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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 01 Issue 10
Volume 1, Issue 10 Atari Online News, Etc. May 7, 1999
Published and Copyright (c) 1999
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- CC: Classic Chips
With Contributions by:
Walter Day
John Hardie
To subscribe to A-ONE, send a message to: dpj@delphi.com
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Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to
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To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
following sites (more to be added soon):
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Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0110 05/07/99
~ People Are Talking! ~ Don Thomas CO - May 8 ~ JagFest '99 Update
~ "Cybersquatting" Rules ~ GameBoy Color Sales Up ~ Coin-Ops Search Set
~ Mickey Mouse to Go 3D! ~ Encryption Rights OK ~ Microsoft - Oops?!
~ Colorado Blame: Games? ~ Chernobyl Virus Fix ~ Mobile Gaming!
-* Catching Hackers Easier! *-
-* BattleSphere Encryption Hopes Alive *-
-* Hasbro to Announce Jaguar an 'Open' System *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, Spring is still trying to make it into New England. We've had a few
nice days to get our hopes up but the weather just isn't holding. While I
enjoy seeing the rain breathe life into my lawn and garden, I'd like to see
some sunshine and warmer temperatures so I can do my part to help them
along! I still have plenty of stuff to do around here to get ready for the
nice weather. I want to plant some grass, do more gardening, stain the
deck, get the pool ready, and likely a lot more that I've forced into my
subconscious! One day at a time...
I hope that many of you join us tomorrow evening for the formal conference
with Don Thomas. Don has been, and continues to be, a big supporter of the
Atari platform. Although he's moved on, and up, Atari still plays a large
role in his life. Don will be on-hand to answer questions, offer opinions,
and perhaps let us in on a few things that are going on at VM Labs. The
details for the conference are below. Hope to see you there!
Until next time...
On Saturday, May 8th, at 8:00 p.m. EST, Don Thomas of VM Labs (formerly
at Atari Corp. and SCEA [Sony's Entertainment Division - PSX]) will be
our honored guest in Delphi's Atari Advantage Forum.
Don will talk about Atari and a number of topics that Atari users can
relate to - especially today's world of console gaming.
Attendees will be able to ask questions, etc. This will be a formal
conference.
Please spread the word as we'd like to have a good crowd on hand for the
conference - the more the merrier!
The Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi can be reached via the web at
the following address: http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari
or on Delphi at GO COMP ATA
Be there or be square!
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@portone.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. We've finally gotten some rain here in
Connecticut. It's been quite dry lately, and there have been several
fires that have popped up because of it. I've always thought of rain as
a cleansing force. It's something that is both necessary and enjoyable.
Of course, I'm not talking about severe weather like what happened in
Oklahoma this week... that is a horrible example of what nature can do.
But a gentle rain in the morning or in the evening has always seemed to
me to be the best that nature has to offer. I've always loved the way
the air smells sweet and clean after a rain.
I don't know what any of this has to do with computers in general or
Atari in particular, but today's rain made me stop and think about my
younger days when every rain storm was something special. I guess maybe
that's the reason I thought of it when I sat down to write this column.
I feel the same way about computers that I felt about those rain storms
back when I was a kid. Computers make things happen that just couldn't
happen any other way. Like that rain of years gone by, computers aren't
loved by everyone, and there are instances when they are more of a
hindrance than a help, but by and large they are a good thing.
Well, let's get on with the reason for this column... all the news,
hints, tips, and info to be found on the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup:
=====================================
Adam Foster asks about networking STs:
"I'm currently at university, but have an old ST at home which my mum
uses for word-processing using Papyrus. I have this ridiculous plan of
networking at least some of the computers at home over the summer - five
PCs (three running Linux), a Belgian Mac Classic II (don't ask), the ST
and a dead Spectrum. Networking the PCs will be pretty easy, but I was
wondering what could be done with the Atari.
I've got a long null modem cable, and could probably set up a SLIP or
PPP connection using STiK or whatever the latest is (I used to use STiK
when I used the ST on the internet). Which telnet client would you
recommend? And is there anything more complex available to run over
TCP/IP, such as SMB capability or an NFS client? The ST's got a copy of
MiNT on it (it hasn't been used for years though) so could I do
something like this with MiNT-net? Or is there some (free) software
available for TOS?"
Ben Hills tells Adam:
"I think you might be pushing it a bit to include a Spectrum in your
network.
Under STinG I use Telstar:
http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/~perot/cli-serv.dl-bay-e.html
Although under MiNT I use the supplied UNIX like telnet client.
There are NFS & SMB clients available for MiNT although if you wish to
use these you will have to install MiNTNet rather than STiK. Take a look
at: ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/atari/mint/network
I don't know your ST setup, but if you only have a 1MB, FD only system
you may struggle to install MiNT, MiNTNet & NFS, Samba."
Nicholas Bales adds:
"Most of this is addressed in the Quick FAQ. You could use either STinG (a
modern STiK replacement) or MiNTnet to do this.
IMO the main issue is what will your mum do with a network connection to
your Linux PC or your Speccy ?"
Martin-ERic Racine puts his thoughts into the mix:
"Erm... not quite. StinG has neither NFS nor Samba.
MiNTNET has both of these. http://yescrew.atari.org/ is a good place to
start for info on recent mint stuff."
Adam tells everyone:
"Thanks to everyone for all the links and information - it seems that
using MiNT I'll be able to turn the ST into a pretty intelligent little
terminal (lynx, pine actually running on the ST etc). I've given up on
NFS - I now know it would be possible, but ridiculously slow over a 19200
bps null modem connection (115200 bps is bad enough, particularly when
you've got used to ethernet...) I'm not altogether sure how useful it
would all be, but if I can teach my mum how to use pine for her email
it'll be handy.
It'll give me something interesting to do over the summer, at any rate."
Martin Tarenskeen asks:
"Where can I download a good benchmark program to test the performance
speed of the Atari ST/Falcon/TT/Milan/etc.?"
Nick Bales tells Martin:
"GemBench, from just about any Atari FTP site, is probably not the best,
but the only one I know of."
Dave Murphy adds:
"There were a couple of Benchmark programs provided with the Nemesis
board and I've put them on my web site
(http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/dmurphy/). The CPU tester needs an '030 so
won't work on the ST but should be OK on the rest of the machines
mentioned.
There's a DSP tester too but I think that might only apply to the Falcon.
There were a couple of Benchmark programs provided with the Nemesis board
and I've put them on my web site. The CPU tester needs an '030 so won't
work on the ST but should be OK on the rest of the machines mentioned.
There's a DSP tester too but I think that might only apply to the
Falcon."
Paul Nurminen asks for help with the JPEG overlay for CAB:
"I was just curious. For a long time I used the CAB_JPEG.OVL that came
with CAB 2.5 and 2.7 and everything worked well, albeit a bit slow. It
was only later that I replaced that OVL with the DSP loader version from
Brainstorm (that utilizes JPEGD.PRG in the AUTO folder). On average with
the DSP-based loader, a JPEG that took 1:14 to load with the normal
CAB_JPEG.OVL loaded in about 0:20 with the DSP-based loader. And since I
had my Nemesis installed, the speed difference is even more dramatic.
Unfortunately, not all JPEGs work with the DSP loader. This fact is even
stated in the CAB 2.5 manual:
"[the Brainstorm DSP decoder] does not include any save routines, so
thumbnail images will not be generated using CABALOG. Also this
module does not support "progressive" JPEGS."
Well, I don't know what a "progressive" JPEG is, but I do know that I've
done some testing lately (switching between the two decoders), and there
are a few pages where no JPEGs are displayed when using the DSP loader.
I assume these pages are using "progressive" JPEGs then?
My question: Is there an updated Brainstorm DSP decoder that _does_
support these "progressive" JPEGs? Or, is there some way to utilize both
the DSP loader and the normal CAB loader at the same time? If not, that
would certainly be a worthwhile update to CAB - have it use the DSP
loader until it came upon a "progressive" JPEG, then switch to the normal
CAB loader, then back to the DSP loader on the fly. Any thoughts on
this?"
