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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 04 Issue 20
Volume 4, Issue 20 Atari Online News, Etc. May 17, 2002
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2002
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Kevin Savetz
Hallvard Tangeraas
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Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0420 05/17/02
~ StarOffice Released! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Napster CEO Quits!
~ Level 9 Interpreter! ~ TOS 2.06 User Guide! ~ New NetHack Version!
~ Web Porn Law Reviewed! ~ "Deceptive Duo" Raids! ~ Spam Bill Backed!
~ Tempest Project News! ~ Marijuana Mail Update! ~ HighWire Update!
-* Game Console Price Wars On! *-
-* AOL, Microsoft Browser War Continues *-
-* Judge Warns Microsoft To Keep Its Promise! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Wasn't it just last week that I mentioned that it was a really bad week?
Well, it got even worse! My "wayward" employee isn't gone, but out on
"administrative leave" (not allowed to work, but paid!). The politics and
red tape just drives me crazy! And now I have another employee who screwed
up royally that needs to be dealt with and this is starting to become a
production as well. While I believe that employees should be guaranteed
certain rights, I don't believe that employers should be handcuffed by them.
This all just succeeds in making a department stressed and counter-
productive! Thankfully, the weekend is here and I can try and relax.
I hope the weather holds up. It's been cool and rainy for most of the week.
My father and brother are supposed to drive up for a visit; it would be nice
if the weather cooperated!
Well, I'm going to keep this week's column short - lots of things to get
done before the weekend arrives. And, I need some well-deserved stress
relief playing Diablo II on the PC!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
HighWire .04 Released
The HighWire Development Team has released the fourth demonstration package,
as always we would like to thank you for your interest and support. At the
time of the last release, we promised you some exciting developments. While
we believe that we have delivered that in this package, we found ourselves
in the same position that we were in last month. That is, with developments
accelerating in all directions, new supports and bug fixes being submitted
on almost a daily basis. We finally came to a point that we agreed to
release at. Although to be honest and to peak your curiosity a bit. The
truth of the matter is there are some really fun things coming in the next
package and we realized, that unless we got a version out quickly we would
be back into a major bug elimination phase. Faced with that situation, we
decided that some of the things in this version were just too nice to have
locked away for several more weeks and that the best thing would be to get
everyone up to the next level.
What have we been up to for the last month? As always a quick glance at the
history.txt file will give you an idea of the progress that has been made
since the last release. Around 900 lines have been added to the history
file, so that will give the most adventurous something to do. However we
will try to condense that down a bit in this letter to give you an idea of
what has been added.
Although we generally try to avoid pointing any particular team member out,
we do need to specifically recognize a couple of team members for their
contributions with this update.
Highwire is now Unicode compliant, with many thanks going to team member
Rainer Seitel. There are some more details on this below in the section
marked 'International Character Set support', And from this editors point of
view, this code is a truly great addition to the open source repository of
atari code, as well as an exciting addition to HighWire itself. To get an
idea of the magnitude of this support open the uni_bics.html file in the
HTML folder.
Ralph Lowinski (aka AltF4) has made major improvements across a wide range
of functions of HighWire, resulting in greater speed and stability. For his
continuing work on HighWire we all own him a debt of gratitude.
A few of the general highlights of this release include more hotkeys, zoom
text, improved IMG tag handling, background window scrolling, scrolling via
the keyboard... the list goes on. Really improvements have been made
throughout the code again. Tables support has been expanded and is more
robust, frame handling has been improved again. More common buggy HTML
code is supported. And that is only a portion of the improvements.
While we have set a great task before us, our goal is achievable, it will
just take time and your support. We can always use more programmers and
support on the documentation side of the project always is a critical need.
Translation support for more languages would be a great addition to the
project as well.
We do feel that we have something here that shows that our platforms need
for an open source browser can be obtained. Currently it should not really
be classified as a browser, but more of a demonstration of a parsing and
rendering engine. This technology is open source, so hopefully with your
support it can be the core to many projects on our platform. Not the least
of which will be in the future a fully modern web browser. To reach that
goal we will need time and the help of community.
Downloads available at http://highwire.atari-users.net/
Related developments include the following.
New Layout for the HighWire site thanks to GokMase
New Fontlist v 1.11
New Highwire Users mailing list thanks to atari-users.net
HighWire Development Team
http://highwire.atari-users.net
Marijuana Mail Update
Marijuana Mail is a simple e-Mail-Client for use with STinG and/or
STiK2. The program is very small and works with a humble 1MB ST.
Marijuana Mail now reaches version 0.1.67.
http://marijuana.atari.org/
Tempest Site and Project Update
The fmax.atari.org site is no longer operational. The Tempest and all
its co-projects do live on though. Direct all questions to me
(svenka@it.kth.se) directly and stay tuned for a new site to appear.
Hopefully as soon as in the next few days.
Best regards,
Sven Karlson - Istari Software
New NetHack Version
New version of NetHack has been released.
NetHack is one of the longest ever developed games, available for many
platforms including ATARI.
You can download new version (3.40) from www.nethack.org
http://www.nethack.org
Level 9 Text Adventure Interpreter
The Level 9 Interpreter 2.0 has been ported successfully to the Atari.
L9 2.0 is used to play classic Level 9 text adventures of the 80's on
today's computers. Level 9 had big success especially in England with
relatively simple adventures which fitted on a single cassette. They
were also known as Britain's answer to Infocom. The interpreter plays
all old Level 9 games but it does not show graphics. Game files are
required but don't have to be obtained from the ST versions of the games.
http://www.mypenguin.de/prg/
TOS 2.06 User Guide Out Now!
The day has finally arrived....
After spending over 4 months with this, my in-depth user-guide for TOS
2.06 is finally ready!
It covers just about everything TOS 2.06 has to offer, with lots of
illustrations, examples and easy to understand explanations.
It should be of use to any TOS 2.06 user (perhaps with the exception of
the experts out there ;-)
The guide comes in the form of HTML documents and can be read using any
graphic web browser. I've taken care to keep the file-names within the
8+3 naming format so that it can also be viewed on a standard Atari ST
using CAB. But since the pages are pretty graphic intensive they may
take a while to finish loading (think of it as an alternative to a
paper-based guide.
I hope you will find the guide both useful and enjoyable to read!
You can download it from the following location:
ftp://gem.win.co.nz/hall/tos_206/GUIDE206.ZIP
Hallvard
--
Atari Launchpad : <http://launchpad.atari.org>
Notator/Creator SL : <http://www.notator.org>
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. I really hate to beat this particular
drum again, but people seem to be getting dumber and dumber even as I
type this. Maybe I'm just getting old, but everywhere I look I see
people doing dumb things and blaming someone else for it. Damn. I'm
starting to sound like one of those old-timers that we all used to make
fun of back when we were kids. It's not just in the computer world,
it's everywhere you look... On the roads, in the stores, and in the
workplaces. At this point in time, my only hope is that things run in a
cycle and, as a whole, we'll get smarter as time goes on.
I've already noticed myself using phrases like, "when I first started
using computers...". It bothers me a little bit, but I suppose that
it's bothered most of the people who've caught themselves doing it.
The thing that puzzles me is that, in the midst of all this stupidity
there are those who truly excel and contribute to make our lives
better. Even in the world of Atari there are still wonders to be found.
State-of-the-art web browsers? Ethernet networking? Accelerators? New
game machines... with games built right in? Yep. We've got 'em!
Sure, there are many more things released for the Intel platform every
day, but hey, Atari hasn't made a computer or a game console in HOW
long?
Thanks guys, for keeping this planet's cumulative IQ from dropping to
through the mantle and straight into the core!
Well, let's get to the news, hints, tips, and info from the UseNet:
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Joseph Place asks about upgrading an old version of MagiC:
"I have an old version of MagiC (2.0). I don't suppose this can be
upgraded with the 6.2 files on the ASH site? Is there an upgrade path
for a version this old?"
Mike Freeman tells Joseph:
"Unfortunately, the 6.2 upgrade is only for version 6.1. Even version
6.01 users have to pay (about $50 US) for any upgrades. I'm not sure
what 2.0 users would have to pay."
Joseph now asks about networking:
"Can anyone direct me to a web page with detailed instructions for
setting up a MIDI network with Sting?"
Karl Samyn tells Joseph:
"You'll find a couple of links on this page :
http://gallery.uunet.be/saka/atari/lan/index.htm
Especially the page of olivier boolage is very good..."
