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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 02 Issue 45
Volume 2, Issue 45 Atari Online News, Etc. November 10, 2000
Published and Copyright (c) 2000
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:
Kevin Savetz
Simon Osborne
Dominique Bereziat
Daniel L. Dreibelbis
To subscribe to A-ONE, send a message to: dpj@delphi.com
and your address will be added to the distribution list.
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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:
http://people.delphi.com/dpj/a-one.htm
http://www.icwhen.com/aone/
http://a1mag.atari.org
Coming Soon:
http://a1mag.b-squared.net
Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0245 11/10/00
~ Atari Up-to-Date Back! ~ People Are Talking! ~ LDG Updated!
~ AMS 2000 Show Tomorrow ~ ICANN Weeds Out More! ~ Mac IE6
~ RadioShack/MSN Beware! ~ TAF Flea Market Nears! ~ PSX "Crash Bash"!
~ You Don't Know Jack! ~ Beatles On the Web! ~ Grinich Dies!
-* Asian Domain Names Accepted! *-
-* "Bush Wins" Papers Selling On eBay! *-
-* Microsoft Told to Pay Bristol Legal Fees *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I apologize, but this week I just have to break my promise to not discuss
politics in this magazine! Here we are, in the year 2000 with some of the
best technology in the world, and we can't create a voting ballot that's
easy to read, mark, and count!?! Unbelievable! This reminds me of the
election in the 70's in which McGovern got walloped. Here in Massachusetts,
there were bumper stickers galore which read: "Don't blame me, I'm from
Massachusetts" (the only state McGovern won!). Pretty soon, we'll be seeing
stickers that read: "Don't blame me, I'm NOT from Florida!" And Hillary
gets elected to the U.S. Senate?!?! And to top it off, a dead man wins!
Politics for 2000 will live forever in the anals (I spelled that correctly!)
of history!
One story in this week's issue I just have to push you to read. I couldn't
believe it myself. Talk about "Buyer beware"! To sign up for RadioShack's
MSN Cable service, read the fine print. You need to buy a new Compaq system
in order to use the service! Terrific racket! Betcha those are selling
like hotcakes! NOT!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
Atari Up-to-Date List Re-opens
The Up-to-Date list now has its own domain. UTD list is a versiontracker
for Atari ST: it lists Atari software, and their version numbers, and
further information.
The old address at atari-web.de is no longer valid.
http://www.atariuptodate.de (in German)
LDG 2.00 Release
Hi,
A new version of LDG (version 2.00) is available at:
http://ldg.atari.org/
LDG is a TOS based system allowing GEM applications to load and share
dynamical libraries. This last version is really faster than previous one
(version 1.20).
The package provides a GEM installer and a developer kit for Gcc, Pure C
and Sozobon C. However, it is very simple to use LDG for other language
(that explained in the ST-guide documentation of LDG).
Have fun
Dominique Bereziat | Dominique.Bereziat@inria.fr
http://www-rocq.inria.fr/~bereziat
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE User Group Notes! - Meetings, Shows, and Info!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
AMS 2000 Show, 11th November, Stafford
Hello,
Just a reminder to everyone that the AMS 2000 show is being held on
Saturday 11th November, at Bingley Hall, Stafford. 10am till 4pm.
The site is situated on the A518, about 10-15minutes from Junction 14 of
the M6. There is a shuttle bus to and from Stafford Rail Station during
show hours.
Some of the Atari exhibitors are:
Abingdon Synthesis Products - The home for some great add-ons for your Atari
Alive! Diskmagazine Team - See what's happening in the world of Disk
Magazines
Atari Active - The UK's first online Atari Magazine
Keychange Music - Fine-tune your Atari with some great add-ons, and much
more
Portfolio Club UK - For all things Portfolio related
Tyne & Wear Atari Group - User-group action with the team from the North
Telegames - Atari Jaguar and Lynx gaming action
And the usual selection of PC hardware etc.
For more information, visit the Sharward website at www.sharward.co.uk or
telephone 01473 212113, fax 01473 212114.
For people interested in booking a stand, Hurry! Not many places left, and
get them whilst you still can!
See you there!
Simon Osborne
Atari Active
www.atariactive.co.uk
TAF Flea Market Thursday, November 16th
Once again, it's time for the famous Toronto Atari Federation Flea
market!
Yes, on Thursday, November 16th from 7-10 PM, come in and see what
there is to offer in all things Atari! Looking for hardware, software,
or a rare item? Chances are you'll find it here! Need to sell something?
You can do the same here as well, we supply the tables! Sell your old
stuff, find yourself a treasure! And do so while rubbing elbows and
talking with fellow Atari users!
Ken Macdonald will be there to demonstrate and sell the latest in
Mario Becroft's products for utilizing modern hardware on your classic
Atari, from mouse and SVGA adaptors to the new multi-outlet MIDI device
to the QWERTY-X keyboard/mouse adaptor. We hear he may even demo some
software on his tricked-out Falcon.
Dan Dreibelbis will be there as well - he's got his photos back from
his New York City vacation, and he'll be showing them off with some
interesting commentary on what went down.
Please note: as always, TAF does not support piracy or selling stolen
goods. Anyone attempting to sell stolen software and hardware at a TAF
Flea Market will be dealt with within the full extent of the law!
So come in and be prepared to sell, buy and browse, and have a grand
old time at the Flea Market! See you there!
The TAF meeting will be held in the Silver Room underneath the
library in North York Centre at 5120 Yonge Street - parking facilities
available within the Centre. Those who wish to take public transit can
take the York/University/Spadina line to North York Centre Station.
More Info:
Ken Macdonald , president - anarkist@idirect.com
Dan Dreibelbis, VP - dreibel@idirect.com
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@portone.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, it seems that some folks DID take
my advice about getting out and voting this past week, but not as many
as I had hoped.
Turnout for the election was "about average" on the whole, but in some
areas... my state for instance... turnout was amazingly high. Maybe
more people here in Connecticut are reading my column! <g>
It looks like the presidential election fell victim to that old Chinese
curse: "May you live in interesting times". It strikes me as supremely
funny that in this day and age, when computers allow us to communicate
with others half way around the world with ease, that the process of
electing a leader in the second millennium may well end up taking as
long as it did two hundred years ago. That was the original reason for
the span of time between election day and inauguration day.
I had thought about a little conversation about the electoral college
and whether it should or should not be retired, but to tell you the
truth I'm of two minds about it. And no matter what I say, those who
actually make the decisions are quite unlikely to listen to anything
that I have to say. So let's just say that we are victims of that
Chinese curse.
On another front, our new website ( http://atari.b-squared.net ) is
almost ready to go into full service. It's a really neat site. Our
thanks to both Scott Dowdle for providing the space and Rob Mahlert for
his hard work and diligence in making this site something that we will
be proud of and something that readers will find useful. Damn, it's
good to have friends.
Now on with the show...
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Barrie at Keychange asks for help with a SCSI drive:
"A customer sent a 9 gig SCSI Seagate drive in recently, he wanted to use
it on his Falcon but it wouldn't format etc.
