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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 02 Issue 05
Volume 2, Issue 5 Atari Online News, Etc. February 4, 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:
Brian Gudzevich
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0205 02/04/00
~ People Are Talking! ~ Windows Millennium! ~ On The Prowl!
~ Congress Mulls Tax Ban ~ Web Names Fight Drags! ~ The Web's Top 10!
~ AOL Interference Suit! ~ Congress Raps Security ~ 'Willamette'!
~ Join The Hate AOL Club ~ Woman Sues DoubleClick ~ Wireless Internet
-* Web Users - Cash To Surf Web *-
-* Kodak Launches Digital Film Service *-
-* Freemac Reinvents Itself After iMac Snub! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Hey, how about those oil prices!! I'm tellin' ya, no matter what, the
consumer gets the bite everywhere you go these days. Unbelieveable! My
father had left me an e-mail late last week that he had just received a
fill-up. His rate was $1.64 a gallon - without his senior citizen discount!
I told him that I was due for a fill in a few days; I'd compare prices.
Well, I got my oil Monday. The 'ticket' said $1.82 a gallon! I mean this
was ridiculous! With our weather, a tank of oil will likely last us a
month, maybe a week or two more depending on the temperatures. Almost $400
for a month of heat. Needless to say, my father didn't feel as bad any
longer! A day or two later, I started to wonder whether or not when we
moved into the house and contracted an oil dealer if I had locked into a
price. Before I could find the contract, I got the bill for the oil
delivery. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones; I had locked in at a
lower price three years ago. My price was a paltry $0.899 a gallon. I
felt fine for a few hours until I saw reports on the news showing how some
people were handling their heat, or lack of it. Seeing the elderly and
"poor" bundling up in their own homes to stay warm was heart-wrenching.
I'll be the first to say that I support foreign aid, but to a point. When
people in our own land are homeless, cold, and hungry - there's no excuse
for it. If you're one of the lucky ones like I am, I hope you're home,
warm, and still have some money in your bank account when Spring rolls
around again!
Sorry, I haven't ranted for a few weeks, but this just was something that
stuck in my craw. I won't let it happen again, for a little while, anyway.
<grin>
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
jmirando@portone.com
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. It's been yet another busy week, and we
are just now starting to get back to something resembling normal after
the passing of my mother-in-law. It's still tough, but when you have no
choice but to get back to normal, that's what you do.
I've installed a new Linux distribution on my PC laptop, and I like it a
lot. The only problem has been getting the new installation to recognize
the laptop's modem. I've tried several different things to get it to
work, and have even enlisted the help of a couple of Linux users, but I
haven't had any luck as of yet.
Despite this problem I've got to say that if you're running Linux on a
PC now you should take a look at the Mandrake 7.0 distribution. It's
much a much more polished package than any of the others that I've
looked at and it comes with tons of software that make using the package
both fun and productive.
Now, as far as my adventures with Linux on the TT, I must say that I'm a
bit disappointed. While the TOS or MagiC on the TT is very responsive
and comfortable, Linux slogs along in tortoise-like fashion. It's not
really the fault of the OS. It is what it is: a mature, powerful
operating system that uses the power of the computer to its fullest
extent. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave much speed for incidentals
like quick response.
To be fair, I haven't really finished putting it through its paces, and
there are a lot of things to be configured, so maybe I'm being a bit to
quick to judge. I guess only time will tell.
Okay, let's get to the STuff from the UseNet...
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
As if he had known that I was going to mention Linux on my TT, Mark van
Meurs posts:
"Not so long I got an Atari TT030 from a friend of mine. Another friend
told me there are linux disks for the 68030 processor. So I repartitioned
the HD with a linux tool (atari-fdisk) and installed linux (Debian).
But when it was almost completely installed I came to the conclusion
that linux couldn't be placed in the boot sector of my Atari HD so it
was necessary to keep a little space on the hard drive for TOS/GEM. From
this space I should be able to start a little program which boots linux.
I wasn't very happy, 'cause by now I knew I had to do the installation
all over again. But okay, I like a challenge. So I took a little TOS/GEM
utility I saved just before I partitioned my hard disk, called HDX. HDX
formatted my hard disk and after that I used it to repartition my hard disk
again. When I quit the program my Atari automatically rebooted. When
finished booting I came to the conclusion there still wasn't a hard disk
present. Then I remembered I had another little utility which I somehow
thought would be capable of making my HD usable. This utility was called
HINSTALL, but when I ran this program it told me there was no logical
drive present. Can somebody please help me? I by now don't have clue
anymore of how to make my hard disk work."
Lonny Pursell tells Mark:
"Just copy AHDI.PRG to /auto on a floppy. Boot this floppy making sure
that ahdi.prg runs. Then run Hinstall.prg. Hinstall.prg will not see
any partitions until the driver ahdi.prg is loaded first."
John Garone posts:
"According to Regis and "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", the name Atari
roughly translates to "prepare to be attacked" in Japanese!
No elaboration on that, the company or the computer. Anyone know if
Atari was a Japanese company at first?"
John replies:
"Ahh! Interesting. So how many hands has the company passed through?"
Ken Macdonald tells John:
"As far as I recall, Bushnell, then Time?-Warner, then Tramiel, then
some hard drive company, then Hasbro."
Laurence Shields asks for info on putting a hard drive into his Mega
STe:
"I have read that my Mega STe has an internal SCSI interface. Does that
mean I can replace my built-in 50MB drive with any (internal) SCSI
drive? Would I need to do anything special?"
Phil Walding tells Laurence:
"(It) Shouldn't be a problem. I replaced mine with a 100meg Maxtor and
later a 1.2gig (can't remember the brand).
Only problem I had with the 1.2 gig was ICD software wouldn't format /
partition it. I had to do that with Diamond Edge (? - something from
Oregon Research anyway).
On another tack, I know Oregon updated the software after my release and
added support for newer drives / media. Anyone know if there are any
update options still floating around?
I see The updates for Neodesk and Geneva are still out there, so maybe ..."
This must be "Linux Week" or something. Now "Max" posts:
"My TT030 is now up-and-running. As an OS I now use Debian Linux. What I
wondered was: 'how do I hook this thing up to my network?' Of course I
noticed the LAN port on the side of my Atari, but that connector is
completely new to me (as a network connector). Does anybody know how I
can make an adapter LAN port <-> Ethernet BNC ???? Or where I can get
one?"
John Garone tells Max:
"I've used 'Flash' for my Falcon and 'Interlink' for my ST. Both have
selectable terminal emulations. Not sure where to get a demo!"
John Garone asks:
"Regarding CAB 2.7, if a text file is loaded which contains a URL
address, should that address show as the color selected and clickable?
It shows that way in Newsie (.94) downloads but not in CAB!"
Martin-Eric Racine tells John:
"NEWSie parses the original text for anything that looks like a URL,
while CAB is a simply an HTML parser; if there is no HTML anchor, there
won't be any link."
Chris Crosskey asks:
"Can anyone tell me if I'm going mad?,....I could have sworn that somewhere
I had seen a MIDI file player for the STe that played back using the
onboard sound hardware........A bit like the Falcon one from Softjee.....
Can anyone else remember seeing it, and if so a URL would be appreciated.."
Shiuming Lai tells Chris:
"You are probably thinking of EPSS by Copson (Zero-X fame). There is a
demo on some FTP sites, but it's no longer a supported product. It was
originally made to replay the music of Unit 17's (demo crew) musician,
who could only work with MIDI, and not trackers. The EPSS system was
used in a few demos like Dynamite and Jam House, and evolved into a
fully commercial product.
To achieve MIDI playing with internal synthesis required a few compromises,
such as limited MIDI command support, and boosting the bass and treble to
maximum in order to compensate the loss of dynamic range from mixing so
many voices into those two 8-bit D/A channels. However, it did work well
within its limits, from what I saw."
Didier Briel adds:
"PHPlayer (from William Wong) does exactly what you describe. As an STe
is not exactly the ultimate in raw power, some MIDI files will play
better than others, but for some, it works.
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/6880/phsw.html Following this
link, you will need to download also additional Samples (it's explained
in the documentation) if you want more than a piano sound.
If you want to use additional sounds, a hard drive is recommended."
Guillaume Defache adds his thoughts:
"Try the Probe House Player (can play MIDI as well as samples):
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/6880/phplyr.html
So feel relieved, you are not mad (yet)!"
Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying
when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - 'Wacky Races'! 'Crazy Taxi'!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PSX Railroad Tycoon II
'Star Wars: Racer'!
'Sword of the Berserk'!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Set to Ship
Railroad Tycoon II for Playstation
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announces that Railroad Tycoon II for
PlayStation is set to hit retail shelves this week. Co-developed by
Gearhead Entertainment in conjunction with Tremor Entertainment under
license from Gathering Of Developers and PopTop Software, Railroad Tycoon
II will give PlayStation owners the opportunity to experience the
phenomenal railroad building franchise that over 2 million PC owners have
become addicted to.
``Railroad Tycoon II is certain to attract a whole new set of fans on the
PlayStation with its unique concept and depth of gameplay," stated Ryan
Brant, president of Take 2 Interactive. ``Strategy and train enthusiasts,
empire-builders and aspiring tycoons alike will surely find Railroad Tycoon
II to be a fun, challenging, and addictive experience."
In the March issue of PSExtreme, Railroad Tycoon II is given a score of 90%
out of 100% and states, ``Railroad Tycoon II is such an excellent port that
you may forget you're playing on a PlayStation. It is a well-crafted
strategy game and pretty much guaranteed to suck up your hard earned time.
You know a game is good when you start playing for 'a few minutes' and end
up looking at the clock a few hours later wondering where all the time has
gone."
Adding to a global franchise over 2 million units strong, Railroad Tycoon
II brings a new kind of strategy home to the PlayStation. With an extensive
18-campaign scenario, train enthusiasts work to re-create the evolution of
the world's railroad systems from 1804 through 2020 and beyond with over 60
available engines and 34 cargo train types. Select your mogul from one of
40 chairmen, create an empire and run your rivals out of town on a rail.
Through dabbling in a true-to-life financial model (complete with margin
buying, short-selling and hostile takeovers), you claw your way to the top.
Do you build the Transcontinental Railway or the Orient Express? Do you run
steam engines through the jungles of Africa or electric trains across the
treacherous Swiss Alps? You decide!