Joseph tells Karl:
"Thanks so much for your help. It's up and running, but I still have a
lot to learn!"
Martin Byttebier tells us that there's a new version of one of my
favorite text processors available:
"I just discovered there is a new version of QED out.
You can find the German version on
<URL:http://heinisoft.atari-users.net>"
Dennis Vermeire tells Martin:
"A bit off topic but what the heck...:
People, who find QED to limited for their needs, should take a look at
Luna from RGF soft. There's a new public beta version 2.09 on the
website ready to download.... furthermore Luna is now freeware.
http://www.rgfsoft.com"
Martin tells Dennis:
"Yes I noticed that too. A bug report is on his way to the author."
Martin Tarenskeen jumps in and posts:
"I'm getting a "Wrong RSC version" message when I try this new QED
version. German or English RSC file, same story."
Martin Byttebier finds himself with the same problem and posts:
"The problem Martin Tarenskeen and I have seems to be related to the
system we use. We both use FreeMiNT. Under plain TOS it works."
Jo Even Skarstein uses it too, and posts:
"I'm using MiNT/N.AES myself, and QED 5 works fine here. I'm using the
English RSC."
Martin Byttebier tells Jo Even:
"I've it working now. I have two Qed version on the same partition:
/qed v4.53) and /qed-beta. If I rename /qed/qed.rsc into /qed/qed.rf.
the beta version will work."
Martin Tarenskeen replies:
"I also have it working now. My analysis of the problem:
I had an environment variable set with
export QED="D:\QED\"
in my xaaes configuration file. When testing the new QED version, QED
looked for the rsc file in the directory of the old QED.
This is not a bug, it's a feature that makes it easier for me to call
QED from the bash, or as an external editor for some unix apps. (On my
setup /usr/bin/qed is a symbolic link to /d/QED/QED.APP.)"
The problem now solved, Martin B. replies:
"Aha, this was the culprit indeed. I also had an env var $DED set in
n_aes.cnf."
Paul Nurminen asks about using a PC keyboard with a Falcon:
"I know there used to be a couple different devices that allowed you to
use a standard PC keyboard with a Falcon, but what's still available,
and what's the best solution?
If it makes a difference, I'm in the USA, so if you know of a North
American vendor that carries these devices, that would be helpful."
Laurent Favard tells Paul:
"I don't know if there are a lot of solution available now to use
a PC keyboard with a Falcon, but to solve this problem i designed a
small interface which allow to connect any _PS/2_ keyboard AND _PS/2_
mouse to any Atari.
Have a look to my web pages...you can build it yourself because it's
a free project, schematic and all required are available or contact me
to discuss how i can send to you an Eiffel interface."
Peter West posts:
"R G Faika (Luna, Arthur...) has made available an invaluable tool
for translators who are having problems finding the exact keywords
in the program file that call the relevant page in ST-Guide. (OK,
I was :-) but others should also find it useful.)
It's called St-Guide-Trojan and can be downloaded from
http://www.rgfsoft.com
The archive contains both English and German versions.
The problem it solves is due to the fact that in many programs
these calling keywords are also used for other purposes, such as
window titles and/or in dialogs, so they *have* to be translated,
usually with a hex editor. But the (English) translation is often
shorter than the (German) original, leaving spaces between the
keywords. Afterwards it is almost impossible to tell which
space(s) belong to which keyword. And at times it is not obvious
just what the relevant keyword for a function is.
To use the Trojan, disable the real ST-Guide by renaming .ACC to
say .ACR (for 'real' - not ACX!) and unload it, rename the Trojan
to ST-Guide.ACC and either start it with a double-click (under
Magic etc) or reboot. After this every call for an ST-Guide page
from using Help buttons in dialogs, or in some programs
Ctrl-clicking on a menu entry or icon (as in PixArt), brings up a
small alert showing both the name of the HYP file and the page
reference called. Both are enclosed in quote marks so that you can
see any leading or trailing spaces clearly. It's useful for
checking whether some items don't have a link, too.
After use, disable the Trojan again and unload it, then rename
.ACR to .ACC (or ACX) and restart the real ST-Guide.
I was most impressed with rgf's work. I mailed him about the
problem I had been having with a certain multi-page program, and
he ran this up on the spot in 20 minutes so I had it the same day!
Many thanks!"
Derryck Croker tells Peter:
"R G Faika (Luna, Arthur...) has made available an invaluable tool
for translators who are having problems finding the exact keywords
in the program file that call the relevant page in ST-Guide. (OK,
I was :-) but others should also find it useful.)
It's called St-Guide-Trojan and can be downloaded from
http://www.rgfsoft.com
The archive contains both English and German versions.
The problem it solves is due to the fact that in many programs
these calling keywords are also used for other purposes, such as
window titles and/or in dialogs, so they *have* to be translated,
usually with a hex editor. But the (English) translation is often
shorter than the (German) original, leaving spaces between the
keywords. Afterwards it is almost impossible to tell which
space(s) belong to which keyword. And at times it is not obvious
just what the relevant keyword for a function is.
To use the Trojan, disable the real ST-Guide by renaming .ACC to
say .ACR (for 'real' - not ACX!) and unload it, rename the Trojan
to ST-Guide.ACC and either start it with a double-click (under
Magic etc) or reboot. After this every call for an ST-Guide page
from using Help buttons in dialogs, or in some programs
Ctrl-clicking on a menu entry or icon (as in PixArt), brings up a
small alert showing both the name of the HYP file and the page
reference called. Both are enclosed in quote marks so that you can
see any leading or trailing spaces clearly. It's useful for
checking whether some items don't have a link, too.
After use, disable the Trojan again and unload it, then rename
.ACR to .ACC (or ACX) and restart the real ST-Guide.
I was most impressed with rgf's work. I mailed him about the
problem I had been having with a certain multi-page program, and
he ran this up on the spot in 20 minutes so I had it the same day!
Many thanks!"
Hallvard Tanderaas asks for help with boot floppies:
"Here's the thing:
I have HDdriver installed as the driver for my Mega STe internal
harddisk, but have created an emergency boot floppy disk which I'll be
using in case the hard disk becomes unbootable for some reason (if the
harddisk driver on the hard disk is damaged I can boot from the floppy
and then reinstall it on the hard disk).
Well, booting from the floppy works fine, with HDdriver in the AUTO
folder, or somewhere else on the floppy, where I have to run the program
manually after reaching the desktop.
The strange thing is that whenever the hard disk driver is run and
detects the hard disk, the hard disk's own "NEWDESK.INF" file is loaded!
If I try to save the desktop again it's saved on the *hard disk*.
Naturally I want to save the desktop on the floppy, and when booting
from the floppy, that "NEWDESK.INF" file should be read. i'm sure I've
had it work like that in the past, but not any longer. What am I doing
wrong? i've tried both AHDI and HDdriver and a combination of these (one
on the floppy, another one on the hard disk drive)."
Stephen Moss tells Hallvard:
"I have not followed this thread in its entirety so forgive me if I am
mentioning something that has already been suggested but I was
wondering, have you always had driver software installed on your HD
when you have tried this?.
If so then re-create the situation you are trying to cater for by
deleting it and see what happens then, in theory this should prevent
the Mega from being able to access the HD and force it boot off the
Floppy thus using the floppies NEWDESK.INF file.
It's been a while since I've had to install HD Driver but I think you
will be able to to re-install the HD Driver software from the floppy
while retaining the current contents of the drive, but I suggest you
confirm this before you remove all the driver software from your HD."
Hallvard tells Stephen:
"Yup. By removing the hard disk driver I get 4 bombs when trying to boot
(regardless of trying to boot from the harddisk itself or the floppy as
far as I can remember).
I did a whole lot of experimenting today and although I seem to remember
that I was able to mount the hard disk (and having its icons on the
desktop) AND save NEWDESK.INF to the *floppy disk*.
...but seeing how many different situations I've tried to rectify this
problem and what has been said here I may have been mistaken.
Checking the date of the NEWDESK.INF file on one of my boot disks (with
HDdriver in both the AUTO folder and on the root of the disk itself so I
can run it manually if disabled from the AUTO folder) I see that I
created it several months ago, so the same thing must have happened back
then.
Anyway, I've created a very detailed explanation on how to boot from a
floppy disk on a harddisk and harddisk-less system in my TOS 2.06 user
guide.
To quickly summarize, this is what I've found out:
-"NEWDESK.INF" is saved to the same drive that loaded it when booting.