We used all the software we had to sort it out, no joy so we tried it on
the PC.
This attempted to format but returned the legend '.....this drive may have
been locked, you must use a utility to unlock it' or words to that effect.
Any ideas, 9 gig on a Falcon would be very useful...."
John Garone tells Barrie:
"I believe that some heads must be 'parked' if the HD is to be shipped!
I have a program from ICD to do this called HDPARK.TOS but not a program
to un-park the heads. However, it may work either way (if heads are parked
it un-parks them and visa-versa but that's a guess on my part). If you'd
like to try it, E-mail me and I'll send it out to you."
Claes Holmerup tells John and Barrie:
"All normal drives do this un-parking during startup, so I doubt it would
help. All modern drives have an "auto park" function, so there's no meaning
in running a parking program anymore either. They actually use the
mechanical energy after power is switched off, to move the head to a safe
location and mechanically lock it there - so even at a power loss, the drive
is parked automatically.
One thing to check could be to see if you can find a jumper which switches
between two modes of startup. One "spin up at power on" and the other is
"spin up on command". Those modes are set with one jumper and you can
probably find which one on the manufacturers' website. Set it to "spin up at
power on" and you'll make sure the drive will always start..."
Dr. Uwe Seimet, the author of HD Driver, adds:
"Any decent software will provide the SCSI error message sent by the
drive on the attempt to format it. With this error message you can
usually see what's wrong."
Peter Schneider adds his thoughts:
"No SCSI drive needs to be formatted in order to use it with an Atari
computer, and I think that should be true for any OS type.
A simple partitioning and a reboot afterwards is all you'll have to do.
A couple of weeks ago, I was offered a SCSI drive that obviously had
been used on a UNIX system, so HDDRUTIL (7.8) complained of a strange
partition type (neither GEM nor BGM, but something like $1B), I
partitioned twice, rebooted and: I felt fine!
In the case of a locked drive I'd try to 'play with jumpers',
especially the 'automatic motor spindle on`. And if it's a Seagate,
I'd even try to use the factory jumper, just to power up the drive..."
Derryck Croker tells Peter:
"I believe that modern (and the Seagate in question is certainly that)
drives park themselves automatically, using energy derived from the still-
spinning platter when you remove power."
Grzegorz Pawlik asks a question about scanners and software:
"I have a question concerning a GoldenImage hand scanner. It works
great with the Touch-Up graphic program supplied with the scanner.
However, when I try to use "Scan" option in any other application,
(eg. OCR or Chagall) I get "No GDPS Scanner driver installed"
message. Why? Where can I find that GDPS driver and how to install it?"
Steve Stupple tells Grzegorz:
"Some software was designed to work with specific scanners. Calamus, for
example, has scanner input for a couple of scanners but not Golden
Image's!
There are generic OCR software titles around that work FROM the image
file scanned. Golden Image's OCR software is pretty good and they do a
VERY LARGE collection of software for scanners.
The software you may be using, may only be designed for that specific
scanner."
Derryck Croker adds:
"Calamus (and the other programs that Grzegorz mentioned) use the GDPS
system for accessing scanners. It's similar to the Twain system on PCs -
a protocol rather than a specific driver or scanner....
Check out Homa Systems House at http://www.magma.ca/~nima/
Nima's ScanX scanner driver is GDPS-compatible, and works very well
indeed - all I do is run it and close its window - it sits in the
background and is automatically called from the "Scan" menu item in
supporting applications. It works very well indeed from within such
programs as Alexander Clauss' OCR. Not sure how this works with non-MagiC
systems, I'd expect it to be similar.
The downside is that there isn't such a driver AFAIK for your scanner,
Nima's is for flatbed scanners which connect via the SCSI system."
Bob Clark asks for help in outfitting his BBS:
"I am looking for downloads of external door programs or games for my
BBS. So far all I've come across is a Story door and an old version of
Space Empire Elite. Does anyone know where I can find any others
(or failing that, does anybody have any that they can send?)
Incidentally, I am running Transcendence BBS if that helps any."
Rob Mahlert tells Bob:
"2 sites to try...
Crawly Crypt Atari Software Archive: http://www.spythis.com/cca/dir.html
or good old UMich: http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/
I crashed my hard drive... so I MIGHT have lost the Transcendence
source files. Did you have any luck finding them?"
Tim Anderson asks:
"Is it possible to upgrade a Mega ST 1 to 4 meg using the chips of a 4 meg 30
pin simm?
If not how can I do it?? I don't really want to buy an upgrade board!"
Shiuming Lai tells Tim:
"If you don't know how to do such a job you probably couldn't do it
even with the right information (note: this is nothing personal).
False economy. How much is an upgrade board these days? Not very much
at all for something that is properly designed to do the job instead
of hacking around.
You can get "upgrade boards" which simply accept 30-pin SIMMs, in
case you didn't know. The Marpet Xtra-RAM boards are still made
and sold by sales@system-solutions.co.uk"
Barrie at Keychange adds:
"Price quoted today £129 inc 4mb memory, mine are a little cheaper. I also
have some of the Marpet standard upgrades. My website is:
www.atamusic.u-net.com "
Krzysztof Maj asks:
"Where can I find files with sound samples in AVR format?
Using search engines gave no effect.
I need some jingles for use with STarCall and POPwatch. I also wanted
AICQ to give a try.
All above programmes use sound files in AVR format."
Kevin Dermott tells Krzysztof:
"Even better, check out all this free (what a thank you to the Atari
scene from electronic cow) modern software
http://ds.dial.pipex.com/electronic_cow/cownet.shtml
Convert, roll our own, edit and more!"
Stephen Moss adds:
"AVR is the Atari sound file format and as far as I know is only used
with SAM (System Audio Manager) software on the Falcon, SAM allows you to
add sounds to functions like on boot-up, open/close file/folders/windows or
deleting files, like you can with Microsoft Windows (shudder).
SAM will also accept Windows WAV audio files as well as raw data (though it
takes along time to process this, when I tried processing raw data I gave up
waiting after 30 minutes).
SAM can also be used for basic recording functions so that you can record
your own sounds using the Falcons DSP, IIRC it also allows you to save WAV
as AVR and AVR as WAV files."
Well folks, that's it for this week. I know it's short, but I guess
that a lot of people have been paying more attention to the election
than to the newsgroup... and I've got to put a little more time in on
the new website before the hordes of Atari users rush to see it. <grin>
Till next time, keep your ear to the ground, your shoulder to the
wheel, your hand on the wheel, and your eye on the road, and always...
always be ready to listen to what they say when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - "Real Pool"! "Crash Bash"!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 'WCW Assault'! Tiger Woods!
"Shenmue"! 'You Don't Know Jack'!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Mock 2 for the
PlayStation Hits Stores!
Trivia Reaches Twice the Speed of Laughter!