Crazy Taxi Races to Sega Dreamcast With
Irreverent, Off-The-Wall Driving Fun
Driving on Rooftops and Sidewalks is Totally
Legal in "Crazy Taxi," Where the Only Moving
Violation is Not Moving Out of the Way
Don't even bother buckling up! Sega of America, Inc. Thursday announced the
release of ``Crazy Taxi'' for the 128-bit, Internet-ready Sega Dreamcast
videogame console. Based on the smash arcade hit, ``Crazy Taxi'' challenges
gamers to race their taxi against the clock and drive customers to their
destinations - but it's not as easy as it sounds. This game is jam-packed
with insane obstacles and fast action, challenging gamers to dodge and dash
quickly throughout the city to earn the best tip. ``Crazy Taxi'' features
amazingly detailed 3D graphics and is loaded with cool new exclusive
features, including an all-new interactive course and more than a dozen
challenging mini-games. The title will be available at retailers nationwide
starting February 2 for $49.95.
In ``Crazy Taxi," players assume the role of one of four off-beat taxi cab
drivers (Axel, Gus, Gena and B.D. Joe) who must pick up passengers waiting
anyplace from rooftops to sidewalks to underwater wearing scuba masks. The
highly interactive 3D environments are loaded with real-life imagery,
including franchises such as Pizza Hut, KFC and Levi Strauss, in addition
to detailed backgrounds that look incredibly realistic. Although players
earn fares by getting passengers to their destination without too many
mishaps, earning tips requires creative wheelwork, so players need to take
shortcuts.
In this game, ``crazy" is the key word. Time is money, so gamers can
launch their taxi off a second story parking lot or fly down a set of
stairs at ridiculous speeds to save time. Since there isn't a ``pre-set"
route to follow, gamers are encouraged to take their driving skills to the
limit by driving on sidewalks, rooftops, cafes, lawns and department
stores.
It's all fair game in this game --the more destruction and chaos caused,
the higher the score. Other cars on the street may smash gamers' taxis into
a side rail, causing them to spin out of control, so gamers need to be
aggressive.
Drive the wrong way down a one-way street, plow through restaurants or
swerve in and out of traffic. The only bad thing players can do is not go
fast enough!
``Thanks to Sega's deep arcade roots, gamers can play some of the best
titles from the arcades, with new exclusive additions, on Sega Dreamcast,"
said Charles Bellfield, director of marketing communications, Sega of
America. ```Crazy Taxi' is so graphically advanced that it's hard to
believe Sega Dreamcast's second generation software coming this year will
look even better."
Several ``crazy" moves need to be perfected in order to garner the maximum
tip from passengers, and gamers will in turn be rewarded for making their
ride thrilling. Crazy Jump uses ramps or other insane obstacles to get the
taxi airborne, while Crazy Drift is used to sustain a sliding drift of the
cab while turning. A Crazy Through move cuts in close to other vehicles
that gamers can pass on the roads without crashing. Crazy Dash and Crazy
Back Dash cause the cab to quickly move forward or in reverse. The Crazy
Back Drift move allows the cab to move in reverse after spinning
180(Degree) -- talk about crazy!
Three main modes are built into the game: Arcade, Original and Crazy Box
modes. Arcade mode brings all the best from the original hit, while
utilizing the powerful Sega Dreamcast engine to enhance and expand the 3D
graphics. Original mode adds an entirely new, larger course to weave
through, in which players might even get lost and find different ways of
getting to the same destination, thus increasing the replay value. Crazy
Box mode gives players the opportunity to master the previously mentioned
crazy maneuvers that are essential to generating high scores.
Taking passengers on these wild missions becomes even more entertaining
with the amazing punk rock soundtrack. Players can screech, jump and plow
through crowded city streets while rocking out to the tunes of Offspring
and Bad Religion.
The Visual Memory Unit and Jump Pack are two Sega Dreamcast accessories
that can be used to enhance the gaming experience. Game data and player
files for up to 4 players can be stored on the VMU, while the Jump Pack
provides force feedback in the controller. ``Crazy Taxi" will be available
at retailers nationwide and on sega.com for $49.95.
Eidos Interactive's Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
for the Sega Dreamcast Now Shipping
Eidos Interactive announced last week that Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain is
now shipping for the Sega Dreamcast.
The critically acclaimed Sega Dreamcast version features exclusive
graphical enhancements over other versions of the game and also boasts an
incredible 60 frames per second throughout. Eidos developer, Crystal
Dynamics, has taken the time to make sure that their newest franchise
receives special attention and gives gamers a new, unique experience.
Gamers assume the role of Raziel, a vampire who must feed on the souls of
his undead brethren as he stalks the material and spectral planes of
existence seeking to destroy his creator, Kain, in this epic 3D action
adventure sequel to the hot-selling Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen.
Eidos Vice President of Marketing, Paul Baldwin stated: ``We are extremely
excited to bring the Legacy of Kain series to the Sega Dreamcast. The
enhanced graphics and processing power of the Dreamcast bring the world of
Nosgoth to a new level of beauty and will immerse the player in a fantasy
world like no other."
Pre-sell numbers of the game have been very high as the game nears its
shipping date.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Set to Ship
Rockstar Games' Wild Metal for Sega Dreamcast
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announced Tuesday that its Rockstar
Games division has shipped Wild Metal, its first Sega Dreamcast title, to
retail this week. Wild Metal is set to bring futuristic, interplanetary
combat to the Sega Dreamcast with an impressive physics engine, twenty-one
vast and spectacular levels to do battle with seventeen mechanical menaces,
beasts and bosses, the most insane and innovative weapons assortment ever
assembled, and a fierce selection of split-screens multiplayer modes to
choose from.
``Wild Metal is one of the most eye catching and innovative games to be
released for Sega Dreamcast," stated Sam Houser, president of Rockstar
Games. ``With its incredible physics system, non-linear gameplay, ferocious
multiplayer modes, and breathtaking levels to explore and battle upon, Wild
Metal is a must-have for Sega Dreamcast owners."
In the November 1999 issue of Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine, Wild Metal
was praised as ``a bombastic action-strategy game."
Wild Metal possesses ``massive environments and a fantastic physics engine"
according to leading video game industry publication,
Next-Gen.Dailyradar.com states, ``Wild Metal may provide Sega's new console
with its first taste of unbridled tank-on-tank shooting - something that
it's desperately lacked since its American debut.'
Wild Metal for Sega Dreamcast allows gamers to play as both the hunter and
the hunted in this psychologically thrilling action / shooter. Utilizing
mechanical beasts of destruction, gamers will have to employ extreme
stealth tactics and pure animal instinct to survive and outwit their
enemies as you explore the beautiful landscapes of the Tehric system -
Tundra, the Aztec Desert and the Red Planet. The goal is to locate and
collect eight different power cores over twenty-one levels on the three
unique planetary surfaces. With your choice of five futuristic combat
vehicles, you'll be armed with an innovative weapons assortment and support
helicopters. Prepare yourself for the battle against the odds to unite the
power cores, save the human race, and to destroy the mechanical menaces
that have decimated the human population. Engage the enemy solo or play
against an opponent in split-screen head-to-head battle while you frag your
opponents on the vast alien landscape. Hunt or be hunted. Kill or Be
Killed. Reclaim the Future for Mankind!
LucasArts to Release Star Wars: Episode I Racer
as First Title for Sega Dreamcast
High-Speed Racing Game to Include Ability to Post
Top Scores through the Sega Dreamcast Network
LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC announced Monday that it will release
the critical and commercial hit interactive game Star Wars: Episode I Racer
for Sega Dreamcast in spring 2000. Star Wars: Racer for Sega Dreamcast is
the only console version of the game featuring stunning high-resolution
graphics and dramatic prerendered cut scenes.
Additionally, players will be able to take advantage of the Sega Dreamcast
Network to post high scores to the Internet and compare notes on who is the
best Podracer in the galaxy.
Star Wars: Racer brings all the intensity and high-speed thrills of the
Podracing sequence from the motion picture Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom
Menace. The game dares players to take control of sleek and blindingly fast
Podracers in a series of electrifying and dangerous races throughout the
Star Wars galaxy. Inspired by Anakin Skywalker's epic race against the
nefarious Sebulba in the motion picture's Boonta Eve Classic, the game
challenges players to compete in the perilous outlaw sport of Podracing,
where the object is to win at all costs.
Each Podracer is propelled by two massive jet engines and controlled from a
small cockpit that hovers behind, connected by 15-foot cables. Speed is the
name of the game in Star Wars: Racer as the lightning quick vehicles are
capable of reaching simulated speeds of up to 600 miles per hour, while
skimming a mere 4 feet above the ground.
``Star Wars: Racer lets players relive all the speed and exhilaration of
the film's do-or-die Podracing sequence," says Tom Byron, product
marketing manager for LucasArts. ``Sega Dreamcast allows us to achieve a
high level of realism that convincingly immerses game players into one of
the most amazing moments in Star Wars history."
``We are pleased to welcome LucasArts aboard as a third party publisher for
Sega Dreamcast and are excited to see their debut on the system with such a
stellar title as Star Wars: Episode I Racer," says Neal Robison, group
director for third party, Sega of America. ``We look forward to additional
titles from LucasArts that continue to take videogaming to the next level,
while taking advantage of Sega Dreamcast's superior technical abilities."
Star Wars: Racer allows players to contend as Anakin, reigning champion
Sebulba, or more than 22 other Podracer pilots in the ultra-competitive
multi-race Galactic Circuit, or jump right into single race mode. Each
beautifully detailed Podracing vehicle can be upgraded with a variety of
parts to increase acceleration, cool engine boosters, and enhance
maneuverability.
Offering more than 21 race courses spread among eight worlds, Star Wars:
Racer is highlighted by a faithful recreation of the treacherous Tatooine
circuit, site of the Boonta Eve Classic. Each track features a variety of
potential hazards unique to the world's environment, such as methane lakes,
meteor showers and Tusken Raiders. One course is located on Oovo IV, a
prison mining colony. The mine transports ore through anti-gravity tunnels,
which Podracers must negotiate at break-neck speeds while dodging giant
rocks that are hurling toward them. Another track is based around a volcano
where pilots race over rivers of searing lava forcing them to make
split-second course corrections. All courses feature a variety of branches
and shortcuts that clever Podracers will learn to use to their advantage in
order to win.
Star Wars: Racer features the voice of Jake Lloyd, who portrays Anakin
Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The game's powerful
vehicle sound effects and stirring soundtrack are taken directly from the
motion picture, as well.
The PC and Nintendo 64 versions of Star Wars: Racer were overwhelmingly
successful upon their release in spring 1999. The PC version was among the
three best selling games in its first five weeks of availability, according
to software sales tracking firm PC Data. Star Wars: Racer for N64 was the
number one console title in June 1999, as reported by NPD/TRST.
Gamers Start Your Engines: Acclaim Announces
Vanishing Point For The PlayStation Game Console
Acclaim Entertainment announced development of Vanishing Point, a new
arcade-style, ``every man for himself" racing game for the PlayStation
game console set for release in Spring 2000. Developed by Clockwork Games,
Vanishing Point is the only racing game that lets aspiring speed freaks
combine stunt-based and realistic driving action in over 30 licensed road
cars. A Sega Dreamcast(TM) version will follow this Fall.