-When the harddisk driver (i.e. HDDRIVER.PRG) is located within the AUTO
folder of the boot floppy, the "NEWDESK.INF" file is read from the hard
disk.
-When the harddisk driver (i.e. HDDRIVER.PRG) is NOT located within the
AUTO folder of the boot floppy, but instead run manually from the floppy
(i.e. HDDRIVER.PRG is also located elsewhere on the floppy) the
"NEWDESK.INF" file is read from the floppy disk.
-Hard drive icons aren't shown on the desktop unless the drive(s) have
been mounted by running a hard disk driver first, then "Install devices"
has to be chosen from the "Options" menu on the TOS 2.06 desktop.
-If the hard disk driver is run manually (i.e. not automatically by
putting it in the floppy's AUTO folder) or there's no "NEWDESK.INF" file
present on the harddisk (when running the hard disk driver from the AUTO
folder on the floppy disk), the boot hard drive (drive "C") will have
its icon available on the desktop.
If you have several partitions (or possibly also several other drives?)
you have to manually add icons by going to the "Install Devices" menu as
mentioned above."
Dr. Uwe Seimet, author of HD Driver, tells Hallvard:
"Sure, you cannot simply delete the .SYS file. This is not the correct
way of removing a hard disk driver. Hard disk drivers must be removed
with the tools provided for that, e.g. HDDRUTIL or HINSTALL.
This does not sound logical to me. In order to run HDDRIVER.PRG
manually the desktop must have already been loaded. Otherwise you would
not be able to double click HDDRIVER.PRG. Since the desktop is already
active NEWDESK.INF will not be read anymore at this point."
Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again next week,
same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying
when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Playstation 2 & Xbox Price Cuts!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" GameCube To Go Online!
More 'Lord of the Rings'!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Sony Cuts Price of PlayStation
Underlining its faith in the video-game business as an engine for growth,
Sony Corp. slashed the price of the PlayStation 2 console in the United
States Tuesday to $199, underpricing its biggest rival, Microsoft Corp.'s
Xbox, by $100.
The price cut was part of a business plan outlined Tuesday by the Tokyo
electronics and entertainment giant. Sony's PlayStation 2, which has now
sold more than 30 million worldwide, had been selling in the United States
for $299, the same as the Xbox.
Under a strategy for the fiscal year that began last month, Sony hopes to
turn around its sluggish electronics sector by connecting more products
with its game and entertainment businesses as people increasingly use
gadgets as network-linking tools.
Sony set up a new company called Network Application and Content Service
Sector that will work as a bridge over its three "core" businesses -
electronics, games and entertainment.
The new company will work on creating strategic links in services that
bring the three areas together and come up with new services and products
for what Sony envisions as the "broadband network society" - homes filled
with Sony gadgets such as TVs, mobile phones and personal computers that
link not only with each other but also to the Internet.
To pull it off, Sony is banking on its movies, encouraged by the
refreshing box-office success of "Spider-Man" after years of putting out
flops. The film has received positive reviews since it started showing
earlier this month and is virtually assured of becoming one of the
top-grossing movies ever.
"It's been 'Spider-Man' everywhere," chief executive Nobuyuki Idei said at
a news conference at a Tokyo hotel. "Our aim is to have Sony recognized as
a company with three core sectors - electronics, games and content."
If all works out as Sony hopes, people will be using Vaio computers to
link up gadgets to download music by Sony performers such as Jennifer
Lopez, view previews for Sony films on Sony mobile phones and watching
Sony Pictures DVDs on huge Sony "home theater" TVs.
PlayStation 2 will be a key Net-linking machine as online games and other
downloads become available later this year in Japan, Sony said. Sony has
not said when such services for the PlayStation 2 will be available in the
United States.
Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer Entertainment said PlayStation 2
controls 82 percent of the market, soundly beating its rivals, the Xbox
and Nintendo's GameCube.
Microsoft has said 1.5 million Xbox consoles have been sold and it plans
to ship 3.5 million or 4 million by June. Microsoft recently lowered the
price of the Xbox by about a third in Europe but has kept its price in
Japan and the United States unchanged. Xbox sells for $270 in Japan.
"There are no plans now to lower the Xbox price. But as a strategy, lower
prices are always a possibility," said Midori Takahashi, Microsoft
spokeswoman in Tokyo.
Nintendo, which makes the Mario and Pokemon games, also denied any plans
to cut prices. "No chance at all," said Yasuhiro Minagawa, Nintendo
spokesman in Kyoto.
Game Cube, which went on sale in the United States in November, sells for
$199 and has sold about 4 million worldwide so far.
Sony officials acknowledged the company went through hard times in the
fiscal year that ended in March because of the global electronics slump.
But the worst is over, they said, as Sony moves forward in a new stage in
the broadband era developing over the next few years.
At a time when other major Japanese electronics makers posted huge losses,
Sony came out fairly unscathed, aided by its video-game and entertainment
businesses. For fiscal 2001, Sony posted a net income of 15.3 billion yen
($119 million), down 9 percent from the previous year.
Microsoft Slashing Xbox Price
Microsoft Corp. is cutting the U.S. price of its Xbox video game console
from $299 to $199, mirroring a move announced a day earlier by console
kingpin Sony for its Playstation 2.
Microsoft, which introduced the Xbox, its first gaming console, in
November, also said it will cut the price in Japan from about $270 to
about $193. That move will take effect May 22.
The company announced the price cuts Wednesday.
Microsoft also announced plans with manufacturing partner Flextronics
Corp. to open an Xbox factory and assembly plant this year in Doumen,
China, relocating an assembly operation from Hungary. The Xbox also is
made in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Operations at Doumen should "result in significant cost efficiencies,"
said Todd Holmdahl, Microsoft's general manager of Xbox hardware.
Last month, Microsoft reduced the Xbox's price by about a third in Europe
and Australia.
John O'Rourke, director of global Xbox marketing, said Tuesday that the
additional reductions have been in the works for several months, with an
announcement previously planned for next week. He said Sony's move forced
Microsoft to accelerate its cut "to make sure nobody buys another video
game system because of price."
Sony, the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, on Tuesday slashed
the U.S. price of PlayStation 2 to $199. It also lowered the price of the
less advanced PS one console to $49 from $99.
Sony has been the behemoth of video console sales, shipping more than 30
million Playstation 2 units since introduction in 2000.
Worldwide Xbox sales, meanwhile, have been slower than expected. Microsoft
says it expects to have shipped 3.5 million to 4 million consoles by the
end of June. That's down from an earlier estimate of 4.5 million to 6
million.
The other major player in the console market, Nintendo, has sold about
4 million of its GameCube units worldwide since their November 2001
introduction. GameCube already was selling for $199 in the United States,
and Nintendo said there are no plans to cut that price.
Microsoft Uphill Battle Gets Steeper
A battle of the giants has erupted on Japanese screens. Not between
helmeted samurai warriors fighting on disks but between the corporate
megaliths who created such globally popular video games and are now
slashing prices.
A feverish week of price slashing by the battling video game makers has
left Microsoft Corp's newly launched Xbox the cheapest new-generation
console in Japan, but analysts say the advantage remains with arch-rival
Sony Corp's PlayStation 2.
And that advantage travels beyond Japan and into the world's biggest
market -- the United States.
While Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo Ltd had all been expected to announce
price cuts as competition heats up in the home game machine market, Sony
beat its rivals to the punch this week.
The entertainment and electronics conglomerate, which relied on
PlayStation 2 for the bulk of its operating profits in the business year
to March 31, said on Tuesday it would slash the U.S. price of the
PlayStation 2 by one-third, to $199.
In Japan it made a smaller cut of 6.5 percent, while giving retailers a
free hand to discount. Sony says more cuts are in the pipeline.
"PlayStation 2 is kind of a done deal in terms of becoming dominant," said
Noriko Manabe, analyst at J.P. Morgan, who believed Sony was just toying
with its rivals by rushing to cut prices.
"You might as well have fun destroying your competitors while you're at
it."
Sony already has a 10-to-one advantage over Microsoft in the number of
boxes sitting in consumers' living rooms, having launched its PlayStation2
a full year-and-a-half before last March's launch of the Xbox and
Nintendo's GameCube.
Within 24 hours of the Sony move, Microsoft followed suit, cutting the
price of the Xbox game console in the United States to $199, putting the
machine in line with PlayStation 2 and GameCube.