Sierra On-Line and Jellyvision, Inc. announced the release of YOU DON'T
KNOW JACK Mock 2 for the PlayStation game console. The game introduces a
new 3D environment and new questions for PlayStation gamers looking for a
hilarious and fast-paced experience. Sierra also just released YOU DON'T
KNOW JACK 5th Dementia (Windows 95/98/2000). Developed by Jellyvision,
Inc. and published by Sierra's Casual Entertainment Division, the YOU DON'T
KNOW JACK award-winning trivia series has sold over 2.5 million units since
1998.*
``YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Mock 2 is the funniest, fastest and coolest version
of JACK yet," said John Friederich, senior brand manager for Sierra. ``It
is the perfect holiday gift for anyone looking for the ultimate party
experience."
``Quite honestly, YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Mock 2 will save your life," said
Dan Fiden, creative director for Jellyvision. ``After winning the Nobel
Peace Prize and giving birth, the completion of the single greatest piece
of computer software ever, YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Mock 2, was the proudest
moment of my life. Please buy it immediately."
With a new episodic structure, a new question type and new 3D art and
music, this game keeps players laughing 'til their sides hurt. Up to three
players can compete head-to-head using Multi-tap or shared controllers.
There are 750 questions and 50 game show episodes to play in a new 3D-art
environment.
Available now at the MSRP of $29.95, YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Mock 2 for the
PlayStation is also compatible with PlayStation 2 computer entertainment
system.
Crash Bash Brings Pure Adrenaline Excitement
to the PlayStation Game Console
Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced the nationwide release of
Crash Bash, a 3D arena-based battle game created exclusively for the PS
one console and the PlayStation game console. Crash and his friends (and
those nasty foes) are back, and they're ready to ride, race, jump and
battle it out to the finish in the fifth installment of the popular,
multi-million-unit selling Crash Bandicoot series.
Crash Bash features signature Crash-style gameplay with animated
characters, humorous antics, boisterous actions, brilliant and vivid
worlds, frantic battles, heart-pumping chases, adventure and puzzles. With
seven, four-player competitive events and gameplay that varies between
fast-paced, intense, head-to-head battles and adrenaline-rushing races for
points, players will be tested on their skills, agility and perseverance.
``The Crash Bandicoot series has been one of the most successful franchises
to date for PlayStation with over 16 million units sold worldwide," said
Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment
America. ``Delivering signature Crash-style gameplay with an intense, whole
new action-packed twist, Crash Bash is sure to be another favorite among
consumers this holiday season."
The storyline revolves around the rivalry between Uka Uka, evil twin of Aku
Aku, both ancient witch doctor spirits. Uka Uka calls for a final
challenge: A competition of various arena-based battles to determine
whether the forces of light or dark are more powerful. Each spirit will
send his greatest champions into battle. Once again, Crash Bandicoot and
his team must save the planet, as the fate of the world depends on the
outcome of the game.
Players can battle as one of eight different characters including Crash
Bandicoot, Coco, Dingodile, Tiny, Dr. Neo Cortex, N. Brio, Koala Kong and
newcomer Rilla Roo, in either Adventure Mode or Battle Mode. Adventure Mode
is playable with one or two players and similar in structure to the
signature platform-style Crash Bandicoot games. It features 28 competitive
``events" in which gamers battle computer opponents and four bosses.
Battle Mode is playable with up to four players going head-to-head in an
arena setting. In the short version of Battle Mode, the game is played
until one player wins three times in a single arena. The tournament version
of Battle Mode is a succession of short battles where players accumulate
rank points based on their performance.
Key features in Crash Bash include:
-- An action extravaganza -- the gameplay ranges from fast-paced, intense,
head-to-head battles to adrenaline-pumping races for points. You'll
have to think fast and play even faster
-- All-time favorite characters -- get ready to rumble! Select from
Crash, Coco, Dingodile, Tiny, Dr. Neo Cortex, N. Brio, Koala Kong and
new baddie, Rilla Roo
-- Variety of Play Modes -- Adventure, Battle and Tournament modes deliver
fast, frenetic fun! Take on the computer A.I. in Solo or Team play, or
plug in the Multi tap and show your friends who's really top bandicoot
-- More than 28 competitive events will keep you playing for days
-- Tons of moves -- walk, run, kick, spin, pick-up and throw, jump, ride,
slide and shoot
-- Wild rides -- saddle up on polar cubs, bounce on pogo sticks, pilot
hover ships and drive tanks in a smackdown, beat 'em up, push 'em out
battle
-- Enjoy signature Crash-style gameplay with a well-known cast of
characters, humorous antics, animated actions, brilliant and vivid
worlds, frantic battles, heart-pumping chases, exploration, adventure
and puzzles -- a game that's fun for the entire family
-- Innovative new 2-player cooperative mode. Get ready for a brandicoot
brawl-fest!
Crash Bash features a variety of competitive events including: Last Man
Standing, where the surviving player wins the round of play; Points Play,
where the player with the highest or lowest score at the end of the
competition is the winner, depending on the object of the particular
battle; and Pick Up Play, which requires players to nab a number of goodies
from the playing arena in order to take first place.
All competitions and events will require players to negotiate obstacles,
hazards, pitfalls and puzzles using their arsenal of moves, including
walking, running, kicking, spinning, picking up and throwing, jumping,
shooting, and riding vehicles or animals. Power-ups offer speed, strength,
stamina and weapons, while hidden bonus levels add another whole new
dimension to the game.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates Crash Bash
``E" for ``Everyone."
Infogrames Banks It Into the Corner Pocket With
Real Pool for the PlayStation 2--in Stores This Week
Rack 'Em Up! Infogrames announced that its pool simulation game, Real Pool,
for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system is shipping to stores
this week. This leisure sport has never looked so good!
Real Pool offers real-world physics, with every shot behaving as it would
on a real pool table. Players can line up and sink the perfect shot with
the ability to see every angle of the set-up with complete 360 degree
views, and the option to use an optic guideline to help set up the shot.
``Real Pool is a game that everyone in your family can appreciate," said
Laddie Ervin, director of marketing for the sports and racing label at
Infogrames, Inc. ``The game's incredible physics and outstanding graphics
will amaze mom and dad or the family billiards aficionado, while the
addictive puzzle tables will keep the kids coming back for more."
Real Pool's 12 game modes include Basic, 8-Ball, 9-Ball, Rotation, Carom
and non-traditional pool games such as 5-9 and Bowliards. In 5-9, rules of
9-Ball apply, however, the 5-ball and 9-ball are worth extra points that
are doubled if either is pocketed into a side pocket. Bowliards is a hybrid
of bowling and billiards in which score is tracked for 10 frames. In
Tournament Mode, players will have a chance to become the ultimate pool
shark as they match skills with eight computer opponents. Each opponent
displays its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses.
In addition to the traditional pool gameplay modes, Real Pool offers 25
puzzle games that take place on uniquely shaped tables such as a
cloverleaf, a star, a triangle and an H-shaped table. Players will have a
specific number of shots to knock in a certain amount of ``hit" balls,
with obstacles to thwart their efforts. The whole family will enjoy
learning the skill and technique it takes to win at one of these puzzlers.