``Vanishing Point is poised to set the new benchmark in arcade-style racing
games," said Tom Bass, marketing manager at Acclaim Entertainment.
``Vanishing Point boasts highly advanced vehicle dynamics, 3D graphics,
opponent AI and an unprecedented game engine developed in collaboration
with engineers from the today's top automakers. Gamers will be amazed at
the in-depth racing experience and no self-respecting driver can resist
taking their favorite road car for a test drive on the game's intense stunt
courses!"
Once buckled into Vanishing Point, gamers will have a choice of cars from
two showrooms loaded with high-end vehicles including models by BMW and
Lotus as well as everyday driving cars such as a Ford Explorer, and even an
oil tanker! Speed demons then hit the streets competing for the best racing
time in eight single player tracks and eight two-player tracks. While
racing for the best time, gamers will combat an extensive real-time traffic
system featuring a highly-competitive opponent AI. Vanishing Point's
ingenious engine boasts absolutely no scenery pop-up and no fogging to
impede racing action. Finally, in addition to the single and two-player
racing modes, Vanishing Point includes a Stunt Driver mode that features
stunt courses specifically designed to test the limits of players' driving
abilities as well as a league-play multiplayer mode for up to eight people.
Along with its incredible graphics and race courses, Vanishing Point
features unprecedented vehicle physics, which accurately model everything
from gearbox ratios, to roll-bars, to shock damping and more for each
individual car. With one quick trip to the in-game Tune-Up Shop and advice
from the online help system, gamers can adjust each vehicle's physics as
preferred then head off to race or tear-up the stunt courses.
Hasbro Interactive Announces Alliance With Saban
Entertainment to Develop NASCAR Racers Interactive Games
Hasbro Interactive announced Wednesday that it is teaming with Saban
Entertainment to bring the new animated Fox television series NASCAR RACERS
to interactive games for the Sony PlayStation and the PC. NASCAR RACERS,
debuting in February, creates a world of futuristic NASCAR racing, where
kids can become supersonic speed stars by participating in the adventures
of their favorite characters from the show.
``Saban Entertainment has envisioned the future of NASCAR racing and is
introducing children to it with this new TV series," said Tom Dusenberry,
president of Hasbro Interactive. ``This property lends itself well to
interactive games, because of its fast-paced NASCAR action."
``Hasbro Interactive has proven itself a leader in the action-adventure
interactive landscape -- and has proven itself a terrific ally for Fox
Kids/Saban and the NASCAR RACERS brand," said Elie Dekel, President, Saban
Consumer Products. ``This is a great way to extend the NASCAR RACERS
experience."
NASCAR RACERS for the Sony PlayStation and PC is based on the animated
television series by the same name, which will begin airing weekly on
February 5, 2000, on the Fox Kids Network. Featuring high-speed action and
cutting edge animation, NASCAR RACERS introduces four young heroes for a
new generation: Mark ``Charger" McCutchen, Megan ``Spitfire" Fassler,
Steve ``Flyer" Sharp and Carlos ``Stunts" Rey. Utilizing the most
realistic and stimulating computer animation available, the futuristic
series presents state-of-the-art racing cars that can perform stunts and
adapt to the unique style of each individual driver.
The NASCAR RACERS interactive games will allow players to participate in
the television show's NASCAR Unlimited Racing Division and features three
modes of play (Adventure Mode, Single Player Mode and Two Player Challenge
Mode), eight of the show's futuristic tracks, and eight different cars
(four from each of the two teams featured in the TV series).
Hasbro Interactive plans to release both NASCAR RACERS games this fall and
will showcase them during American International Fair in New York City on
February 13-17, 2000.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces the
Development of Two Sony PlayStation 2 Games
Getaway and Midnight Club From Award-winning
Angel Studios Coming to PlayStation 2 This Fall
Rockstar Games, Take Two Interactive Software, Inc.'s high end video game
publishing division, is pleased to announce it is developing two games for
Sony's PlayStation2 gaming system in conjunction with the award-winning
Angel Studios, Inc. Midnight Club: Street Racing and Getaway are being
developed for Sony's next generation console system, and should be
available this fall.
Angel Studios is the award-winning developer of Microsoft's Midtown Madness
and Nintendo's Ken Griffey's Sluggfest series of Major League Baseball
games. Angel Studios is an official middleware developer for Sony's
PlayStation 2.
Midnight Club: Street Racing is a game based around illegal street racing.
Players drive performance enhanced cars around busy city streets until they
are challenged by another member of the illusive Midnight Club, and race at
breakneck speeds through the city. Set in realistic, incredibly detailed,
three-dimensional models of the world's greatest cities, Midnight Club:
Street Racing will feature single and multiplayer modes, many different
vehicles and some of the greatest car tuning shops in the world.
Getaway is an open plan racing game in which players have to deliver
contraband across borders while being chased by the police and other
smuggling operations. Set in a variety of rural environments, with an
incredible new panoramic perspective, the game has a phenomenal physics
engine to faithfully recreate the speed and sensations of tearing across
the country, through farms, fences and forests while trying to outrun a
variety of enemies. Getaway also introduces to driving titles fully
interactive supporting non-player characters, which the player can use to
distract and attack his pursuers.
Diego Angel, president of Angel Studios, commented ``Rockstar's edgy,
informed style blends beautifully with our artistic slant and unique
technology. The opportunity to be involved with PlayStation 2 development
early on in the system's life cycle remains a tremendous thrill for Angel
Studios."
Sam Houser, president of Rockstar Games, said, ``We are very pleased to be
making two complimentary driving titles with Angel Studios for the
PlayStation 2. The development teams at Angel are one of the acknowledged
masters of creating great driving physics models and groundbreaking games.
Midnight Club: Street Racing is a title we have always wanted to make,
while Getaway represents a new dynamic in driving games. Angel Studios is
an official middle ware developer for PlayStation 2, so they fully
understand how to get the most out of this incredible machine."
Infogrames North America, Inc. Announces Wacky
Races, the Zaniest Prank-Pulling Cartoon Racing
Game for Summer 2000
Wacky Races Cartoon Characters Reunite for a
Crazy Cartoon Racing Extravaganza
Start your engines!
Infogrames North America, Inc. announced Monday that it is bringing the
wild characters from the popular Wacky Races cartoon to life in a new
racing game for Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation, PC and Game Boy Color to
reach retail stores this summer.
Join Penelope Pitstop, Dick Dastardly, his sidekick Muttley, and others in
Wacky Races, featuring crazy cars, characters, and lots of pranks to
provide hours of pure racing pleasure.
Players will be thrown into the driver's seat of several different kooky
vehicles, such as The Slag Brothers' Boulder-Mobile, capable of going
off-roading and crashing into small obstacles without even slowing down! As
in the cartoon, players are encouraged to win the race by any means
necessary. To assist them in this task, the various bumpy tracks will be
filled with challenging jumps, bonuses, and traps.
``Wacky Races offers players a new twist on the arcade racing and cart
racing genre with the added bonus of pulling hysterical pranks on opponents
on your way to the finish line," said Larry Lee, director of marketing for
Infogrames North America, Inc.'s Family Label.
``Novice gamers will find the game easy to learn, while advanced
competitors will find the possible combinations of vehicles, tracks, and
terrain types challenging and exciting."
Players can choose from such game modes as Arcade, Championship, Time
Trial, Endurance, and Versus. In each mode, players will try to trip each
other up with a variety of absurd gadgets and weapons that are picked up
along the way, producing silly cartoon conflicts between cars.
Race as fast as you can around the tracks in Arcade mode because you'll
need to finish in one of the top three places to move on to the next race.
Earn points throughout all nine tracks and see who wins overall in
Championship mode. Time Trial mode challenges players to try to finish in
the fastest time possible. Endurance mode is possibly the greatest
challenge for a Wacky Racer.
The vehicle in last place at the end of each lap is eliminated from the
race and the most ruthless daredevil wins! In Versus mode on Dreamcast, up
to four players get to battle each other. The last wacky vehicle remaining
wins!
Developed by three different teams, the Dreamcast version is being produced
by Infogrames' Sheffield House, the PlayStation and PC versions will be
made by Appaloosa and the development team of Velez & Dubail are creating
the Game Boy Color title.
Eidos Interactive is Bringing the Hit Title Sword
of the Berserk: Guts' Rage to U.S. Shores on the
Sega Dreamcast
Eidos Interactive has acquired the publishing rights for the critically
acclaimed Japanese Sega Dreamcast title, Berserk. The U.S. version of the
game will be known as Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage and is scheduled to
ship in March.
Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage is an action/brawler that features some of
the most beautiful visuals to date on the Sega Dreamcast in addition to an
intense and engrossing storyline that unfolds over the course of play.
Originally a popular comic that started in the 70's, Berserk has built an
incredible fan base around the world and the video game conversion has
proven to be a great success overseas.
Gamers will assume the role of Guts, a mercenary in search of a cure for
his girlfriend's madness. Traveling across the countryside, Guts stumbles
upon a village that has fallen victim to a horrible plague. In order to get
to the root of the evil, Guts must hack and slash his way through hundreds
of enemies and terrifying bosses in order to lift the plague and restore
the land. Guts' arsenal includes a gigantic sword, an arm mounted automatic
crossbow, throwing knives, an arm cannon, and grenades. Accompanied by an
incredible soundtrack, Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage delivers hours of
mature gameplay with numerous secrets to keep gamers coming back for more.
Eidos' North American VP of Product Development, Nick Earl states ``We are
incredibly excited to publish this title in the U.S. It's not often that
unique Japanese Dreamcast titles make their way to our shores and we are
embracing the opportunity to keep the integrity of this title intact."
GameFan.com states, ``Now that I've played through the game a few times, I
think I can safely say that Berserk has become one of my top five favorite
Dreamcast games." 89 out of 100.
From Videogames.com, ``This is one of the most impressive-sounding games
ever made. From the first time you hear the sound of (Guts') sword cutting
through the air, you'll be amazed."
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
AtariNews: On The Prowl
January 31, 2000
AtariNews is back! There's been a lot of news since the last issue, from
new Lynx games to the progress of BattleSphere. There're even some new
Atari 2600 ROMs available free of charge and new classic game remakes to
look out for. New Jaguar games have shipped as well. Keep watching your
email, because AtariNews is back to stay.
SOCCER KID FOR THE ATARI JAGUAR IS NOW AVAILABLE
On Monday, January 24, Atari Jaguar Soccer Kid pre-orders began shipping
to USA customers. This is the second of four Songbird Productions Jaguar
games, the first one being Protector. Hyper Force and the very anticipated
Skyhammer are still to come. The international orders for Soccer Kid will
be shipping soon. For information about these and other Songbird games,
please visit Songbird Productions at its new address.
http://songbird.atari.net
WHAT DOES 2000 BRING FOR THE JAGUAR?