The company slashed the Japan price to 24,800 yen ($194.3), which is 200
yen lower than GameCube and below PlayStation 2. "The impulse purchases
will rise for Xbox as well as for PlayStation 2 at that price point,"
said Jay Defibaugh, analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston Japan Ltd.
"Whether it will sustain at a high level is something that we will have
to wait and see," he said. "This doesn't solve all of their (Microsoft's)
problems by any means."
Analysts say Microsoft's price advantage in Japan could be short-lived as
Sony and Nintendo could launch a new cycle of cuts.
The next is likely to come from Nintendo, which has so far boasted a
competitive price.
Lisa Spicer, analyst at ING, expects Nintendo to slash the U.S. price of
GameCube to $149 from $199 and the Japan price to 20,000 yen from current
25,000 yen.
"I'd imagine they would announce soon," she said.
Top-running Sony also hinted that it still has ammunition in its arsenal.
Analysts say now that Sony generates profits from both hardware and
software sales, it can afford such cuts.
"The cut this time will not be the last one and there will be changes in
the price in the future," said Kenichi Fukunaga, senior director of SCE
corporate communication.
Hisako Akitani, a manager of game retail shop GamesMaya, said the
wholesale price of PlayStation 2 was trimmed by 6.5 percent to 26,000
yen ($203.7) from 27,800 yen ($217.8).
Accordingly, she said, her stores would sell PlayStation 2 at retail prices
of 26,980 yen for member and 27,800 yen for non-member customers.
Sony declined to confirm the wholesale price but said it has cut it by
about six percent.
While hardware makers are at each others' throats, software creators are
expected to benefit because of the increased expectations for the size of
hardware market.
"This means that people will buy a couple more software titles with the
discount they got," said Yuta Sakurai, senior analyst, Nomura Securities.
Hit software titles are key elements for game console makers, but even on
that front, Microsoft has a lot to do.
Kazumi Kitaue, executive corporate officer of software maker Konami Corp,
said the price cuts alone would not convince his company to make more
exclusives for Microsoft's game machine.
"Just because they cut the price, that doesn't mean they can make a
comeback. It just means that the company and its rivals are now battling
in the same ring," he said.
Hideki Sato, President of software maker Sega Corp, also voiced doubts that
Microsoft's efforts would really produce a viable customer base for which
software developers would want to develop exclusive games.
"Microsoft has cast its net further but we have to be sure there are
actually fish to be caught," Sato said.
"We have to look at it with a long-term view. Quality is key for software
titles. Brand image of games is important and you need to make sure you can
make series out of it."
Nintendo to Launch Online for GameCube This Fall
Video game maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. will introduce an online element for its
GameCube this fall, executives for its U.S. subsidiary said on Monday,
marking the company's cautious entry into the fledgling market for online
console games.
Nintendo said it will offer dial-up and high-speed Internet adapters for
the GameCube in the fall at a suggested retail price of $34.95.
Rival game console makers have already announced similar plans. Microsoft
Corp.'s Xbox has a built-in broadband adapter and Sony Corp. plans to offer
an adapter with both dial-up and broadband ports for $39.99 in August.
The first game to be available for online play will be Sega Corp.'s
"Phantasy Star Online." Sega said on Monday the game is expected to come
out this fall, the company said.
Online gaming has been a major market for PC games for years but has been
slow to catch on for the console market.
Sega was ahead of the rest of the industry by building a dial-up modem
into its now-discontinued Dreamcast (news - web sites), released in 1999,
but limited sales for that console left the online effort a money-losing
venture and prompted the company to withdraw from the competitive market
for game hardware.
Nintendo is staking out a more cautious online strategy.
The company, which is the leading game maker for children and has a
virtual lock on the market for handheld games, is considering a number of
online projects but will not have any games ready for the fall launch,
executives said.
Publishers will be able to use the online feature for their games and keep
any additional fees charged to users as a result, but online gaming for
the GameCube will remain largely an extension of the console play, the
company said.
"Nintendo's position is that online is a feature to extend the console and
the gameplay, but in and of itself online does not make a game," Jim
Merrick, a technical director for Nintendo's online efforts said.
Perrin Kaplan, a Nintendo vice president, said the company will not
collect any additional revenue from online games and will not charge an
access fee.
Game publishers themselves will be responsible for operating the online
networks on which their games run, Nintendo said.
Nintendo will also promote its Internet adapters as add-ons for specific
games when that makes sense but does not plan a major marketing blitz
around the GameCube's Internet capabilities, executives said.
EA to Bring The Lord of the Rings, The Two
Towers to the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance
One ring to rule them all... EA announces that they will bring The Lord of
the Rings, The Two Towers video games to the PlayStation2 computer
entertainment system and the Nintendo Game Boy Advance.
Based on New Line Cinema's epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic
fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers games will integrate
cinema and gameplay to deliver an engaging interactive experience. In the
game, players will be able to relive the most memorable movie moments from
the first two films, Academy Award-winning "The Fellowship of the Ring" and
upcoming "The Two Towers." Both versions of The Two Towers games will be
released under the EA GAMES brand in fall 2002, in conjunction with "The
Two Towers" movie.
Middle-earth comes to life in spectacular detail in EA's first "The Lord of
the Rings" action adventure game. Both versions will feature
action/adventure gameplay and a third-person perspective to enhance the
overall experience.
PlayStation 2
As Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, players will battle a variety of Orcs and
square off against vicious boss monsters including the Cave Troll and
Saruman. A tactical gameplay system will encourage players to react quickly
and be strategic with their selection of characters, weaponry and combat
moves. Set in 16 mission locations, each environment will have a close
visual correlation to that seen in the first two films. The game is being
co-developed by EA's Redwood Shores Studio and Stormfront Studios.
Game Boy Advance
The handheld version will allow players to take control of four characters:
Aragorn, Legolas, Frodo and Gandalf the Wizard. Over 30 levels per
character will challenge each member of the Fellowship, bringing the grand
total to over 120 levels in the entire game. Linked play will accommodate
two-player multiplayer action via the GBA Link Cable. The game is being
developed by Griptonite Games, an Amaze Entertainment Studio.
EA has secured the exclusive worldwide licensing rights to create games
based on New Line's epic trilogy. The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
will be the first in an ongoing series of The Lord of the Rings games from
EA. Future titles are under development and will be released on multiple
platforms in 2003 and 2004. For more information on EA's The Lord of the
Rings games, visit the official product website at:
http://lordoftherings.ea.com.
"We do believe online gaming will be viable at some point but we don't
want to club the consumer in the head with it either," Merrick said.
Super Bowl XXXVI MVP Tom Brady Signs on as Cover Athlete
for 989 Sports' NFL GameDay 2003 for PlayStation and PlayStation2
Fresh off leading his team to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI and winning the
coveted crown of Super Bowl MVP, Sony Computer Entertainment America
announced today that quarterback for the Super Bowl Champion New England
Patriots Tom Brady will be the cover athlete for NFL GameDay 2003 from the
989 Sports development team. After bursting onto the sports scene last
year while on the NFL's biggest stage, Tom Brady has quickly established
himself as the NFL's newest superstar. The Pro Bowl quarterback will now
bring his winning ways to the PlayStation and PlayStation2 computer
entertainment system with NFL GameDay 2003.
"In a short time Tom Brady has established himself as a true champion and
one of the NFL's most exciting young talents," said Ami Blaire, director,
product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "His fierce
competitive nature and leadership have made him a winner on the field and
his true dedication to the sport will keep him at the top of his game for
many years to come. We, at 989 Sports are proud to be associated with an
engaging athlete of Tom's caliber as he embodies all of the hard-core
football ideals in NFL GameDay 2003."
In only his second season in the NFL, Tom Brady became the sports world's
success story of the year when he stepped in as the starting quarterback
for the New England Patriots. Taking over in the second game of the 2001
season, Brady never looked back as he led his team to victory in Super Bowl
XXXVI where he capped off a Pro Bowl season by being named Super Bowl MVP.
Making his winning ways all the more remarkable, 24 year old Tom Brady's
victory in the Super Bowl made him the youngest starting quarterback ever
to bring home the Lombardi trophy.
Scheduled to release in September, NFL GameDay 2003 promises to capture the
power and athleticism of the NFL like no other football simulation before
with ultra realistic gameplay and new high-resolution player models that
recreate the NFL experience in intricate detail and an all-new online mode
that will allow gamers to take on challengers nationwide. Featuring new 60
frame per second gameplay, NFL GameDay 2003 brings unprecedented football
action to life with unmatched responsive control over fluid animations
including 300 new tackles, catches and blocks and over 70 new "break
tackle" animations that make for heart stopping replay action of all 32 NFL
teams including the expansion Houston Texans.
