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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 01 Issue 33
Volume 1, Issue 33 Atari Online News, Etc. October 15, 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:
Carl Forhan
Fred Horvat
Benjamin Smith
Roy Goring
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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
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http://a1mag.atari.org
Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0133 10/15/99
~ Windows 2000 Delayed! ~ People Are Talking! ~ DonkeyKong 64!
~ Voice Mail On Net Soon ~ User Group Meeting News~ Free Monitors!
~ Medical Records Online ~ No More Newspapers? ~ Songbird Update!
~ Intellivision Classics ~ Chip Size Limited? ~ Knockout Kings!
-* Yahoo! Puts Computers In Cabs *-
-* PacMan World 20th Anniversary - PSX *-
-* Apple and CompuServe Extend Rebate Program *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, there all kinds of interesting things going on these days in the
computing world. First we have computers in hotel rooms, bars, clubs,
planes, and now taxicabs! If someone comes up with the idea to put
computers in restrooms, I just might consider moving to some remote island
in the tropics! Have we become that dependent on computers that we need
them in cabs?
Will newspapers and magazines become dinosaurs, replaced by electronic form?
Seems like it's possible. Although somehow I can't picture too many people
spreading out their computer at the table, having their morning coffee or
tea and breakfast! Some things just won't change...
How about asking for, and receiving, medical advice on the internet? Would
you? Apparently there are enough people who do that there's a major concern
about who is being asked. There's an ongoing plan to "validate" doctors
online so people seeking information are getting it from "reliable" sources.
The list goes on; I seem to have hit a wild week for interesting stories!
Technology is terrific, but how far do we go before we reach the levels of
'going a tad too far'!
Until next time...
Submissions to AtariNews
Dear Atari fans:
This is just a quick reminder that anyone can submit Atari-related news
items to atari@onelist.com. The list moderators will then approve or deny
the post as appropriate.
Note the term "news items" indicates new products available on Atari
platforms, recently unearthed Atari prototypes, significant updates to an
Atari "business" or shareware website, links to previews/reviews of
upcoming Atari-related games, and so on.
Items that will not usually be approved (primarily to keep the volume of
posts down to a reasonable level as AtariNews is currently) are updates to
fan web sites, personal trade/sale lists, etc.
Any questions, just ask. We want AtariNews to provide you with coverage
for all newsworthy Atari-related topics.
Sincerely,
The Moderators
->A-ONE User Group Notes!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Atari Meeting in Portland, Oregon. USA
Benjamin Smith <bensmith@user2.teleport.com>
Please direct all replies through E-Mail at bensmith@teleport.com or
atari@benjamin.net.
If you have an Atari and live in Portland, Oregon. U.S.A. or vicinity,
you are cordially invited to attend a Meeting of the Portland Atari
Club. You don't have to be a member to attend. We meet the 2nd Tuesday
of each Month. Our Next meeting will be Tuesday, October 12th, 7 pm
at the Pizza Baron at 2604 S.E 122nd Avenue in Portland, Oregon. Get
together with other Atarians. Make friends, meet new people, maybe find
an old friend. Eat Pizza, drink Pop or Beer in a decorative atmosphere.
Bring your family to a family friendly place. For more info:
http://pac.pdxweb.net
For more information or directions, please call our Vice President
Ben Smith at (503)256-9974 See you there!
White Rose Atari Group Meeting Date
Stephen Barszczak <stephen@wrag.freeserve.co.uk>
The next meeting of the White Rose Atari Group will be held at:
4 Langdale Street
Elland
Nr Halifax
On the 31st of October 1999
This will be the final meeting this year apart from the get together for
the ACC 99 Show at the Bingley Hall in Stafford on Saturday the 13th of
November 1999 where transport may be arranged for anyone who would like to
go.
Come to the next meeting to arrange a lift down, or Telephone one of the
numbers below.
Anyone wanting directions or other information about the group can,
Telephone myself on 01274 412192
Or write to.......
W.R.A.G.
3 Scholemoor Lane
Lideget Green
BD7 2RN
Or
Telephone Adrian on 01484 721694.....
Leave a message on the answer machine if out, or you can write to......
W.R.A.G.
c/o Adrian Haigh
1 Vale Street
Brighouse
HD6 1TR
Or by Netmail on,
FidoNet 2:250/303.0 2:250/303.1
Nest 90:107/206.0 90:107/207.0
Fan 95:110/202.0 95:110/203.0
Or By Email
wrag@thedruid.demon.co.uk
stephen@wrag.freeserve.co.uk
WRAG@blackflag.zetnet.co.uk
October CACUG Meeting
The October 18, meeting of CACUG (Cleveland Atari Classics User Group)
will be open to all Atari platforms. It will be held at the
Peoples Community Church, at 631 North Rocky River Drive
in Berea, Ohio at 7:30PM. All are welcome to attend.
Topic of discussion will be of our June 2000 Cleveland Classics Show and
Swap Meet.
Thank you,
Martin Quinones
President CACUG
For more info or directions please contact
Fred Horvat: fmh@netzero.net}
or
Jim Krych: jwkrych@n2net.net}
Wessex Atari Group Meeting
From: Roy Goring <news@incontrolinternet.co.uk>
Hi All,
The next meeting of WAG is on Saturday 23/10/99
at Whitchurch Fire Station, Hampshire
For more details and directions go to
http://www.incontrolinternet.co.uk/wag/
See you all there :-)
Yours Roy
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@portone.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Another week has slipped by us and there
really aren't that many more ahead of us before the millennium menace
rears it's ugly head.
I'm not talking about all the computers in the world shutting down,
jetliners falling out of the sky, or ATMs swallowing your hard-earned
funds without a trace. No sir (or ma'am), I'm talking about the
foolishness that worrying about such things can cause. You've seen it in
car commercials, in magazine ads, and in catalogs... "Get this now and
be safe when everything goes to hell on January first"... or something
to that effect.
Sure, you need to be aware of the fact that your PC (if you have one)
could give you problems. But please don't go to the extreme and install
a bomb shelter, stockpile small arms, or bury your life savings under
that old oak tree. Of course, there is always a chance that I'm wrong
and the world really will go to hell in a hand basket. With all the hype
about Y2K though, I doubt that it will be anything major. As I mentioned
earlier, PCs are vulnerable to Y2K problems. The programs they run, the
operating systems they use, and even the BIOS chips that tell PCs what
to do before they know that there's an operating system all can be prone
to problems due to the shortsightedness of a very large portion of the
computer world.
If you're worried about these kinds of problems, just do what I'm
planning to do when January first rolls around... USE YOUR ATARI!
That's right. The good old Atari ST is immune to a good many of the
problems that other platforms face. The operating system (TOS) uses a
different system to calculate the date than PCs do, and that keeps Y2K
from being a major bummer like on that other platform. In addition to
that, most programs on the ST don't really care what the date is. And
as far as BIOS chips go?? STs don't need them. So there, Mr. Gates.