Brian Roland tells Paul:
"I heartily agree! I'd love to see not just a jpg loader...but for gif
and audio as well! I'd also like to see more things take advantage of
the FPU for those who have them.
The few softs I have that use the FPU...it does make a WORLD of
difference in using the non FPU versions."
Steve Stupple asks for help with HD Driver and a few of his favorite
devices:
"I'm using HD driver v7.51 with an ICD Link II and I can't get it to see
an MO optical drive or one of my Pioneer multi CD changers; I couldn't
get it to see a PD drive either!!
I have even tried the devices on their own.
The ICD software detects them! But I want to use the DOS compatibility
mode that HD Driver offers.
Anyone got an idea! I've been fiddling for nearly 5 hours and getting a
little..."
Xiting Phillips tells Steve:
"I used HDDriver 4.XX on the TT with a Sony 128 meg MO no problem. Never
could get BigDOS to work, though. I think the multi-CD needs Extendos or
the like. I assume the LED on the Link II lights? If not, you need to set
the jumper for term power. What MO is it?"
Steve Tells Xiting:
"I mentioned the multi cd changer drive because the other 2 multi cd
changer drives are detected with HD Driver. All 3 are useable though,
unlike the MO drive!"
The author of HD Driver, Dr. Uwe Seimet, asks Steve:
"Did you actually activate the SCSI IDs of these devices in the Device
Configuration window? Also check your cables and especially your
termination. A lot of users have their SCSI chain not properly
terminated.
Since lots of users are using MO and PD drives with HDDRIVER (including
myself) you can be sure that this is not a general problem with the
driver."
While we're on the subject of hard drives and HD Driver, Paul Nurminen
posts:
"Well, I recently got HD Driver 7.61, and decided to install it today.
The short story is that I'm back to ICD Pro 6.5.5, the long story is:
I've been using ICD Pro 6.5.5 with my Falcon for as long as I can
remember. But I bought HD Driver right before I got my Nemesis installed
because I was under the impression that the Nemesis wouldn't work right
with ICD Pro [it does]. But, since I'd already purchased HD Driver, and
some of the features looked nice (like background DMA and more support
for Iomega products, as well as faster overall operation) I installed it
today. I was also hoping it might eliminate the occasional hard drive
freeze up problem I get every once in awhile. This very problem however,
is why I can't use HD Driver 7.61 at all.
You see, with ICD Pro 6.5.5, when my hard drive does it's little freeze
up thing - where the HD busy light stays on during a write or read, and
the entire system sort of sits there idle until it unfreezes - this little
activity only lasted about 20-30 seconds, then everything would resume as
normal.
Today, after installing HD Driver 7.61, and admiring the somewhat faster
bootup, I decided to download some newsgroup articles (comp.sys.atari.st
actually) with NEWSie. Well, midway through the transfer, the HD froze
up. I watched it for a second, thinking to myself:
"...well, Nemesis' buffer board didn't fix this problem, and so much
for HD Driver doing it..."
And as I sat there and time passed; 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 50 seconds, 1
minute [still frozen], 1:20... Then, all the SCSI devices in my system
(the main Seagate Baracuda, my SyQuest EZ Flyer 230, and my MediaVision
CD ROM drive) stopped / went to sleep / more or less ceased to exist as
far as the Falcon was concerned. Meanwhile NEWSie is locked up with my
ISP/news server, wondering what the hell is gong on. And I try to access
a drive partition (ANY partition) and I get a "data may be damaged" alert
box. Nice...
"Wow, this HD Driver rocks!" <sarcasm in the extreme>
Anyway, after a reboot, and some choice expletives, I uninstalled HD
Driver and went back to ICD Pro 6.5.5 because I can live with the
occasional 20-30 second freeze up. I CAN'T live with over 1 minute lock
ups that end with all SCSI devices going off line and the only recourse
is a reboot. No thanks.
Anyone want to buy a slightly used copy of HD Driver 7.61??"
Brian Roland tells Paul:
"HD Driver works great here... Falcon 030 stock.
If you've not done the SCSI patch..make sure it's done! Next...I get
those freezes sometimes...under MagiC in high color resolutions with
modems going. This is reduced by disabling DMA... I rarely get them at
all then.
Under Geneva, Mint, or single tos, I've yet to see a SCSI bus freeze at
all.
Finally, HD Driver is not likely the problem, other than it is FAST, and
the bus on your falcon can't keep up ;) MagiC seems to speed my falcon
up a bit as well..and with DMA turned on....well...the Falcon's SCSI bus
just can't keep up!
On my Mega 4, I've not seen any problems at all yet...DMA on and all.
I say give this a try... Disable DMA and give it another run. Make sure
the SCSI bus is well terminated..."
Again, Dr. Uwe Seimet posts:
"This is typical of a Falcon with no SCSI patches (clockpatch) installed.
Please read the information on the driver floppy disk about this patch.
The faster the driver, the more important it is to fix the Falcon
SCSI/DMA hardware."
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
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - 'BattleSphere' Hopes Alive!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Hasbro to Make Jaguar Open Platform!
JagFest '99 Update! Mickey Goes 3D!
Mobile Gaming! And much more!
->From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The biggest news of the week is the unofficial announcement that Hasbro
Interactive is going to make the Atari Jaguar an open platform. What this
means is that present and future Jaguar game programmers will have the
ability to publish their games. Since the Hasbro buyout of Atari from JTS,
there's been no game activity because of the inability of developers to get
their games encrypted. That's about to end.
How did this come about? Personally, I had doubts that Hasbro was going to
do anything with regard to the Jaguar. Hasbro bought Atari primarily to get
the rights to the classic games so they could be re-vamped and ported over
to today's new machines, and future machines. But after hearing about the
interview with Hasbro's Dana Henry, I thought there might be some slim
chance something positive might happen.
Over the recent past, Jaguar fans have been getting progressively crankier
and impatient for news regarding their favorite game console. And they were
also clamoring to see the release of BattleSphere, the long-awaited game
from 4-Play. This led to letter campaigns, e-mail campaigns, and other
forms of "protest" in attempts to convince Hasbro Interactive to provide the
encryption tools to enable 4-Play to publish Battlesphere.
While I believe that the overall intent of these campaigns was positive,
impatience led to many "nasty-grams" which certainly could have no
productive results. Another negative part of this is that people were
writing to Tom Dusenberry, the CEO of Hasbro Interactive. Did people really
think that the CEO of a Fortune 500 organization was going to take the time
to listen and respond? He may have read a few letters and e-mails, but I
can almost guarantee that once these messages got "hot", he ignored them
from that point on.
What I think did help were the well-written, well-intentioned letters to
people like Mark Goodreau and others. Add to that, perhaps, with a personal
visit to Hasbro headquarters in Massachusetts by the folks who are
sponsoring the Classic Gaming Expo - Keita Iida and John Hardie, and maybe
they convinced these people there was some good to be gained by making some
concessions with regard to the Jaguar. Whatever it was, the good news has
for Jaguar fans has finally happened.
Elsewhere in this issue you'll see the announcement made by John Hardie, and
some relevant reaction. You'll also see a message from a member of 4-Play
that displays the frustration most have felt up to this point, as well as a
non-verbatim response from Hasbro's CEO just a few days prior to the good
news. This message shows the frustration felt by Hasbro and the result that
almost became a reality. In the end, constructive persistence paid off.
Now I have something to look forward to for my Jaguar!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Game Boy Color Impacts First Quarter Sales
Release Triggers Surge in System and Software Sales
In the first full quarter since Nintendo's Game Boy Color release, system
sales shot up 228 percent in units and a staggering 336 percent in revenue,
according to PC Data, Inc.
Of the total Game Boy systems sold in the first quarter of 1999 (Q1-99),
68.5 percent of sales came from the Game Boy Color system, while the
standard black and white system accounted for the remaining 31.5 percent.
In the three-month period prior to the launch of Game Boy Color (August
1998 through October 1998), the standard black and white Game Boy system
unit sales increased 17 percent over the same three-month period of 1997.