Mad Catz Announces Full Line of Peripherals for Fall 2002
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced the launch of the Company's Fall 2002
line of peripherals for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
The Company will unveil 23 new accessories at this year's E3 show in Los
Angeles at Booth #500 in South Hall from May 22-24, 2002. One of the more
notable highlights is the Company's new line of Lynx wireless controllers
for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. All upcoming products are due to launch in the
U.S. and/or Europe over the next several months.
"In keeping with our goal to create the industry's highest quality products
at competitive prices, we have developed an exciting new line of fall
accessories. We are particularly looking forward to the release of the Lynx
wireless controllers that we have designed for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. We
expect them to be extremely well received by the market as the installed
base of these new consoles continues to grow," said Darren Richardson,
President and COO of Mad Catz, Inc.
Mr. Richardson continued, "Over 145 million Americans (60%) play video and
computer games and they continue to be the fastest growing entertainment
form. This is particularly good news for Mad Catz as it provides us with
additional opportunities to design and develop the creative accessories for
which Mad Catz is famous."
Lynx Wireless Controllers
Based upon the success of the 900MHz wireless controller for PlayStation 2
launched in October 2001, Mad Catz has expanded its wireless line to
include Lynx wireless controllers for Xbox and PlayStation 2 (also
compatible with PlayStation One) to be initially released in the U.S. Like
the 900MHz wireless controller for PlayStation 2, these controllers utilize
radio frequency (RF) technology comparable to high-end cordless phones. The
Lynx wireless controllers do not rely on line-of-sight, so that if the
controllers are pointed away from the console, or if the signal is blocked
by a person walking in front of it, the game will not freeze. This
connectivity is achieved via a low-profile micro antenna which plugs
directly into the appropriate console, enabling 40 feet of unblockable
wireless range. The Lynx wireless controllers require batteries whereas the
900MHz wireless controller for PlayStation 2 uses a recharging cradle.
The Lynx wireless controllers feature fully analog pressure-sensitive
action buttons and D-pad, dual analog joysticks, and rubberized grips to
increase comfort. Programmable macro capabilities for complex moves will be
featured in the Lynx wireless for Xbox. Both Lynx wireless controllers
feature two play modes for total control in any game (analog and digital)
and built-in dual vibration motors for a more pronounced, realistic gaming
experience.
"After the successful debut of the 900MHz wireless controller for
PlayStation 2 at last year's E3 show, we are especially excited to
introduce our next generation of Lynx wireless controllers at this year's
show," states Mr. Richardson. "Now Xbox and PlayStation 2 gamers can
maximize playing time without being restricted by short cables. And, since
the radio frequency technology eliminates line of sight issues, the Lynx
wireless controllers provide consistent, continuous play even at a
considerable distance from the console and television."
MicroCON Controllers for All Platforms
At this year's E3 show, Mad Catz will also introduce its MicroCON
controllers for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The MicroCON controllers
are smaller versions of Mad Catz' standard controllers, created to
accommodate gamers with smaller hands or to provide greater comfort and
control for any gamer. The MicroCON's sleek design provides superior
control with rubberized grips to reduce fatigue and improve handling.
Features include dual analog joysticks, fully analog pressure-sensitive
action buttons and D-pad, intense vibration capability, two expansion bays
for memory cards or other game enhancers (for Xbox), and macro
programmability for complex moves (for Xbox and PlayStation 2). For added
comfort and durability, both the MicroCON for PlayStation 2 (also
compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation One) and GameCube have an
eight-foot braided-steel cable and the MicroCON for Xbox features a
nine-foot braided steel cable.
Universal Steering Wheel and Pedals for All Platforms
The Universal MC2 Racing Wheel, also making its debut at E3, works with
PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube consoles, and is the most realistic
racing wheel on the market. The new steering wheel is based on the MC2
award winning design which offers vibration feedback, and the Mad Catz
proprietary Accudrive system that allows gamers to tune the wheel
sensitivity to fit individual preferences. Offering superior comfort, the
Universal MC2 Racing Wheel also features a rubber-clad wheel, retractable
leg supports and pedal, ten programmable action buttons, and three control
modes (steering wheel, analog and digital).
Other products making their debut include:
For PlayStation 2
Beat Pad - This digital controller for dance and action games features
four-way directional control and 10 high-performance action pads. The Beat
Pad works with all dance games including Konami's Dance Dance Revolution
and THQ's Britney Dance Beat. It's also compatible with PlayStation and
PlayStation One dance games.
Light Blaster - Specially designed to work with all light gun-compatible
games, the Light Blaster features vibration kickback, rapid-fire, automatic
reload capabilities, a memory card expansion bay and an LED-powered
light-up barrel. It also includes a traditional D-pad and reload button.
Dual Force 2 Skin Controller - Now different design skins featuring
lifestyle, sports and artwork can be snapped onto the controller for more
customized game play. Features of the controller include dual analog
joysticks, dual vibration motors, pressure-sensitive analog action buttons
and powerful macro capabilities for programming complex actions for
execution by a single button. With rubberized grips for superior comfort
and handling and an eight-foot extra-long reinforced cable, the Dual Force
2 Skin Controller is also compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation One.
8 MB Memory Expander - By inserting a certified PlayStation 2 8MB memory
card into the Memory Expander, users can access an additional 8MB of
memory, allowing for more game saves.
Controller Extension Cable - Also compatible with PlayStation and
PlayStation One, this seven-foot extension cable features heavy-duty
wiring, braided steel reinforcement and an assortment of colors, to match
player's controllers.
For Xbox
Light Gun - Specially designed to work with all light gun-compatible games,
the Mad Catz Light Gun features vibration kickback, rapid-fire, automatic
reload capabilities and an LED-powered light-up barrel. It also includes a
traditional D-pad and reload button.
Ethernet Cable - To capitalize on one of the many Xbox features, the
Ethernet Cable is designed to network multiple Xbox consoles together for
head-to-head or team playing. The Ethernet Cable comes in a sleek green
cable casing.
For GameCube
Memory Cube 251 - The 4X Memory Card delivers 16Mb of data storage,
allowing for more special characters, special weapons, game positions, and
high scores to be saved. Although not available in initial shipments, later
shipments will feature game saves.
Memory Cube 1019 - The 16X Memory Card features 64Mb of data storage,
allowing for more special characters, special weapons, custom controller
settings and high scores and levels to be saved. It also features four
different game saves.
5" Color Display - The attachable 5" Color Display features an integrated
sound system and a high-resolution screen which attaches directly to the
GameCube.
Car Adapter - Powers the GameCube from a standard auto power connection
with a convenient 10-foot power cord for backseat gaming.
Controller Extension Cable - Available in many colors, this extension cable
plugs directly into the GameCube console and features heavy-duty wiring,
durable braided construction and a compact spool design giving an extra six
feet of range between the user and the television.
For Game Boy Advance
Flip Light - Great for late night gaming, the flip light automatically
illuminates the screen and provides brighter, more vivid graphics when
flipped up.
Light and Magnifier - Illuminates Game Boy Advance screen and magnifies up
to 1.5X the original screen size.
TV Tuner - By inserting the TV Tuner into the game slot, the Game Boy
Advance can be used for both playing games and watching television.
Soft Case - Available in many colors, the soft case protects the Game Boy
Advance when traveling.
Water Resistant Case - This durable case will protect the Game Boy Advance
against moisture, water and dust. It is also designed with a flexible
transparent front for game-play and a water resistant membrane to resonate
game sounds while inside its protective case.
NYKO Patents ``Air'' -- Introduces the World's First Air-Cooled
Controller for Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation 2 & Nintendo GameCube
Tired of sweaty hands while playing your favorite video game? No sweat!
This year at the E3 Expo (Electronic Entertainment Expo), NYKO Technologies
will introduce the only solution for this common complaint, the Air Flo
game controllers for Sony PlayStation2, Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft
Xbox. The new game controllers, which utilize NYKO's patented Air Flo
technology, and NYKO's full line of gaming accessories, will be shown in
the company's booth, #2408, West Hall, at the E3 Expo, May 22-24, at the
Los Angeles Convention Center.