And an even better bet to stay away from Y2K problems would be to pull
out that old Atari 8 bit. Ha ha, wouldn't it be the ultimate backhand to
the PC world if the only way to compute after December thirty-first
would be with an Atari 800?? It's not likely, I know. But it suits my
twisted sense of humor. Well, let's get on with all the news that is
news in the NewsGroups.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
Ted Parrett asks about surfing the 'net with CAB:
"I have just installed Cab 2.7 and ask if anyone can advise which Falcon
OVL I should be using with this version of CAB. I an currently using
v1.3100.
I'm quite disappointed with Cab 2.7 as I still find sites where I can't
save or print the pages. This seems to happen with frame type pages and
sometimes with PDF downloads.
Another problem is that when going back CAB will sometimes go back more
than one step I also note a carry over of a problem from 2.5 in that
when I do save a page or download a file the SAVE FILE dialog box gets
corrupted regarding the filename although in most cases the file
downloads OK..."
Robert Schaffner tells Ted:
"I don't know if that's a problem of the cab ovl. Try cab ovl from
oliver booklage, latest release is 5.58, works fine here.
Gordy Campbell jumps in and asks:
"Do you know whether Oliver Booklages' Cab.ovl works correctly with
cookies yet?"
Djordje Vukovic adds his thoughts:
"I have the same, or very similar, problem occasionally with CAB 2.6- but
not always. When I download a file, the file-selector for specifying
location of received file sometimes does not work correctly- nothing is
visible when I type in the filename field. The characters are received
anyway, although invisible, and the file lands where it should. This is
with RAM-loaded TOS 2.06, STiNG 1.15 and Booklage's CAB.OVL on a Mega
ST."
John Logan asks about Phenix:
"I wonder if there is any general agreement as to how the Phenix will
fit into the Atari scene? I understand from its website that it is
considered a new computer with a new operating system which will run
Atari programs by emulation. Having said that, there also seems to be an
implication that it is a Falcon clone (just as the Hades is considered
to be a TT clone).
I don't have any need for music output, video etc (at least at present)
but I was intrigued to read that a voice recognition laboratory in
Denmark had been involved. If all the audio subsystems, DSP etc could be
used in a really accurate voice recognition system then I would be
interested. I have tried ViaVoice on a peecee at work and have great
difficulty in getting it to recognize 'Yours sincerely.'
Is it by and large going to go to musicians or will there be general
applications?"
Jo Even Skarstein tells John:
"It will fit nicely into the vapourware-category, together with other
neat things like the Microbox, Hawk or Barracuda. Centek/Class 4 is the
European equivalent to Wizztronics."
That's a bit of an unfair swipe at Wizztronics as far as I'm concerned.
There are a few others that are more deserving of that statement. Jm
"Gene" asks:
"Does anyone know if MagicPC will work with a Cyrel or amd-k6 processor.
My assumption would be that it does but I am not sure. I'm also
considering buying gemulator with mac roms."
In the battle of the single name post, "Jim" tells Gene:
"MagicPC works with AMD-K6 cpu's. I'm use it on a K-6 400 overclocked to
450mhz and it works fine.
I think you mean Cyrix, Cyrel made Atari hardware boards."
On the subject of viewing and printing Adobe Acrobat PDF documents, Bob
King tells us:
"To butt in, I run GEMGS on my Falcon. The only PDF I haven't got to
decode/display (full colour)/print is the german DALayoutTC Manual and
that is faulty as reported by Adobe Acrobat. If you like I will send you
my complete package, bearing in mind you have to set paths and you may
have to set the envir. variable."
Carlo Pitt asks about emulating an ST on a PC:
"I 'm trying winSTon..... it's a good emulator, but have read that it is
possible to run on modern PCs, ST emulators, that run very fast, and
have fantastic graphics (for the Atari ST family) like 640x400 with 16
colours or more. Help me."
Joel Chappel tells Carlos
"WinSTon is a Windows 95 ST emulator. It's very easy to install, but
it's by far not the best emulator, because it's slow and many ST progs
won't run on it.
You should try TosBox and PacifiST. Those are MS-DOS programs (but of
course they run under Win95/98)."
Jeff Armstrong asks about TT RAM:
"I recently purchased a great new TT system and I had a simple question.
I opened up the HD case on the side to check the HD type and found a
daughterboard inside directly beneath the HD. The daughterboard is
copyrighted by Atari and has the model number C300727-001 REV 1.
The chips look like they're probably memory chips and one single large
controller chip is also present.
Upon reading some FAQs and web pages, I came to the conclusion that this
is a TT RAM board. Am I Correct?
Now, when I boot the system, it reports having 4 meg ST RAM but no TT
RAM. Is the computer not detecting the daughterboard or something?
I apologize for my lack of experience (this is my first high-end
Atari)."
Don Shoengarth tells Jeff:
"The TT ram board is on the left side of the TT mother board. The ram
board that is on the left side is for the ST ram. The part number you
give I have nothing that matched that number.
My TT ram board has a part number CA400312. This board uses sipps or
simms. It depends on the board.
My ST ram board has a part number CA401059."
"Brian" asks about one of Atari's specialty chips:
"What is the AJAX chip???
I'm new to a lot of the ST stuff, so please enlighten me."
Oliver Schildmann tells Brian:
"The Ajax chip is the successor of the original ST floppy controller. It
allows you to connect and use 1.44 MB floppies."
Lars Joergen Helbo asks about the particulars of running a bare bones
system:
"Recently I got an A/D-converter-card for the serial interface from
Conrad Electronics in Germany. Now I got the idea that the old Mega ST1
could be the ideal computer for this card, e.g. as the center in an
alarm-system.
The advantages of the ST are obvious, it has a very stable ROM-based OS,
it has enough RAM, it has no (power-consuming) harddisk and the
applications could be made with the GFA basic-compiler and started from
the Auto-folder.
So everything looks perfect. Only problem is that I would of course like
to turn off the monitor, in fact I would like to remove both monitor,
keyboard and mouse.
As I said I have not done anything on the Atari for the last 4-5 years,
so it is pretty remote in my memory. Can anybody recall a solution that
would allow me to turn off or remove the monitor."
John Logan tells Lars:
"The only restriction that I know of is that the computer reboots if you
disconnect a ST High monitor. This is to prevent damage to other
monitors from the frequencies used. There is a hardware device to detect
this. Therefore either boot with a Medium/Low monitor or don't use any
(i.e. use a self booting program from floppy)."
Robert Schaffner adds:
"The keyboard must be connected, but you can lock it with an kew switch.
If you remove the monitor while the machine is running resets the
machine, build an interface that switch the monitor on if you got an
alarm. Otherwise it's off. Don't forget the service switch. I don't know
if you like that, its my idea for your problem."
Toram "The Shadow" asks about connecting an Atari to a Linux machine:
"I want to connect my Falcon to my Linux workstation so I can use the
linux box as a gateway to the internet. Can I use STing to handle the
network connection through the serial (modem 2) port on the falcon?
Or is there a way to use the LAN port on the falcon? All help is
welcome..."
Jo Even Skarstein tells Toram:
"Yes you can.
You can use the LAN-port as well, but unless you need the serial port
for something else it's not worth it. They're equally fast, but you'll
need a special cable for the LAN-port (RS422<->RS232)."
Well folks, that's it for this time around. Have yourself a good week;
and bring some of that Y2K survival gear back to the store and buy
yourself something really useful - like another Atari!