Many people are asking this. What games will we see? Well, here's what
we expect to see this year. Songbird Productions will be releasing two
more Jaguar games, Hyper Force and Skyhammer. 4Play will be releasing
BattleSphere later this year. OMC Games should have The Assassin, an RPG
for the Jaguar CD this year as well. More games may be announced later
this year, although companies such as Telegames have yet to release any
news of more Jaguar development. For more information, check out the links
below:
Songbird Productions:
http://songbird.atari.net
BattleSphere Update Page, part of Thunderbirds Garage:
http://home.sprynet.com/~thunderbird/bsphere.html
OMC Games:
http://www.omcgames.com
Telegames:
http://www.telegames.com
LYNX LIBRARY EXPANDS IN 2000
Many more Lynx games are coming this year! Songbird has four software
titles coming our way. The first of which is Crystal Mines II: Buried
Treasure, an expansion for your existing Crystal Mines 2 cartridge.
Songbird also recently acquired full rights and source code to three
unreleased Lynx games from Beyond Games. The games are Cybervirus, Ultra
Vortex, and Mechtiles. Cybervirus is expected to be competed and
published later in 2000. The other two are not yet scheduled for release.
Harry Dodgson will be releasing Othello in February through Video 61. This
port of the classic board game includes multiple play modes plus excellent
graphics and audio.
Songbird Productions:
http://songbird.atari.net
Video 61
http://www.atarisales.com
THE ALL NEW ATARI
Atari, now under the ownership of Hasbro Interactive, is back developing
games again. Although not the same as in the past, where they were only
Atari systems. Today they develop on the PC and other console systems.
They have been mostly developing classic game remakes from Atari's past,
as well as other developers. These games include Atari Arcade Hits,
Missile Command, Q*bert, The Next Tetris, and even Pong! They are also
developing original games like Nerf Arena Blast. Some of the games
in development are Star Raiders and Galaga. Atari is far from gone,
more is on the way.
www.atari.com
PROTOTYPE ATARI 2600 GAMES AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
Two proto 2600 games were recently released for free distribution over the
internet. The first is Garfield, based on the popular comic strip. It
was developed by Steve Woita, who also developed Taz and Quadrun. The
second game is Sky Patrol by Brad Johnson, who was more than happy to pass
along this game to classic gamers. Both games can be downloaded from the
Classic Gaming Expo website
http://www.cgexpo.com
BATTLESPHERE ALMOST READY FOR ENCRYPTION
The BattleSphere encryption process is almost done. If all goes as 4Play
plans, BattleSphere will be ready for the next step in a few weeks.
Thunderbird of 4Play has set up a series of Jaguars to try every
possible encryption code for BattleSphere, and they are just about out of
possibilities. Once this is complete, BattleSphere can go into production.
http://home.sprynet.com/~thunderbird/bsphere.html
CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 1999 VIDEO STILL AVAILABLE
The Classic Gaming Expo '99 video is still available if you haven't got a
copy yet. You can purchase it from Mark Santora, the producer of the video
for $30 including shipping to anywhere in the USA. Outside of the US is
$27 US dollars plus shipping. You can order it at the address below.
http://home.earthlink.net/~santora/cgevideo.html
ATARI 2600/7800 MONITOR CART HAS GONE BACK INTO PRODUCTION
The monitor cart, a low end development system, has gone back into
production. The cart has 6KB of RAM battery backed up for any 2600 game
you develop, and 16KB of RAM for the 7800. This cart was produced under
license from Atari. Video 61 now has the rights to this cart, please visit
them at the address below for more information.
http://www.atarisales.com
CLASSIC GAMING HITS THE GAME BOY COLOR
Although it's not an Atari system, you can play many classic Atari games
on Nintendo's Game Boy Color. These include excellent classics such as
Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Pitfall, Pong, and Yars' Revenge.
Game Boy Color also features classics by other companies like Bubble
Bobble, Frogger, and Space Invaders. Check these games out at Nintendo's
home page.
http://www.nintendo.com
ATARINEWS NEEDS YOUR HELP
Do you know of any news related to Atari in any way? Send the news to
atarian@mediaone.net. We plan to get an issue of AtariNews out at least
once a month, so if you know any news that you think other Atarians should
know, send it in today!
atarian@mediaone.net
Send any comments or submissions for "AtariNews: On The Prowl" to:
Brian Gudzevich (Editor) at: Atarian@mediaone.net
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Fight Over Web Names Drags On
America's surging technology industry changes so quickly, so profoundly
that it's said to move in ``Internet time," a sort of nebulous parallel
universe where years of evolution take mere months.
But curiously, the Internet itself appears largely immune to Internet time.
Important changes to its architecture, such as adding new suffixes for Web
addresses, remain at least one year away, despite pledges since the middle
of the last decade to change the arcane system that generally limits
non-government Web sites to addresses ending with ``com," ``net" or ``org."
How about www.ap.news? Or www.smithsonian.museum? Or www.ford.cars?
What's taking so long?
The problem, experts acknowledge, is the strange confluence of interests in
today's Internet - the increasingly important network that crosses borders
and spans cultures yet is largely run by volunteer geeks loosely scattered
around the globe.
So far, the most forceful and successful arguments against expanding
Internet addresses, called ``domains," are from the world's most powerful
corporations. Some jealously guard their trademarks and complain that the
current system already is too awkward to police.
A single large company might believe it has to register hundreds of Web
site addresses to stem ``cybersquatters," the speculators of the Internet
age who reserve popular addresses and resell them for profit.
But there also are other, more technical arguments: How many to add? Which
ones? Who controls them? Who sells these new addresses? Who decides
disputes?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit group
based in Los Angeles, was handed authority in September 1998 by the U.S.
government to oversee the Internet's domain name system.
But ICANN has been mired since its creation in a bitter, expensive fight
over its charter and over allowing new companies to sell Web addresses
ending in ``com," ``net" and ``org" - a lucrative opportunity that had
belonged under an exclusive government contract to Network Solutions Inc.
in northern Virginia.
Network Solutions and ICANN largely settled their dispute months ago under
an agreement praised as a landmark in the 30-year history of the Internet.
Under the deal, Network Solutions remains keeper of the master list of
current commercial Web addresses for at least four more years in exchange
for paying $1.25 million to ICANN, which now can turn its attention to
adding these new Web addresses.
``It's a very important decision," said David Post, who teaches at Temple
University and is co-founder of the Cyberspace Law Institute. ``In a sense,
it's the most important decision that ICANN faces, really."
ICANN will discuss new Internet suffixes during a meeting in March in Cairo
but won't take any action at least until later this year.
``We'll get a much better sense in Cairo whether there is grounds for
consensus that will allow the board to move, or whether we're still at an
unstable stage," said Andrew McLaughlin, a senior adviser to ICANN and its
chief financial officer.
He predicted new addresses possibly by year's end, then added: ``Maybe next
year is more realistic."
``There has to be some assurance this is not going to open up a vast
quagmire of trademark infringement," McLaughlin said.
Some frustrated critics, such as the Washington-based Domain Name Rights
Coalition, contend that ICANN has been taken hostage by trademark holders
and corporations, which generally oppose expanding Web addresses.
They argue that trademark disputes could become moot if there were
sufficient number of alternative Web addresses with meaningful suffixes.
Why, for instance, would Ford Motor Co. care who owned www.ford.biz if it
were already guaranteed www.ford.cars?
``We would have thought this would have been its first priority," said the
group's president, Mikki Barry. ``It's all been couched in terms of, we
can't do that until we make the trademark owners happy. The chartering of
the new top-level domains is probably the most important thing ICANN has to
deal with. They seem to be continually putting it on the back burner for
other things."
But even Post, a frequent critic of ICANN, said he doesn't believe the
group to be acting irresponsibly in moving slowly on one of the most
important issues facing the Internet today.
``I'm no friend of ICANN, but it is a complicated coordination," Post
said. ``This is the problem of problems for them. I can't in good
conscience be screaming at ICANN that it's dragging its feet."
Congress Unit Raps Clinton Computer Security Plan
A White House plan to protect telecommunications, energy and other key
systems from cyberattacks relies too much on detecting intrusions and not
enough on improving security, a report by Congress' investigative arm said
on Tuesday.
President Clinton last month proposed spending $2 billion to eliminate
computers' vulnerability to hackers and terrorists in key parts of
government and private infrastructure.
But in a report to Congress, the General Accounting Office complained that
the Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan favored elaborate means of
detecting improper computer intrusions over making key systems more secure.
``Available tools and methods for analyzing network traffic and detecting
intrusions are still evolving and cannot yet be relied on to serve as an
effective 'burglar alarm,' as envisioned by the plan," the office said.
``The plan should place more emphasis on providing agencies the
incentives and tools to implement the management controls necessary to
assure comprehensive computer security programs," it said.
A GAO study released in October 1999 found significant computer security
weaknesses at the 22 largest federal agencies.
Hackers, terrorists or even enemy nations could exploit such weaknesses
and similar deficiencies in the private sector to cripple telephone
networks, electric power grids or air traffic control systems.
At a hearing to review the Clinton plan, lawmakers issued grave warnings
of vulnerabilities to information warfare.
``Our enemies don't need to risk confronting our powerful military if
they can attack vulnerabilities in our critical information
infrastructure," Sen. John Kyl, an Arizona Republican, said.
Kyl, who chairs the Judiciary Committee's terrorism subcommittee, which
held the hearing, noted: ``According to the National Security Agency,
more than 100 nations are working on information warfare tactics. There
have already been a disturbing number of attacks on U.S. information
systems, exposing our Achilles' heel to any potential adversary."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, warned that because the
growth of interconnected computer systems, "society itself has become more,
not less, vulnerable to terrorist threats."
Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information
Center, criticized the proposed Federal Intrusions Detection Network, or
FIDNET, as a violation of wiretapping and privacy laws.
``The designers of the plan are trying to apply 20th-century notions of
national defense to 21st-century problems of communications security,"
Rotenberg told the hearing. ``Such an approach will leave our networks
ill-prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow."
John Tritak, who heads the White House project on infrastructure
protection, defended the plan but noted that it was still a work in
progress.
``This is version one," Tritak said. ``Final solutions have not been
presented."
Outlining 10 programs within the plan, Tritak said the government sought
to identify weaknesses, detect possible threats, and create capabilities
to respond to and recover from attacks.
Clinton Proposes $2B Web Package
Warning that failure to bridge the ``digital divide" between the rich and
poor could exacerbate inequality in America, President Clinton on Wednesday
offered a $2 billion package to expand access to computers and the
Internet.
``It would be tragic if this instrument that has done more to break down
barriers between people than anything in all human history built a new wall
because not everybody had access to it," Clinton told students, educators
and high-tech executives gathered in the gymnasium of Ballou High School.