NYKO's patented dual-speed Air Flo technology provides gamers with a
consistent flow of fresh air through the controller grips to end
problematic sweaty hands and allow for more comfortable game play. The new
technology is incorporated into three game controllers that will be
introduced at E3, including the Air Flo for PlayStation2, the Air Flo for
Nintendo GameCube and the Air Flo for Xbox. Even with the added value of
NYKO's patented Air Flo technology, all three controllers will be
competitively priced.
In addition to NYKO's patented Air Flo Technology, the advanced controllers
feature rubberized grips for added comfort, a 10-foot cable and other
standard features, including dual analog control sticks, 8-way D-pad,
built-in variable vibration function, and pressure sensitive analog
buttons. The Air Flo controller for Xbox also boasts dual expansion slots
for memory cards.
NYKO's patented Air Flo controllers for PlayStation2 and Xbox will be
available in July 2002. The Air Flo controller for GameCube will be
introduced in October.
Recognized in the industry as an innovator, having developed its patented
Worm Light technology and now its patented Air Flo technology, NYKO fans
can anticipate many other new, unique game accessories to be announced at
E3 including:
WormCam
Photographically inspired? Use your Nintendo Game Boy Advance to view and
edit amazing color pictures taken with NYKO's WormCam (MSRP $29.99). The
WormCam also boasts a unique "spycam" mode that allows pictures to be taken
either by motion detection or time-lapse photography. The WormCam stores up
to 20 pictures with help from an internal battery and the rotating camera
allows for greater ease-of-use. Providing a 10-bit RGB 356x292-pixel
resolution, the WormCam also allows users to upload video snapshots to a PC
for editing and emailing, PC link cable included.
Super Magni-Light for Game Boy Advance
A combination screen light and magnifier for the Game Boy Advance, the
Super Magni-Light (MSRP $14.99) is ideal for game play in low light
conditions such as in the car, airplane -- or under the covers at night!
Featuring a dual LED light for optimum coverage and brightness, the Super
Magni-Light requires no additional batteries and boasts a 1.5x high quality
magnifier lens.
Memory Cards for Nintendo GameCube
Save your game data with confidence! NYKO introduces its 8Mb (MSRP $19.99)
and 4Mb (MSRP $14.99) memory cards -- the first third party memory cards
for the GameCube. Showing off a sleek, unique design, the memory cards are
available in a variety of colors, such as indigo, black, red and orange.
The easy-to-grab rubber NYKO grip and ridged sides allow for simple, secure
transfer in and out of the gaming system. In addition, the protective
storage case keeps the memory cards clean and safe for reliable game saves.
Power Switch for PlayStation2
NYKO solves another gamers' pet peeve with the Power Switch (MSRP $9.99),
an adaptor which relocates the PlayStation2 power switch to the front of
the system for easy access. Specially engineered to match the PlayStation2,
the convenient button relocation is perfect for hard-to-reach entertainment
centers. Additionally, the Power Switch reduces the risk of overheating and
excessive power consumption by getting its power from the game system
itself.
Play Cube for GameCube
GameCube fans will also appreciate having the ability to convert the
Playstation or PlayStation2 pad to a GameCube controller. The Play Cube
(MSRP $9.99) eliminates the need to purchase additional controllers and
also allows vibration function.
These products, as well as other NYKO accessories, can be found at all
major consumer electronics and video game stores.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Supreme Court: More Review of Web Porn Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that community standards may be used
to shield minors from Internet pornography, but said other free-speech
problems must be resolved before the restrictions in the federal law can
take effect.
By an 8-1 vote, the justices set aside a U.S. appeals court ruling that
the law violated constitutional free-speech protections solely because it
relied on community standards to identify online pictures and writings
harmful to minors.
Justice Clarence Thomas said reliance on community standards does not by
itself render the law too broad under the First Amendment, but he
acknowledged other constitutional problems with the law need to be decided.
The Child Online Protection Act, adopted by Congress and signed by
President Bill Clinton in 1998, requires commercial Web site operators to
use credit cards or adult access systems before allowing Internet users to
view material deemed harmful to minors.
The law has never been enforced. It immediately was challenged on First
Amendment grounds by the American Civil Liberties Union and 17 groups and
businesses, including online magazine publishers and booksellers.
Thomas said the government still remained barred from enforcing the law,
sending the case back for a lower court in Philadelphia to decide whether
it was unconstitutionally vague, too broad for other reasons or failed to
survive strict scrutiny.
Last month, the court struck down by a 6-3 vote a separate federal law
banning "virtual child pornography" that uses young adults or
computer-generated pictures to depict children, ruling it violates free
speech rights.
The new ruling ensured the legal battle will go forward in a case that has
pitted free-speech rights against efforts by Congress to regulate
cyberspace by keeping minors away from online pornography.
"The court clearly had enough doubts about this broad censorship law to
leave in place the ban, which is an enormous relief to our clients," said
Ann Beeson, litigation director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty
Program.
"This case is still very much a work in progress," she said, noting a
majority of the court appeared to have grave doubts about the law's
constitutionality. "We are confident the court will ultimately strike down
this law," she said.
The appeals court specifically objected to how the law defined harmful as
based on the average person in applying "contemporary community standards"
and said it would effectively force all speakers on the Web to abide by
the "most puritan" standards.
In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy, joined by
Justices David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said a "very real likelihood"
existed that the law was too broad and would not survive further review.
Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer, in separate concurring
opinions, both supported a national standard for the Internet.
In dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens said community standards would not
work in cyberspace. He said, "The community that wishes to live without
certain material not only rids itself, but the entire Internet of the
offending speech."
He said speech is effectively prohibited whenever the least tolerant
communities find it harmful to minors.
Stevens expressed concern the law could cover advertisements, online
magazines, bulletin boards, chat rooms, stock photo galleries, Web diaries
and a variety of illustrations encompassing a vast number of messages.
Spokeswoman Barbara Comstock said the Justice Department was "pleased" by
the ruling and would defend the law as it undergoes further review in the
courts.
Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative
legal group, said the decision "makes one thing very clear: there are
still many constitutional hurdles ahead in the battle to protect children
from online pornography."
Supreme Court Cracks Down On Web Porn
In a minor setback for civil liberties groups challenging a law that
cracks down on Internet smut, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the Child
Online Protection Act may not be overly broad.
On Monday, justices voted 8-1 to send the case back for reconsideration by
the lower court that struck down the law. However, the high court did not
lift an injunction preventing enforcement of the law, meaning the
government's hands are still tied when it comes to blocking content deemed
harmful to minors.
COPA passed in 1998 and made it illegal to sell sexually explicit material
via the Web if minors could see it. Since then, the measure has been
bogged down in the courts amid challenges it was overly broad and violated
the First Amendment by preventing adults from accessing certain Web
content.
The court said COPA's use of "community standards" to determine harmful
material did not make the law overly broad, as the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals in Philadelphia had determined in a previous ruling. However, it
did not address other challenges to the law, including charges that COPA is
vague and does not use the least restrictive measure possible to protect
children from porn.
Instead, the high court ordered the 3rd Circuit to consider those issues,
meaning legal battles surrounding COPA are far from over.
"Whether COPA is constitutional was left to be decided another
day on
other grounds," said Erwin Chemerinsky, a law professor at the University
of Southern California.
In their mixed decision, the only issues the judges agreed upon were that
the law should be sent back to a lower court and that the injunction
should remain in place.
Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas cited earlier rulings
upholding the concept of community standards.
"We have observed that it is neither realistic nor constitutionally sound
to read the First Amendment as requiring that the people of Maine or
Mississippi accept public depiction of conduct found tolerable in Las
Vegas or New York City," he wrote.
However, Justice John Paul Stevens said that although the imposition of
community standards can shield children from inappropriate speech, it can
also damage free speech in cyberspace.
"In this context of the Internet, this shield also becomes a sword,
because the community that wishes to live without certain material not
only rids itself, but (rids) the entire Internet of the offending speech,"
Stevens wrote.
Civil liberties groups are hoping the lower court eventually will overturn
the law on other grounds.
The Supreme Court's ruling "doesn't really change the equation one way or
the other," said John Morris, staff counsel with the Center for Democracy
and Technology, which filed a brief urging the court to overturn the law.
Morris called Monday's ruling "one step in a long line of litigation"
related to the law.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which led the challenge of COPA,
praised the court's decision to let the injunction stand. "The court
clearly had enough doubts about this broad censorship law to leave in place
the ban, which is an enormous relief to our clients," ACLU attorney Ann
Beeson said in a statement.
