tracks menu including the names of all
tracks on the current CD, Fast left-click operation. One click to get the
next track/play, two clicks to pause/resume, three clicks to get previous
track, and compatible with CDPLAYER.EXE included in Windows 95 and Windows
NT 4.0. Can replace CDPLAYER.EXEto feature autoplay etc.
Home Page Site - http://www.artech.se/~mlt/software/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Moto Racer GP for Win95 5/15/97 17.00mb Shareware
Requires DirectX 3
Moto Racer GP is an arcade motorcycle racing game with little pretense
toward simulation. There are eighttracks in all, from street courses to
dirt tracks, and when you're sick of them,you can drive them in reverse.
Multiplayer options include modem and null-modem for two players, and an
eight-player LAN option (alas, IPX is the only protocol supported - Kali
fans ready your emulators)." Game also supports 3D cards which provides for
incredible graphics ;)
Home Page Site - http://www.mracer.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
ACDsee32 32-bit 2.1 5/15/97 .47mb Shareware
An image viewer which is very fast at decoding pictures. It also support
the following formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, Photo-CD, PNG, TGA and TIFF
image formats.
Home Page Site - http://www.acdsystems.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WinZip 32-bit 6.3 beta 2 5/15/97 .62mb Shareware $29
A great utility for zipping and unzipping files. This is an absolute must
if you want to uncompress zipped files you download from the internet or
elsewhere. It has "wizards" which will help novice users with some of the
more complicated tasks. This version lets you open and extract UUencoded,
XXencoded, BinHex, and MIME files. These files can be opened via the
File/Open dialog or via drag and drop. The new Actions->UUencode menu entry
makes it easy to encode files. The new File->Favorite Zip Folders lists all
Zip files in your favorite folders by date for easy access.
Home Page Site - http://www.winzip.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PowerMarks 32-bit 2.02 5/15/97 .31mb Shareware $9.95
Powermarks is a Windows 95 program designed to allow you to create,
manage and browse your bookmarks with unprecedented ease. Powermarks can
either replace or work in conjunction with the bookmark and favorite
features of Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Powermarks
can import both Microsoft Favorites and Netscape Bookmark files so getting
started is fast. It features: Automatic identification of pages which have
changed or no longer reachable, and a Powerful, fast and easy to use search
engine that is an intrinsic part of the program.
Home Page Site - http://www.kaylon.com/power.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
einSTein 5.0 5/14/97 1,188kb Shareware $35.00
The most easy and complet calculator in Internet. It will accept
arithmetic expressions or functions: for example to compute the expression
(1+a^2)*((a-1)/(a+1) you have to insert (or paste from clipboard) the
expression as it's written, insert a value for a and press 'enter'. Graph
plotting of a function - Computing of integrals and derivates - Computing
of a function (linear, logarithmic or exponential), that better describes a
series of values - Solution of f(x) in an interval. Vectors (three
dimensions) calculator (RPN)- Matrix computing (only for 32 bit version)-
Solution of systems of three equations - Possibility of operating as a
normal calculator (RPN):Mathematic - Trigonometric - Calendar - Financial
functions - Special, unique financial function: allows the calculation of
the interest rate of complete irregular cash flows Loans and amortizartion
planes - Leasing - USA and European date format - Solution of triangles -
Solution of equations up to the 16th grad - Complex and vectors
calculations - Measure converter: 112 different measures - Saving
capability (You can build your personal archiv)- Print capability Reverse
Polnishe Notation (8 stac-registers that may be seen in a separate window)
A must for every family! Absolutly necessary for students, workers, savers
and debtors.
Home Page Site -
http://www.volftp.vol.it/IT/IT/ITALIANI/CAZORZI/index.htm
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
Virginia Profs Challenge Law
Restricting Use Of Net
RSA, PGP In Legal Flap Over
Encryption Technology
Privacy Standards For "Smart Cards"
Internet Shopping Company Files For
Bankruptcy Protection
Intel Bug Update
Reflective LCDs Score On Color,
Readability
Tech Jobs Reach 10-Year High
Friendly Interface Is Still An
Oxymoron
Gates Tells Execs To "Fulfill Your
Wildest Dreams"
Edupage In EstonianKasparov To Deep
Blue: Wait Till Next TimeDigital
Fair Use Guidelines
DoubtfulMurdoch's Echostar Deal
Collapses
UUNet Tells "Peers" They'll Need To
Pay Their Share
Microsoft Seeks Terminal Solution
Netscape Pledges To Stick With Be
Toshiba To Market PC That Plays
Movies On TV
Apple Says Rhapsody Programs Will
Run On Mac
IBM Objects Link Incompatible
Systems
Domain Name Expansion -- Good Or
Bad For Cyber-Squatters?