After a tour of the school's computer lab with America Online CEO Steve
Case, the president outlined his plan for $2 billion in tax incentives over
10 years, as well as $380 million in expanded federal grants, to encourage
the private sector to donate computers, sponsor community technology
centers and train workers.
``Our big goal," he said, ``should be to make connection to the Internet
as common as connection to telephones is today."
Late last year, Clinton set a goal of connecting all Americans to the
Internet, not just classrooms and libraries. ``We should start by making
sure that every community has a technology center that serves not just
young people, but adults as well," he said.
The president also said he would will lead a group of high-tech CEOs on a
trip to impoverished areas in April as part of his ``New Markets"
initiative to direct investment to areas that haven't shared in the
nation's good economic times.
``Now at a time when our country has the longest economic expansion in
history," Clinton said, ``we must close the digital divide."
The package included a request for $10 million to prepare American Indians
for careers in information technology and other technical fields. Members
of the Oglala Sioux nation beseeched Clinton to boost job prospects in
their community during a stop at South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation on
his first New Markets tour last year.
A Commerce Department report in July found that black and Hispanic
households are only 40 percent as likely to have Internet access as white
families.
And households with incomes of $75,000 and above in urban areas are more
than 20 times as likely to have Internet access as households at the lowest
income levels.
Case, whose company and private foundation already are working with
schools, private groups and government to widen access to computers, joined
Clinton at Ballou and warned that ``too many people are being left
behind."
Case noted that there always have been a gap between the haves and
have-nots.
``The real question that we face today is whether the Internet is going to
widen that gap or close it," he said.
The administration says more than 50 percent of America's schools and over
80 percent of its classrooms are wired for the Internet. The goal is to
have all schools connected by the end of this year.
Details of the plan Clinton was unveiling Wednesday include:
-$150 million for training new teachers how to use new technologies.
-$100 million to create 1,000 Community Technology Centers in low-income
urban and rural neighborhoods.
-$50 million for a pilot program to expand home access to computers and the
Internet for low-income families.
Congress Mulls Ban on New Web Taxes
New state or local taxes that single out the Internet would be permanently
banned under bipartisan legislation introduced Thursday in Congress, but
the bill would not settle the difficult question of how existing sales
taxes should apply to e-commerce.
The bill's main sponsors, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Christopher Cox,
R-Calif., said people on both sides of the sales tax debate agree the
current three-year ban on new Internet taxes should be extended
indefinitely.
``Our bill simply says you can't stick it to the online world," Wyden
said. ``We shouldn't discriminate against the most vibrant part of the
economy."
The law enacting the temporary ban, which expires in October 2001, also
created a congressional commission to recommend future tax policy for the
Internet. Its report is due in April, and both Wyden and Cox said they
expected one recommendation would be an extension of the ban on new
taxes.
``The current hands-off tax policy is working," Cox said.
It is unlikely, however, that the advisory panel will reach consensus on
how existing state sales taxes should apply to Internet commerce. Even if
it did, Congress is reluctant in an election year to try to overturn a
Supreme Court decision requiring a remote seller - catalog, Internet or
otherwise - to have a physical presence in a state before that state can
force it to collect and remit sales taxes.
In testimony this week to Congress, Michigan Gov. John Engler, like most
governors a proponent of a new system to collect sales taxes from the
Internet, agreed that other taxes should be banned on such things as
Internet access.
``We should not impose new surcharges or access fees to this emerging
technology," Engler, a Republican, told the Senate Budget Committee.
Several members of Congress are pushing a bill that would also permanently
ban states from imposing sales taxes on e-commerce - a position central to
the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. - but other
lawmakers prefer waiting until there is conclusive evidence about the
Internet's impact on state government revenue. The sales tax now accounts
for about $150 billion in revenue to states, about two-thirds of their
total take.
``What if they find that their revenue sources are coming up short?" said
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. ``This hasn't happened yet, but if it does
either other forms of state and local taxation will be needed, services
will be reduced, or demands will be placed back on the federal government
to make up the shortfall."
Congress may consider other Internet tax measures this year, including:
-Repeal of the 3 percent telephone excise tax, initially created to help
finance the Spanish-American War and now seen by many as an extra cost
that can hinder Internet access.
-Putting into law the Supreme Court decision, known as Quill, that governs
remote sales and sales taxes. This would effectively maintain the tax
status quo for e-commerce and catalog sales, and it could be done
temporarily in case state revenues do start to erode.
-Defining exactly what the Supreme Court meant by ``nexus" in that Quill
case - the requirement that a business have a physical presence in a
state before that state can collect its sales tax. The Internet raises
numerous questions about what that means, such as how to treat a web
page, the location of a server or the location of an Internet provider.
``You can't stuff the new economy into a set of rules that were written
for a smokestack economy," Wyden said.
Excite@Home, McAfee To Team On Firewall Software
Excite@Home is expected to announce Monday plans to offer its subscribers
new security software from McAfee.com that protects them from malicious
hackers, sources said.
The alliance is an attempt by Excite@Home, the nation's largest high-speed
Internet access provider, to protect its cable modem subscribers from
hackers who could try to penetrate a home PC network, delete information
on computer hard drives, distribute viruses and even steal sensitive data
such as credit card numbers.
Analysts are concerned that consumers with high-speed, or broadband,
Internet access connections may face a security risk because their Internet
connections are always on, meaning they don't have to log in each time they
want to access the Net. Cable modems and digital subscriber lines (DSL) are
the two leading methods of broadband connections.
Because broadband users' PCs have constant connections to the Web,
analysts fear cable and DSL lines will become an attractive target for
hackers.
According to sources, Excite@Home users will soon be able to download
McAfee.com's new personal "firewall" software, which is software that
protects sensitive data stored in PCs from being accessed by unauthorized
people. McAfee's software will scan the data going in and out of the
network and protect home PCs from hackers.
Theoretically, the new firewall can stop the email spamming that nearly
caused Excite@Home subscribers to lose access to Usenet, a computer
bulletin board system containing topic-specific messages. Last week,
Usenet administrators nearly banned Excite@Home from the bulletin board
after accusing its users of sending too much spam. The Internet access
provider averted the ban after finding out that spammers surreptitiously
used Excite@Home's network to send their email.
Representatives from Excite@Home and McAfee.com declined comment.
McAfee.com, a subsidiary of Network Associates, makes antivirus and
security software. The software is available as a download from the
Web.
Symantec, a McAfee.com rival, recently released similar firewall software
called Norton Internet Security 2000.
Giga Information Group analyst Rob Enderle said it's critical for
subscribers of cable and DSL services to protect themselves with personal
firewall software.
"Otherwise, you're just playing Russian roulette," he said. "Someone can
get access to your computer because they think it's funny. And if you have
personal finance information on your hard drive, you don't know what
they'll do."
The problem comes from a type of Internet marker called an "IP address."
When a user logs on to the Net, they are assigned an "address." That
marker helps information-such as email--get to its proper destination. But
that same address can pinpoint the location of a user and possibly help a
hacker gain unauthorized access to that user's network.
Many cable and DSL service providers are beginning to offer users randomly
assigned Net addresses, or addresses that change constantly so as to make
them harder to track. But those numbers are only randomly assigned each
time a user turns off their computer, analysts say.
As a result, although Excite@Home offers randomly generated addresses,
subscribers still may be susceptible to hackers, analysts say. People with
dial-up Internet access face less of a security risk because they
generally stay logged online for less than a few hours at a time.
Netscape-Sun Deliver On Linux
The Sun-Netscape alliance is finally living up to Netscape's longtime
pledge to make Linux one of its core platforms.
The Sun-Netscape software alliance, dubbed iPlanet, is expected to ship
Linux ports of its messaging and Web servers on Tuesday. The two servers
join iPlanet's directory server as the Alliance's server products
currently available on the open-source operating system.
As first reported by Sm@rt Reseller, several integrators were perplexed by
the long-missing ports, which Netscape execs had promised through much of
1998.
Although Sun-Netscape officials wouldn't comment on the delay late last
year, many speculated that the tricky fusion of the Sun and Netscape
engineering teams tapped out the Alliance's resources.
According to an iPlanet official, demos of the Alliance's Linux ports will
be on display at this week's LinuxWorld Expo show in New York.
Faster, Cheaper Memory On The Horizon
A faster version of PC memory will start to appear in workstations and
server computers toward the end of the year, a development that could
present yet another challenge to the much-hyped Rambus memory technology.
Although the clamor isn't universal, a number of executives and analysts
are predicting that the technology with an unwieldy name--Double Data Rate
Dynamic Random Access Memory, or DDR DRAM--is in line to become the de
facto standard for computer memory.
DDR DRAM has one major factor working in its favor: Because it is a
derivative of current computer memory, most manufacturers and computer
designers should be able to incorporate DDR DRAM chips fairly easily. In
addition, it will likely be significantly cheaper than Rambus-based
memory, assuming problems aren't encountered along the way.
Rambus has emerged as one of Silicon Valley's most controversial companies
because of various delays, technical glitches and marketing problems that
have disrupted the product plans for a number of partners. Rambus has
designed a form of computer memory, called RDRAM, that supporters say will
improve overall PC performance because it will deliver data to the
processor at a much faster rate.
The company does not make memory chips. Rather, it licenses the design to
memory makers and chipset manufacturers and collects royalties from these
companies. Because of the promised performance benefits, chip giant Intel
chose to base its future architectures around Rambus a few years ago, all
but anointing it as the next standard.
Rambus' seemingly bright future darkened in September when Intel
unexpectedly delayed its 820 chipset. The delay, the second, stunned many
PC makers who had been counting on Camino to enable next-generation Rambus
memory.
"We believe the momentum behind DDR will eclipse (Rambus)," said Sherry
Garber, senior vice president at Semico Research. "In many cases, the
(computer) designs can accommodate the shift very easily."
By the end of 2004, DDR will account for 50 percent of the market, she
theorized, while Rambus will hold a relative sliver in the performance-PC
space.
Rambus representatives did not return calls seeking comment.
If anything, interest among computer companies is growing. Advanced Micro
Devices, ServerWorks, Via Technologies and other pro-DDR companies are
talking about computers arriving this year containing the memory. Intel
has said DDR memory will appear in servers containing its chips by 2001.
"You will see servers (using DDR) in the fourth quarter of this year, and
I think you'll see desktops introduced in the third quarter," said Jim
Sogas, director of the memory business unit at Hitachi Semiconductor,
which introduced its DDR DRAM strategy last summer.
DDR is essentially a version of computer memory called SDRAM, but it
processes data twice as fast. SDRAM chips being inserted into PCs today
provide data to the processor at 100 MHz or 133 MHz. DDR runs at the same
speed, but because it can cycle through twice the amount of data in the
same period of time, it effectively functions at 200 MHz or 266 MHz.