Nevertheless, the ruling could turn out to be a minor victory for those
hoping to rein in objectionable material on the Web. For one thing, the
court didn't specifically brand the law unconstitutional, as it has done
in other Web content cases such as one brought against the 1996
Communications Decency Act. What's more, anti-porn activists can argue
that material may violate community standards in conservative areas in
their attempts to remove it from the Web.
But those arguments may be somewhat tempered because the court was vague
in defining what constitutes a community when it comes to determining such
standards, leaving open the question of whether local or national tastes
and values will define what's acceptable on the Net.
Legal experts agreed that the ruling was a minor bump on the road to
determining how Web content is regulated.
Christopher Wolf, an attorney with Proskauer Rose, thinks COPA eventually
will go the way of other attempts to protect children online. "I'd be
surprised if it is ever validated," Wolf said. "In the meantime, the law
is off the books, and free speech is alive and well."
Napster CEO Quits As Sale Rejected
Napster Chief Executive Konrad Hilbers is stepping down, capping months of
unsuccessful negotiations to sell the file-swapping company and settle
lawsuits hanging over its business.
The company may also be close to filing for bankruptcy, according to at
least one source close to Napster. In an e-mail to the company Tuesday,
Hilbers confirmed that a last-ditch attempt to sell the company outright
to German media giant Bertelsmann had fallen through after opposition from
Napster's quarrelling board of directors.
The management team "has put together what I consider to be a valid and
beneficial deal for Napster over the last weeks," Hilbers said in the
e-mail, a copy of which was seen by CNET News.com. "Unfortunately, the
board has chosen to not pursue the deal...I am convinced that not pursuing
the offer is a mistake, and it will lead the company to a place where I
don't want to lead it."
Bertelsmann confirmed the deal's rejection.
"We regret that the Napster shareholders were unable to reach an agreement
regarding the offer from Bertelsmann," the company said in a statement.
"However, we continue to believe in the value of peer-to-peer technology.
We are hopeful that Napster's brand and technology will be able to realize
its potential as a compelling consumer proposition."
The dissolution of this Bertelsmann deal does not mean the company is
relinquishing all hope of taking over Napster, however. The media giant
has bankrolled Napster with tens of millions of dollars in loans and is
likely its largest creditor. Should Napster file for bankruptcy, it still
could gain control of the company or access to its technology.
Hilbers, who took the top spot last July, has been uniformly upbeat in his
predictions that the former file-swapping star would rebound and create a
new, legal service based on broad deals with the very record labels suing
it. But the company has postponed the launch of its subscription plans
indefinitely, as legal settlement and music licensing talks have fallen
through.
The last several months have been marked by internal struggles, as
original investor John Fanning has fought board members Hank Barry and
John Hummer, both representing venture capital firm Hummer Winblad, for
control of the company.
A lawsuit filed by Fanning in Delaware court in an attempt to wrest
control from the venture capitalists was dismissed Tuesday, the company
confirmed.
Konrad's departure, and the collapse of the Bertelsmann deal, leaves the
once-proud file-swapping company with few resources at its disposal. It
has had little to no income since opening its doors in 1999 and has been
living on loans from Bertelsmann that have totaled more than $85 million
for operational expenses alone.
Bertelsmann had also promised to pay tens of millions of dollars in
additional legal settlement and music licensing fees. Napster has had
several rounds of layoffs, cutting staff already dangerously close to the
bone.
A representative for the company said Napster had not filed for bankruptcy
and that no plans had yet been made to do so. However, with no revenue
coming in, the company is on increasingly tenuous ground.
"We deeply regret that we have not yet been able to find a funding
solution that would allow Napster to launch a service to benefit artists
and consumers alike," the company said in a statement. "We will be looking
at additional steps in the coming week to further reduce expenses."
A replacement for Hilbers or an interim CEO has yet to be named, a company
representative said.
Bertelsmann Snaps Up Napster
Embattled Internet music upstart Napster Inc. was handed a new lease on
life Friday as German media giant Bertelsmann stepped in with $8 million to
buy its assets and keep the online song-swap service in business.
The surprise deal also brought Napster Chief Executive Officer Konrad
Hilbers and founder Shawn Fanning back into the fold just days after they
quit the company amid fears that mounting legal, financial and technical
problems would silence Napster for good.
"While this has been a very unusual week, I'm pleased that I and my
colleagues can move forward and give our full attention to Napster's
future," Hilbers said in a statement.
Bertelsmann's agreement to provide $8 million for Napster's creditors will
allow the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and emerge
as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Europe's second-largest media group,
officials said.
It will then resume its much-delayed plan to relaunch as a subscription
digital music service that complies with U.S. copyright law.
Analysts said the deal, which gives Bertelsmann control of Napster for far
less than the $15 million to $30 million it might have cost to buy the
company outright, could nevertheless prove a good deal for the online
music company.
"This development could very well breathe new life into this Napster,"
said Phil Leigh, a financial analyst at Raymond James & Associates.
Napster, once one of the hottest properties on the Internet, has been
offline since July 2001 as it fights a music piracy lawsuit by major
record labels.
The service this week signaled it was nearing the end of the game as
Hilbers, Fanning and several other senior executives quit after a dispute
among board members derailed a Bertelsmann bid to buy the company
outright.
That quarrel was resolved by a Delaware court Tuesday, setting up a new
Napster board chaired by Hilbers.
Bertelsmann, which broke ranks with other music companies by buying a
stake in Napster in 2000, said it was now ready to help push the company
toward its goal of becoming a secure, membership-charging service.
"Creating new ways of doing business is never easy, but Napster will be at
the forefront of finding business models that respect copyright, reward
artists, and deliver entertainment value to consumers," Joel Klein, chief
executive of the U.S. arm of Bertelsmann, said in a statement.
"Peer-to-peer is a transforming technology and we're proud to have Shawn
Fanning continue to work on its development."
Fanning, who founded Napster as a college student in 1999 and will now
serve as the company's chief technology officer, said he was pleased to be
moving forward with Bertelsmann.
"Bertelsmann understood our vision when they first invested in us," Fanning
said. "They still believe in that vision."
Fanning's vision was in part what landed Napster in trouble in the first
place.
While wildly popular with millions of users around the globe, the service
quickly drew the ire of the recording industry, which in late 1999 filed
suit charging it with abetting music piracy by allowing users to download
digital music files from other people's computers without paying any
royalty fees to copyright holders.
Lengthy litigation resulted in a court injunction which barred the service
from offering copyrighted songs identified by the labels.
While Napster now says it will relaunch as a royalty-paying service,
company officials concede there have been both technical difficulties in
setting up the system and contract difficulties with record labels
declining to provide licenses for their music.
"The biggest remaining job for Bertelsmann is to get content, to get the
other record labels to agree to use Napster," said Leigh of Raymond James.
Sources close to the company said Friday they still had no firm date for
the Napster relaunch, but would said it would only take place once all the
kinks had been worked out.
"For Bertelsmann this is a long-term play," one source said, adding that
Napster's high brand visibility, established "community" of users and
peer-to-peer format were all assets.
Jupiter Media Matrix analyst Stacey Herron said that while Napster
remained the most famous of the digital music services, it would still
face competition from newer companies that have sprung up during the long
months of litigation.
"This announcement certainly doesn't secure the future of Napster as a
thriving business," Herron said.
"You can't simply turn back the clock and make Napster what it was two
years ago."
AOL Won't Let IE Take Mac Test
America Online has dropped Internet Explorer from a test version of its
software for Mac OS X, the latest sign that the Internet giant wants a
rematch in the browser wars with Microsoft.
AOL for Mac OS X version 2 includes an integrated browser using technology
created by Netscape Communications, according to a note to beta testers
describing the software's features, which was obtained Thursday by CNET
News.com. In addition, the upgrade includes a new "aquafied" look "in the
spirit" of OS X's liquid-like user interface, as well as instant messaging
(news - web sites) and Buddy List support for chatting with Mac.com users,
among other things, the note said.
The Mac switch comes after AOL released a version of its CompuServe online
service based on Netscape's Gecko technology instead of IE. In an e-mail
to software testers in March, AOL said it also is trying out Gecko on its
latest software, AOL 7.0. Gecko technology allows Web pages to be
displayed, serving as a foundation for Web browsers. AOL and Netscape are
both divisions of AOL Time Warner.