Universal Discontent On The Net
Digital Says Intel Stole Design For
Pentium
Microsoft "Sidewalk" Users Hit Dead
End
Payback Time For Intranets
Postmortem On Time Warner's Full
Service Network
Stanford's HighWire Press Is High
Flier In Online Pubs
New Set-Top Device Challenges WebTV
Gigabit Ethernet Vs. ATM
Compaq Doubles Its North American
Sales Force
Computer Access And Minority
Students
Rockers Sock It To Web Thieves
Machines That Think And Machines
That Fly
VIRGINIA PROFS CHALLENGE LAW RESTRICTING USE OF NET
Six Virginia college professors and the American Civil Liberties Union have
filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Virginia
state law that makes it a crime for state employees using state-owned
computers to "access, download, print or store any information . . . having
sexually explicit content." Plaintiff Paul Smith of George Mason
University says "I don't think the state should be regulating anybody's
free speech." The Virginia law exempts state employees who can show they
need computer access to sexually explicit material for a "bona fide,
agency-approved research project or other agency-approved undertaking," but
the professors argue that the law would prevent them from teaching
literature written by such sexually explicit writers as Henry Miller and
Allen Ginsberg. Co-plaintiff Melvin I. Urofsky, a Virginia Commonwealth
University history professor who has been teaching for 35 years, considers
the law an "insult" because "no one has ever told me what I can or cannot
do in the classroom." (Washington Post 9 May 97)
RSA, PGP IN LEGAL FLAP OVER ENCRYPTION TECHNOLOGY
RSA Data Security has filed a lawsuit against Pretty Good Privacy (PGP),
alleging that PGP failed to comply with the terms of a licensing agreement
that RSA had signed with Lemcom, the company with which PGP merged last
year. RSA says Lemcom had "no ability to transfer rights to the source
code for the Licensed Product to an OEM Customer or anyone else." When
informed that its license agreement to RSA technology was canceled, "PGP
demanded we sue them in order to exercise audit rights clearly laid out in
the agreement," says RSA President Jim Bidzos. "Their behavior makes us
wonder what they have to hide." Meanwhile, PGP says the products it's
developing don't rely on the RSA encryption scheme. "Those new products
will be encryption-algorithm independent," says PGP VP Robert Kohn, which
will "break RSA monopoly on this technology." (InfoWorld Electric 9 May
97)
PRIVACY STANDARDS FOR "SMART CARDS"
The Smart Card Forum, representing 200 companies in the smart card
industry, is urging standards to restrict the use of data stored on such
cards, which can include financial, medical and other personal information.
Columbia University professor Alan F. Westin thinks the Forum's guidelines
don't go far enough; he says they should stipulate that all smart card
information must be encrypted and should make use of electronic
fingerprinting or digital signature verification. (AP 9 May 97)
INTERNET SHOPPING COMPANY FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION
Net Inc., a company that offers online shopping services for manufacturers
selling basic industrial goods, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Jim
Manzi, the company's chief executive (best known as former head of Lotus
Development Corporation) says: "This is still a great business idea, and
over the next several days we will evaluate how much of the dream we can
continue to pursue." Industry analyst Stan Dolberg characterized Net Inc.
as "a mile wide and an inch deep. To work, an online marketplace has to be
targeted and run by people who really understand the industries they are
in. Manzi didn't." (New York Times 10 May 97)
INTEL BUG UPDATE
Intel has confirmed that its Pentium Pro and Pentium II chips contain a
very minor bug but says that the major companies using the chips
(including Microsoft, IBM and Computer Associates) have not encountered any
problems caused by the bug. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 10 May 97)
REFLECTIVE LCDS SCORE ON COLOR, READABILITY
Reflective liquid crystal displays, which use ambient light to reduce power
consumption and extend battery life, have up until now produced somewhat
washed-out-looking images, with poor contrast between color and
brightness. But now Toshiba, Sharp, Matsushita and others both are making
advances in producing thin, light- weight panels that use less power than
conventional displays, and industry experts say reflective-LCD quality
will soon reach "newspaper level" -- defined as a 5:1 contrast ration and
about 60% reflectance. A professor at Yohoku University predicts that
reflective LCDs eventually will become the screen of choice because of
their superior readability. (TechWire 11 May 97)
TECH JOBS REACH 10-YEAR HIGH
The high-tech industry was responsible for adding some 240,000 jobs to the
economy last year, according to the American Electronics Association, with
nearly 60% of those in software and computer-related services. About 30%
were in manufacturing. The total number of high-tech jobs is now 4.3
million. (Investor's Business Daily 9 May 97)
FRIENDLY INTERFACE IS STILL AN OXYMORON
Michael Dertouzos, director of MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science, says
software companies still have a long way to go in developing a truly "user-
friendly" computer interface: "Calling these interfaces friendly is
tantamount to dressing a chimpanzee in a surgical gown and parading him
around earnestly as a surgeon." (Information Week 28 Apr 97)
GATES TELLS EXECS TO "FULFILL YOUR WILDEST DREAMS"
Microsoft chief executive Bill Gates told the more than 100 attendees of a
"CEO Summit" convened in Seattle that they should plan to fulfill their
"wildest dreams" because computing power will continue to increase rapidly
in the years ahead." Urging them to focus their thoughts less on how
technology will change in two years and concentrate more on how it will
change in 10, Gates encouraged them to build company information systems
that would be as fast and responsive as "digital nervous systems." (New
York Times 10 May 97)
EDUPAGE IN ESTONIAN
We are pleased to announced that Edupage is now available in an Estonian
translation that is accessible on the Web at http://www.mail.ee/edupage/
or available by e-mail as described below. Edupage in Estonian is
supported by the UNDP organization and is produced by Arvi Tavast, Tarvi
Martens, and Vello Hanson. Welcome to our Estonian-speaking readers of
Edupage! Edupage on kokkuv=F5te infotehnoloogia-alastest uudistest, mida
koostab kolm korda n=E4dalas Educom, Washingtonis baseeruv juhtivate
k=F5rgkoolide konsortsium eesm=E4rgiga edendada haridust infotehnoloogia
kasutamise abil. Edupage'i on v=F5imalik tellida endale ka elektronposti
teel. Saatke kiri aadressil majordomo@mail.ee suvalise Subject:-reaga ja
sisuga: Subscribe edupage. ning Edupage hakkab saabuma teie
elektronpostkasti regulaarselt.