Adoption of DDR will also prompt processor makers to speed up their system
bus, an important data conduit. AMD is slated to boost the system bus
associated with the Athlon processor to 266 MHz, while Intel will likely
jump from 133 MHz to 200 MHz with its next-generation processor.
Speeding up data flow has been a pressing issue in PC design for years.
Momentum initially built up around memory based on designs from Rambus
because it promised to alleviate the bandwidth issues.
While Rambus memory does help improve data flow, it fails in other areas.
For one, it has proven difficult and expensive to manufacture. The fastest
Rambus memory chips, running at 800 MHz, remain in sporadic supply, a
problem acknowledged both by computer industry sources and Rambus
executives.
"They (computer makers) need the bandwidth and nobody seems to be happy
with Rambus," said Keith Diefendorff, editor in chief of The
Microprocessor Report.
Rambus memory is also expensive. Some chip dealers are currently selling
64MB of Rambus memory, an amount found in most PCs today, for $496 and up.
By contrast, 64MB of 133-MHz SDRAM can be purchased for $69.
It will also cost a bit more to manufacture and test DDR DRAM, according
to Dean Klein, vice president of integrated products at Micron Technology.
The technology is being aided by the support of chipset makers who will
make ancillary products for DDR DRAM. Chipsets are the collection of chips
that connect the CPU with all the other parts of a computer.
AMD will match its Athlon processor with DDR DRAM toward the middle of the
year. ServerWorks and Via are coming out with chipsets that will allow
server makers to utilize DDR DRAM. An Intel representative said that
servers containing Intel chips and DDR will hit by 2001, although the
company remains committed to Rambus for performance desktops.
"There is going to be deep penetration into servers and workstations by
the end of the year," said Kimball Brown, vice president of sales and
marketing at ServerWorks.
Direct comparisons between Rambus and DDR can be deceiving. Rambus
currently is targeted at high-end PCs, not at workstations and servers.
DDR and Rambus memory, therefore, will compete indirectly at first.
Intel's 'Willamette' Heats Up GHz Race
The race to -- and past -- 1 gig heats up in two weeks.
That's when Intel Corp. will lure developers to Palm Springs, Calif., for
some winter golf and the semiannual Intel Developer Forum, where the
company will unveil the latest in its processor technology.
The highlights will include two new processor architectures along with a
new -- yet familiar -- one, Itanium.
"Willamette," the code name for Intel's next-generation desktop processor,
will headline the show and will offer clock speeds of "well in excess of
1GHz," says Pat Gelsinger, vice president and general manager of Intel's
Desktop Products Group.
Gelsinger and Albert Yu, senior vice president and general manager of
Intel's Microprocessor Products Group, will give the keynote announcing
the new chip.
Willamette is important to consumers because it represents the next step
in processor technology from Intel. This is the chip that will power home
computers that are linked, via a broadband connection, to the Web.
It should provide enough horsepower to handle high-frame-rate video streams
and other multimedia applications that will be enabled by broadband.
Intel officials have been mum on other details, but the chip should be
significant to consumers because it will replace Intel's Pentium III and
bring 1GHz-plus speeds to the desktop by the end of the year. Intel's
Pentium III chip will top out at about 1GHz in the second half of the
year.
Willamette, however, is a brand-new 32-bit processor design, Intel's first
such new design since introducing the Pentium Pro processor in late 1995.
This core, referred to as the P6 core by Intel, has been the basis of
every processor since then, including the Pentium III.
It is expected to be manufactured first using Intel's 0.18-micron process,
as is also the case with the Itanium chip. Willamette is also expected to
be a socketed chip, possibly for use with a 423-pin version of the current
Intel 370-pin socket, sources said.
The chip, in addition, is expected to include Willamette Processor New
Instructions -- a new set of single instruction, multiple data or SIMD
multimedia instructions. These instructions are used to help enhance the
processing of certain multimedia data, such as video.
Willamette will be supported by a new chip set, code-named Tehama, which
will support Rambus Direct RAM with a high-performance bus, which will be
faster than the current 133MHz bus used with Pentium III, sources said.
The bus acts like a pipeline for moving data between the processor and
system components, such as memory. The faster it is, the more data a
processor can move, increasing overall system performance.
The chip, which will be demonstrated at the forum, will be available
before year's end for high-end desktop PCs.
Intel will also discuss its forthcoming Timna chip.
Timna, Intel's third new processor architecture, has been optimized to be
very inexpensive. Timna will combine a Pentium processor core developed
specifically for this low-cost market with a graphics engine and memory
controller.
By combining these three functions into a single chip, Intel says it will
lower PC makers' overall component costs and reduce the size of the
motherboard needed for a Timna-based system, another cost-saving measure.
For Itanium, which has been widely discussed by Intel, the emphasis will
be on software.
Intel has been working with developers, who need to port their software
from 32-bit to 64-bit addressing in order to work with the server chip.
Intel has said that systems using the Itanium will be available in the
third quarter.
Also at the developers conference, Intel will disclose new design guides
for PCs. Called PC2001, the design guides will incorporate, among other
things, legacy-free elements. A legacy-free PC is one that has removed
certain older components, such as the ISA bus, in favor of others.
Along with its new processor technologies and design guides, Intel will
also introduce a number of new PC concepts at its developer form. The new
concepts will be part of Intel's eHome and eBusiness exhibits. Intel uses
these exhibits to show off concept PCs and appliances.
Not to be outdone, sources say that Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will set
up shop across town in Palm Springs to brief developers and press on its
own latest efforts.
AMD's 850MHz Athlon processor is slated for a mid-February launch. Athlon
chips, introduced last August, utilize a 200MHz bus.
While the Pentium III chip will reach 1GHz in the second half of the year,
so will Athlon. AMD, which is currently sampling a 900MHz Athlon processor,
will reach 1GHz with Athlon in the second half. AMD is planning to
introduce three new processor cores, code-named Spitfire, Thunderbird and
Mustang, to help Athlon toward and then well past the 1GHz mark.
Windows Gets 'Millennium' Name
The name of Microsoft's new consumer operating system, the successor to
Windows 98 due out in the second half of this year, will be called Windows
Millennium Edition.
The new software, dubbed ``Windows Me" by Microsoft insiders, will be
the latest version of the operating system that powers the vast majority
of personal computers.
``The name Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me, will help Microsoft
clearly identify this as the next iteration of the OS designed for the
home user," said Shawn Sanford, group product manager for Windows.
The company has said that Windows Millennium Edition will include software
to view and edit digital video, along with updates to the Internet Explorer
Web browser and other, undisclosed features.
Windows 98 and its predecessor, Windows 95, are the world's most popular
software programs.
Microsoft will unveil its new business operating system, Windows 2000, on
Feb. 17 at an event in San Francisco. Windows 2000 is aimed at corporate
users and the large computers used to power Web sites and databases.
Kodak Launches Digital Film Service
Eastman Kodak Corp., facing a growing Internet threat to its lucrative film
business, plans a new service to encourage users of digital cameras to go
to stores to process prints rather than doing it at home.
In a joint effort Thursday with Hewlett-Packard Co., Kodak will build new
digital photo machines and install them in a range of retail stores.
Picture takers can go to participating outlets, drop off memory cards from
their digital cameras, and get higher quality prints than they can expect
from home printers.
The venture, which won't be introduced until next year, helps address a
main complaint about using digital cameras - that the quality of photos
printed on typical home printers doesn't even come close to regular film.
``One of the advantages of digital photo finishing will be great pictures,"
said Robert Keegan, president of consumer imaging at Kodak.
Analysts say Kodak's move is an attempt to preserve its profitable film
development business while also acknowledging the risk posed by new Web
companies that offer convenient and cheap online services for processing
digital photos.
The startups, launched in recent months with names like Shutterfly and
Snapfish, let users simply zap their digital photos from a personal
computer to the site, get them printed, and then mailed to them - without
driving to the local store.
These Web sites answer the same complaint Kodak addresses - but also are
more convenient and often cheaper than developing film at a retail photo
processor.
``The ability to have higher quality photo finishing is far more
convenient to do online than driving to a store and picking it up," said
Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Giga Information Group research firm.
Kodak ``is trying to apply the old paradigm to the new model. But the new
model favors electronic delivery," Enderle said.
Digital cameras still haven't reached mass market acceptance, with most
users being photo professionals, hobbyists and technology aficionados.
But the market is rapidly expanding as prices drop for high-quality
digital cameras and printers, and as convenient Web services catch on.
About 4.7 million digital cameras were sold worldwide last year; unit
sales should increase nearly fivefold to 22 million by 2003, said the
International Data Corp. research firm.
Users are attracted to the ability to quickly download digital photos to
the Internet and zap them to friends, families and co-workers. Images
from traditional cameras must be scanned in before they can be sent to
the Web.
Kodak has a piece of the growing digital camera market, but is hardly
dominant. It ranked a distant second in U.S. sales of digital cameras
last fall, with 20 percent of shipments, behind Sony with 35 percent,
according to International Data.
Meanwhile, Kodak is trying to maintain the loyalty of the millions of
consumers already accustomed to going to the store for photos. ``You have
an installed habit that's out there," said Riley McNulty, an analyst
with International Data.
Kodak is moving tentatively into the Internet arena. Last year, the
Rochester, N.Y.-based company launched its own Web site, PhotoNet Online,
where users also can get prints of digital photos mailed to them, but the
feature was tough to locate Thursday when a reporter tried to click to
it.
And the option is more expensive than some other Web services, with
photos costing up to three-and-a-half times more than ones sold at
Shutterfly.com.
On Kodak's site, a 4-by-6 photo costs 75 cents, but only 49 cents on
Shutterfly. Kodak's 5-by-7 lists for $3.65 but only 99 cents on
Shutterfly. Shutterfly also is offering a promotion for people where they
can 200 prints for free.
Kodak stressed that the new equipment it will sell to retail outlets will
cost less than the $80,000-$100,000 machines currently in use, encouraging
more retail stores to install photo development machines and thus providing
consumers more outlets for dropping off film. About 35,000 stores currently
develop film, Kodak says.
Kodak and Hewlett-Packard said their joint venture will generate sales
from $500 million to $1 billion by 2005, but declined to give specifics.
Psion to Put the Internet in Your Pocket
Fully fledged wireless Internet edged closer on Monday when British
palm-top computer group Psion Plc said it and U.S. Motorola Inc were
developing mobile devices for launch in the first half of 2001.
``The intention is to put the Internet in the user's pocket," Chief
Executive David Levin told reporters. ``This will be full Web browsing as
we understand it."
Full remote access at present requires a laptop computer linked to
cellphone at best, while some wireless handsets can deliver a low-tech
version of the Internet.
Levin predicted Psion's new format with integrated voice and data
capabilities being developed with U.S. wireless telephone handset maker
and communications group Motorola would quickly become a major global
mass market.