``Game Boy certainly has plenty of life left in it," said Matt Gravett, PC
Data's video games coordinator. ``Considering that Sony's Playstation and
Nintendo 64 collectively achieved less than 11 percent growth, Game Boy's
17 percent increase prior to the launch of the Game Boy Color provides
ample evidence that it is indeed the most successful and enduring franchise
in video game history."
Benefiting from the Game Boy Color platform release, software sales in
Q1-99 increased 200 percent and 265 percent in units and revenue,
respectively, over the same period of 1998. Lending to this dramatic surge
in software sales are the two versions of Nintendo's Pokemon, which made up
33 percent of all Game Boy software units sold thus far in the first
quarter of 1999.
Of the 100 top-selling Game Boy titles, 31 of the 36 Game Boy Color titles
made the list. Of the 30 top-selling Game Boy titles, 19 were Game Boy
Color titles. 41 percent of the sales came from 36 Game Boy Color titles,
while the original Game Boy software accounted for the remaining 59 percent
in Q1-99.
Disney Interactive and Nintendo Agreement Debuts Mickey Mouse In 3D
Disney Interactive, Inc. and Nintendo of America Inc. today announced a
worldwide agreement for Nintendo to publish a portfolio of games for the
N64 and Game Boy Color systems.
As part of the announcement, Disney's premier character Mickey Mouse will
make his first 3D appearance in two games for the N64 platform.
The Mickey products, a 'Mickey Racing' title (Game Boy Color), a 'Disney
Racing' title (N64 and Game Boy Color) and a 'Mickey Adventure' title (home
console and Game Boy Color), will be created by award-winning developer
Rare Ltd., and are scheduled for release during the holiday seasons of
1999, 2000 and 2001, respectively.
Rare's work has won universal acclaim for titles like the Donkey Kong
Country series, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo Kazooie, and the winner of the
first-ever `Game of the Year' award from the Academy of Interactive Arts
and Sciences -- GoldenEye 007 for the N64.
``We are thrilled to introduce Mickey to an entirely new audience by
combining his global popularity with the innovative technology that the
Game Boy Color and N64 platforms have to offer," says Jan Smith, Disney
Interactive's senior vice president and general manager. ``Our relationship
with Nintendo and Rare will create the most exciting and immersive Mickey
gaming experience ever."
``The incomparable ability of Rare to create interactive magic is about to
be integrated with the incomparable appeal of Mickey Mouse," says Howard
Lincoln, chairman, Nintendo of America. ``The results will broaden the
appeal of video gaming to an ever-widening number of households around the
world."
Also, as part of the agreement, Disney Interactive will develop multiple
titles for the Nintendo Game Boy Color platform. The release of the titles
support two key development strategies for Disney Interactive: targeting
the girls software market, and creating games which tie to major video
releases from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Scheduled for a Fall 1999
debut are the first two titles, 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Alice in
Wonderland,' which focus on the emerging girls games market.
This relationship complements Disney Interactive's global platform strategy
of partnering with leading video game companies, and top-tier developers,
to bring its beloved characters to the burgeoning children's video game
market.
Acclaim To Debut Comedy Central's 'South Park' On The PlayStation
Help Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny Save South Park This Summer!
Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., a leading worldwide interactive entertainment
company, today announced that its top-selling South Park action game,
currently available for the Nintendo 64 and PC, is under development for
the PlayStation.
``Acclaim's South Park has been one of our top-selling games since its
release this past December," says Peter Roithmayr, Vice-President, Video
Games Division, Electronics Boutique. ``With its success on the N64, we
expect that the PlayStation version also will be incredibly popular."
South Park for the PlayStation is being developed by Appaloosa Software and
will ship to store shelves this summer. To date, South Park for the N64 has
shipped nearly one million units worldwide.
South Park for the PlayStation is a hilarious, action-packed adventure
game, that was developed with the input of the show's creators, Matt Stone
and Trey Parker. Similar to the N64 and PC games, South Park unfolds in
five episode-based, single-player adventures. Gamers can choose to play as
Kyle, Stan, Cartman or Kenny in single player mode, or select among a host
of 20 South Park characters when engaged in multiplayer mode. The storyline
begins when a mysterious comet, visible every 666 years, is discovered to
be heading right for the quiet little town of South Park and causing all
sorts of mayhem. It is up to Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and Stan to save the day
and bring peace to South Park using a host of gadgets including a Cow
Launcher, Sniper Chicken, snowballs, Terrance and Phillip dolls, and
everyone's favorite - Mr. Hankey, the Christmas poo. Along the way, players
encounter all of South Park's classic characters - Mr. Garrison and Mr.
Hat, Mephisto, Chef and more. South Park also features custom voices
recorded specifically for the game by Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Mary Kay
Bergman and Isaac Hayes.
Square Soft Releases EHRGEIZ for the PlayStation Game Console
New Fighting Title Offers Variety of Action/Adventure
and Role Playing Game Elements
Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. (Square Electronic Arts), the exclusive
publisher of all Square Soft products in North America, today announced
that it shipped EHRGEIZ, an arcade-quality fighting game with
full-featured role playing elements. EHRGEIZ includes multiple fighting
arenas, over 10 playable characters, mini games within the game, and a
full-featured, stand-alone role playing game (RPG). EHRGEIZ is available
on the PlayStation game console.
EHRGEIZ is a hand-to-hand and weapons-based combat game that offers
countless fighting combinations, played out in 11 different arenas
including an airship, a train and a coliseum. Many arenas feature multiple
levels that provide challenging confrontations along the way. One or two
players select an arena and battle it out as any one of the title's
playable characters.
EHRGEIZ offers an array of characters of various ages, sexes, nationalities
and special fighting abilities. For instance, Yoko Kishibojin, nicknamed
``Yoyo Yoko," is a 17-year-old skilled in the use of a yo-yo and martial
arts. She uses both to overpower her opponents. Han Daehan is a
23-year-old action movie star from Korea. He uses his artificial leg to
fire missiles at his unsuspecting opponents. EHRGEIZ also includes six
guest characters from the award winning FINAL FANTASY VII game. They
appear in the EHRGEIZ Championship Tournament after being mysteriously
summoned from the FINAL FANTASY VII world. Players must meet certain
conditions in order for some of these special characters to appear. The
three immediately playable characters are Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart and
Sephiroth.
EHRGEIZ offers an appealing ``anything goes" method of play, allowing
players to move their characters freely in all directions, regardless of
where their opponent is located. Square also added an additional layer of
fast-paced fighting action with a Brand New Quest Mode. Renowned for its
role-playing prowess, Square producers have included a full-featured RPG
mode that provides the adventure and story aspects expected in a
stand-alone RPG. During the EHRGEIZ Championship Tournament, an
archaeologist named Koji Masuda finds his way to ancient ruins that hold
the secret of immortality. His destiny awaits him as he descends into the
depths of a dungeon. Searching for the spring of eternal life, Koji is
drawn through the dungeon, entering a foreign dimension with remnants of
ancient memories.
There are two methods of play in the Brand New Quest Mode. Normal Mode
allows two players to explore the dungeon one at a time while Hard Mode
allows one player to explore the dungeon with no option of returning to the
village. In the village, the player can get information and purchase and
sell weapons, armor and other items needed to continue the journey. Items
continue to become available as the player progresses through the game.
The Brand New Quest Mode features randomly created dungeon layouts,
increasing replay value.
The main fighting mode is complimented by four mini games that can be
accessed through the main menu. The mini games are: Battle Panel, an
Othello-style strategy game; Battle Beach, a foot race that requires fast
button pushing; Battle Runner, a foot race that takes place inside an
arena; and Infinity Battle, a fighting game that requires endurance.
EHRGEIZ ships today and is available for approximately US $40. It carries
an ESRB rating of ``Teen," and will be available in all leading outlets
throughout North America.