KASPAROV TO DEEP BLUE: WAIT TILL NEXT TIME
Withdrawing in the sixth and final game of a six-game chess match, world
chess champion Garry Kasparov lost the series (3-1/2 to 2-1/2) and
promised revenge: "I think it is time for Deep Blue to prove this was not
a single event. I personally assure you that, if it starts to play
competitive chess [in a regular chess match with a number of top chess
players], put it in a fair contest and I personally guarantee you I will
tear it to pieces." In a less defiant statement, Kasparov explained his
defeat by saying: "I lost my fighting spirit. I was not in the mood of
playing at all... I'm a human being. When I see something that is well
beyond my understanding, I'm afraid." (New York Times 12 May 97)
DIGITAL FAIR USE GUIDELINES DOUBTFUL
Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks Bruce Lehman says attempts to draft
voluntary guidelines for the fair use of digital works appear to have been
unsuccessful, most likely leaving the task of sorting out the issue to
Congress and the courts. Although several task force groups have been
working on the issue, Lehman says that December's "Interim Report to the
Commissioner" by CONFU failed to include guidelines agreed to by all the
groups. While fair use is common in the U.S., the idea is foreign to most
European countries. U.S. federal law will continue to recognize the fair
use of digital works, says Lehman, who predicted that the Clinton
administration will be speaking out on the issue "shortly." (BNA Daily
Report for Executives 12 May 97)
MURDOCH'S ECHOSTAR DEAL COLLAPSES
The deal between Echostar Communications and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
has fallen apart, and Echostar is seeking a new partner. The Murdoch
Echostar plan had been to sell more than 500 channels of digital TV service
in all 50 states beginning in 1998 under the brand name Sky, offering
serious competition both to cable TV operators and to such direct
broadcast satellite (DBS) operators as DirecTV. Lawsuits between the two
parties are anticipated. (USA Today 12 May 97)
UUNET TELLS "PEERS" THEY'LL NEED TO PAY THEIR SHARE
UUNet, the Internet service provider (ISP) based in Fairfax, Virginia, will
begin for the first time charging for "peering" services -- carrying the
message traffic of other Internet Service Providers, and thus sharing with
peer organizations the total costs of the traffic. Most smaller ISPs
lease capacity on the lines owned by large companies such as UUNet. UUNet
chief executive John Sidgmore explains the rationale for the decision to
charge by questioning the definition of "peers": "About four years ago,
there was a group of, say, 30 ISPs, all very, very small and about the
same size. Instead of creating billing systems, we said, 'Let's just
interconnect the network and not charge one another for routing messages
from one point to another" -- but now when ISPs "say they want to 'peer,'
they're saying they want to use your network for free." (Washington Post
13 May 97)
MICROSOFT SEEKS TERMINAL SOLUTION
Microsoft has licensed multi-user technology from Citrix Systems Inc. and
Prologue SA of France that will allow users of terminals connected to
central servers running Windows NT to run most PC programs. The move is
viewed as Microsoft's response to Oracle's and Sun Microsystems' focus on
network computers -- devices similar to terminals in that they rely on
central servers for most functions, but with more processing power than a
simple terminal. The multi-user capability will be added to the current
Windows NT 4.0 version, and will be an integral part of 5.0. (Wall Street
Journal 12 May 97)
NETSCAPE PLEDGES TO STICK WITH BE
Netscape Communications plans to release a version of its FastTrack server,
designed for Be Inc.'s BeOS operating system. "There's a lot of developer
excitement around Be," says a Netscape spokeswoman. "Be is uniquely
designed to be a very fast platform. For a Web server, that means you'll
see a lot of performance." The move is endorsed by Mac clone maker Power
Computing, which says it plans to ship the BeOS with its new line of PCs.
(TechWire 12 May 97)
TOSHIBA TO MARKET PC THAT PLAYS MOVIES ON TV
Toshiba's Vision Connect home PC, which will go on sale in Japan next
month, doesn't come with a monitor. instead, it's designed to hook up to
the TV to play DVD movies, surf the Web or run PC software. The machine
comes equipped with a 133 MHz Pentium processor, 32 megabytes of memory,
and a 1.4 gigabyte hard drive. (Investor's Business Daily 13 May 97)
APPLE SAYS RHAPSODY PROGRAMS WILL RUN ON MAC
Apple Computer says that future programs written to run on its Rhapsody
operating system will also run on the current MacOS, thanks to a new layer
of software it's developing that will "sit on top of" MacOS. Apple also
will develop similar software for Microsoft's Windows operating systems.
The move to achieve compatibility between current Mac users' machines and
future programs written for Rhapsody is a switch for Apple, which
initially had said it had no plans to accommodate Rhapsody programs in the
current Macintosh operating system. Rhapsody, an amalgam of software
technologies from Apple and Next, Inc., is due for release in the summer
of 1998. (Wall Street Journal 13 May 97)
IBM OBJECTS LINK INCOMPATIBLE SYSTEMS
IBM has developed software "components" that can encapsulate data from
existing corporate databases, payroll systems, etc. in a format that can
then be used to build new programs. The company says its object system is
the first to allow actual transactions to take place in a secure manner
between two incompatible systems. "There have been efforts to deliver
different parts of this solution but never anything this complete or
programmable," says the general manager of IBM's Software Solutions unit.
IBM says the software will be released in September. (Wall Street Journal
12 May 97)
DOMAIN NAME EXPANSION -- GOOD OR BAD
FOR CYBER-SQUATTERS?
Industry observers are debating what impact the proposed addition of seven
new Internet domain name suffixes will have on cyber-squatters -- people
who register Web addresses that include the names of companies or famous
people or products with the intent of profiting from their resale. "With
the new extensions on the names, the value is going to disappear," says
one speculator, who says he's sold more than 25,000 domain names in the
past few years. Others say that the addition of the new suffixes will
enhance the value of names with the ".com" suffix, which remain the most
popular. (Tampa Tribune 12 May 97)
UNIVERSAL DISCONTENT ON THE NET
In the four months since the FCC solicited public comment on proposals to
charge Internet users in some way in order to subsidize universal access,
the 300,000 respondents are almost universally united on one point - any
attempts by the government to impose a per-minute access charge on Internet
service providers would almost certainly result in those costs being
passed directly on to consumers. "Since when is singling out one type of
user of a public service for additional usage fees acceptable? If
additional fees are necessary, make it a universal fee charged to all
regardless of how they use the service above a preset length of time, or
have every phone company charge a premium for unlimited use," says one.
"Perhaps instead of trying to gouge the public again, phone companies
should answer a few simple questions: Are we still making a reasonable
profit? Can we reduce expenses instead of asking for another rate
increase? Have we cut out the waste and inefficiencies in our operation?