``In a number of years' time everybody will have a pocket internet
terminal. Inasmuch as the PC has spread and then the mobile phone has
spread, so the pocket internet terminal will go the same way," he said.
Psion and Motorola have a joint team working on pocket Internet
terminals, which will be based on next-generation Symbian technology.
Development of the first product was progressing well," Psion said in a
statement which did not details sums involved.
Levin was also reluctant to talk numbers and would only say: ``This sort
of endeavor has already been anticipated by the market in our forecasts
for the coming year."
Shares in Psion closed 0.8 percent lower at 3,108 pence, having touched
3,200 pence earlier Monday.
It hit a record intraday high at 3,596 pence on January 18, having spent
most of 1999 in a 700-1,000 pence range before rising sharply in the last
quarter on investor hopes Psion would spearhead wireless Internet.
CSFB analyst Ian Burgess said the Motorola deal helped fulfil expectations
and was excellent in three respects.
It provided Psion critical cellular technology just as wireless Internet
was about to show dynamic growth; it improved Psion's position in Morth
America where penetration had proved difficult in the past; and it
underpinned Symbian as the core operating system of next generation
devices.
``We reiterate our buy recommendation based on the improving position of
both the hardware and operating system businesses in the shift to the
wireless information world," he concluded.
Levin also said the Motorola move was an ``important announcement for
Psion. People have been wondering how we were going to make the move to
take our devices forward. This is indicative of one of the routes forward
that we have got."
The Motorola deal came 20 days after Psion unveiled a strategic Internet
partnership with Vodafone AirTouch, which Levin said concerned a
different part of the food chain.
That chain is based on Symbian, the operating system developed mainly by
Psion and now a consortium including Swedish Ericsson, Finnish Nokia Oyj,
Japan's Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., and Motorola.
Psion shares were hit hard in early December when Ericsson, the world's
biggest mobile telecom systems maker, unveiled a strategic partnership
with all-conquering Microsoft.
Mobile Internet is a daunting task requiring the new Symbian operating
system to be married up with developments in cellular technology and then
integrating that bundle into a computer, "and doing so in a way the
customer gets utility," Levin said.
While the machines will have integrated voice and data capabilities, free
dictation is still some way off.
``I do not see natural language in this size of machine for some little
while yet. The processors are not there, Levin said.
``Free dictation is a different thing to having a specified set of menu
operations, which is technically feasible."
Whether or not users can talk to the first mobile Internet devices,
initial interest could be limited to Web aficionados.
``We would be naive to presume that the very first major development out
of the box is going to be the solution. It is going to take a number of
generations and iterations to get there," Levin said.
California Woman Sues DoubleClick Over Privacy
A Californian woman filed suit [last] Thursday against DoubleClick Inc.
accusing the Internet advertising company of unlawfully obtaining and
selling consumers' private personal information, lawyers for the woman
said.
DoubleClick could not immediately be reached for comment.
The lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court, Marin County, on behalf
of Hariett Judnick and seeks to represent the state's general public, Ira
Rothken, attorney with Rothken Law Firm, said in a statement.
The lawsuit, Judnick v. DoubleClick Inc., accuses New York-based
DoubleClick of using computer technology to identify Internet users, track
and record their Internet use and the Internet Web sites they visit, and
obtain confidential and personal information about them without their
consent.
The information obtained, the suit alleges, includes such items as names,
addresses, ages, shopping patterns and histories and financial information,
the lawyers said in a statement.
According to the lawsuit, DoubleClick has represented to the general public
that it was not collecting personal and identifying information and that it
gives privacy interests of Internet users paramount importance.
Last year, DoubleClick acquired Abacus Direct Corp. a direct-marketing
services company, which maintains a database about the purchasing patterns
of most American households.
The lawsuit contends DoubleClick then combined the power of its tracking
technology with the information it acquired to create a means of collecting
and cross-referencing private personal information without the knowing
consent of Internet users.
The suit is asking the court to bar DoubleClick from using technology to
collect personal information without the prior written consent of the
Internet user.
AOL Sued for Software Interference
Lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit against America Online Inc.,
contending the latest version of its software interferes with customers
trying to use rival Internet services.
The lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.,
near AOL's corporate headquarters, says the company violated federal
computer crime laws and Virginia's consumer-protection laws and caused
damages ``in the millions of dollars."
It seeks for each customer triple any actual damages, or $1,000, whichever
amount is greater.
AOL spokesman Rich D'Amato said Wednesday the claims carried ``no basis
in fact or law." He denied that version 5.0 of AOL's software prevents
customers from connecting to the Internet using accounts with other
providers.
``We've had very few complaints about this," D'Amato said.
But online discussion groups - including on AOL's own service - show
scores of complaints by customers about problems they encountered after
AOL's latest software upgrade. One technology trade publication suggested
it was the ``upgrade of death."
AOL has said previously that complaints about interference by its
software were overblown and the result of customers not understanding
that if they click ``yes" during installation to allow AOL to become
their default Internet browser, AOL largely takes over all the online
functions on the computer.
``The 5.0 software provides users with the ability to select AOL as their
default Internet connection, but only if they make the choice to do so,"
D'Amato said. ``It's designed to provide a more stable online environment,
but it doesn't prevent users from accessing the Internet through another
provider."
Critics, including other Internet providers that compete directly with
AOL, have complained that AOL's software can suddenly interfere with
connections to rival Internet services or business accounts.
The lawsuit asks the judge to prevent AOL from distributing its latest
software ``without full disclosure of the effect of its operation on
other software," and also urges the judge to require AOL ``to disgorge
all of the monies it has earned from the distribution of version 5.0."
AOL announced Wednesday it reached 21 million subscribers. The lawyers
have asked the judge to designate as plaintiffs the roughly 8 million
subscribers who already have upgraded their software.
``Obviously, if someone had not suffered damage, principles of fair play
would say there is no claim to compensation," said Fritz Schneider, a
Maryland lawyer also involved in the lawsuit.
Part of the legal claims were filed under the auspices of a federal
computer crimes law typically cited by U.S. attorneys prosecuting hackers.
``That act provides criminal and civil liability on anyone who alters the
programs or use of a computer used in interstate commerce," said Lloyd
Gathings, a Birmingham, Ala., lawyer involved in the case.
The lawsuit comes just weeks after AOL's announcement of its $145 billion
merger with Time Warner Inc., which includes plans to distribute the new
software with Time Warner products, including its magazines, which draw
120 million readers.
Texas Instruments CEO Says PC Era Ending
Wireless Internet devices are now replacing personal computers as the
driving force in the electronics industry, Texas Instruments' top executive
said on Monday.
Tom Engibous, chief executive officer of Texas Instruments, which is
investing heavily in computer chips used in mobile phones, said demand for
wireless Internet devices will soar when they are permanently linked to
the Internet via broadband networks.
Broadband frequencies allow high-capacity data transmission.
``Wireless Internet devices will not only capture some existing PC
applications but introduce brand new applications that the desk-top PC has
no way to handle today," Engibous told a Tokyo seminar on the company's
strategy.
``I think the availability of a wireless device that is online all the
time with broadband data capability...offers the possibility of
applications that Silicon Valley" is just beginning to dream about, he
added.
With next-generation mobile phone services, users will be able to surf the
Web, check and respond to e-mail, conduct videoconferences and use new
mobile services such as e-commerce, he said.
Next-generation mobile phone services will be offered in Japan beginning
in the spring of 2001, and later in other parts of the world.
TI, the number one supplier of computer chips known as Digital Signal
Processors (DSP) used in cell phones and other communications devices,
earlier this month announced a 71 percent jump in its fourth-quarter net
income, aided by strong growth in mobile phones.
The Texas-based company has sold its loss-making dynamic random access
memory (DRAM) chip business, focusing its resources on more stable and
value-oriented DSP and analog chips.
It now holds about 47 percent of the world's programmable DSP market. That
market is expected to grow 30 percent annually over the next five years,
according to the research firm Forward Concepts.
Besides wireless handsets, Engibous said he sees large demand for DSP
chips for use in modems providing broadband connectivity at home, and new
consumer electronics products such as digital cameras and Internet audio
devices.
Where To Find Info About Web Sites
Q: I spotted something on the Internet that I am interested in buying, but
I have never heard of the cybershop where it is being sold. Is there anyway
to find out information about the reliability of a particular online
merchant?
A: There are some easy ways to gather data that should help you decide
whether a Web site is reputable. Such information can be drawn from a
company's Web site as well from outside rating services.
With thousands of e-retailers crowding the Web these days, it is no wonder
that shoppers are overloaded with options.
For instance, someone searching the Internet for a Palm V hand-held
computer will come up with dozens of different e-retailers to buy from.
At first glance, the only thing that differentiates the sites is the price
of the product.
But experts say that shoppers shouldn't base their purchases only on
price. Some merchants who discount heavily add on steep shipping costs or
take their time in delivering the goods.
To find out if an online merchant is OK to buy from, you should start by
browsing around its Web site. Check out the site's return and shipping
polices and look at whether there are easy ways to contact the company by
e-mail or phone. Also, look for a reliability seal from the Better
Business Bureau, which signals a merchant has strong business practices.
You also might want to think about whether the site looks professional:
Is it easy to navigate? Are the pictures and graphics high-quality?
If these things aren't up to par, it may be worth taking your business
elsewhere.
For more in depth information, you can turn to those companies that rank
online merchants. They base their findings on a wide range of categories
including customer support, on-time delivery and price.
The best-known is BizRate.com. Online stores cannot pay to be listed on
its site.
BizRate.com collects is data by asking shoppers at hundreds of different
Web sites to fill out a survey after they buy something. The survey
focuses on all aspects of their shopping experience. Shoppers can also
agree to be surveyed again after their purchase arrives at their home.
BizRate.com then analyzes the customer feedback and ranks the site.
For instance, a shopper who searches on the BizRate.com for a Palm V
computer comes up with a list of 60 stores that offer that product.
Electronics retailer Outpost.com had the highest rating, with four and a
half stars. Its service and delivery levels were especially strong.
On the flip side, TC Computer was last on the list, with three stars. Its
prices, customer support and shipping were average.
The survey results are listed on the BizRate.com Web site, as well as
through a number of Internet search engines, such as Microsoft's MSN
(www.msn.com), Alta Vista (www.altavista.com) and Go2Net (www.go2net.com).
In addition, e-retailers can use the BizRate.com information on their sites
as an advertisement for quality service, selection and prices.
Another resource for merchant and product information is
ConsumerReports.org, which charges $3.95 a month to subscribe to the
wealth of data drawn from its thousands of studies.
The site also has an e-ratings section, which ranks about 50 of the most
popular merchants on the Web today that sell books, music, toys,
electronics and appliances as well as those cybershops linked to catalog
companies. Bizrate.com information is also averrable on
ConsumerReports.org.