Acclaim Announces Turok: Rage Wars for Nintendo 64
Acclaim Entertainment, a leading worldwide interactive entertainment
company, today announced the next installment in the Turok legacy, Turok:
Rage Wars. Due to arrive on store shelves this Fall, Turok: Rage Wars is a
one-to-four player deathmatch-style, multiplayer-focused shooter for the
N64 developed by Acclaim Studios' Iguana Entertainment.
``Turok: Rage Wars reinvents the multiplayer capabilities of the Turok 2
engine to provide a fast and smooth deathmatch experience. Gamers can play
cooperatively, alone in mission-based games, or in every-man-for-himself
arena battles," says David Dienstbier, creative director at Iguana
Entertainment in Austin, Texas. ``We've also added more of what Turok is
famous for -- highly intelligent enemies and, of course, an arsenal of new,
incredibly twisted weaponry. Our goal is to create a stellar deathmatch
game you can play alone or with your friends."
In Turok: Rage Wars, Turok is unknowingly thrown into a tournament to
battle a malevolent array of creatures vying for control in the Lost Land.
Gamers will have over 15 deathmatch levels to explore and several new
characters to control including Adon, the Oblivion Deathguard, the
Campaigner, and Lord of the Dead. Turok: Rage Wars' new features include a
training mode, weapons with secondary fire functions, and a unique
``reward" system that enhances replay value. In the mission-based game,
Turok: Rage Wars features a performance dependent mission tree with
multiple game scenarios. The game will also feature extremely intelligent
``bot" AI that makes enemies perform as if they were controlled by actual
people.
Originally based on an Acclaim Comics' property, the Turok franchise has
sold over three million units worldwide. Acclaim's latest release, Turok 2:
Seeds of Evil, was recently inducted into Nintendo's million-seller
Player's Choice program. Beginning in May, Turok 2 product will display the
Player's Choice emblem and will retail for $39.99.
Turok: Rage Wars is scheduled to ship this Fall. More information about the
game will be available during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this
May.
Midway and WMS Launch Internet Coin-Op Game Locator
Midway Games Inc. and WMS Industries Inc. this week launched a coin-operated
game locator on Midway's web site, www.midway.com, to assist players in
finding their favorite coin-operated games at locations around the world.
Players can now quickly and easily identify locations featuring the latest
Midway video games and WMS pinball games. Midway markets video games under
the Midway and Atari brands and exclusively sells Williams and Bally brand
pinball games for WMS' Williams Electronics Games.
``We are very excited to utilize the Internet to bring players and coin-op
games together, around the world,'' said Mark Struhs, Vice President of
Sales and Marketing for Midway. ``Midway.com gets tens of thousands of hits
every week, and the game locator now directs this huge audience of players
to locations where the latest coin-op games are offered in their area. It
also provides free exposure to locations operating coin-op games."
The game locator is accessible at www.midway.com, or directly at
www.midwayarcade.com/locations. It has a built-in feature that allows
visitors to quickly and easily submit new locations. The locator database
is updated every business day, allowing almost immediate Internet exposure
for locations operating Midway and WMS games.
``We designed the locator database to provide accurate, up-to-date data for
players to find the industry's hottest coin-op games," said Struhs. ``We
rely on submissions from locations and players, and we know it's important
that their submissions are quickly processed and posted. So far, the
response has been very strong and dozens of players are submitting games
the first day they hit a location."
The game locator currently includes the four latest Midway coin-operated
video games: CarnEvil, NFL Blitz '99, Hydro Thunder and NBA Showtime: the
NBA on NBC. It also includes Revenge from Mars, the revolutionary new WMS
pinball game. Revenge from Mars is the first game to utilize the new
PINBALL 2000 technology. It will be available at locations across the
United States this week.
Visteon and Nintendo Combine for Powerful
Fun-On-the-Run Mobile Entertainment
Guaranteed to provide miles of smiles during long or short summer trips,
the Visteon Rear Seat Entertainment System will be available Friday through
new cars dealerships nationwide. The unique mobile video system can fit
into all new minivans and sells for a suggested retail price of $1,499
which includes installation and a Nintendo 64 game system.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990506/DETH030 )
The Visteon Rear Seat Entertainment System is the only entertainment unit
of its kind that comes with a Nintendo game system. The system is loaded
with the highest quality features consumers have been asking for,
including:
* High-quality resolution 6.4" LCD automotive grade screen offering
clarity in all types of lighting conditions, and durability through
rough in-vehicle environmental conditions.
* VHS videocassette player.
* Superior design with a hidden, flip-up screen for theft deterrence and
a smoother interior appearance.
* Floor-mounted console, with storage and cup holders, creates the look
and feel of an original equipment accessory.
``The Visteon Rear Seat Entertainment System takes both long-distance
traveling and around-town commuting to a whole new dimension," said David
Peace, vice president of Visteon Global Aftermarket Operations. ``The
system is designed to help kids battle back seat boredom allowing them to
play video games and watch their favorite movies. Best of all, Rear Seat
Entertainment provides peace of mind for the parents who can better
concentrate on the road ahead.
``This is an exciting innovation in mobile electronics and having Nintendo
partner with us was the icing on the cake. Nintendo has built an extremely
popular and respected brand name in the entertainment industry and the
ability to offer a Nintendo 64 game system certainly enhances the Rear Seat
Entertainment System's consumer appeal."
On new minivans, the Rear Seat Entertainment System can be installed by a
dealer the same day and comes with the same-as-vehicle warranty. In
addition, the cost of the system can be amortized, allowing buyers to
spread out the payments with the vehicle purchase.
The system can also be retrofitted on minivans built in 1994 through
present. The warranty for retrofitted units is one year from the time of
installation.
``We conducted focus group research with consumers and listened to what
they were looking for in a mobile entertainment system," Peace added.
``The test results proved overwhelmingly optimistic, reassuring us that we
developed a system with features consumers want."
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Jagfest'99 Contest, June 18, 1999
From: walter day <twingalaxies@lisco.com>
Dear Atari Jaguar, Lynx and 2600 player,
Please see below a news release for Jagfest '99. All the contest scores
resulting from Jagfest '99 will be included in the 2nd edition of Twin
Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records. The
event is scheduled for Rochester, Minnesota on Friday, June 18, 1999.
For more info on this event, go to these links:
http://jagfest.atari.org
http://www.twingalaxies.com
For more information on the Book of Records, here is amazon.com's
description:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1887472258/qid%3D911360138/
sr%3D1-1/002-4244619-5922232
Here is the news release:
CONTACT: Carl Forhan, 1-507-288-5369, http://jagfest.atari.org
CONTACT: Walter Day at 1-515-472-3882, twingalaxies@lisco.com
For Immediate Release: May 1, 1999
Jagfest '99 to Draw Atari Gameplayers to Rochester, Minnesota for
Displays and Contests Slated for the Book of Records
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA -- Video game buffs from around North America will
gather in Rochester, Minnesota on Friday, June 18, 1999 to pay their
respects to gaming history's most revered icon: the Atari home game
system -- famous for the Atari 2600, Jaguar and Lynx consoles.
Billed as Jagfest '99 -- in honor of the Atari Jaguar game console --
the event may be the Midwest's premiere public celebration of the Atari
game console's contribution to the popular culture of the 1980's.
Displays, dealer's tables and tournaments will mark the day's activities.
Featured among the competitions will be contests that promise the players
the chance to win a berth in next year's edition of Twin Galaxies' Official
Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records which is the official record
book for the worldwide video game and pinball industries.
Sponsored in part by Go Atari, Hozer Video Games, Jerry G. Classic Gold
Video Games, Hardysoft and the Atari Video Club, the show is scheduled for
Friday, June 18, 1999, from 10:00am to 10:00pm at the Holiday Inn South,
1630 South Broadway, Rochester, MN 55904 (507)288-1844. Admission for
adults is $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Ages 6-12 admission is $3
and ages 5 and under are admitted free. Among its featured activities
are the unveiling of newly-created Jaguar and Lynx titles as well game
cartridges awarded as prizes.