Are our top executives' salaries and benefits in excess of $1 million per
year per person? If yes, go back to questions #2 and #3," suggests
another. (tele.com May 97)
DIGITAL SAYS INTEL STOLE DESIGN FOR PENTIUM
Digital Equipment Corporation has filed a lawsuit charging that Intel
Corporation stole Digital's patented chip designs and used them to create
Intel's Pentium chips. Although declining to specify the amount of damages
this company is seeking, Digital's chief executive says: "What is obvious
is that the numbers are huge. The time has come for these unlawful
practices to stop and Digital intends to see that they do... If we prevail
as we hope, it does change the industry quite a bit in terms of Intel's
hegemony and monopoly inside the enterprise." Intel denies the charges
and says it will defend itself vigorously. Wall Street was stunned by the
development, and one analyst said that the lawsuit is "fraught with peril"
for Digital, as Digital is a major user of Intel chips. (New York Times 14
May 97)
MICROSOFT "SIDEWALK" USERS HIT DEAD END
The dispute between Microsoft and Ticketmaster over an unauthorized link
between Microsoft's Seattle Sidewalk site and the Ticketmaster Web site
has escalated. Ticketmaster, which had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate
a deal with Microsoft where Microsoft would pay for providing access to
Ticketmaster's online sales service, now reroutes all Sidewalk users who
try to link to the Ticketmaster site to a separate page that reads: "This
is an unauthorized link and a dead end for Sidewalk. Ticketmaster does not
have a business relationship with Sidewalk and you do not need them to
visit us. They want to traffic on our good name and your desire for
information on live entertainment events to sell advertising for their sole
benefit while offering nothing in return." Seattle Sidewalk's general
manager responds that Ticketmaster "now seems to be slamming the door in
the face of customers. I can't really figure out why that makes sense for
anyone." (Wall Street Journal 15 May 97)
PAYBACK TIME FOR INTRANETS
Intranets are "seriously making people rethink corporate computing," says
the Yankee Group's director of Internet computing strategies. "And unlike
client-server -- where there was so much confusion about how to do it
right and what it meant -- with the intranet, there's really only one
terrific model that everyone can see and use." In fact, the returns on
investment are so enormous, that few managers even bother to scrutinize the
bottom line -- a study of seven companies by International Data Corp. shows
that returns average about 1,000%, and the best news is that it starts
within weeks, rather than years. "For most companies, if you started
today, 10 weeks from now you'll have covered your cost. That's pretty
powerful in this volatile environment," says IDC's director of
collaborative and intranet computing. "Six months from now, when the CIO
says 'Okay, we have to go in a completely different direction,' you can
throw away your software. The company can now be reactive and flexible to
changes in the industry." (Investor's Business Daily 14 May 97)
POSTMORTEM ON TIME WARNER'S FULL SERVICE NETWORK
Time Warner's decision to pull the plug on its Full Service Network came as
no surprise to anyone, given the enormous costs associated with the
project and the changing landscape of cable-telco competition. "The
marketplace changed," says a Yankee Group analyst. "When the Full Service
Network began, the cable companies were up against the phone companies,
which were going to enter the cable market and offer a full uite of
interactive services. But the phone companies backed out long ago. The
competitive impetus disappeared, and the development of interactive
technology shifted to the Internet." Still, the ambitious effort, which
delivered movies, shopping, games and other interactive services on demand
to households in the Orlando, Fla. Area, produced some lessons for other
would-be interactive service providers: "It's true that there is some
value in a company the size of Time Warner making some large strategic
investment that does not pay off," says a Dataquest analyst. "The technology
was not there yet. And without the technology the content was not there. And
it's clear that people don't want a lot of what's being offered." (Broadcasting
& Cable 5 May 97)
STANFORD'S HIGHWIRE PRESS IS HIGH FLIER IN ONLINE PUBS
Stanford University's HighWire Press, based at the University's Cecil H.
Green Library, is breaking new ground in electronic publishing, focusing
on scientific journals by scholarly societies. HighWire's staff works with
journal editors to design their online versions, and inserts hyperlinks to
related material on the Web. Associations pay HighWire between $35,000
and $125,000 for online journal development, plus several thousand dollars
per month in maintenance costs. Since signing on as HighWire's first
customer, the Journal of Biological Chemistry has experienced a 15%
increase in article submissions: "One hypothesis is that because JBC has
got this global distribution, because the hyperlinking has been so
terrific, because the hypernavigation is so good, because you can blow up
these images and get really good pictures of gels that are really workable
in a lab, more authors are sending stuff the JBC," says HighWire's
publisher. A secondary benefit from the project is the fact that the
online journals now are available to new markets, such as Russia and India,
where paper versions are difficult to access. Other universities,
including Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, the University of Chicago and the University of California at
Berkeley, are involved in online journal projects, but Ann Okerson, an
associate university librarian at Yale University, says the HighWire
project is unique because of its close association with a university
library and its efforts to work with a number of publishers. (Chronicle of
Higher Education 16 May 97)
NEW SET-TOP DEVICE CHALLENGES WEBTV
A new $400 set-top box that links a user's TV set to the Internet is being
marketed by Curtis Mathes Holding Corp. The UniView is the first direct
rival to WebTV's $300 device, and unlike the WebTV product, UniView also
acts as a speaker phone and fax machine, connects to a computer printer,
and runs an on-screen TV guide. We're hitting the TV viewer, not a
computer person," says Curtis Mathes' CEO. Later this year the company
plans to incorporate the device into a 36-inch screen TV set, which will
sell for $2,000. (Wall Street Journal 17 May 97)
GIGABIT ETHERNET VS. ATM
Gigabit Ethernet is touted as the next big thing in networking upgrades,
challenging asynchronous transfer mode as the technology of choice for
faster network backbones and servers. Advocates say the gigabit Ethernet
option is more attractive for companies with existing Ethernet networks,
because most network management systems and wiring can stay in place, and
technicians don't have to learn a whole new system. "Gigabit Ethernet
holds a great deal of promise because it offers such a high degree of
compatibility with our existing network infrastructure," says a
communications design analyst at Lockheed Martin Co. The Dell'Oro Group
predicts gigabit Ethernet sales totaling $60 million this year, rocketing
to $977 million by 2000. (Investor's Business Daily 14 May 97)
COMPAQ DOUBLES ITS NORTH AMERICAN SALES FORCE
Compaq, which sells more personal computers than any other manufacturer in
the world, is doubling its North American sales force (to 4,000) in order
to build closer ties with customers. The company has felt increasing
competitive pressure in the past year from direct-sales PC companies Dell
and Gateway 2000. (New York Times 15 May 97)
COMPUTER ACCESS AND MINORITY STUDENTS
A report by the Educational Testing Service suggests that "there are
persistent patterns of inequity in student access to technology. The
kids with the most needs are getting the least access." Nationally,
schools average one computer for approximately every 10 students, but
where minority enrollment exceeds 90% the rate is approximately 1 to 17.