In addition, many of the online search engines such as Lycos offer reviews
from shoppers about their experiences with different Web sites.
Some Web Users Expect Cash To Surf
In what may sound like an online version of paradise to some, millions of
Internet users are getting cash simply for surfing the Web.
One of the leading pay-to-surf services, All Advantage, hit 4 million
subscribers in December after less than nine months in operation. Another
company is going one step further by introducing a service that pays
people to read e-mail.
Of course, there's a catch. To receive payments, Web users must endure
lots of advertisements. They must also give personal information and let
the services monitor where they go.
``We're very upfront about the fact that we track them," said Keith
Smith, founder of ePipo, which offers $30 for 50 hours of surfing each
month.
He said anyone wanting privacy can temporarily turn off the tracking
device - but they won't get paid for the time. So far, he said, demand
has outstripped advertising, forcing the service to limit new
subscribers.
For many Web users, the cash payments make up for the ads and loss of
privacy.
Brad Livermore, a Kansas City, Mo., computer programmer who signed up for
a dozen pay-to-surf services, said the information he gave up is probably
already available elsewhere.
``Most people are already surfing the Web anyway, and now they can get
money for it," Livermore said. He got his mother and sister to sign up
as well and already received two checks of about $30 each.
The pay-to-surf services make their money on advertising.
Advertisers can use the services to target their message to individual
computer users based on their income, location and interests. Advertisers
hope that by targeting ads, more Web users will actually click on them
and buy products instead of treating them like background noise.
``Now, you can look at a lot of pages, and you don't always see that
ad," said Jeff Fortune, whose company produces a weekly motor sports TV
show and sells ads for it. ``Even if they do see your name and are aware
of it, they don't necessarily react to it."
Fortune's company became one of the first to advertise with Yo Yo Mail,
which will offer free e-mail accounts and pay subscribers to read ads
that arrive via e-mail. The service was being launched Tuesday.
Tom Landau, Yo Yo vice president for business development and marketing,
said such services represent the next step in Internet's evolution.
Web users previously willing to pay for Internet access and services now
expect free or low-cost options. Soon, Landau said, they will come to
demand payments for spending time on the Net.
To sign up for Yo Yo, users must give their age, education level, marital
status and address. They also must state whether they own a home or have
a credit card. Yo Yo will pay 5 cents for each ad read.
Other services request similar information. Ads arrive in a window that
cannot be closed without losing payments, and the computer user must show
signs of active surfing.
However, hackers have devised a program, Fake Surf, to mimic surfing and
allow subscribers to get paid by leaving their Internet browser on
overnight. They can reach their monthly surfing limits in just a few
nights and spend the rest of the time ad-free.
The services typically pay a set amount for each hour of surfing, plus
bonuses for referrals. For example, All Advantage pays 50 cents per hour
initially. The user also gets 10 cents for each hour a friend uses the
service and 5 cents for each hour that friend's friend surfs. Subscribers
can earn a hundred dollars or more each month that way.
But the referral system also has generated a lot of complaints.
``I get between five to 15 e-mails a week from people trying to get me to
subscribe," said John Groseclose, a product manager in Scottsdale, Ariz.
He has since set his computer program to automatically delete anything
containing the words ``All Advantage."
Freemac Reinvents Itself After Apple's iMac Snub
How hard can it be to give away free iMac computers? Pretty hard, if Apple
won't let you.
That's the bitter pill that Jonathan Strum, president of Freemac, has had
to swallow. Last year, the start-up announced that it intended to give away
1 million of the popular Apple iMac computers during the next two years.
That ambition has died because Apple decided not to let Freemac buy any
iMacs to give away, not even at full retail price, Strum told CNET News.com
in an interview. Apple declined to comment.
"What we're telling our customers--well over a million people who signed
up--is that Apple wont let you have a free computer," said Strum. As a
recourse, Freemac is reinventing itself and will be relaunched later this
month as "NadaPC.com" and will give away Internet access terminals
instead.
"Starting this week, we're letting customers know what happened (and
offering them) first crack at getting a new Internet appliance," Strum
said. The terminals will be supplied by either Intel, Acer or Merinta,
although details on the supplier have not been finalized, according to
Strum.
Perhaps he'll get the agreement in writing this time.
Freemac was born out of the "free PC" movement that kicked off last year.
Under its business plan, qualified customers would get a free iMac if
they agreed to a three-year Internet service provider (ISP) contract with
EarthLink and agreed to accept advertising.
Strum said he received a verbal approval from a regional sales manager at
Apple, who ostensibly got an authorization from executives at the
Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. On these words, Freemac, which had fewer
than five employees at the time, according to the company phone system,
was launched in August.
Trouble, however, soon cropped up. The day after Freemac's highly
publicized launch at an investment banking conference in San Francisco,
Mitch Manditch, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide sales, called
to tell Strum that Apple wasn't aware of the company, Strum said. In any
case, Manditch told Strum that Freemac wasn't authorized to redistribute
iMacs.
Strum claims that apart from lower-level managers in distribution, he was
in contact several times with Apple to see if Steve Jobs, the company's
chief executive, might make an appearance at his company's launch. Steve
Jobs didn't appear that day, and ultimately, neither did the iMacs.
Following the company's launch, Freemac went through a more official
review process to carry Apple's products. Apple declined to let Freemac
buy its computers at wholesale prices from distributor Ingram Micro.
Strum said that he then offered to limit distribution of computers to
non-Apple owners to preclude any potential loss of revenue Apple might
experience. That way, iMacs would only be going to first-time users or
users with a PC, with the end result still being expanded market share
for Apple, he said. Still, Apple didn't bite.
Strum subsequently upped the offer and said Freemac was willing to buy
the computers at full retail price from retailers, which at the time was
around $1,200 each. Still, Apple by December decided not to let the
company go ahead with that plan, either.
According to an email Strum received from Apple, which CNET News.com
obtained a copy of, the company said its contract with resellers
restricts sales to end users only, meaning the computers can't be
redistributed by Freemac. Strum, as one might expect, thinks that
argument doesn't wash because a corporate customer buying from a CompUSA
redistributes products to employees.
"The notion that Apple is a heroic David to Microsoft and Intel's Goliath
couldn't be further off the mark," said a perturbed Strum. "Apple has the
most proprietary position in terms of distribution, bar none."
Strum said he didn't imagine that the arrangement with Apple could go
awry, though no contract had been signed. He said all of his deals with
other companies got signed, but that sometimes arrangements run ahead of
the actual signing of documents.
Strum said the company's business model will remain essentially the same.
Like it's predecessor, NadaPC.com will profit from advertising and
e-commerce revenue, as well as by signing on subscribers for EarthLink's
Internet service. NadaPC.com is banking on building a "community" of
like-minded users who hopefully will actually buy products online.
Top 10 World Wide Web Destinations
The top 10 properties and networks on the World Wide Web for December 1999,
based on the number of different or unique visitors, as reported by
Internet survey company MediaMetrix:
1. America Online - 53.8 million unique visitors.
2. Yahoo! - 42.4 million.
3. Microsoft - 40.5 million.
4. Lycos - 30.3 million.
5. ExciteAtHome - 27.7 million.
6. Go Network (go.com) - 21.3 million.
7. Amazon.com - 16.6 million.
8. NBC Internet - 14.9 million.
9. About.com - 12.6 million.
10. Time Warner - 12.2 million.
Hate America Online? Join the Web Club
America Online may be the world's No. 1 Internet service, but it's also a
big target for anger and vitriolic abuse spewed across the Net.
Bad feelings have intensified since America Online's mid-January
announcement of a merger with media giant Time Warner Inc., said Berkeley,
Calif., area free-lance writer David Cassel, who has been keeping an eye on
AOL since 1994.
America Online, or AOL for short, has stirred feelings -- pro and con --
for years by mailing out tons of free floppy disks and compact discs
allowing people to hook up quickly and easily to the Internet.
But some members have rebelled, complaining on various Web sites about
AOL's strict policies barring offensive language and links to some sites
along with busy signals users encounter when they try to dial into the
service.
One user contacted by telephone likened AOL to the "Disney" version of
the Internet: packaged, sanitized and inoffensive.
Part of the debate dances around the freedom of speech issue. Is the
Dulles, Va., titan, with 20 million-plus subscribers, creating a simple,
family-oriented way of surfing the Net? Or is it poised to stunt the
natural growth of the Internet by reducing opportunities for people to
voice opinions and view anything they chose?
Cassel, who boasts a readership of about 50,000 for his online newsletter
(http://www.aolwatch.org/listsub.htm), is concerned about the company's
control over the Internet -- and increasingly, over popular media.
On the heels of the AOL deal, Time Warner turned around and vowed to tie
the knot with music company EMI Group Plc.
``We're at the fork in the road, and I worry about the fork where AOL
dominates," Cassel said in a telephone interview. ``I want the Internet
to remain free and open."
AOL spokesman Rich D'Amato says the company believes in a family-friendly,
safe and secure Internet community. He points to the automatic renewal of
AOL's subscribers as proof of happy customers.
``We focus on the opinions of our members and the way that they express
those (by) continuing each month with us," D'Amato said.
Anti-AOL sites abound, no matter which search engine one uses to look for
them.
A well-viewed one is the so-called Super Site, which is "dedicated to
the demise of the most horrible online service on the entire information
super highway, AOL!" (http://home.earthlink.net/(tilde)jeffh99708/aolsucks)
Contributors express anger about the company -- nicknamed AOHELL by some
-- after attempting to use and even disconnect from the service.
``I now use my AOL start-up CD as a drink coaster," one said.
The site allows visitors to beat up on a picture of AOL Chairman Steve
Case with the click of a mouse, giving him black eyes and a bloodied face.
Some anti-AOL'ers are rooting for Madeline Sabol, a self-published author
who spent more than three years and at least $10,000 producing a book
entitled ``You've Got Male." (http://www.youve-got-male.com) -- only to
be threatened with a lawsuit by AOL.
Last July, Sabol, whose self-help women's book focuses on dealing with
love and heartache through the Internet, found herself tangling with AOL
once it decided her title had infringed on the company's trademark of its
well-known phrase, "You've Got Mail."
``I was scared to death, and I got so much support," Sabol, who works
part-time for an airline, told Reuters. Some backers have sent Sabol
e-mail at her Denver-area base, asking her to stand up to AOL and help
stop big companies from bullying little people.
AOL's D'Amato said the company has a right to defend its trademarks.
Web sites that allow consumers to rant and rave are all the rage these
days, said Rick Broadhead, Internet book co-author and creator of the
syndicated cartoon e-Trivia. ``There's all kinds of anti-corporate sites
out there."
Broadhead adds: ``With 20 million (AOL) customers, there's bound to be a
percentage of customers that are unhappy."
=~=~=~=
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