Walter Day, chief scorekeeper at the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard
an organization that tracks high scores for the worldwide video game and
pinball industries, believes the Jaguar is one of the most fiercely
contested game system for high score laurels. Day says: Jagfest '99 has
become an overnight phenomenon as a result of publicity gained through the
Internet. Therefore, we have chosen Jagfest '99 as an official contest site
for gathering high scores for the next edition of the official Book of
Records, simply because many of the top players seem to be coming.
The event, now in its third year, has been elevated to new heights by
Carl Forhan of Songbird Productions, a Rochester engineer and part-time
video game designer who splits his time between programming new game titles
for the Atari platforms as well as working his day job and leading the
music team at Rochester's New Life Worship Center, a contemporary Christian
church. Forhan notes the Jaguar's undying popularity as he points out that
the Atari Jaguar is the original 64-bit system. He says: "It's incredible
how supportive Jaguar fans continue to be, despite the fact that newer and
more powerful game systems continue to emerge. I'm proud to be supporting
the Jaguar and the Lynx, and I know the Atari fans appreciate these new
games as well."
Even without major corporate sponsorship from manufacturers or magazines,
Jagfest '99 is coming to life through the united efforts of Jaguar fans
everywhere and is generating a new wave of excitement for electronic gamers
throughout the nation.
The Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard, based in Fairfield, Iowa,
has been keeping score for the world of video game and pinball playing
since 1982 and monitors the highest scores on all home and arcade video
games, PC-based games and pinball. Its most well-known product is the Twin
Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Recordswhich is a
984-page book containing 12,416 scores from players in 31 countries
compiled between the years 1981 and 1997.
For contest information, contact Walter Day at (515)472-3882 or go
to http://www.twingalaxies.com. Or call Carl Forhan at (507)288-5369 or
go to http://jagfest.atari.org
From Jaguar Interactive II
Hasbro says **** off
Posted by BattleSphere Bob (209-239-197-25.oak.jps.net) on April 30, 1999
at 18:34:43:
Well, this week we engaged Hasbro CEO Tom Dusenberry in a futile attempt to
clear the encryption hurdle. Nothing good came of it, but I thought you
guys would like to know some of what he said.
On the subject of games for the jaguar, Tom says:
"I suggest that we inform Jaguar fans to move on and start playing on a new
system. We are very pleased and proud to own the great Atari franchise and
library of action games."
On the subject of Dana Henry's supposed team working on the encryption
problem, Tom said:
"I am not aware of any pending Jaguar licensing deal and probably will not
support it."
And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for, Tom Dusenberry's
official view on BattleSphere:
"I will not do Battlesphere because we own it and we will not let a game go
without our approval and I do not want to waste the time and resources on a
obsolete system."
Suits, ya gotta love 'em...
Jaguar Interactive II
Message from Hasbro!
Posted by John Hardie (bd1-pub.hofstra.edu) on May 05, 1999 at 15:31:53:
Well,
Since I'm still suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl Virus I figured
I'd post this here and let someone else cross-post it to the newsgroups.
I got a call from Mark Goodreau at Hasbro Int. today giving me the o.k. to
pass along the following information. Hasbro will be announcing in a few
days that they are declaring the Jaguar an "open" platform. What this means
is that they are giving permission to any present and FUTURE jaguar
developers to create games for our favorite system. This also means they
are giving permission for this software to be encrypted. The full details
will be made available shortly.
Before anyone gets full of themselves and thinks that they forced Hasbro
into doing this with all their whining and nonsense talk about protests and
boycotts, let me assure you that it was their intention all along to work
out a solution such as this. Hasbro is a people company and tries to make
their customers happy whenever possible, even when it's only a small
minority of about 500 people.
I hope all the rabble-rousers that were screaming for a boycott will show
their support when this happens by buying an extra Hasbro-made product.
John Hardie
Atari Gaming Headquarters
www.atarihq.com
editor@atarihq.com
Jaguar Interactive II
The latest news from 4Play
Posted by (dynamic13.pm01.santa-cruz.best.com)
on May 06, 1999 at 14:21:58:
Well, Mark Goodreau and Scott talked this morning, and Scott left to pop
into work right afterwards and evidently didn't have time to post (I, on
the other hand, am in the Zone or something doing intense Nuon hacking)
We have nothing in writing yet, but yes, this really does appear to be true
-- Scott didn't give details but evidently Mark was extremely pleasant and
says we should have the official go-ahead .
Personally I'm happy about this for two reasons: First, I've been a
juvenile diabetic for 26 years and contributing to JDF will feel good!
Second, my site is getting TV coverage very soon and I'd planned spawn an
encryption write-in campaign the day the segment aired, so we might get
more letter-writers. I was nervous about this, though, and am pleased to
find that Hasbro's being so helpful.
Note: I just reread the first paragraph and realized that some people are
going to think that I'm working on some 4Play game for Nuon. No, I'm
actually a VM Labs employee as of mid-March, working on something quite
different and also very cool.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Feedback! - Colorado Tragedy 'Blame Debate' Continues
From: "dlormand@aztec.asu.edu"
To: "dpj@delphi.com"
Subj: Game Developer Responsibility
Hi, Dana,
I am a "regular" reader (got all nine issues) and committed Atarian. I'm
really not much of a gamer, but I've played "Doom", and a similar game
"Half-life" on a friend's peecee. I am also a lay youth minister at my
church, so I hear what kids are into, and I've been to more amusement
arcades than I can count, with "Mortal Kombat" and "Tekken" and "Area 51"
and all that. Plus, I was an avid Dungeon and Dragons player in my teen
years, and feel I gave a good account of myself as a Dungeon Master. I
say all that to propose I can see both sides of the issue.
I am aware that video games, and FRP games, have a limitation in that they
pretty much HAVE to incorporate violence and action to be real "adventures".
I certainly tried to put more art and fantastic stuff into my D&D games,
but they just wouldn't work without battles with orcs, etc. You can't sell
very many "Candyland" video games, either.
I also mostly agree with you that video games *by themselves* cannot drive
these disconnected young people to psychopathic acts. Most people that
play video games and watch typical movies do not acquire an "assault rifle"
and start blasting their neighbors, and certainly kids that immerse
themselves in "trenchcoat mafia" style hatred are suffering from more
profound family problems that could largely be remedied by your advice to
parents to "be part of their life ... give 'em a hug often, and tell them
that you love them".
At the same time, though, I dislike seeing you implicitly making the old
argument that media (including video games, movies, and TV shows) have no
influence on our thoughts and behaviours. It just doesn't work for TV
producers to defend their lousy programming as "not affecting young people"
and at the same time take billions of dollars for advertising aimed
squarely at that very audience. The same goes for video game developers
who defend graphic death and gore, and then work up ever more outrageous
game effects intended to attract young buyers.
We are talking responsibility. Parents DO need to take responsibility for
reinforcing positive influences in their children's lives. But video game
developers also need to take responsibility for reinforcing negative
influences, and trying to dodge the blame and going on with business as
usual just doesn't work.
A more productive line of thought would be to figure out where the line
should be - is it really okay for characters to have their spines ripped
out, or fall helplessly down a pit onto spikes? - and why the line should
be there. Some game effects may be "cool", but not responsible.
David Ormand
Tucson, Arizona
TI-99/4a & 1040STfm (4MB, ZIP, CD-ROM)
David,
First of all, thanks for your letter. Secondly, you make some very good
points; and your opinion is shared by many.
I don't think I ever made a blanket statement that the media, of all types,
has no influence on our thoughts and behavior. We're influenced one way or
another by everything that we come into contact. The degree of influence
varies from one person to the next.
What I will debate, and it's all speculation on anyone's part, is the part
of our society which will attempt to use the tragedy in Colorado to boost
their own various agendas. The anti-gun people, the anti-sex-in-movies
people, the anti-violence-in-videogames people, the anti-violence-in-music
people, the bring-back-family-values people, the anti-suggestiveness-on-
television people,and many other so-called zealots of the world. Many of
these alleged well-intentioned people are part of the problem, in my
opinion.
This is not to say that all of the above characteristics shouldn't be
considered. But I think there should some responsibility taken by parent;
certainly the media also has to take an active role.