(Washington Post 15 May 97)
ROCKERS SOCK IT TO WEB THIEVES
The British rock band Oasis says it will file lawsuits against hundreds of
Internet sites for unlawful use of copyrighted photographs, video clips,
song lyrics and sound samples without permission. The sites have been
given 30 days to erase the illegal material. A statement from the band
expressed appreciation for being honored by "fun and interesting" fan
sites but emphasized that unauthorized use of copyrighted material "can be
seen as
theft." (Financial Times 15 May 97)
MACHINES THAT THINK AND MACHINES THAT FLY
On the issue of whether the chess-playing computer that beat world champion
Garry Kasparov can "really think," Yale computer science professor Drew
McDermott says: "Saying that Deep Blue doesn't really think is like saying
an airplane doesn't really fly because it doesn't flap its wings." (New
York Times 14 May 97)
Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) & Suzanne Douglas
(douglas@educom.edu).
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Gaming Hotwire STR Feature - The World of Contemporary Gaming
REDNECK RAMPAGE FANS RAGE ON THE INTERNET
(Gamers rate it "excellent", unofficial websites springing up everywhere)
Irvine, California -- Two weeks after its release at retail, Redneck
RampageTM mania is in full swing all over the Internet. Interplay
Productions' rip-roarin', blood-bathed new first-person 3-D shooter with a
hillbilly theme has taken the web by storm, shooting to the top of gamer
polls and inspiring dozens of unofficial sites dedicated to the game.
A demo version of this hilarious title, posted by Interplay in February and
mirrored by every major gaming website, has been played by an estimated
500,000+ gamers to date. Sites such as Twilight's Unofficial Redneck
Rampage Page and Hillbilly's Redneck Rampage Home Page began appearing
almost immediately; there are now dozens of such Redneck pages on the
Internet featuring screen shots, cheat codes, demo downloading and links to
the Interplay site.
"We knew the major gaming sites would post the demo, but this kind of
enthusiasm on an individual level is the grass roots hype of the '90s,"
said Karen Schohan, director of marketing for Interplay. "We're finding
that a lot of gamers are really rednecks at heart."
GameGalaxy's voluntary ratings section reveals that 85% of their visitors
give Redneck Rampage an "excellent" - the highest mark. Comments from
gamers include:
Makes DN3D [Duke Nukem 3D] look like bible school!
Sum 'o the funniest sh*t I seen or heard 'n a coon's age. Drink sum beer,
eat sum pork rinds 'n have a fartin' good 'ol time!
Redneck Rampage is SO AWESOME! I LOVE IT! DAMN I LOVE IT! Redneck Rampage,
developed by Los Angeles-based Xatrix Entertainment, is set in the
fictional town of Hickston, Arkansas, and stars Leonard and Bubba, two
bumpkins armed with down-home weapons trying to rescue their prize pig
Bessie who's been abducted by aliens. The game is currently available on CD-
ROM for IBM and 100% compatible computers.
MILITARY MAD FOR MORE M.A.X.(TM)!M.A.X. 2(TM) TO EXPLODE NOVEMBER 1997
(Real-time gameplay option provides mind-blowing Mach speed excitement)
Within months of offering M.A.X.(TM) to the Pentagon, Interplay Productions
announces M.A.X. 2(TM), the highly anticipated sequel to the critically
acclaimed turn-based strategy game, M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault &
Exploration(TM). Although the Pentagon could not accept their copy of
M.A.X. due to specific regulations, response from other military personnel
has been overwhelming.
Interplay is also bringing its technology expertise to the forefront of the
gaming industry by introducing two new features exclusively with M.A.X. 2.
New parallax scrolling technology creates 3-D terrain where units on higher
ground appear larger than units on lower ground giving the gamer the
realistic feel of soaring above the terrain. Also, with a touch of the
mouse, a new, user-friendly liquid video display (LVD) interface will cause
fluctuations in the liquid display, just as if the player were dragging a
finger over the surface of a pool of water.
Interplay has also incorporated gamers suggestions into M.A.X. 2.
Highlights include three gameplay modes including a real-time gameplay
option which will provide fast-paced, explosive action. Gamers will also be
able to choose between simultaneous turn-based and classic turn-based
gameplay. Complete customization of structures, units, missions, multi-
level terrains and victory conditions create the gamer's ultimate strategy
game and provide endless replayability. In addition, an entirely new alien
fighting force has been created, giving the gamer over one hundred 3-D
rendered, fully customizable units. Combined with the artificial
intelligence which provides seven available difficulty settings, M.A.X. 2
will challenge gamers of all skill levels.
"Listening to gamers has always been one of our foremost concerns here at
Interplay. We would be remiss not to include our audience's suggestions to
create an even better game than the first," said Interplay producer, Paul
Kellner. Fielding requests from morale officers across the globe from all
branches of the military, including the 299th Forward Support Battalion in
Bosnia, Interplay continues to send out copies of their blockbuster wargame
to troops in the field as the sequel nears completion.