Until next time, keep your ears open and be ready to listen to what they
are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Pac-Man 20th Anniversary!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" BattleTanks! Knockout Kings 2000!
Grand Theft Auto 2!! Donkey Kong 64!
Intellivision Classics On PSX!
And much more!
->From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Wow! Pac-Man is 20 years old already! I'd better not reminisce, I'll date
myself (and age even more!). Activision is releasing a bunch of classics
from the Intellivision for the PlayStation? I remember some of those games
from yesteryear too! My wife used to kick my butt playing baseball on that
console system!
Ever realize how much the gaming industry realizes the value of these
classic games? Donkey Kong is coming out for the Nintendo 64, a new version
of Pac-Man for the PSX. And all of the previous "oldies" for various
platforms! The classics are the 'in' thing, and timeless!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Pac Is Back and He's Turning 20 in `Pac-Man World
20th Anniversary' -- An All-New 3-D Action
Adventure Game
The Legendary Mr. T and Verne ``Mini Me" Troyer
of ``Austin Powers" Fame Co-Star With Pac-Man in
TV Commercial for Namco's Newest Game Title
Starting Tuesday, Pac-Man is ``munching" his way onto retail shelves in
``Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary," the new 3-D adventure game from Namco
Hometek Inc.
Namco enlisted pop culture personalities Mr. T from the 1980s network
sitcom ``A-Team" and Verne Troyer, who played ``Mini Me" in the 1999
summer blockbuster ``Austin Powers, The Spy Who Shagged Me," to help
introduce fans to the latest Pac-Man video game adventure. The pair joined
Pac-Man in the filming of the television commercial for ``Pac-Man World
20th Anniversary," which premieres nationwide Oct. 18.
``Pac-Man has been a pop culture phenomenon since his introduction 20 years
ago," said Mike Fischer, director of marketing for Namco Hometek. ``For
the new commercial, we wanted to connect Pac's enduring appeal with a
fellow legend of the `80s and a hot celebrity of the moment, which is why
Mr. T and Verne Troyer were the perfect co-stars."
In the commercial, Pac-Man is moving up to a whole new world to celebrate
his new 3-D adventure: Beverly Hills! Here he finds himself surrounded by
the likes of such Hollywood celebrities as the ``Mr. Ts" (``T" and
Troyer). Decked out in his trademark gold jewelry and mohawk, Mr. T bids
good day to his 36-inch-tall next-door neighbor, Verne Troyer, whom he
affectionately calls ``Itty Bitty," as the two check their morning mail.
Out of nowhere, an ``Inky & Blinky Remodeling" van zooms into frame, and
sinks start flying. As the dust settles, the ``Ts" discover that Pac-Man
has remodeled the house across the street. The shocked pair greets their
new neighbor, and Mr. T grumbles, ``Just what I need, another little bald
guy."
During the down time at the ad shoot, Mr. T was chomping power pellets in
``Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary" when he said, ``I pity the fool who
doesn't play `Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary.' The kids are gonna dig it,
but the little guy needs a mohawk and some gold chains."
Movie-style special effects were used in the making of the commercial to
incorporate Pac-Man as a virtual actor alongside his celebrity co-stars.
The 30-second spot by San Fransisco-based advertising agency Darien &
Kilburg begins airing Oct. 18 on network, cable and syndication, including
Nickelodeon Network, Fox Family Channel, TNT, ABC, Cartoon Network and
other national broadcast outlets.
The game that originally swept through pizza parlors and arcades in 1980
has been updated with new environments and challenges. While avoiding the
infamous blue ghosts Pinky, Inky, Blinky and Clyde, gamers must master
advanced talents in ``Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary" including operating
helivators, rev rolling, butt bouncing and more.
In addition to the new Quest Mode and Maze Mode, Namco has kept the
original arcade version with Classic Mode for the nostalgic at heart.
By successfully navigating six unique worlds of action-adventure in
``Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary," gamers help Pac-Man locate keys to
cages where his friends are being held hostage. By the final level, Pac-Man
has collected all six keys to rescue Ms. Pac-Man and meets his ultimate
foe, Toc-Man, a maniacal robot that is the evil alter-ego of Pac-Man.
``Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary" is available nationwide Oct. 15,
exclusively for the PlayStation game console, at a suggested retail price
of $39.95.
Donkey Kong Hits the Road With National ``Beast Is Back" Tour
Nintendo Travels to 15 U.S. Cities Showcasing Donkey Kong 64
Search for Nation's Best Ape Call Begins
The beast is back! Donkey Kong, the king of the videogame jungle, is
swinging into a town near you this fall. On October 9, Nintendo of America
Inc. unleashes its nationwide tour for Donkey Kong 64, one of the biggest
games for the Nintendo 64 -- the only entertainment system capable of
handling him.
The national ``Beast Is Back" tour invites thousands of fans to play
Donkey Kong 64 before the game officially launches on November 22.
A customized 34-foot-truck equipped with 12 N64 consoles will visit 15 U.S.
``jungles" nationwide from October 9 through November 22 including
Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Cleveland, Chicago, Oklahoma City,
Dallas, Austin, Albuquerque, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Sacramento and Seattle. The truck's exterior features 3-D
graphics of Donkey Kong, with scenes from the forthcoming game. Consumers
can play Donkey Kong 64, and have a chance to win T-shirts, Donkey Kong
music CDs and games. Fans can check out www.donkeykong64.com for a complete
update on tour dates and locations.
``The 'Beast Is Back' tour is just one of the many marketing initiatives
supporting the launch of Donkey Kong 64. The size of the tour alone proves
he's back -- bigger and better than ever," says Peter Main, Nintendo's
executive vice president, sales and marketing. ``The anticipation
surrounding this title is through the roof, which is why we're offering
fans a chance to catch the beast early at key locales."
The tour kicks off on October 9 at the Philadelphia CollegeFest, a free
concert featuring performances by Sugar Ray and Luscious Jackson. Nintendo
also will launch a national contest that day to find the best ``Ape Call"
through call-in radio promotions in all 15 cities, culminating in Seattle
with the announcement of the winner, who will receive an original vintage
Donkey Kong arcade unit.
The ``Beast Is Back" tour is part of a $12 million marketing and
advertising campaign by Nintendo to promote Donkey Kong 64, which is
expected to be the hottest selling game of the holiday season, and one of
40 new titles available for the N64. The ``Beast Is Back" tour will
promote Donkey Kong 64's pre-sell campaign which officially starts October
24 at major retailers.
In addition to the game's release, Nintendo will release a limited edition
Donkey Kong 64 hardware bundle, featuring a transparent ``jungle green"
N64 console, controller, an Expansion Pak(tm) and a banana yellow Donkey
Kong 64 game pak. The bundle launches November 22 for a suggested retail
price of $129.95. The game with the Expansion Pak will be available for a
suggested retail price of $69.95.
Donkey Kong 64, developed by U.K.-based Rare Ltd., features massive, full
3-D environments and stunning graphics that push the N64 to its fullest
potential. Players will be able to use familiar faces like Donkey Kong and
Diddy Kong®, and new characters Tiny, Chunky and Lanky. Each has unique
abilities that need to be tapped to progress through the game.