Real Pool is developed by Takara Co. Ltd. and published by Infogrames, Inc.
Real Pool offers 1-2 player competitive action and allows players to choose
their in-game music from the ``jukebox". Real Pool will be available in
most major retail outlets for an estimated retail price of $39.99.
EA Begins the Assault...WCW Backstage Assault Ships
for the PlayStation With Nintendo 64 to Follow
No ring means no holds barred. Taking the thrill and excitement of
wrestling out of the ring to an all new level, Electronic Arts gives
players exclusive backstage passes to square off against their favorite
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) superstar with the current release of
WCW Backstage Assault for the PlayStation game console. EA will release a
Nintendo 64 version of the game on December 12.
Inspired by the exciting world of WCW, the game challenges gamers to an
entirely new style of action-packed wrestling. A virtual free-for-all, WCW
Backstage Assault is the first game of its kind to feature matches located
entirely backstage and outdoors. Wrestling fans will have the freedom to
bounce off rubber tires as if they were ropes in the ``Parking Garage" or
perform turnbuckle aerial moves by jumping off the top of lockers in the
``Bathroom." Progressing through seven different environments and 14
rooms, the quest for the belt still comes down to the knockout, submission
or the traditional ``3-count" to end every match. Throughout the game,
players can interact with more than 40 different objects and environmental
hazards that can be used as weapons. These include bathroom sinks, lead
pipes and trash cans. In addition, a variety of secret weapons and special
power-ups can be discovered and incorporated into every assault for added
fun and excitement...WCW style.
Players can choose from 62 different wrestlers, including today's hottest
WCW superstars like Sting, Goldberg and Booker T, as well as the
ever-popular women of WCW. For fans wanting to add their own personal
touches, the robust ``Create-A-Superstar" function allows gamers to make
36 different attribute alterations from skills such as increased strength
and added quickness to visual changes such as adding tattoos and changing
the style of clothing each wrestler can wear.
Whatever wrestler is chosen, they will have to be up to the task of
brawling in either ``Exhibition," ``Hardcore Gauntlet" or ``Hardcore
Challenge" matches. Exhibition mode is a great way to practice and perfect
wrestling skills and attempt the First Blood and Human Torch matches.
Running the ``Hardcore Gauntlet" will send players through seven
back-to-back matches against the toughest opponents that WCW Backstage
Assault has to offer. Choose the ``Hardcore Challenge" for the ultimate
WCW experience where the goal is to earn the Hardcore, U.S. and World title
belts. Win the belt and earn a spot in the elite ``Hall of Champions."
Actual WCW broadcasters, Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are on-hand to
provide more than 8000 lines (PlayStation version only) of entertaining
play-by-play and color commentary throughout each match.
WCW Backstage Assault carries a ``T" (Teen) rating and both versions of
the title carry an MSRP of US$49.95 each.
Infogrames, Inc. Sends Sega Dreamcast Into
Overdrive With Test Drive Le Mans
Infogrames announced that its 24-hour racing simulation, Test Drive Le Mans,
is racing into stores this week for Sega Dreamcast. Developed by Infogrames
Melbourne House, the game offers all-new features for this platform
including new racing teams, new tracks and all new game modes exclusive for
Dreamcast. Grab a cup of coffee, because you'll need the caffeine rush to
finish this race!
``Test Drive Le Mans makes the Daytona 500 seem like a quick drive to the
store," said Laddie Ervin, director of marketing for the sports and racing
label at Infogrames, Inc. ``Test Drive Le Mans challenges racing fans to
compete for 24 hours at speeds up to 200 mph, and with physics and graphics
this real, you can practically smell the burning rubber as you scream
around the corners!"
Capturing the true essence of Le Mans racing with its around-the-clock,
day-to-night-to-day lighting conditions, Test Drive Le Mans is the
officially licensed game of the 24 Heures du Mans. Test Drive Le Mans for
Dreamcast offers more than 40 vehicles and 10 real-world tracks, as well as
realistic physics and graphical effects such as dust, smoke, sparks and
real-time shadows.
Test Drive Le Mans' five game modes include Le Mans, Quick Race,
Championship, Time Trial and four-player Multiplayer. The Le Mans mode
offers players a chance to simulate the 24-Hour race by choosing
time-compressed 10 minute, 30 minute, one hour or six hour modes, or they
can participate in an actual 24-Hour race.
Test Drive Le Mans offers an accurate re-creation of the world-famous Le
Mans circuit track as well as nine other Le Mans tracks. New tracks that
are exclusive to the Dreamcast include Brno, Donington National and
Donington Grand Prix, Catalunya National and Catalunya Grand Prix, Suzuka
National, Suzuka Medium and Suzuka Grand Prix.
Test Drive Le Mans also offers two broad competition classes: GT and
Prototypes. New racing teams for Dreamcast include among others, the
Newcastle United Lister Storm and Jabouille Bouresche. Other teams include
Nissan Motorsports, Toyota Motorsports, Panoz Motorsports, BMW Motorsports,
Team Oreca, Chamberlain Engineering and Konrad Motorsport.
With up to 24 cars competing in each race at one time, players can expect
the same challenges that real Le Mans drivers face when their tires lose
traction and gas and oil levels drop, forcing them to pit their vehicles.
While in the pits, players can change tires, re-fuel, or make repairs to
their vehicle.
Test Drive Le Mans will offer two, three or four player multiplayer support
via split-screen. Test Drive Le Mans is available at an estimated retail
price of $29.99 and can be found at most major retail outlets. Test Drive
Le Mans is also currently available for the personal computer, Sony
PlayStation Game console and Nintendo Game Boy Color.
EA SPORTS Ships NASCAR 2001 for the PlayStation 2
Slide into the driver's seat of your favorite NASCAR ride and take to the
track in hopes of a Cup Series Championship, or focus on making the elusive
trip down victory lane at the Daytona 500. Electronic Arts announced the
release of NASCAR 2001 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.
Daytona International Speedway is the latest addition to the NASCAR
franchise and allows gamers to take on hallowed grounds and dominate at
Daytona® for the first time in a PlayStation 2 game.
``EA SPORTS captures the heart of NASCAR with all the elements that make
NASCAR great," said Tony Stewart, 1999 Rookie of the Year and 2000
five-time race winner. ``The only way I know to give a more exciting
driving experience than NASCAR 2001 for the PlayStation 2 is to have them
ride shotgun in the No. 20 car at the Daytona 500."
NASCAR 2001 for the PlayStation 2 takes full advantage of the console's
graphic horsepower and the game features the best graphics in EA SPORTS
NASCAR franchise history. Improved car physics and computer driver AI
allows EA SPORTS to add greater depth to real-life driver tendencies in the
game. Each driver is rated in five categories that translate his real-life
abilities and tendencies onto the 'living racetrack' that exists in each
game session. Thus, all 19 of the computer drivers that compete with the
player's car in a given race have an independent AI model making constant
decisions: Draft behind the player's car and try to get to the front? Fake
high and then dive low? Bump the driver who spun him the lap before?