M.A.X. 2 will also contain the special features that made M.A.X. a favorite
with critics and gamers, including superior top-down SGVA graphics, and
multi-player action - up to 6 players can fight it out over the network or
via modem. M.A.X. 2 will offer an enormous range of missions and support
both solitaire and multi-player game variations.
The original M.A.X. received critical acclaim including two Editor's Choice
Awards and top ratings from Strategy Plus (5 out of 5 stars), PC Gamer
(90%) and Computer Gaming World (4 out of 5 stars) reinforcing it's
popularity with gamers everywhere. M.A.X. 2 will be available on CD-ROM in
the fourth quarter of 1997 for MS-DOS and Windows(R) 95 based PC's and 100%
compatibles.
Founded in 1983, Interplay Productions is a company dedicated to
manufacturing and distributing a wide range of award-winning entertainment
and educational software designed by gamers, for gamers. Interplay releases
products through Interplay, MacPlay, VR Sports and Shiny Entertainment and
its affiliated labels for personal computers as well as leading console
game platforms. In addition, the company's OEM division represents a wide
variety of publishers software to the OEM community for hardware bundling.
More comprehensive information on Interplay and its products is available
through the company's worldwide web site at http://www.interplay.com.
Classics & Gaming Section
Editor Dana P. Jacobson
dpj@streport.com
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
It's another one of those weeks in which I have very little to
say...about anything! I'm too t
ired to complain (mark that one down in
your calendars!), for a change. It's been typically hectic; and, I really
believe that I've been struck with a bad case of spring fever!
Still looking for that "elusive" dream house; and my mind has been
predominantly on that. Hopefully, my wife and I will have some good news
this weekend as we negotiate for one house that we've had our eyes on.
Wish us luck!
Until next time...
Hi all!
There's a new TCP/IP-stack available with PPP/SLIP/CSLIP capabilities.
StinG, short for 'ST Internet Next Generation' is a TCP/IP stack for the
Atari ST/TT/Falcon platform written by Peter Rottengatter. More precisely,
it is a fully compatible successor for STiK, the 'ST Internet Kit', which
grew quite popular among Atari users within the last two years. StinG
offers all advantages of STiK, but avoids many problems encountered with
STiK, and offers additional, greatly improved flexibility. Supports
PPP/SLIP/CSLIP protocols.
You can find a STinG support page at:
http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille/english/sting.html
Matthias Jaap has updated HP Penguin, HTML-Help, Tabi and AltaLista due
Swedish translations made by me. A new function in all Matthias apps. is
going to be, that You always can download the latest version within the
program, from the About... dialog (CAB has to be on-line). This would be
available in coming versions.
http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille/english/jaapan.html (Mille Babic)
http://www.hh.schule.de/hhs/mjaap/indexe.htm (Matthias Jaap)
I'm going to implement two Swedish archives for use with CAB at my CAB-web
page, CAB2DOCS.LZH is suitable for CAB v2.0a 03/97, the first original ASH
CAB Browser and I'm going to update the CAB2DOC2.LZH to be prepared when
CAB v2.0b 04/97 will be released.
I now have web pages at other locations too:
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/1235/ in English and:
http://hem1.passagen.se/atari/ in Swedish. They all use frames.
There's a personal web page too, with several pictures of my family and
friends, somewhere on The Net.
My Cropage is updated thanks to Kamilo Sambolek and is there someone out
there who could help me with translations into French, Italian, Spanish
etc, then just give me a call.
Best Regards
Mille Babic
eMail: mille@mail5.tripnet.se
http://www5.tripnet.se/~mille (English, German, Swedish, Croatian)
Atari Falcon CPU40MHz:DSP50MHZ (12MB RAM 540MB+1.0GB HD)
N.AES Operating System with MiNT Kernel and N.Thing Desktop
ST Informer Magazine "Update"!
Re: ST Informer-Refunds?
From: Rod McDonald <stinformer@chatlink.com>
Date: 9 May 1997
In answer to all who have wondered what happened at ST Informer. First)
Toad Computers withdrew their advertising support saying the Atari market
was lost. Second) I found money tough to come by and got $42,000 in debt
trying to keep STI going.
At the time of David Smiths inquiry, there was a request for a selling
proposal from a group in the Kansas City area. Their attitude was to
possibly continue publication. I told them I would not transfer the rights
to the name and subscribers, unless refunds could be made to anyone who
wanted it. They said that sounded reasonable. It is that information that I
relayed to folks about refunds. Other than that, I have been offering
software in exchange. I can offer Universal Item Selector, Universal
Network and many PD Program disks in our library, as compensation for
unfulfilled subscription. I have done several of those
already.
HOWEVER, as we converse here, I am "dudeing" up our Web Site to provide Web
Issues at that location on a paid password basis. I will be working on that
for the next month, and expect to have something available to readers
shortly. I understand my obligation to the reader and have NOT chosen to
hide, but am telling folks that I intend to "Keep On Keepin On" (now that
sale potential has fallen through), and continue with our news tradition. I
have invited advertisers to participate with banner ads on each news
department and review file to be posted. I will await their enthusiasm, but
expect it to grow nicely.
FRANKLY, I do not have the funds to refund to everyone, that is why I chose
to NOT cash checks sent to me and to return them to subscribers. The cut
off point for that action was September 23, 1996, and I have not accepted
additional funds since that time. That was the earliest time I KNEW that
TOAD was not renewing their advertising and I could not possibly continue.
A&D Software featuring productivity software for Atari Computers is still a
viable entity, and Tax Wizard II for the 1996 tax year was upgraded and
shipped on schedule again this year.