Activision Turns Back the Clock and Revives 30 Classic Intellivision Titles
Intellivision Classics for the PlayStation Game Console Bring Video Gaming
of the '80s Back to Life
Following on the heels of the nostalgic hit Activision Classics,
Activision, Inc. gets ready to stock the shelves with good old fashioned
video gaming fun with Intellivision Classics for the PlayStation game
console. Gamers take a trip back to the '80s with this compilation that
features perfectly emulated platform versions of 30 of the best selling
Intellivision games including Football, Star Strike and Space Battle.
Intellivision Classics will be available the week of October 11, 1999 in
more than 15,000 retail outlets throughout the United States and Canada
with a suggested retail price of $29.99.
``For a dollar a game, Intellivision Classics offers players the chance to
bring to their PlayStations some of the best-loved, best-selling games from
the popular 1980s Intellivision home console system," stated Mitch Lasky,
executive vice president, Activision Studios. ``Like Activision Classics,
we expect Intellivision Classics to be a huge success allowing gamers to
either relive the old days of video gaming, or see what they missed the
first time around with perfect conversions of the original games.
With the use of emulation technology, each game featured in Intellivision
Classics looks and plays exactly as it did on the original Intellivision
console. Players can rocket through asteroid storms and alien attacks in
Astrosmash, smack a long drive to bring the runners home in Baseball, and
conquer battlefields in the full-throttle warfare of Armor Battle. A
special ``video history" section includes interviews with some of the
original programmers and designers. The Intellivision system was one of the
most successful in the early '80s, with more than 3 million sold and over
100 games released.
Intellivision Classics also includes such favorites as Space Armada, Auto
Racing, Night Stalker, Pinball, Sub Hunt, Hockey and Stadium Mud Buggies.
3DO Releases the BattleTanx: Global Assault Game For Nintendo 64
The 3DO Company Tuesday announced the release of the BattleTanx: Global
Assault game for the Nintendo 64. The sequel to the immensely popular
BattleTanx features new and improved effects for more realistic mayhem,
24 completely new levels, more tanks, new play modes, and more cities as
the combat takes on global proportions.
The original BattleTanx proved to be a hit at both retail and rental
outlets, and the BattleTanx: Global Assault game promises more of the
pulse-pounding action that made the original a blast. With a multimillion
dollar marketing campaign, including aggressive television advertising
scheduled to run through the holiday buying season, the BattleTanx: Global
Assault game is poised to top the success of its predecessor.
The BattleTanx: Global Assault game's graphically superior environment
features beautifully enhanced rendered pyrotechnics with hyper-real
explosions, fire, and smoke effects that include pieces raining down from
destroyed buildings. The game achieves up to 30 frames-per-second action in
single player mode for non-stop thrills. The new storyline takes players to
cities in the U.S. and Europe, where they do battle with international
gangs and wreak havoc on famous landmarks in Paris, London and Berlin,
including the Eiffel Tower and the Brandenburg Gate. City environments are
completely destructible for maximum mayhem!
The game will also feature the popular four-player multiplayer and family
modes of the original.
In addition to deathmatch and a variety of capture the flag styles of play,
multiplayer games include a cooperative option for more strategic
excitement. Players may compete against other players or against the
computer. Simplified family mode and intuitive controls mean that anyone
can jump into the fun quickly and easily. Of its leading titles, the
BattleTanx game has the youngest customer base, and the Company has
received high praise from users for making the game easy for families to
play together.
``Our goal with the BattleTanx: Global Assault game is to bring people more
of what's most fun: all-out multiplayer chaos that's quick and
accessible," said Trip Hawkins, chairman and CEO of The 3DO Company.
``Whether you're an expert gamer or you've never held a controller before,
anyone can jump right in and enjoy it."
Players may choose from 12 different tanks, including the new Hover Tank
and a tank that flips from side to side. The enhanced arsenal includes a 3D
guided missile and new power ups like the Bouncing Betty mine. With 24
completely new levels players are in for hours of tank mayhem.
Infogrames North America Scores With Striker Pro
2000 -- First Soccer Game for Sega's Dreamcast
Stunning Graphics and Life-Like Action Put Gamers
at the Center of a World-Class Soccer Match
``Gooaaall!"
Gamers will feel the adrenaline rush of a professional soccer match.
Infogrames, a leading publisher and developer of video game software,
announced Monday Striker Pro 2000, a highly realistic soccer game that
features authentic teams, players, stadiums and sounds that immerse gamers
into a complete soccer experience.
Striker Pro 2000, developed by Rage Software, will be the first soccer game
for the new Sega Dreamcast console and will be available for both the
PlayStation game console and the Dreamcast in February 2000.
``Our goal with Striker Pro 2000 was to recreate the feeling of actually
playing soccer -- from the visuals of the players and stadium locations to
the sounds of the crowd to the actual game play," said Steve Allison,
director of marketing for sports and racing titles at Infogrames North
America. ``The strategy and tactics that are successful in Striker Pro 2000
are exactly the same as the ones used by professional teams in actual
games."
Striker Pro 2000's broad list of features provide new challenges and
experiences for gamers as they progress and become more skilled:
-- 200 player moves
-- Super-skilled Artificial Intelligence (AI) developed with the
guidance of Ruud Gullitt, former Dutch footballer-of-the-year and
former Football Association player Glenn Roeder
-- 9,000 frames of motion-captured animation
-- Nine game modes -- Build your skills in five initial game modes
then pass certification to reach four additional modes.
-- 44 European Club teams, all European National Teams and more than
30 non-European teams. Become certified to unlock the U.S. soccer
team.
-- Ability to create your own leagues or competitions -- attempt to
guide your team to a world championship.
-- Personalize your favorite team's kit (uniform patterns and design):
uniform, shorts, socks.
A key part of Striker Pro 2000's realism is its high graphical quality.
With 9,000 frames of motion-captured animation and 30 frames-per-second
game speed, Striker Pro 2000 delivers fluid, crisp player and AI movements.
The graphical capabilities of the new Dreamcast console are fully utilized
with:
-- Higher resolution textures, including Team Kits
-- Stadium models with more polygons
-- Improved in-game menus
-- Realistic grass and pitch markings
-- TV-style pop-up text
-- More accurate ball physics
-- More replay camera angles
-- Realistic crowd movements and reactions
In addition to visual realism, Striker Pro 2000 replicates several gameplay
aspects of world class soccer. Just like an actual soccer game, Striker Pro
2000 is played in 'real-time' with no dead time when the ball is out of
play. The player can take advantage of getting a corner kick off quickly
before the defense has a chance to fully set up. The new AI better
simulates how real soccer players react and play, requiring the same skills
of the gamer. The result is a very fast pace with the focus on playing
instead of managing the game. Commentary by English coaches Jonathan Pearce
and Ron Atkinson, along with action-specific crowd noise further enhance
the experience.
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s Rockstar
Games Division Announces its GTA2 has Gone Gold
and Will Ship Worldwide on October 22
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s Rockstar Games division announced
Wednesday that its GTA2, the eagerly anticipated sequel to its Grand Theft
Auto has gone gold and will ship for the Sony PlayStation and PC worldwide
on October 22.