The question remains: to what degree of responsibility do we assign to each?
Parents need to take a proactive role in teaching their children right from
wrong. And the media needs to stop over-sensationalizing violence.
Also, one problem I see from all of this is that if the media plays such an
integral role in all of this, why isn't there more violence? You and I play
video games but I don't believe either one of us has any plans, influenced
by Doom and the like, to go out and take fantasy out into the real world and
act it out. The same can be said of the other forms of media.
And how do we blame every historical act of violence? Certainly you'd
agree that video games and the rest of the specified media is a relatively
new venue. Look throughout history; you don't have to go back far. Hitler,
the Cambodian killing fields, Jack the Ripper, the Boston Strangler, the
mobster era, etc. What's society's excuse/blame for them?
Everyone is looking to pin the blame _on_ something rather than take
responsibility as a society. We're a violent race. Not something I enjoy
stating, but history bears it out. And it's getting worse. Victims are
getting younger; the perpetrators of these atrocities are also.
What's worse is these kids in Colorado were intelligent. What made them
snap like this? The answer likely died with them. According to reports,
they were 'good' kids. They were 'normal' kids. We had the jocks just like
they did. We had the "in-crowd" like they did. We had the "geeks" and
"nerds" like they did. We had the "long-hairs" like they did. We coped in
whatever clique we belonged to and didn't kill our classmates because of the
"differences"! I was born during the Korean War and went through the Viet
Nam years like everyone else of my generation, and later wars. What's the
difference? Changes in society? Technology?
I think the answers, and more, can be found more in ourselves rather than
others. More in what we do rather than what we play, read, or watch. With
little or no guidance, we're lost. My guess is that these teens in Colorado
had too much time on their hands, and not enough guidance. Mixed with other
influences, their fantasy became reality.
As to where we draw the line with regard to violence in video games, I have
no idea. Game programmers are probably looking for ways to make their games
better, and different, than their predecessors. No one will pay big money
(and games today are not cheap!) for games which appear similar: find bad
guys, kill bad guys, game over. While the game should present itself with a
theme and solution (most games result in a win/lose scenario), most people
also want to have fun getting there. Zapping aliens was fun for most
people, but after awhile, they wanted variety. End result: bigger and
better weapons which resulted in bigger and "better" results.
Does the game need more violence, more gore? Certainly not. But it's
there. I don't see a good way to make a determination of where to draw the
line. And even if such a line were able to be drawn, kids will still have
access to violent games via the internet and other means. _If_ you could
control violence in commercial games, you's never be able to control those
released as freeware, etc.
I still think that it's the responsibility of the parents to guide their
children - in all facets of life. When I was young, I used my imagination
for a lot of my "play time"; today, imagination has been replaced by
technology. Parents need to adapt, and take charge. It's not a "cure-all",
by any means. No matter how much good we've done for our children; no
matter how good our children appear to be, we'll still have a few like those
in Littleton. It's a sobering thought.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Bangladeshi Student Says Can Cure Chernobyl Virus
A Bangladeshi student said Sunday he had invented a software program that
can quickly revive computers crippled by the ``Chernobyl" virus.
Monirul Islam Sharif, a student in Dhaka University's Computer Science
department, has called his invention "MRECOVER" after his name and plans
to post it on the Internet.
He told Reuters he had successfully applied it to cure more than one
computer plagued by the Chernobyl virus -- also known as CIH -- that struck
worldwide on April 26.
Up to 15,000 computers in Bangladesh were disabled and had their memories
and data wiped by the CIH attack, computer users and dealers said.
``A friend had asked me to do something to help recover his lost data
following the CIH attack," the 21-year-old Sharif said.
``I found that my formula was able to recover his lost data. I tried once
again with another damaged Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and applied the same
formula, which also worked."
Chen Ing-hau, a 24-year-old Taiwanese information engineer now serving
mandatory military service, has claimed responsibility for the computer
havoc, admitting his involvement in creating the CIH virus.
CIH hit hardest in countries with weak anti-virus defenses, gumming up
hundreds of thousands of computers in South Korea, Turkey, China, India,
Bangladesh, the Mideast and elsewhere.
Sharif said: ``By applying my software it takes only a few minutes to
recover the lost data. It can retrieve data much more quickly and
efficiently than any of the other customized software of multinational
computer giants available on the Internet."
Born in England in 1977, Sharif also went to school there in his early
years.
Dr Rafiqul Islam, a professor in the Department of Applied Physics and
Electronics at Dhaka University was enthusiastic about Sharif's
virus-busting program.
``With his software you can recover lost data within a few minutes...while
it takes hours by others," he said.
Catching Hackers Becoming Easier
They never unmasked the hacker responsible for Michelangelo, a famous
computer virus that threw a scare into the high-tech world in 1992.
But it took just days to identify the people believed responsible for two
viruses that struck this year. Cybercops also had no trouble finding the
man who allegedly posted a fake news story this month about a corporate
merger that caused one company's stock to gyrate.
In at least two of these cases, investigators used the digital footprints
that every user of the Internet leaves behind to trace the source of the
trouble.
While this may force virus writers or hoaxers to think twice before they
strike, it also shows how easy it is for anyone - a government investigator
or a skilled salesperson - to follow your every online move.
``The same technology that tracks individuals is used to solve crimes and
vice versa," said Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst for the Center for
Democracy and Technology, an Internet civil liberties group in Washington.
``It's melded into one kind of surveillance technology which could lead to
an erosion of privacy."
Actually, there's nothing all that complicated about how the law enforcers
crack a case on the World Wide Web. In fact, it's similar to the way
telephone records are used by investigators.
The online accounts that most people use to roam the Web or send e-mail are
assigned a unique stamp, or ``Internet protocol address," that helps
direct the exchange of data between a Web site and its visitors.
Those IP addresses leave digital footprints that - unfortunately for the
ill-intentioned - don't get wiped out as easily or quickly as a trail of
bread crumbs.
Little is known about Chen Ing-hau, the 24-year-old Taiwanese man
identified on Thursday as the author of Chernobyl, a virus that crippled
hundreds of thousands of computers this week. But IP addresses were clearly
pivotal in tracking down the alleged merger hoaxter, Gary Dale Hoke.
The 25-year-old North Carolina man was arrested two weeks ago after he
allegedly posted a fictional story April 7 saying his employer, PairGain
Technologies, was about be taken over by another company. The false report
caused PairGain's stock to rise sharply, then fall after the hoax was
uncovered.
Hoke, officials said, attempted to conceal his identity with pseudonyms and
fake e-mail addresses, but was identified through an IP address. He was
charged Friday with five counts of securities fraud, punishable by up to 50
years in prison and $5 million in fines.
IP addresses were also used to track down David L. Smith, a 30-year-old
network programmer from New Jersey accused of creating the Melissa e-mail
virus with a stolen America Online account.
Melissa, allegedly named after a topless dancer in Florida, appeared on
March 26 and spread rapidly around the world, clogging e-mail accounts and
shutting down computer networks worldwide.
But IP addresses weren't the only clues used in the Melissa investigation,
and that's what troubles privacy advocates.
The main difference in the Melissa investigation was the use of a serial
number embedded in documents written with the popular program Microsoft
Word.
``We could go around society with tattoos on our forehead and cameras
everywhere, but most people wouldn't like that. But that's what these
serial numbers do," said Schwartz, whose organization has filed a federal
complaint over a similar serial number embedded in Intel's new Pentium III
computer chip.
``Law enforcement has a lot of tools out there to find out who these people
are. We want them to find crooks," Schwartz said.
``But when we make technology, do we want technology that brands
individuals, that's puts our serial numbers everywhere as we visit? There
has to be some sense of anonymity online."
Evacuation Disrupts Deposition In Microsoft Case
Testimony in the Microsoft antitrust case was disrupted temporarily
Friday when the U.S. Federal Courthouse in San Francisco was evacuated for
a bomb threat.
Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Michael Popov, vice president and chief operating
officer of staff operations, was being deposed in a partially closed
session after being subpoenaed by Microsoft, to give more details about
Sun's strategic marketing and development agreement with America Online
Inc.