IN REPLY TO
David Smith (dbsmith@microserve.net) wrote:
I lost the price I paid for a one year subscription with disk. I had :
been a subscriber for several years before and saw a patterned of : delayed
issues developing. I chose to pay up anyway. I felt the : publisher had
provided good service for several years and deserved : the support. At the
time Rod sent me a long email explaining his : difficulties. I felt his
business failure as
: a loss to the Atari community and I hope he put my money to good use.
BEST REGARDS, Rod
Rod MacDonald LTP, (HOTLINE 800-800-2563)
MacDonald Associates <stinformer@chatlink.com> Tel (541)476-0071
909 NW Starlite Place, Grants Pass, OR 97526 Fax (541)479-1825
* ST Informer Web Magazine & A&D Atari Software Dealer *
Check out our web site: www.chatlink.com/~stinformer
Gaming Section
Must Be Prom Week!!!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
It's been quiet in the gaming world lately - too quiet! It must be
the typical slow period as spring takes hold and the summer months rapidly
approaching.
About the only news that we've come across online has been the
"resurgence" of Electronic Arts. There's still some online activity
regarding the Jaguar's Iron Soldier 2, as people start to get into this new
game. Most of the opinions that I've heard has been very positive; the
most common complaint has been that the game is hard! Sounds to me like
we've got a good game that's not easily beat in a few hours!
Let's get on to the news, as little as it is this week - we hope that
the news picks up for next week!
Until next time...
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
Electronic Arts Playing For Keeps
ZDNet News (May 8, 1997) - A year ago, game publisher and developer
Electronic Arts Inc. looked to be losing its steam. Despite releasing 64
products that year, the company's profits had taken a turn for the worse.
This week, the electronic games company announced it was back on track,
reporting fourth quarter revenues of $143.8 million or 19 cents per share,
a 23 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago. Though it only
released one product more than in fiscal 1996, the San Mateo, Calif.,
company's total revenue grew 17 percent to $625 million for fiscal 1997.
EA's success is attributable to a strong response to changing tastes in the
game industry. 1995 in particular will be known as the year of confusion in
that field. Consumers had to choose between 16-bit game players with a
large installed base or state-of-the-art 32-bit machines like the Sony
Playstation and Sega Saturn. To make things worse: Windows 95 running on
the Pentium processor had finally begun to live up to its promise as a game
platform.
"On both sides of this business -- the PC and the console side -- the
technology was in the midst of transition," said Pat Becker, director of
corporate communications for Electronic Arts. Technology in transition
meant more platforms to develop for and confusion about which platform was
best meant less revenue growth.
"During calendar 1995, there was a lull in demand, and the entire
industry suffered," said Lewis Alton, general managing partner of
investment banking firm L. H. Alton & Co, which closely follows the
interactive entertainment industry. EA's revenue for calendar 1995 grew
less than 8 percent and net income fell by over 27 percent to $40.5
million. This past year saw earnings surge back to $53 million, almost
reaching 1994 levels of $55.7 million.
Driving the recovery is strong growth of dedicated game consoles and the
quick adoption of the multimedia PC. At the end of 1996, U.S. game players
had scooped up almost 6 million next-generation 32- and 64-bit machines,
according to an Interactive Digital Software Association report. This is
expected to triple by the end of the year.
But the future, like any game worth playing, holds plenty of potential for
surprises. Consolidation in the industry means bringing programmers and
producers together in some way that is meaningful. In that, Becker sees
many potential traps. "The challenge here is how you manage development of
the new resources," she said. "We have done three significant acquisitions
in the past couple of years and it is a challenge."
Online gaming is another enigma for the industry. "No one has found a
successful business model," said Becker. But EA has paired up with Mpath
Interactive Inc. and its online gaming network, Mplayer. The company will
also announce the beta version of its Ultima Online world at the Electronic
Entertainment Expo in June. But, at the end of the game, only one thing
matters. "It's all about content," said Becker.
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. Well, it's been a typical week here in
Mr. Mirando's Neighborhood. Remember a while ago when I mentioned that I
was going to be needing a new hard drive, ordered one from my favorite
mail order hard drive place, and had to send it back because my host
adaptor wouldn't recognize it? Well, I never actually got a working hard
drive to replace it. This week, my old hard drive finally gave up and
quit.
On the 'up' side, I'm still computing away. Thank goodness for my
Syquest44 and Floptical drive. I'm now looking for a 'regular' drive to
replace the one that died and, again, any advice would be greatly
appreciated. I already know that Quantum Fireball TM hard drives are a no-
no, but other than that, I'll take any help I can get.
Well, let's get on with the reason for this column in the first place,
all the great news, hints, tips, and info available every week on
CompuServe.
From the Atari Computing Forum
Peter Moffitt asks for help:
"I've been scanning for information pertaining to getting my ST or
Falcon connected online, and need to know if I can download Atari
stuff, such as a program to enable the ST or Falcon to run the
modem, dial, etc. The catch is that so far I'm @ Compuserve via
Mac, and I just hope for some way to take what I need from a Mac
disk + put it into my Atari. Also, in scanning messages I've
been looking for info pertaining to direct-to-disk recording using
Soundpool Audiotracker. I've successfully introduced my Faocon 30
to a 1.2 gig Seagate drive via ICD pro utilities only to find out
that my audio program doesn't trust the new drive. The message I
get is this: "couldn't install tape-code B." Can you think of
someone knowledgeable to refer me to, or tell me the best way to
get a response out there?"
Carl Barron asks Peter:
"Do you have dos file compatability extensions installed on your
mac. If so format the diskettes for DOS not mac. then the
transfer is simple. As long as you use a format readable on a PC
with dos specs the atari can read them easily. The trick is to
format the disks for DOS not Machintosh on the mac. It should work,
but I ussually have dos preformatted HD's and don't bother to
reinitialize them.
You can download some term. programs for Atari here, but be warned
there is no atari support for the cim stuff. File downloads from
here are ok but various other forums can cause problems."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Peter:
"Unfortunately I don't have any experience with direct-to-disk
recording, but I know several of our members probably do...
hopefully someone here can help.