Separately, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto for the Nintendo Game Boy Color has
begun manufacturing and will ship in Europe on October 22 and in North
America as scheduled in November.
GTA2 was developed by the Company's recently acquired DMA Design Ltd.
subsidiary. Grand Theft Auto for the Nintendo Game Boy Color was developed
by the Company's Tarantula subsidiary.
Sam Houser, President of Rockstar Games stated, ``Both Rockstar and DMA are
thrilled to be bringing GTA2 to the world for the Christmas season. To date
we have received extremely positive international consumer and trade press
response for GTA2 and we are confident we have created a worthy successor
to Grand Theft Auto."
Electronic Arts Ships Knockout Kings 2000 For The Nintendo 64
Electronic Arts Tuesday announced that it has shipped Knockout Kings 2000
on the Nintendo 64 video game system. Knockout Kings 2000 is the only video
game that features boxing legends Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar
De La Hoya and Evander Holyfield. New to the game this year is heavyweight
Joe Frazier, who teamed with Ali to create some of the most memorable
fights of all time.
``Nobody could ever move like me, or punch like me" said former
heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali. ``I look at myself in Knockout Kings
2000 and I like what I see. I float like a butterfly and sting like a
bee."
Last year's Knockout Kings on the PlayStation became the best selling
boxing video game in the history of the industry, according to TRSTS Video
Game Report, published by the NPD group. Knockout Kings 2000 ships on the
PlayStation and Game Boy® Color later this fall.
Knockout Kings 2000 has the market cornered on boxers and allows fans of
the ``sweet science" to play as the most famous fighters in history. The
stunning roll call of boxers includes Muhammad Ali, Alexis Arguello, Eric
``Butterbean" Esch, Oba Carr, Oscar De La Hoya, Roberto Duran, Joe
Frazier, ``Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield,
Kevin Kelley, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, Angel Manfredy, Floyd
Mayweather, ``Sugar" Shane Mosley, Sean O'Grady, Aaron Pryor, Ike
``Bazooka" Quartey, David Reid, Danny Romero, Leon Spinks, David Tua,
Fernando Vargas and Pernell ``Sweet Pea" Whitaker. Each boxer's style,
strength, weight, height, speed, reach and stamina are factored into the
artificial intelligence to ensure a realistic boxing experience.
Fight enthusiasts can compete as or against these legends as they vie for
the championship belt in light-, middle- and heavyweight classes. Improved
speed and control make the game's responsiveness and fluidity
second-to-none. An interactive training mode helps the user learn a boxer's
moves and perfect his technique in the gym before he gets in the ring.
An enhanced ``create-a-boxer" feature allows the user to create a boxer
with specific fighting skills and a very distinctive look. With the ability
to choose hair style and color, facial hair style and color, trunks,
height, weight, shoes, gloves, nickname, signature moves, and other
attributes, the create a boxer feature enables a user to customize a boxer
however they desire.
New face wrap technology makes the boxers in the game look totally
authentic. Visual effects throughout the game enhance the fighting action,
such as punch trails that track the path of a blow as it lands on an
opponent's face or body. An all new music soundtrack sets the tone as
boxers enter the ring, and new sound effects bring the grit of boxing to
the user as he hears not only the blows landed by the boxers, but also the
cheers and taunts of the crowd.
``Knockout Kings 2000 has an incredible lineup of boxers, but it is the
gameplay that puts it over the top," said Michael Pole, vice president and
executive in charge of production, Electronic Arts. ``When you fight
Muhammad Ali against Joe Frazier, or Sugar Ray Leonard against Marvin
Hagler, you become totally immersed in the action. The fighters look and
move just like their real life counterparts. Muhammad Ali is the greatest
fighter of all time. We had to do him justice with this game, and we did."
Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley worked closely with EA
SPORTS as consultants on the game to ensure the authenticity of the
fighting action. All three were motion captured as they executed hundreds
of moves that they would use in a real fight. The movements of the boxers
were then digitized into the game to bring the cyber boxers to life.
Famous referee Mills Lane worked with EA SPORTS on the game to give his
expert opinion on the strengths and weakness of current and past fighters.
The broadcasting element of Knockout Kings 2000 helps immerse the user in
the boxing experience. Jimmy Lennon, Jr, makes ring announcements and
introduces the fighters. Sean O'Grady and Al Albert provide play-by-play
commentary, and Lane gives the boxers pre-fight instructions.
Knockout Kings 2000 appeals to gamers who enjoy over-the-top arcade action
with a slugfest mode of play, as well as a career mode that enables a gamer
to enjoy a more realistic fighting experience. In slugfest mode it is
possible to go toe-to-toe for one fight with no rules and no refs. Punches
and player movements are exaggerated to create an extreme style of boxing
action, such as having a boxer do a backflip on the way to the canvas when
he is knocked down. Career mode rewards boxers for excellent performances
including combinations, superpunches, knockdowns and knockouts over
multiple fights on the way to the championship.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Important Jaguar Pre-order Update
Jaguar fans, don't delay! Now is the time to pre-order the four upcoming
Jaguar games brought to you by Songbird Productions. Thanks to all the
fans who have already mailed in their pre-orders; Songbird appreciates
your business.
The following games will be published by Songbird Productions in the 1999
and 2000 timeframe:
Pre-order Retail
Title Date Price Price
-------------------------------------------------
Skyhammer 12/20/99 $69.95 $79.95
Soccer Kid 02/07/99 $69.95 $74.95
Hyper Force 03/20/99 $69.95 $74.95
Protector 05/08/99 $69.95 $74.95
Information on all the above games can be found on the Songbird web site
at http://songbird.atari.org. Release dates subject to change without
prior notice.
Due to an increase in component cost and the overall uncertainty of
producing and selling a large quantity of cartridges, Songbird is raising
the retail price on all upcoming Jaguar games after the pre-order period
expires (Oct 31st). This is all the more reason to place your pre-order
now and get these new games at the best possible price.
Please note that any customer who pre-orders the games and postmarks his
pre-order by November 1st is guaranteed to receive all pre-ordered games
at the special discounted pricing. Any orders received that are postmarked
after November 1st will be at the full retail price. Songbird appreciates
the faithful fans who pre-order new games, and guarantees that the pricing
will not change for those who pre-order.
Plus, check out the full press release on http://songbird.atari.org and
see how you can receive up to $20 in Songbird coupons with your qualifying
pre-order!
Sincerely,
Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Intel Scientist Sees Chip Size, Design Limits
After 30 years of progress in the quest to make cheaper and faster
computers, an Intel researcher said scientists may have reached the limit
of their ability to scale down a silicon transistor crucial to the
technology revolution, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Citing an article in the journal Science, the Times reported that Paul
Packan, a scientist with Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, said
semiconductor engineers have not found ways around basic physical limits
beyond the generation of silicon chips that will begin to appear next year.
Packan called the apparent impasse ``the most difficult challenge the
semiconductor industry has ever faced."
``These fundamental issues have not previously limited the scaling of
transistors," Packan wrote in the Sept. 24 issue of Science. ``There are
currently no known solutions to these problems."