Because of the AI model's complexity, the computer drivers may work with or
against the human player and other computer drivers at different times in
the race, even causing wrecks with each other.
A detailed 12-point damage model brings to life the car deformations that
occur when drivers collide within the confines of the track. Each of the 12
damage points will also differentiate between a light rubbing, bump, or
full impact between two cars and where the damage occurs on the car. Damage
modes are user-selectable and can be turned of for novice racers still
learning the ropes, while veteran gamers will have to hit the pits for
damage relief. Other environmental effects include, sparks, oil fires,
wheel marks on car bodies, wall marks, and car part debris that become
obstacles on the track.
``This isn't just the best NASCAR game we have ever made," said David
DeMartini, executive producer in charge of NASCAR production. ``NASCAR 2001
for the PlayStation 2 is positioned to be the best race game for the
platform. We are excited to bring in fans from all racing genres to enjoy a
great racing experience, NASCAR style."
The game includes 34 active drivers and cars updated for the 2000 season.
Drivers include notables such as: Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin,
Terry Labonte, Jeff Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, Rusty Wallace, Matt Kenseth,
Mike Skinner, Ricky Rudd, John Andretti, Kyle Petty, Jerry Nadeau, Kenny
Wallace, Ken Schrader, Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott,
Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, Bobby Hamilton, Ward Burton, Steve Park,
Geoffrey Bodine, Wally Dallenbach, Chad Little, Kevin Lepage, Elliott
Sadler, Scott Pruett, and Joe Nemechek. Also included are non-active
drivers such as, ``the King" Richard Petty, Adam Petty, and Kenny Irwin
Jr.
Twelve official NASCAR tracks are in the game, including Daytona
International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, The California Speedway,
Lowe's Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway,
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Richmond International
Raceway, Sears Point Raceway, Talledega Superspeedway, and Watkins Glen
International. Night racing is available on tracks where NASCAR races at
night including Lowe's, Bristol and Richmond.
NASCAR 2001 for the PlayStation 2 is rated ``E" (Everyone) by the ESRB.
The game has a suggested retail price of $49.95.
Tee It Up With EA's Newest Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf Game
Electronic Arts delivers Tiger Woods to interactive golf on two platforms,
as EA SPORTS ships the latest of its Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf series for
the PC and the PlayStation video game console. In its final version of
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf for the PlayStation console, EA SPORTS tees up
its most comprehensive console golf title to date with eight elite PGA TOUR
professionals, six prestigious courses, faster gameplay, crisper graphics
and six different game modes, including a new EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Challenge
mode.
``We worked really hard to perfect the PlayStation game this year," said
John Vifian, Executive Producer of the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf franchise.
``We focused on the feel and fun factor of gameplay, as well as the depth
of the features, so that the game would be appealing and have replay value
for years."
The game sports an even deeper line-up of top golfers. Stewart Cink, Robert
Damron and Mark Calcavecchia enhance the depth of the PlayStation game's
roster. The different game modes accommodate any golfer's interests,
ranging from ``skins", to match and stroke play, tournaments, practice, as
well as the new EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Challenge. TOUR Challenge mode allows
players to compete as amateurs, turn pro and have their skills tested at
every step on their way up the competitive TOUR ladder.
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2001 for the PC has 17 courses, 11 PGA TOUR golfers
and the exclusive new Presidents Cup game mode. The addition of Stuart
Appleby and Jim Furyk gives the PC game its deepest player roster to date.
The Presidents Cup mode, along with the addition of the Robert Trent Jones
Golf Club®, allows players to recreate this year's Presidents Cup
challenge. The mode allows for a team tournament where players compete on
either the United States or the International Team. Foursomes, fourball,
and singles match play formats recreate the patriotic feel of the
Presidents Cup competition. Two other new courses in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR
2001, TPC at Sugarloaf and TPC at River Highlands round out the extensive
course list that touts nine other Tournament Players Club courses along
with the Las Vegas Country Club, Badlands Golf Club, Colonial Country
Club, Cog Hill and the Bay Hill Club.
The PC game continues to push technology to the next level and maintain its
market share leadership position for PC golf titles. Complementing the
courses, players and gameplay modes are the technical aspects of the game
that combine with the features to deliver a well-rounded and smooth playing
game. The 3-D game engine delivers full screen, real-time cameras that
allow for reverse, gallery and ball camera angles for an ``on the course"
view and feel to the game. Precise golf ball physics are engineered
specifically for accurate ball flight, spin, bounce and putting roll, but
players must also be alert to the wind meter and lie indicator in order to
get off the best possible shot.
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2001 is a comprehensive PC game with complete online
functionality for both golfing competition as well as course creation. The
Play Against The Pros competition, that successfully debuted with Tiger
Woods PGA TOUR 2000, returns allowing PC golfers to go online and compete
live shot for shot against PGA TOUR pros like Tiger Woods in selected PGA
TOUR events. The Course Architect 2000, a separate disc included in
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2001, is a graphical tool that puts the bulldozers,
lawnmowers and blueprints of the golf course architects at the golfer's
fingertips. Players can design and build, hole-by-hole, their fantasy golf
course or replicate their favorite local golf course -- the possibilities
are endless. Consumers can then save their custom course creations in-game,
share them online and even compete over the Internet playing these new
courses.
Sega Releases Epic Masterpiece, Shenmue
Imagine a videogame so intricate and interactive that it challenges the
limitations of traditional game genres and takes players into a vast world
of unprecedented realism, emotion and adventure. Sega of America, Inc.
introduced the critically acclaimed cinematic epic ``Shenmue" for the
128-bit, Internet-ready Sega Dreamcast videogame console. Created by
legendary videogame developer Yu Suzuki, ``Shenmue" was featured among
Newsweek's ``top five games at E3 [Electronic Entertainment Expo]" and was
given four out of four stars from Time Digital this fall. ``Shenmue" is a
fully interactive game featuring hundreds of speaking characters, a
highly-interactive 3D world, groundbreaking real-time environments and an
online component to further enhance gameplay.
``The epic masterpiece, 'Shenmue,' exhibits never-before-seen detail in
videogame design, raising the standard for future games and for the
industry as a whole," said Charles Bellfield, vice president of marketing
and corporate communications, Sega. ``While other industry players may talk
about the 'emotion engine,' Shenmue delivers a true emotion experience to
the consumer."
In ``Shenmue," players assume the role of Ryo Hazuki, a young man who must
unravel the mysterious death of his father by exploring the sprawling
lifelike world of Yokosuka, Japan. Set in 1986, the majority of the game
takes place in Yokosuka city, which was recreated to look and sound exactly
like it did in that year. Using geographical data as reference to plan and
calculate the ideal cityscape for Shenmue, buildings were designed by
diagrams provided by architects to recreate a true to life environment that
best fit the game design. The creators of ``Shenmue" were able to create
the sites of Yokosuka with unprecedented realism.
Just as in real life, in ``Shenmue," buildings can be explored in detail.