When AOL announced a deal to buy Netscape Communications Corp. in November
for $4.2 billion, it also announced an alliance with Sun. AOL's deal with
Sun includes plans to develop an ``end-to-end" solution for electronic
commerce, plus other products including a new Internet browser.
In a deposition earlier this week, Microsoft lawyers tried to show that AOL
and Netscape delayed that announcement of their merger for several weeks,
and that discussions were active in August and September, a few weeks
before the Microsoft antitrust trial began in early October. The talks went
on a hiatus and then picked up again in mid November.
``The point is, when (Netscape CEO Jim) Barksdale testified about browser
and browser share, if he had talked about the deal, it would have changed
the dynamic of any cross examination we would have done," said a Microsoft
spokesman.
The entire building in downtown San Francisco was cleared out for about an
hour before the building was reopened at around noon PDT (1500 EDT). The
deposition resumed at about 1230 PDT (1530 EDT) and was still closed to the
press because of the confidentiality issues.
The proceedings have been held partly behind closed doors in U.S. District
Court in San Francisco over objections of news organizations barred from
the proceedings. Microsoft was deposing Popov about certain elements of
Sun's agreement with AOL that Sun said disclosed confidential product
information.
``At this point we are just trying to learn the facts," said Richard
Pepperman, an attorney for Sullivan and Cromwell, which is representing
Microsoft. ``It's too early to say our strategy is x, y and z," he said
when asked what Microsoft hoped to gain from the deposition of Popov and
the remaining depositions.
Pepperman said that so far, one of the most interesting things he had
learned from the deposition was that Popov said that AOL would be
responsible for the development of the new browser, in answer to a question
about a reference in the marketing agreement between the two companies.
The Microsoft trial adjourned in February until at least May 10, but the
company requested depositions to help defend it against allegations that it
used monopoly power to compete unfairly.
Reuters and other news organizations had brought action to open the
depositions under a special federal law governing antitrust cases brought
by the federal government.
Earlier last week, thousands of pages of past depositions were being opened
to the public.
Last Microsoft Witnesses Identified
Six final witnesses in the Microsoft antitrust trial will include an
executive for IBM and two
economists - one for each side - who stumbled
through parts of their earlier testimony, people close to the case said
Monday.
The witnesses will take the stand during the trial's rebuttal phase, an
important opportunity for each side to refine their courtroom positions by
trying to buttress the weakest parts of their arguments.
``You want to nail down those parts of your case," said Robert Litan, a
former senior Justice Department official. ``You want to make sure any
potential weaknesses are cleaned up, tie up loose ends."
The biggest question remaining unanswered at midday Monday was whether the
final witnesses would include Steve Case, the chairman of America Online,
who recently engineered the nearly $10 billion purchase of one of
Microsoft's chief software rivals.
Microsoft argues that AOL's new alliance with Netscape illustrates that
competition is thriving in the high-tech industry.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson earlier quizzed the
government's economist about remarks that Case, of AOL, made in a newspaper
interview denying plans to compete head-to-head with what Case called
Microsoft's monopoly among computer operating systems.
Suggesting the importance the judge assigned the issue, Jackson at the time
made the newspaper clipping Court Exhibit No. 1 and pointedly asked
attorneys for both sides: ``I take it there are no plans on the part of
either party to call Mr. Case, is that correct, or that has not been
decided?"
The witnesses will include two economists who testified previously in the
trial, Richard Schmalensee, a dean at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and MIT's Franklin Fisher.
Fisher, who testified for the government, slipped when he told Justice
lawyer David Boies in January that Microsoft's behavior ``on balance"
hasn't harmed consumers ``up to this point."
Fisher caught himself moments later and amended his answer to explain that
he believed the impact on consumers eventually will be felt.
``We will live, as it were, in a Microsoft world in which choices are the
choices that Microsoft makes," Fisher said. ``I don't think that's good
for consumers, but those effects have only just begun."'
Schmalensee, who appeared for Microsoft, also stumbled on the stand, last
January, when Boies confronted him with an essay Schmalensee wrote 16 years
ago that appeared to contradict his testimony.
``My immediate reaction is, what could I have been thinking?" Schmalensee
said, adding that the essay ``does not provide a good indication of my
present views."
Another government witness will be a mid-level manager at IBM Corp.'s
personal computer division, one person close to the case confirmed Monday.
He did not provide the witness' name.
For the Justice Department and the 19 states suing Microsoft, a curious
hole in its case has been the lack of any of the nation's computer makers
among the lineup of witnesses arrayed against the software giant.
Gateway Inc. Chairman Ted Waite, who heads one of the largest computer
makers, will not be on the list although his name previously surfaced as a
potential witness, an industry source said Monday.
None of the government's 12 previous courtroom witnesses could directly
support government claims that Microsoft, whose popular Windows software
runs most of the world's personal computers, illegally wields its influence
in ways that stifle competition in the high-tech industry.
Instead of live testimony, the government used e-mail evidence and excerpts
from videotaped depositions with some executives to bolster allegations
that Microsoft sets prices for Windows among computer makers to reward its
friends and punish its enemies.
The trial has been in a lengthy recess since Feb. 26 and is not expected to
resume before May 24.
Microsoft E-mail Raising Questions
A computer company in Utah suing Microsoft has unsealed e-mails to support
claims suggesting the software giant intentionally looked for ways to make
its smaller rival's product fail when used with early versions of Windows.
Caldera Inc. contends Microsoft took steps during the late 1980s to ensure
that some of the earliest versions of Windows wouldn't run using Caldera's
DR-DOS operating system.
The e-mails, along with sworn statements from Microsoft employees and
others, were in a 188-page legal filing this week in federal court in Utah
supporting Caldera's $1.6 billion antitrust suit against Microsoft.
AOL Says Browser Share Not Factor In Netscape Buy
An America Online Inc. executive testified Wednesday that his company
believed the market for Internet browsers was ``dead" and had not weighed
browser share in its $10.1 billion purchase of Netscape last year.
Barry Schuler, who heads AOL's interactive services division, was
questioned by Microsoft Corp. in an out-of-court deposition as the software
giant seeks to defend itself from government antitrust charges.
Microsoft has said repeatedly that the AOL-Netscape combination announced
in November makes the accusations leveled by the Justice Department and 19
states meaningless. And a Microsoft lawyer tried to get Schuler to admit
that the deal was hidden from its trial that began in October.
Schuler testified that his firm believed that browsers had dried up as a
potential revenue stream and didn't see them as a major part of the deal.
``There was a lot of concern that the browser business was dead and we
didn't want to evaluate the value of the deal based on browser market
share," Schuler said under questioning.
Schuler added that AOL believed stand-alone browsers had no commercial
value once Microsoft decided to build its browser into the Windows program.
The Justice Department and 19 states are trying to prove Microsoft abused
its monopoly in the Windows operating system found on the vast majority of
all personal computers by using it to gain advantage for its own Web
browser over a version made by Netscape.
Microsoft says the purchase of Netscape by the leading on-line service
shows regulators should let the market do its work.
Microsoft lawyer Steve Holley repeatedly asked Schuler about the timing of
the deal and when the Justice Department was told about it.
The antitrust trial began Oct. 19. Netscape and AOL were exploring the
purchase in September but the deal was not announced until Nov. 24.
Schuler said the deal happened in two phases. AOL did not become
``serious" until the period of Nov. 15-21, he testified.
But Holley asked why AOL had brought investment bankers into the
discussions in September if the discussions were not serious at that point.
Holley asked Schuler if it was ``typical to have your investment bankers
meet with investment bankers for the parties" they planned to acquire
during the evaluation phase.
Then Holley asked if Schuler knew of any other instance where AOL's
investment bankers had talked with parties to be acquired during the
evaluation phase.
``Not to my knowledge," replied Schuler.
AOL also announced that a deposition by AOL Chief Executive Officer Steve
Case has been delayed until later this month, instead of being held Friday.
It is unclear when the antitrust trial itself will resume, but it may
resume later this month.