For more than 30 years, the computer industry has relied on a phenomenon
known as Moore's Law, named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, which was
the basic force underlying the computer revolution and the rise of the
Internet, the Times said.
The law held that as transistors were scaled ever smaller -- doubling in
capacity about every 18 months -- computer performance rose and the cost of
computer technology dropped. It had been assumed that the progress would
hold for at least another decade.
Packan said the next step along Moore's Law's progression would be to
develop transistors that are composed of fewer than 100 atoms -- beyond
the ability of semiconductor engineers to control.
Executives at Intel cautioned against seeing the problem as insurmountable,
adding they were confident answers could be found.
But Dennis Allison, a Silicon Valley physicist and computer designer, told
the Times, ``The fact that this warning comes from Intel's process group is
really significant. This says that they see actual limits."
If the miniaturization process for silicon-based transistors is halted,
hopes for continued progress would have to be based on new materials, new
transistor designs and advances like molecular computing, the Times
reported.
Packan's report will be echoed by researchers from the University of
Glasgow in a paper to be presented in December at a conference in
Washington, the Times reported.
Language Startup Takes Open-source Route
Open-source EDA takes a leap forward as CynApps, a system-level design
language startup founded by EDA veteran John Sanguinetti, makes its Cynlib
C++ class library freely available from a company Web site. CynApps has also
revealed that it is close to announcing a C++-to-Verilog compiler for
synthesis tools.
"We want to promote Cynlib as a standard," said Sanguinetti. "If we put it
out in the normal way, and licensed it for a fee, people would say they
could do the same thing and do their own. Some would succeed, and we'd
fragment the industry."
CynApps does, of course, need to make money, and the company intends to do
so by building and selling a "hardware design environment for C++,"
Sanguinetti said. In late September, the company plans to roll out a
compiler that will bridge the gap between C++ and the Verilog subset needed
for synthesis.
CynApps may, however, be heading for competition with Synopsys in the C++
arena. According to reports in the E-Mail Synopsys User's Group, Synopsys
privately demonstrated a C/C++ synthesis environment called "Scenery" at
the Design Automation Conference in June.
Brian Barrera, strategic marketing director for system-level design at
Synopsys, declined to comment directly on Scenery, but he reiterated
Synopsys' viewpoint that C++ is the "only realistic candidate" for a
system-level design language.
Cynlib, announced in June, is a class library that lets users describe
hardware features in C++. It includes a fast, cycle-accurate simulation
kernel, making it possible to simulate down to the register-transfer level
using nothing more than Cynlib and the free GNU C++ compiler.
The startup's open-source approach claims endorsements from several
companies, including Magma Design Automation, SureFire Verification, Apple
Computer and Sun Microsystems.
SureFire itself has had a successful experience with its open-source
Verilog EMACS editor. The company also makes a Verilog preprocessor
available at from its site.
Cynlib will be made available under terms very similar to the Netscape
Mozilla Public License model, Sanguinetti said. Under these terms, users
can download, use and modify the source code as they see fit. Users cannot
modify the class library and resell it, but they can use it to build models
that are compiled and sold. Those terms are very close to the GNU Public
License, Sanguinetti said, although they go a little further by allowing
users to link proprietary code with the library.
Apple and CompuServe Announce Extension of Rebate Program
Agreement is First Opportunity for Mac Users to Join the Value Revolution
Led by CompuServe Now Available in CompUSA and J & R ComputerWorld Stores
Apple and CompuServe, the value leader in Internet access and subsidiary of
America Online, Inc., recently announced an extension of the successful
retail rebate program designed to make getting online with Apple computers
easier and more affordable.
Beginning in November, Apple and CompuServe will introduce the first rebate
offer made available to Mac users. Consumers who sign up for CompuServe for
the Mac will receive a rebate in connection with the purchase of a
Macintosh computer. The rebate applies to Macs purchased at CompUSA and
J & R ComputerWorld and are an extension of the ongoing and successful
rebate program--available through the holiday shopping season--already in
place with these stores.
"AOL and Apple are celebrating a decade of partnership together in which
AOL has always been a premium Internet service choice for Mac users. Now
CompuServe joins the family. CompuServe's rebate program with Apple marks
the first time that Mac users can take advantage of our rebate program, and
we are excited to bring new value to consumers who love their Macs and want
CompuServe's robust content to help them manage their lives," said Audrey
Weil, AOL SVP and General Manager of CompuServe.
"We are glad to be working with CompuServe to make Macs more affordable
than ever," said Mitch Mandich, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide
Sales. "90% of our iMac users join the Internet, so we know the rebate
program with CompuServe Internet access will be a real winner among our
audience."
Voice Mail on Net Coming Soon
Voice mail on the Internet? E-mail over the phone?
Both are emerging, as the line separating phones and computers continues to
blur. New products and services will let callers leave messages as e-mail
attachments or check e-mail by phone.
``We think voice is going to be the next wave of the Internet," said Judy
Radlinsky, spokeswoman for General Magic, which featured both services at
the Internet World conference that ended Friday.
Jfax.com and eFax.com are among the other companies offering voice e-mail.
Some of the services have been available for a few months; others were
introduced at the show this week.
Callers use a special number to leave a voice message, and it pops up as an
e-mail. Recipients can listen to messages from the computer or by phone.
One drawback: they need separate numbers.
Regular voice mail services offered by phone companies automatically
transfer unanswered or busy calls to the voice mail system.
With Internet-based services, callers must make a second call, or
recipients must subscribe to a call-forwarding service from the phone
company.
Jfax and eFax also offer services that translate faxes to e-mail.
``The idea is you're a moving target," said Josh Mailman, an eFax product
demonstrator. ``The easier you can be found, capture and get your
information, the better."
Internet World, a five-day conference sponsored by publishers of Internet
World magazine, brings together Internet companies ranging from Microsoft
Corp. to the smallest startups. The show is now in its seventh year.
The show's offerings largely targeted other internet companies, but a
handful of products were designed specifically for consumers or business
travelers.
Ancestry.com Inc., for instance, offers databases with 400 million names to
help people trace their family roots.
Handspring Inc. and Palm Computing Inc. also showed off their latest
handheld organizers.
The Internal Revenue Service had a presence as well, handing out brochures
on electronic filing of tax returns and giving away CD-ROMs featuring forms
and publications for tax year 1998. No matter that returns were due April
15.
Several services targeted the growing e-commerce business. Some help companies set up online
retail operations. Others offer digital cash systems that let buyers shop
from different merchants without having to enter a credit card number each
time.
Microsoft Looks Ahead To Paper-Free Publishing
By the year 2006, electronic news kiosks will allow people to download
newspapers and magazines onto electronic reading devices.
By the year 2010, the devices will be lightweight, have flexible screens
and run off 24-hour batteries. By the year 2018, the newspaper on paper
could become extinct.
The future is electronic, the past is paper -- that is the message
delivered at the world's biggest book fair by Dick Brass, vice-president
of technology development at Microsoft.
He speaks with the fervor of an electronic crusader selling the Microsoft
Reader, a new piece of software that allows files formatted for print to
be displayed or downloaded on a printer.