For example, players can open drawers, make phone calls and store food in
their refrigerator. Additionally, weather and landscapes change according
to the season and time unfolds throughout each day. Even the smallest
digital detail is crafted to reflect its organic counterpart, such as
delicate movements like hair swaying and lips moving in sync with voices.
``Shenmue" blurs the line between playing a game and reality.
``Shenmue" is the first game to transcend beyond traditional video game
genres. Incorporating elements of action/adventure, role playing, fighting
and racing, ``Shenmue" offers a truly unique experience for gamers.
``Shenmue" features an online component called ``Shenmue Passport." Using
``Shenmue Passport" via SegaNet or your own ISP, players can gain
valuable tips and information including real-time weather predictions that
will affect game play. With ``Shenmue Passport," players also have the
ability to trade items obtained during gameplay for unique items only found
online or exchange items for valuable ``Shenmue" character data. The
``Shenmue Passport" enhances gameplay with the ability to post scores
online and to download images of characters to their Visual Memory Unit
(VMU).
``Shenmue" is available in stores at a suggested retail price of $49.99.
``Shenmue" is rated T for Teen. www.sega.com.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
High-speed MSN: Truth in Advertising?
Customers ask why they are being sold more than they bargained for when
signing up for MSN satellite service at RadioShack outlets.
When is the fine print too fine?
Some customers attempting to sign up for MSN HighSpeed satellite service
through RadioShack stores say the terms and conditions have proven a
little too subtle for them.
Microsoft and RadioShack announced in September plans to offer StarBand
Communications Inc. satellite Internet access to rural customers in the
U.S. starting in November. In the past two months, RadioShack has been
taking pre-orders for customers who qualify for the service.
But RadioShack also has been informing customers interested in MSN
HighSpeed that there's a catch:
Those who want satellite Internet access need to junk their existing
computers and buy brand-new Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ - news)
systems outfitted with satellite-compatible network cards.
"I was given all the details surrounding cost and installation," said one
customer, Austin Myers, who was interested in signing up for the satellite
service at his local RadioShack store. "I agreed with them, and at that
point the RadioShack salesman asked which computer I wanted.
"That's when I was told that I must buy a new Compaq computer along with
this service," said Myers, a systems professional with A M Engineering,
based in Denver, Mo. "I explained I had no need of another new computer,
as I have several, and just wanted the service and hardware/software to go
with it.
"I was told that the only way to get the service is to buy a computer,
that it had to be a RadioShack-supplied computer, and that it had to be a
Compaq computer. I asked why and was told the reason was that the Compaq
was 'specially' configured for the service.
"I then asked which Compaq computer I had to purchase. I was told that any
of them priced between $799 and $1,499 would qualify. So much for
'special' configuration."
A Microsoft spokeswoman said the company has been forthright about its MSN
satellite requirements since Microsoft announced HighSpeed in September.
At that time, Microsoft unveiled its deal to offer customers a choice of
DSL- or satellite-based MSN Internet access service at 5,800 RadioShack
stores with Microsoft Internet Center store-within-a-store areas.
"We've been very clear in all of our materials -- press releases, fact
sheets and so forth -- that you have to purchase a pre-configured PC with
the satellite service up front.
"That's a solution for right now. We're working out an alternative
solution over the next couple of months," the Microsoft spokeswoman said.
Microsoft's September press release on MSN HighSpeed access stated the
following: "Consumer benefits of MSN HighSpeed include a fast and
always-on connection, hassle-free installation and service, and a great
value for high-speed Internet access. All the benefits of MSN HighSpeed
cost as much as a regular dial-up Internet service and a second phone
line."
There was no mention in the joint Microsoft-RadioShack press release of
the need for customers to purchase a new PC as part of the HighSpeed
service agreement.
In the MSN HighSpeed fact sheet, there was one mention of the new PC
requirement. The satellite service is priced at $59.95, according to the
fact sheet, plus $299 for a satellite dish and two PCI cards.
In the list of requirements, "a satellite-enabled computer that can be
purchased when service is ordered either online or through RadioShack
retail locations for around $700 (monitor and speakers not included)" is
noted.
A RadioShack spokeswoman, when asked about the Compaq PC requirement as
part of the deal for MSN HighSpeed satellite access, said that RadioShack
employees "should be telling customers (about the need to purchase a
Compaq PC) up front."
She added that StarBand was working on a version of the service that would
not require a pre-configured PC, which should be available to consumers
some time next year.
She explained that RadioShack is requiring the purchase of Compaq systems
because of a partnership agreement with the PC maker.
"The bottom line: In order to purchase this service it must be through
RadioShack, it must include the sale of a computer, and it must be a
Compaq computer," said Myers, the unhappy customer.
"I guess that pretty much closes the door on the idea of equal access.
Isn't this the very thing the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) said
wouldn't happen?
"Personally I feel like this is just one more instance of Microsoft trying
to control user access, and finding a backdoor to the average user's
pocket," Myers added.
Microsoft Seeks Testers for IE6
Internet Explorer 6.0 may look and feel a lot more consumer-oriented,
according to Microsoft's beta invitation.
On the heels of refreshing its Internet Explorer 5.5 release, Microsoft
has begun lining up beta testers for Internet Explorer 6.0, a more
consumer-friendly version of its Web browser.
According to two Windows enthusiast Web sites, Microsoft put the call out
for Internet Explorer 6.0 testers late last week. Just days before,
Microsoft posted to its Web site the first collection of fixes and patches
to Internet Explorer 5.5.
Version 6.0, according to ActiveWin.com and WinInformant.com, will get a
more digital-media facelift. Microsoft will add Explorer toolbars that
will allow users to work more easily with digital images, music, and video
clips, the sites said.
ActiveWin representatives also claimed that Microsoft is adding new
anti-virus capabilities to Outlook Express as part of the IE6 release. And
Microsoft will almost certainly add the new dynamic HTML and
cascading-style-sheet technologies to IE6 that it unveiled last week as
part of its service pack 1 update to Version 5.5.
Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment prior to deadline.
While Internet Explorer and MSN Explorer both include the same Internet
Explorer technologies under the covers, the Version 6.0 release will gain
more of the consumer-oriented look and feel that Microsoft debuted last
month with MSN Explorer, the Windows enthusiast sites predicted. ActiveWin
officials said the new browser will include an integrated MSN Messenger
bar as part of the makeover.
Currently, Microsoft markets Internet Explorer as the browser for more
sophisticated, computer-savvy users, and MSN Explorer as the interface for
newer users. Positioning a more consumer-friendly Internet Explorer, with
Version 6.0, may prove tricky, as the WinInformant site said.
"In many ways, the new features in IE6 simply copy functionality that was
added to MSN Explorer, the company's rival Web browser for beginners. IE
is now being marketed as a solution for more sophisticated users," noted
Paul Thurrott, the editor of WinInformant, in a note on his Web site.
In addition to releasing Internet Explorer 6.0 as a free, downloadable,
stand-alone product, Microsoft also will likely make it an integrated part
of Whistler, the Windows release that is the successor to Windows 2000.