Microsoft May Have Missed Chance
It was a simple question almost casually put to a software executive during
his testimony in the Microsoft trial, but the answer he gave - and what he
didn't say - may play a central role in the next phase of the case.
Unaware of secret negotiations between America Online and Netscape to forge
a new $9.9 billion alliance, a Microsoft lawyer asked the AOL executive
under oath whether the companies were planning to team up against
Microsoft.
In that instant, in a courtroom packed with journalists, months of
sensitive talks between AOL and Netscape were suddenly at risk of a very
public disclosure that could scuttle the deal - still weeks away from being
announced.
David Colburn, AOL's senior vice president and a lawyer himself, cautiously
answered that AOL, the world's largest Internet provider, was just trying
to compete with Microsoft.
And in what now appears to be an important lost opportunity, Microsoft's
lawyer, John Warden, let the issue drop without pressing Colburn further.
``That answer should have cued the Microsoft lawyer to a natural follow-up
question - how?" said Stephen Gillers, a law school professor at New York
University. ``If that question had been asked, the witness would have had
to reveal the plans. This is not a situation where I blame the witness. I
blame the lawyer."
Microsoft contends that the new AOL alliance has important implications for
its industry and its trial because it shows that competition is thriving
and that government intervention is unnecessary in such an important sector
of the booming economy.
Microsoft said Monday it plans to question Colburn again, as one of the six
final witnesses selected for the next phase of its antitrust trial. In
court papers, lawyers indicated they will ask Colburn about the
``completeness and candor" of his previous testimony.
But legal experts say that Colburn's answer, while clearly constructed to
be intentionally vague, was also carefully enough worded not to expose the
software executive to allegations of perjury.
``The basic rule is that you get to play the role of the piano - unless
your opponent strikes the right key, you don't have to play that note,"
said William Kovacic, an antitrust expert at George Washington University.
Kovacic said he doesn't believe Colburn can be accused of lying under oath,
but added that ``the manner in which he answered, the cleverness of the
effort to sidestep - that raises questions about truthfulness."
Netscape's former chief financial officer, Peter Currie, acknowledged last
week in a deposition that talks with AOL began in late August, even though
the sale wasn't publicly disclosed until late in November.
Colburn dropped few hints about the pending purchase even as he was
cross-examined over two days late in October - close to the peak of the
sensitive negotiations.
Warden, who has questioned some of the government's most important
witnesses during the trial, quizzed Colburn on the stand about AOL's
previous attempts in late 1995 to combine forces against Microsoft.
Warden read e-mail sent to AOL from Netscape's co-founder, Marc Andreessen,
proposing to ``use our unique respective strengths to go kick the
(expletive) out of the beast from Redmond that wants to see us both dead."
``Is AOL still trying to do what Mr. Andreessen suggested be done to the
beast from Redmond?" Warden asked, almost prophetically.
Colburn demurred: ``What do you mean specifically?" Then, he added, ``I
think what AOL is trying to do, from my perspective, is to compete."
Gillers, the law school professor who specializes in evidence and ethics,
blames Warden for posing ``really a very vague question," saying that
Colburn couldn't be sure precisely what he was being asked.
Kovacic was more generous toward Microsoft.
``It's awfully tough, in retrospect," he said. ``If you don't know what's
on the other side of the curtain, it's a bit hard to do."
The Justice Department and 19 states suing Microsoft say the deal is
irrelevant to charges that the software giant illegally maintains a
monopoly over the market for computer operating systems.
U.N. Rules To Halt 'Cybersquatting'
A U.N. agency said today it has finished drawing up new rules to halt the
practice known as cybersquatting in time for the new Internet
name-assigning body to adopt them this month.
The rules try to address a wide range of concerns while protecting
well-known trademarks for use as addresses on the World Wide Web, said
Francis Gurry, assistant director-general of the World Intellectual
Property Organization.
The intent is to stop people from registering Web addresses involving
trademarks of famous companies in hopes of getting the companies to pay
high sums to buy the rights to the address.
A key element is a requirement that anyone registering an address give
accurate contact information in case there is a dispute. The address would
be disconnected if the holder was unreachable.
Anyone can register an address for about $100. Corporations often end up
spending thousands of dollars to buy the rights to the address, or hundreds
of thousands of dollars in litigation to stop its use around the world.
The carmaker Porsche, for example, has encountered cybersquatters using 126
close variations on its name, Gurry said.
And in anticipation that Texas Gov. George W. Bush will run for U.S.
president, 41 variations of his name have been registered - only two of
which have anything to do with the potential campaign, Gurry said.
He conceded that applicants would give up some privacy, but said people
could still have anonymous sites through Internet service providers, which
would accept responsibility for policing their own customers.
Gurry said the proposed rules involve an easy, cheap system for resolving
disputes between competing claims for the same domain name. Decisions would
be binding and could be enforced by the registrars simply changing the
computer addresses behind the domain names.
Although rulings would be final, losers could still turn to the courts for
legal redress, Gurry said.
WIPO, which coordinates international patents, copyrights and trademarks,
spent nearly a year drafting the rules at the request of the United States,
which is giving up its management of the Internet.
Gurry said the rules would be handed over to the fledgling Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in time for a meeting in Berlin
later this month. They would then be presented to the WIPO's 171 member
countries at a meeting in September.
The California-based ICANN - chosen by the Clinton administration last year
to oversee the assignment of Web addresses - already has laid the
groundwork for adopting the rules.
Government Loses Encryption Case
The government's all-out efforts to keep encryption technology out of the
private sector received a severe blow today, as a federal appeals court
ruled that source code is speech protected by the First Amendment.
A divided Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said that mathematics
Professor Daniel Bernstein can post his source code on the Internet without
getting clearance from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Bernstein filed suit to be allowed to post the source code of his
encryption program, Snuffle, on the Internet for educational purposes. U.S.
law prohibits exporting encryption technology beyond a certain strength,
unless a software-based key is provided, so that messages can be read.
Bernstein's victory suggests that these laws are no longer valid. But
lawyers familiar with the case say that federal regulations governing
encryption exports will in all likelihood remain in effect until the U.S.
Supreme Court takes up the issue, which is widely expected.
Sun To Unveil Major Initiative For Service Providers
Sun Microsystems Inc. said that it plans to launch Wednesday a major
initiative to sell its products to service providers -- companies which
offer network services to corporations such as Web site hosting and e-mail.
Service providers range from companies selling Internet access to software
developers, systems integration companies and even a chip maker, all
selling systems and network management functions to companies that are
farming out more of their computer operations.
Sun plans to announce the initiative at a press conference in New York,
with about 150 customers and partners.
``Most corporations have been insourcing and building massive information
technology structures, that's the way we have had to do it for years,"
said Ed Zander, Sun's president and chief operating officer. ``About a
year, 18 months ago, we began to see the growth of companies who want to
offer applications and services over the network...This is going to be big,
if not bigger, than the Internet in our home."
For example, Zander said Sun is now starting to outsource management of its
electronic mail, sales automation and other applications to other companies
to cut its operating costs.
Intel Corp. recently announced plans to become a service provider by
building big data centers so that small and medium-sized businesses can
outsource electronic commerce activities through the chip giant, as it
seeks to expand beyond its core microprocessor business.
Another service provider is Exodus Communications Inc., which plans to have
20 Internet data centers by year end, powering electronic commerce sites
for companies like Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s
free email service, HotMail.
As part of this big initiative, Sun plans to offer starter kit products,
such as pre-configured servers that can be ordered and shipped the next
business day.
Sun also plans a new compensation model for its sales force, an aggressive
product leasing program, a competency product testing center, on-site
services, and other offerings.
``We want to be the lumber yard to provide all these technologies for these
service providers and get them up and running," Zander said.
He said that Sun hopes to sell more hardware, software and services but
that its efforts will likely fuel faster growth in software and services,
because those businesses are starting from a smaller revenue base.
Zander did not give any revenue projections for the new initiative. He said
Sun is targeting a market estimated at generating revenues of up to $142
billion in three years.
=~=~=~=
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