He even uses the Reader to read in bed at night without disturbing his
wife.
Thursday, Microsoft announced that it is joining forces with Penguin
Books, a unit of Pearson Plc, to put out a 1,000-strong series of classic
books on Microsoft Reader which will be available early next year in
English and later on in other languages.
Two other deals were also clinched with Italian publisher Mondadori
Editore Spa and the Paris-based Editions 00h00.com, one of Europe's
leading online publishers, both adopting the Microsoft Reader.
Microsoft boasts that its Reader device ``brings to the screen exactly
what we all love about books: clean, crisp type, traditional lay-out and
an uncluttered format."
Brass, proudly waving his hand-held computer with a screen full of sharp
and clear text, said that a book now costing $30 could cost $5 on the
computer ``because now you pay for the paper, for the ink, for the
transport and the books sent back unsold."
He sees the Microsoft Reader as a major boon to the Third World because it
would boost literacy. Every village would be able to afford its own
electronic library, he said.
There is nothing ironic about Brass singing the praises of the electronic
Microsoft Reader at the world's biggest book fair, which has attracted
6,600 publishers from 115 countries. One in four of the exhibitors offers
electronic publications.
The industry, given a boost by the sharp rise of online book sales through
companies like Amazon.com, sees the Internet as a friend and not a foe.
As a sign of changing times at the fair, Microsoft announced a new
$100,000 literary award to ``promote excellence in the eBook industry."
Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said in a statement: ``We are
delighted to be able to recognize and celebrate achievement in writing.
``The widespread availability of great electronic titles will not only
help the young eBook industry, it will also help encourage literacy and
the love of reading, learning and knowledge."
Whatever new inventions may beckon on the horizon in the next millennium,
publishers still feel the book has its place.
As Frankfurt Book Fair chairman Hubertus Schenkel said: "The fascination
of reading a book cannot be replaced by a laptop, most certainly not on
the beach or on a cozy evening."
Yahoo! To Put Computers in Taxis
San Franciscans can now hail a cab - and a computer.
Internet company Yahoo! has brokered a deal with Luxor Cab Co. to bring
online cabs to the streets.
The cabs come equipped with a two-and-a-half-pound laptop nestled between
two armrests in the front seat and a modem attached to the dash. The
computer plugs into the cab's cigarette lighter.
The agreement with the cab company lasts four months, and Yahoo hopes
that's long enough for riders to get hooked on the technology.
Yahoo is considering increasing the number of Internet taxis after the
four-month trial, or expanding the technology to another city.
AT&T, HP Offer Internet Access Plan Via Brio PCs
Purchasers of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP Brio personal computers can receive
Internet access through AT&T Corp.'s AT&T WorldNet Service under a plan
unveiled Tuesday by the two companies.
Under the plan, Brio customers will receive free Internet connection for
one month, six electronic-mail accounts and AT&T's 24-hour online and phone
support. Fees for AT&T's Internet connection services range from $9.95 per
month for 10 hours of access to $21.95 per month for unlimited access.
Access can be obtained through HP's new HP Brio Center, which gives small
and medium-sized businesses a package of services, from initial connections
to creating a Web site and online store. AT&T WorldNet Service will be
integrated into the HP Brio Internet Center for simplified registration.
The relationship with AT&T follows other alliances HP has formed for the HP
Brio Internet Center, including deals with Netscape Communications Corp.,
Trellix Corp. and Prodigy Business Solutions. The HP Brio Internet Center
is sold as part of all new HP Brio PCs.
Microsoft Admits Browser Security Hole
Microsoft today acknowledged a security problem with its Web browser that
could let a malicious Web site operator rifle through visitors' files.
Like many browser security problems, this one has to do with scripting
technology, which lets a Web site execute actions on a user's computer
without the user's interaction. Scripting languages like Netscape
Communications' JavaScript or Microsoft's VBScript and JScript give the
visiting computer a "script" to follow, instructing it to launch a new
window or scroll text across the screen.
For security reasons, browsers typically restrict the kinds of things a
Web site can do with scripts. But in this case, Microsoft's Internet
Explorer 5.0 browser fails to restrict scripts when they are executed from
within smaller windows within a Web site called frames. The command at
issue here is the "document.execCommand," according to Microsoft.
In a security alert, Microsoft said it was working on a patch that would
implement tighter security checks within frames. The patch is not yet
available.
The security hole is typical of the type regularly reported by Bulgarian
bug hunter Georgi Guninski. Guninski, who first reported this bug, has
reported many others in browsers from both Microsoft and America Online's
Netscape unit.
Pending a fix, Microsoft is recommending that users disable Active
Scripting in IE 5's Internet Zone, a categorization within the browser's
security system that includes most Web sites. Users should add sites they
trust not to execute malicious content on their computers to the Trusted
Zone, Microsoft said, adding that Microsoft should be among these sites if
users want to download the patch when it becomes available.
Microsoft stressed that someone exploiting this attack could only read
files, not change or delete them.
Windows 2000 Now Likely To Ship In February
Microsoft Corp. marketing will take one on the chin and wait until February
of next year to launch Windows 2000, the company's flagship product.
The Redmond, Wash., company is telling partners it will take a deliberate
approach to launch rather than try to rush the launch into the end of this
year just to save face, according to several sources.
(Speaking at the GartnerGroup's Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, Fla., on
Wednesday, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer said the company is in no rush
to ship the OS until it's "absolutely, positively right.")
Microsoft also will conduct a Windows 2000 launch planning event in
conjunction with its partners in late October, where the company will map
out in detail its delivery and launch plans for the product, according to
partners.
Microsoft officials, who have repeatedly promised shipment by the end of
this year, would not confirm or deny any timing issues regarding the
shipment of Windows 2000. However, a Windows 2000 trade show in San
Francisco has been slated for February and is likely to provide the venue
for the OS's launch, sources said.
Microsoft officials maintain the product will release to manufacture, or
RTM, this year -- sources say December 5 is the latest target -- and
therefore Windows 2000 would technically ship this year, even though users
won't have the software in hand for six to eight weeks after RTM.
But even Microsoft seems resigned to the idea that, given year 2000 issues,
shipping a product at the end of this year is not an ideal strategy.
"I joke and tell [CEO] Bill [Gates] that this is the worst time in the last
couple hundred years to ship a new software product," said Brian Valentine,
vice president of Microsoft's Business and Enterprise Division and head of
Windows 2000 development under Senior Vice President Jim Allchin.
But quality issues and development delays also seem to be playing a part in
putting off the launch to February. Sources say a third release candidate,
originally slated for October, has slipped to November. And application
compatibility, an issue that has dogged the product all year, is still
about 15 percent shy of where Microsoft wants it, according to Valentine.
Users, for the most part, aren't fazed by the timing. Most have no plans
for serious deployments until at least the end of next year - regardless of
whether they purchase the product early in the year.
Even Rapid Deployment Partners with deployment success stories are taking
careful steps with portions of what many observers say is more than just an
upgrade.
"In our environment, we haven't done much with Active Directory services
yet, and we're just now planning to migrate our domain controller to
Windows 2000," said Jason Lochhead, vice president of research and
development at Data Return Corp., an RDP in Dallas founded by three former
Microsoft employees.