Microsoft made beta 1 of Whistler available to technical beta testers last
week. Whistler will be available in a variety of 32-bit and 64-bit desktop
and server releases, one or more of which will be tailored toward
home-based or consumer customers. Whistler is due to ship in the second
half of 2001.
Microsoft Told to Pay $3.7 Million in Legal Fees
A federal judge has ordered Microsoft to reimburse a small Connecticut
software firm for $3.7 million in legal fees for violating the state's
unfair trade practices act, the two companies said on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Janet Hall made the ruling on Monday, more than a year
after the firm, Bristol Technology Inc., lost all but one count of its
antitrust suit against the software giant.
A federal jury found at the end of a six-week trial in July 1999 that
Microsoft had violated Connecticut's unfair trade practices act, but it
awarded Bristol damages of only $1.
However, Hall on Aug. 31 increased that award to $1 million.
The privately held Bristol had claimed that its survival was threatened by
Microsoft's unwillingness to license its latest technology on reasonable
terms, while Microsoft countered that the matter was a mere contract
dispute.
Bristol's main product, Wind/U, acts as a bridge between developers writing
software for both Windows-based and Unix-based computers. By withholding
its source code, Bristol said, Microsoft was trying to remove the
Windows-Unix bridge and force developers to create applications only for
Windows.
Danbury, Conn.-based Bristol had asked for nearly $6 million to pay its
legal fees, but the company said it felt vindicated by the $3.7 million
award.
``We're very pleased in terms of its precedent -- it is the largest ever
(award to pay legal fees under Connecticut's unfair trade practices act),"
said Keith Blackwell, Bristol's chief executive officer.
``Along with the judge's punitive damages (award), it validates that our
case was correct all along," Blackwell told Reuters.
``We're definitely asking for a new trial," Blackwell said. "The
attorneys tell me they believe we have a very, very strong argument."
Microsoft said it was reviewing its legal options.
``This action by the court is surprising, given that the jury ruled in
favor of Microsoft on virtually every issue of the trial, and only awarded
a token $1 for the single claim that they found in favor of Bristol," said
Jim Cullinan, a spokesman for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft.
``We believe the jury decision was the right decision, and we are now
reviewing our legal options," Cullinan said.
"Bush Wins" Papers For Sale on eBay
Don't recycle that newspaper!
It might fetch a hefty price on eBay, if it happens to be one of several
morning editions that erroneously declared Tuesday's still
too-close-to-call presidential election in favor of Texas Gov. George W.
Bush. As of 2:40 p.m. PST Wednesday, some 400 newspapers carrying
headlines such as "Bush Wins" and "It's Bush!" were up for bid at the
online auction site.
Newspapers up for grabs include early editions of the New York Post, The
Miami Herald, The Des Moines Register, the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, The
Florida Times-Union and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Starting prices ranged from 1 cent to $999. One seller posted a bid of
$110 for the version by The Press of Atlantic City, writing: "Bush Wins
newspaper. Atlantic City Press Nov. 8th 2000 edition declaring Bush the
winner. Not read."
Wednesday's botched headline reminded many voters of the infamous, and
incorrect, "Dewey defeats Truman" headline that the Chicago Daily Tribune
ran in 1948. Two copies of those original papers recently sold on eBay for
$127.50 and $405.
"At one time (the Dewey papers) were selling for up to $1,200 to $1,500"
in the late 1980s, said Rick Brown, the owner of the Newspaper Collectors
Society of America. He said he's auctioning a Dewey paper on his Web site
that he expects to sell for about $750.
Irwin Shamah, 59, bought about 50 copies of the New York Post's first
edition this morning, which announced that Bush had won. "I'm not really
sure how much they will go for, but I figured it was worth it to buy them,
particularly if it ends up that Gore wins," he wrote in an email
interview.
Shamah posted one copy for sale on eBay on Wednesday and received a bid as
high as $9.99 by midday.
Miscalls plagued online and TV election coverage Tuesday. A handful of
sites, including Inside.com and Evote.com, published exit poll results
from Voter News Service in advance of widely observed embargoes.
The sites correctly called the popular vote, which Gore won by a margin of
48.3 percent to 48 percent. But they missed a key call in handing the
Florida electoral college vote to Gore early Tuesday afternoon. Major news
organizations followed with the same results after the polls closed but
retracted the Florida result when it came to light that technical glitches
had skewed the original numbers.
At 11 p.m., TV broadcasters handed the election to Bush after Gore placed
a call to his rival conceding defeat. But Gore retracted the concession as
it became clear that Florida's votes would be subject to a recount.
The retraction came too late for some print publications, however. The San
Francisco Chronicle, for one, said in a later corrected version that it
had distributed several thousand copies of an early morning edition
declaring Bush the winner based on Gore's concession call.
Asian Domain Names Accepted
The master keeper of dot-com names will begin accepting non-English
characters Thursday evening as the next step in making the World Wide Web
truly global.
The move comes over the objections of some Internet engineers who fear the
move is premature and could lead to a fouling of their works and a
segregation of Web sites.
VeriSign Global Registry Services, the company in charge of Internet domain
names ending in .com, .net and .org, will initially accept Chinese,
Japanese and Korean characters for those suffixes. Arabic and other
languages could follow.
Web addresses are now limited to the 26 letters of the English alphabet, 10
numerals and a hyphen - 37 characters in all. The addition of Asian
character sets brings the total to 40,282 and could boost Internet usage
abroad.
``The domain name is kind of the front door with the welcome sign on it,"
said James Woods, product manager at Tucows Inc. ``With this welcome sign
being in their own language, people will want to step through that door."
Web surfers whose keyboards are set for English characters will need to
modify their computers' settings - adding character sets for other
languages - in order to input non-English Internet addresses.
Many computers sold abroad are already set up to be able to create
characters in those languages.
Tucows, Register.com and 22 other companies have been authorized to begin
taking orders by phone or on the Web at 7 p.m. Eastern (midnight Greenwich
Mean Time). Those names would then be submitted to VeriSign's database.
Richard Forman, chief executive at Register.com, said an Asian company
might want a site in a native language, while U.S. firms might want one in
each language in which they do business.
Sites will not be able to use the new names for at least another month, and
even then the program is officially a test. VeriSign reserves the right to
make changes or cancel registrations that are incompatible with future
standards.
Critics cautioned that because the Internet still lacks standards for
non-English characters, efforts like VeriSign's are premature.
Computers on the Internet that help users find Web sites were programmed
with English in mind and the engineers who try to keep order on the Net say
many of those machines will not understand new languages without software
upgrades. They say tens of thousands of such machines, known as domain name
servers, need to be updated.
Until that happens, Web surfers could be blocked from many sites, said Don
Heath, president of the nonprofit Internet Society. The international task
force crafting standards is not expected to reach agreement until at least
next year.
Fred Baker, chairman of the Internet Engineering Task Force, agrees with an
eventual need for foreign names, but he said companies ought to wait.
``Getting this work done right is more important," he said, ``than getting
it done quickly."
The expansion of Web addresses could also prompt a new round of hoarding,
as speculators seek Chinese, Japanese and Korean equivalents of names like
business.com, which sold last year for $7.5 million.