As Carl indicated, the Atari ST shares almost exactly the same
floppy disk format as the IBM PC, so if you can format DOS
compatible floppies with your Mac, you can use them to download an
ST terminal program.
There are still a very few commercially supported terminal
programs for Atari computers, so you could buy one of those and
load it directly from the disk. You might want to get in touch
with Toad Computers in Maryland who still supports the Atari line.
Their phone number is: 800-448-8623, and they do have a WWW page,
although the URL escapes me at the moment... (umm...
www.toad.net, possibly..?)"
Carl Barron comes back and tells Bob:
"This will get you to toad:
http://www.ataricentral.com"
Pete Thompson asks for...
"Help !!!! I'm an innocent pc owner who needs to find the Input
socket connection pin details for the above printer, with a view to
using the printer with my pc. Can anybody help ? Or am I a
masochist !?"
Albert Dayes tells Pete:
"Since the SLM804 works directly with the Atari DMA port I think
you would have to do a large amount of work to get it to work on
the PC end of things. Plus you would have to write software for it
to get it to work.
I suppose if you really want to turn it into an engineering
exercise it could be done assuming you want to spend the time to
write the correct software and build the necessary hardware."
Gerd Brodowski posts that he has a...
"Problem: Data-Interchange between ATARI and IOMEGA ZIP Drive
We are a non-profit-organization (an so called One-World-House),
working with ATARI-Computers. Now we have bought a PowerMacintosh,
too because of its interchangeability with ATARI-computers (it
emulates an ATARI). So far so good, but now we have the problem of
moving about 60MB of ATARI-datas onto the MAC and viceversa.
We have also an IOMEGA ZIP Drive and therefore the possibility of
copying about 94 MB of data on the ZIP disk. Well, this works
without any problem from the MAC to the IOMEGA ZIP Drive (Hip-hip
!) - but does anybody of you know, how do we get this data into our
ATARI?
If you should have some experiences with the solution of this kind
of problem, please have mercy and give us some hints."
Albert Dayes tells Gerd the bad news:
"I do not know of a method to exchange data between MAC and Atari
formats of ZIP disks. I have not heard of any for the PC to/from
MAC either. It does not mean that it is not possible."
Alberto Sanchez tells Gerd:
"Well, I think you have at least two solutions:
1) Use DOS partitions on your Zip drive and read/write on them with
BigDos or Magic on the Atari and with PC exchange on the Mac.
2) With MagicMac you can read/write directly on the Mac any Atari
drive."
Sysop Bob Retelle adds:
"I don't know the answer to your problem either, I'm afraid, but
maybe I can suggest some things to try that might help a little.
The Mac uses a far different disk format than the Atari or PC (this
is for floppy drives, although hard drives would probably be
similar).
The Atari however does share almost the same floppy disk format as
the PC, which allows owners of both kinds of computers to transfer
data between the two using floppy disks.
Mac owners have been able to transfer data to their Atari computers
by formatting the floppy disks using a "PC File Exchange" setup on
the Mac which will allow them to use IBM PC formatted floppy disks.
Unfortunately this will only let you transfer 1.44 megabytes at a
time, using floppy disks.
Now, the unknown part here is how the ZIP drive is formatted for
the Mac. As Albert said, it's not likely that the normal format
will work on an Atari.
But it's possible (just barely possible) that there might be a way
to format a ZIP drive to make it compatible with an IBM, and if
that works, then maybe it would work on an Atari too.
There have been some discussions here in thepast about sharing a
hard drive between an Atari and an IBM, and unfortunately most of
the answers have been that it won't work, but the ZIP drive is sort
of a hybrid kind of device.
Probably the best thing to do would be to ask in the Macintosh user
groups and see first whether anyone has been able to share a ZIP
disk with IBM style computers. (Don't tell them your goal is to
transfer to Atari systems as that will only confuse them!). Then
once you have IBM formatted ZIP disks, try reading them on your
Atari.
If all else fails, there is always the "tried and true" method of
transferring the data through the computers' serial ports with a
null-modem cable. 60 megabytes would take a while to send that
way, but it would work."
Frank Heller tells Bob:
"This is sorta dated info. PC File Exchange has long been
discontinued..although it still works for Mac's running older
O/S's. The newer O/S's are PC disk aware and there is an Extension
simply called: "PC Exchange" that is included with any newer (7.5x
and up) O/S installation.
Not that this helps much, but it is sorta relevant.
However...as a side note: As a long time Cubase Audio Falcon user,
I have been rather frustrated getting AIFF files from the Atari HD
to a Mac...up until now.
Charlie Steinberg developed a program that will see Atari generated
AIFF files stored on DAT and let a Mac stream them into its HD. I
have been using it for a few weeks...and it works. At least it
solves that problem."
Albert Dayes tells Frank:
"That sounds cool. Is the a special PRO DAT or will any consumer
model DAT work?"
Frank tells Albert:
"Any audio DAT recorder *with* a SPDIF set of I/O's will work. The
PowerMac will need at least an AudioMediaIII PCI card installed.
I should point out that this is not a "stand-alone" application.
It is code imbedded within Steinberg's Cubase Audio VST for the
PowerMac. It will be ported to the PC version of VST as well.
What it means is that digital audio files, generated and saved to
DAT with the original Cubase Audio Falcon program, can be reloaded
into the Mac and PC versions of VST Audio. And visa versa. Because
all of Cubase's other file formats are easily tranferrable (via PC
formatted floppies) between the Mac, PC and Atari platforms, this
makes Cubase VST a powerful multi-platform program."
Gerd posts:
"The reaction of this ATARI-Forum is overwhelming! The spirit of
the ATARI-Community seems to be a very friendly one!
We will try out your advice and we will try to get in contact with
Carsten, too.
If we should find a solution in one of the following days, you and
all the others guys will get an answer with details about it."
Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
EDITORIAL QUICKIES
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batters, thus ending the game quickly so everyone can go home and watch
FOOTBALL!"
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