Data Return's application hosting business is running on Windows 2000 with
some Windows NT 4.0 mixed in. "I felt like I had a good grasp on Active
Directory, and even then it's daunting," Lochhead said.
Also daunting to users will be the amount of conflicting information
regarding the cost of upgrading to Windows 2000.
Giga Information Group this week released Windows 2000 research claiming
that the benefits of migrating to Windows 2000 outweigh the costs. Giga
based its findings on its Total Economic Impact metric, which measures cost
alongside benefits, flexibility and risk.
Giga found that installing or upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional will
cost approximately $970 to $1,640 per desktop system. Installing or
upgrading to Windows 2000 Server -- once the product has been stabilized --
will cost approximately $107 per client for a typical network of 5,000
users. For an enterprise with 5,000 users, the total expected cost of
upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional and Server would be approximately
$1,077 to $1,747 per user even if an organization replaces all of its
desktop hardware.
Those findings run counter to a study published by the GartnerGroup, whose
analysts said fewer than 30 percent of enterprises will adopt the
first
iteration of Windows 2000 and cited much higher deployment costs.
Broadscape To Give Away Free 19-Inch PC Monitors
First came ``free" PC's. Now we have ``free" PC accessories.
Hoping to thrust privately-held Broadscape.com into the online advertising
world, the New Orleans-based company said Tuesday it would give away
100,000 19-inch color PC monitors.
The six-month old company plans to build an ``electronic marketing network" based on the
complimentary distribution.
Broadscape said it signed a ``multi-million dollar" partnership with CMGI
Inc. affiliate MyWay.com, under which MyWay would provide content,
including the Altavista search engine, for a co-branded start page.
A wave of ``Free PC" offers led to a sharp rise in computer sales at stores
this past summer, just when a seasonal lull might have been expected to
hit, according to PC Data Inc.
The ``free" PCs were offered mostly by upstart companies, like
ePCdirect.com. But market leaders like Compaq Computer Corp. and
Hewlett-Packard Co. also got into the game, offering big rebates on PCs
when a buyer signed up for as many as three years of Internet service.
Like the PC deals, the monitor plan has a price. Applicants must exchange
information, like income level and personal interests. Once the monitor is
attached, Broadscape's ``always on top" software triggers ads that stream
across the screen when users are online.
However, when disconnected from the Internet, the messaging frame is
inactive, allowing complete use of the entire screen, which is larger than
the 17-inch and 15-inch monitors owned by most PC-users.
Broadscape chief executive Anthony Salvaggio said the deal differed from
``free" PC offers by halting the ads when a user was offline and that it
did not oblige anyone to subscribe to an Internet service provider.
``We wanted to have something that is technologically trouble free," he
told Reuters. ``(ISP deals) are too complicated. This way we don't have to
worry about people getting busy signals."
Broadscape expects in March 2000 to start shipping the first 100,000
monitors, which will be built and serviced by KDS, a unit of Korea Data
Systems.
``We can become part of the advertising network and we can start with the
first 100,000 monitors," said Salvaggio, who noted that a private investor
had committed $5 million toward the program.
Salvaggio said more than 9,000 applications had already been taken at its
web site, www.broadscape.com.
Intel, AMA Develop MD Verification
Intel Corp. and the American Medical Association said Tuesday they are
developing an online system to verify that people who dispense medical
advice via the Web are indeed doctors.
Such a system will be crucial, participants said, for the next wave of
Internet health care applications, which could let doctors share lab
results and diagnose patients electronically.
Engineers designed the system to verify doctors' credentials and prevent
pranksters from impersonating a physician. The system will also be able to
verify patients' identities to protect sensitive medical records.
The system, unveiled at a daylong Intel conference on Internet health care,
is expected to be in place early next year.
``Today, there's no effective way for online services to know Dr. Jones is
in fact Dr. Jones," said Charles E. Saunders, medical director for
Healtheon, a Web health company that signed up for the new services.
Alan Greene, a pediatrician who runs the Web site drgreene.com, said he has
heard of a few pranks. A visitor to an online chat room once gave a cancer
patient advice on alternative treatment options, only to say afterward that
the exchange was a joke.
``When people go looking for information online, it's usually a topic they
are concerned about," Greene said. ``If they get misinformation, it can be
dangerous."
The system verifies only an individual's identity, not the site's content.
Richard Corlin, speaker of the House of Delegates of the American Medical
Association, acknowledges that a separate system must be developed to sort
out good and bad medical information.
The Intel system will require doctors using a participating Web site to
register for a digital certificate, akin to an online health card.
Intel computers will check the registration information against the
American Medical Association's database of 900,000 doctors. Patients
ultimately will have to register as well to get private records.
Intel, AMA To Put Patient Records Online
Intel has teamed up with the American Medical Association to provide
physicians and consumers software that will allow them to securely access
and exchange patient records online.
The alliance, as earlier reported by CNET News.com and announced today at
Intel's Internet Health Day event in New York, will focus on creating
so-called digital credentials that Intel and the AMA plan to eventually
distribute to health Web sites, physicians, and consumers. Digital
credentials are a piece of encrypted software that helps verify a person's
identity to Web sites. Intel also announced that it has created a new
Internet Authentication Services unit to develop these credential services.
Health care has the potential to be a huge online industry, and companies
such as Healtheon and Medquist already have entered the space. But many
privacy experts regard health information as being among the most sensitive
information that can be distributed, requiring companies to safeguard that
data. Digital credentials like those developed by Intel help ensure that
only authorized physicians, insurers, and consumers can access a patient's
medical transcripts or other health records.
"If you're buying a book online, it's not critical that I know your ID,"
said Mariah Scott, manager for Intel's authentication services unit. "If
you're talking about accessing your health records online, you really need
to know that this is a physician," Scott said.
The deal also serves two key strategic aims for Intel. Earlier this year,
the company launched an Internet services division as part of its expanded
mission to provide the "building blocks" to the Internet economy. Today's
deal gives a boost to that effort. Company executives from CEO Craig
Barrett on down have also been touting the importance of
business-to-business e-commerce, as well as Intel's desire to play a major
role in its development.
Intel is not alone in developing authentication software. VeriSign, Network
Associates, and Entrust, among other companies, are involved in developing
digital certificates that verify a user's identity. But much of the digital
certificate effort to date has centered on financial transactions.
Intel said that Healtheon-WebMD and Franklin Health have all signed on to
use the new software. Physicians will be able to use digital credentials
to store and view patient charts through MedQuist, and consumers will be
able to use them to update their health information on WellMed's WellRecord.
Scott said Intel already is prototyping the authentication service with a
small group of physicians from the AMA and is beta-testing it with
Healtheon-WebMD and WellMed. She said the company plans to fully bring out
the service early next year.
Physicians will be able to obtain a digital credential through the AMA,
Scott said; although Intel and the AMA are still deciding on the mechanics
of the enrollment process.
Intel also is planning to extend its authentication services into other
Internet and e-commerce areas, Scott said.
"Our first focus is health care, but we think these authentication services
are applicable to a number of other businesses," she said.
=~=~=~=
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