A workshop will be held in Marina del Rey, Calif., next week in conjunction
with the annual meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers, which oversees Net naming policies. Though ICANN officials earlier
expressed concerns about proceeding without standards, the organization is
officially taking a wait-and-see approach.
Supporters, particularly registration companies that stand to collect fees,
insist they cannot wait for standards.
``There's a whole world out there that has really not been able to use the
Web," said Doug Wolford, general manager of Network Solutions Inc., the
registration arm of VeriSign. ``Hundreds of millions of people have to use
English to find their native language Web site. It's an absurdity, an
artifact of history long outgrown."
Govinda Leopold, chief executive of 1st Domain.Net registration company,
said many Asians don't want to change their keyboards simply to type Web
addresses in English.
The Internet, invented in the United States, adopted English as its
official language, and specifically a character set known as ASCII.
Computers sold abroad now use other character sets, and there are efforts
to link them under one compatible group called Unicode.
VeriSign is developing a system to automatically translate Unicode-based
Asian characters into an ASCII string that looks like gibberish. So Web
users can type a foreign character, though they must still type ".com" in
English.
Advisers Narrow List of Domain Names
Advisers to an Internet naming organization narrowed recommendations for
new domain names Friday by dismissing ".kids," ".xxx" and other proposals
as unworkable.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers could make its
picks as early as Thursday, at its annual meeting in Marina del Rey,
Calif. Although nonbinding, the recommendations should carry a lot of
weight with board members.
Still, ICANN chief executive Mike Roberts warned that the board could
ignore staff advice and even order more research on proposals recommended
for rejection.
Adding suffixes to the Internet is akin to adding area codes to the
national phone system to accommodate the growing number of customers.
Without a workable naming structure, Internet users could have trouble
finding Web sites. There are currently three suffixes for general use:
.com, .net and .org, and .com in particular is getting crowded, with more
than 24 million registrations.
The advisers left 16 proposals on the table, out of 44 they reviewed.
Internet users can comment on the report at ICANN's Web site. In the end,
ICANN will likely pick a half dozen or so.
New suffixes could be in use by mid-2001 and would be the first major
additions since the 1980s.
Likely
new names include .web and .biz. However, they are the subject of
legal challenges by parties that claim trademarks on those suffixes.
The advisers also recommended that the board consider personal names, such
as .nom or .i, for individuals to register JohnDoe.nom or other
identifiers.
They also recommended choosing among five proposals restricted to specific
groups: .union for labor unions, .air for the aviation industry and
.health for health organizations.
The advisers - eight people selected for their technical, business and
legal expertise - recommended against setting up a channel for kids
because of potential difficulties determining who counts as kids and what
content should be OK for them.
``Given the international reach of the Internet, the complexity of these
definitional issues is compounded by many diverse cultures and a variety
of community and individual views on the answers," the advisers
concluded.
They also rejected a .xxx for adult content, saying such a suffix does not
appear to satisfy any unmet needs.
``Adult content is readily available on the Internet," they said, adding
that adult sites would not have been required to only use such a suffix.
Beatles 'Dot.com Together' After 30 Years
Thirty years after their breakup, The Beatles are ready to ``dot.com
together" again for the launch of their first official Web site -- and the
world's media got a sneak preview on Thursday.
The Beatles are finally taking the long and winding road onto the
information superhighway with the world's top Internet designers offering a
magical mystery tour around their 27 Number One hits.
-- You can step back on a London roof to hear The Beatles perform ``Get
Back" in their last live performance together.
-- Players from London, Tokyo, Sydney and New York can sign on to play
``Help" in an interactive search for the Beatles' instruments in a giant
labyrinth.
-- Welcome to the famous Abbey Road recording studios, stand behind John
Lennon, join in for the first chorus of ``I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and
listen to the band chatting between takes.
-- For those who had fun in the Sixties but may be too addled to remember
why, try the kaleidoscopic effects for ``Day Tripper."
The site -- wwwthebeatles.com -- goes live on November 13 to illustrate a
compilation album of the 27 Beatle hits that went to Number One in Britain
and the United States.
Abbey Road Studios joined forces with the three surviving Beatles -- Paul
McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- and John Lennon's widow Yoko
Ono for the ambitious global project. Lennon was murdered in New York in
1980.
Geoff Baker, spokesman for the Beatles company Apple Corps, dubbed the
ambitious venture ``Dot.Com Together. The Beatles are back at Abbey Road --
in cyberspace."
``The Beatles are pioneering new ground for the launch of a new album.
Nobody has ever done anything on this scale before," Baker said at the
Abbey Road studios where the zebra road crossing must rank as the most
photographed in the world ever since it graced a Beatles album cover.
There are about 3,000 Beatles-related sites but this is the first official
one and the Beatles were determined it would offer a state-of-the-art
window into their music for diehard fans and, hopefully, a new generation.
Jeremy Neech, project manager for the song-sites, proudly showed off the
first 10 illustrated hits -- the other 17 will come out over the next three
months -- and explained what input the Beatles had.
``They loved it. They are all Internet-savvy and like what we have done,"
he said. ``Paul suggested taking sound from the Abbey Road archives of them
talking whilst they were recording. Ringo recommended a Los Angeles
designer. George loved the 'Day Tripper' stuff.. We went over to New York
and showed Yoko Ono what we were doing."
Novel ideas abound. ``For 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' we took a 360-degree
photo of Studio Two from each Beatle's perspective and you can just click
onto John and stand behind his microphone," he said.
``And if you click onto 'All You Need Is Love' then you can download
origami instructions on how to make your own love heart or love dove."
Member of 'Traitorous Eight' Dies
Victor Grinich, who formed Fairchild Semiconductor and helped start the
computer revolution, died Sunday of prostate cancer. He was 75.
Grinich and his colleagues were dubbed the ``traitorous eight" by William
Shockley, co-inventor of the transistor, after they left Shockley
Semiconductor in 1957 to form Fairchild.
Fairchild produced the first commercially viable integrated circuit, the
grandparent of today's modern computer chip.
Grinich was born Victor Grgurinovich in Aberdeen, Wash., to Croatian
immigrant parents. He served in the Navy during World War II.
It was after that Navy service that he changed the spelling of his last
name.
``He endured roll call in the Navy, waiting for the caller of the roll to
stop dead in his tracks because he couldn't pronounce a last name that
started with three consonants," said his wife, Helen.
He earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington and a
Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Stanford University.
Grinich began working for Stanford Research Institute, now SRI
International, in the early 1950s.
He went to work for Shockley in 1956, but left the following year after he
and the seven other scientists decided they had had enough of their
brilliant but temperamental boss.
Fairchild has grown into a $786 billion company with more than 8,000
employees. The company's chips power electronic devices used in cars,
computers and telecommunications equipment.
After leaving Fairchild in the late 1960s, Grinich taught at the
University of California, Berkeley and Stanford.
Besides his wife, Grinich is survived by a daughter, and two sons from a
previous marriage.
=~=~=~=
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