AOL's Gecko tests signal the latest salvo in an ongoing battle between two
technology giants vying for domination of the Internet. AOL has the
largest Internet audience, and switching to its own browser could greatly
affect how those people view the Web. Most browsers do not generate any
direct revenue, but they can influence where Web surfers go and what
applications they use.
Microsoft and AOL have theoretically squared off in the browser market
since AOL announced in November 1998 that it would acquire Netscape for
$4.2 billion. But AOL had until recently avoided a direct confrontation,
sticking to a long-term deal that made IE its default browser in exchange
for distribution of its software in new versions of Microsoft's Windows
operating system.
The relationship has increasingly shown signs of wear.
Last summer, the two companies tangled over terms for bundling AOL into
Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. Talks dissolved after the two
companies could not agree on terms of the deal.
This year, Netscape sued Microsoft, capping years of allegations that the
software giant had forced its way into the browser market by abusing its
monopoly in desktop operating systems.
AOL and Microsoft did not immediately return requests for comment.
Analysts downplayed the significance of the Netscape switch for Mac,
saying the browser wars ended years ago.
Since IE 6 was unveiled last August, Netscape's browser has fallen from
about 12 percent of the market to just 7 percent, according to research
published in March by StatMarket, a division of audience measurement
service WebSideStory.
"I'm not sure how this transfers into shareholder value" for AOL, said
analyst Paul Kim of investment bank Kaufman Bros. "There is no way to
monetize browsers. This is more like AOL saying, 'Hey, I'm not going to
use Microsoft's products.'"
Apple Computer has made a big bet on OS X, the latest and greatest
operating system for its Mac personal computer. OS 9 is used on the
majority of the 25 million Macs in service. Earlier this month, Apple CEO
Steve Jobs (news - web sites) said he expects some 5 million people will
be using OS X by year's end, up from 1 million at the start of 2002.
As AOL has drifted away from Microsoft, it has drawn closer to Apple. A
new version of OS X due out this August will support instant messaging
between Mac and America Online's closely guarded AOL Instant Messenger
service. Last year, Apple switched the default home page for Mac to
Netscape.com from Excite.com, following the bankruptcy of Excite parent
Excite@Home.
In its note to beta testers AOL suggested that the latest browser switch
offers a significant boost for consumers.
"Since the beginning of the Web, industry groups and Web site developers
have clamored for a browser that would support currently accepted
standards for Web content," the note reads. "If you are surfing the Web,
pages will look better, and you can view all the latest eye-pleasing
special effects, graphics and styles that Web developers put into their
sites."
Judge Warns Microsoft to Keep Promise
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly gave Microsoft a stern warning
Friday to keep its promise to abide by antitrust penalties expected later
this year.
John Shenefield, an expert testifying for the nine states still suing
Microsoft, said the states have little expectation that Microsoft will
change its ways.
"If you have monopoly power and you're making a lot of money doing what
you're doing, there's very little incentive to change the way you live,"
Shenefield said. "Hope springs eternal, but you're dealing with a
monopolist."
Microsoft's expert, Charles F. "Rick" Rule, said he was "somewhat
offended" by Shenefield's statement.
"They very much want to be in compliance," Rule said of Microsoft. "I
believe that Microsoft is very sincere of that."
Kollar-Kotelly said she accepts Microsoft's assurance, but that she will
be watching.
"These are the kinds of things that will come back to haunt you if you
don't, because I have a memory of all these statements," she said.
Kollar-Kotelly's decision on the entire case is expected in late summer.
Much of the testimony Friday, the last day of hearings before closing
arguments scheduled for June 19, centered around how much of
Kollar-Kotelly's time will be taken up by the ongoing battle between
Microsoft and the states.
As the trial judge in charge of the case, Kollar-Kotelly will be
responsible for disputes over the life of her decree. The states want a
10-year term, whereas Microsoft and the federal government agreed on five
years in their settlement last year.
The states have asked the court for a "special master" to serve as an
investigator and arbiter of disputes arising from Kollar-Kotelly's order.
Either side could then appeal the special master's final report to the
court.
Microsoft and the government agreed on a three-person technical committee
whose main job is to help a complaining party - typically a Microsoft
competitor - and Microsoft work out an agreement without going back to the
judge.
Unlike the special master, the committee does not have set deadlines and
any court action would have to be brought by the Justice Department.
Critics, including the states still suing, say this would take too long for
fledging companies that need immediate help.
"Delay is fatal when you're talking about nascent competition," Shenefield
said. "Velocity is not one of (Justice's) signature features."
Rule, who served as a negotiator for Microsoft in settlement talks with
the Justice Department, told Kollar-Kotelly the states' plan "provides no
firebreak to your honor," and would allow Microsoft competitors to bring
many complaints straight to court.
Kollar-Kotelly appeared to be very skeptical of the states' plan,
particularly the right for competitors to bring complaints to the special
master without filtering them through the states.
"It seems to be sort of abdicating their role," she said of the states.
Senate Panel Backs Bill Against E-Mail Spam
A bill aimed at limiting that unwanted junk e-mail known as "spam" was
approved and sent to the floor by the Senate Commerce Committee on Friday
with unanimous support from Democrats and Republicans.
It would strengthen the Federal Trade Commission's enforcement authority by
allowing it to impose fines of up to $10 per e-mail on e-mails that violate
existing laws against spam -- with a cap of $500,000.
Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican and co-sponsor of the legislation,
said the bill would help both e-commerce and consumers burdened by
unsolicited junk or pornographic e-mails.
"Rampant pornography and fraudulent credit deals were never the destiny of
the Internet, but they have become commonplace fixtures in in-boxes
everywhere," he said.
No similar measure is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives.
New Mexico Republican Rep. Heather Wilson's bill requiring spammers use a
legitimate return address, so unwanted e-mail can more easily be blocked,
has not yet been scheduled for a vote.
Twenty-two states have passed anti-spam legislation.
Spam has especially been a problem for rural consumers, many of whom pay
long-distance charges for Internet connections and waste time and money
erasing their unwanted e-mails, Burns said.
The Senate Commerce Committee on Friday approved an amendment by Sen.
Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, that would prohibit transmitting
unwanted e-mails to addresses that were illegally obtained from Web sites.
Co-sponsor Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said moving the bill would
help the FTC deal with thousands of complaints it has received about spam.
"The problem is, the technology is on the side of the spammer," he said.
The proposal would also require e-marketers to include a working return
address to allow recipients the option of refusing further e-mails, and
give Internet service providers the ability to bring suit to keep unlawful
spam off their networks.
And, it would subject spammers who intentionally disguise their identities
to misdemeanor criminal penalties.
FBI Raids "Deceptive Duo" Suspects
The FBI executed search warrants against two former online vandals it
believes to be the members of "patriot" hacking group the Deceptive Duo.
Agents confiscated computer equipment from Robert Lyttle, previously
convicted of defacing dozens of sites under the moniker Pimpshiz, in
California on Monday, in connection with the Deceptive Duo case. The
bureau also took equipment from The-Rev, a former member of the hacking
group Sm0ked Crew, in Florida on Sunday, said a friend of the two hackers.
"They knew that they were going to get caught," said Kelly Hallissey, a
Las Vegas resident who bills herself as an "online mom" to several
hackers, including the two suspects. She worried that the teenagers would
be made an example under new laws passed as part of the U.S.A. Patriot Act
and maintains that they truly thought they were helping.
The Deceptive Duo has defaced dozens of U.S. government and military sites
with pro-American messages lambasting the poor security of the nation's
critical systems. The hacked sites have included those of the Defense
Department and the Sandia National Laboratories, which is associated with
the U.S. Department of Energy (news - web sites)'s National Nuclear
Security Administration.
"This is their part in helping after 9-11," Hallissey said. "A lot of kids
they knew went into the service after 9-11. Their skills lie in hacking,
however. It sounds corny, but they mean it and they believe it."
Dodie Katague, deputy district attorney for California's Contra Costa
county, confirmed that Lyttle had appeared in a probation hearing on
Wednesday to discuss how his probation status would be affected by the new
charges.
"Now that he is an adult--he is 18--we are letting the Feds handle it,"
said Katague. "And he is going to be in a lot more trouble than before."
Lyttle was convicted of defacing dozens, and perhaps hundreds, of Web
sites with a pro-Napster message. He is on probation.
An FBI representative in San Francisco confirmed that the bureau executed
a search warrant against Lyttle. Bureau representatives in Florida and
Washington could not be immediately contacted for comment.
Many security experts have been critical of the tactics employed by the
duo in the name of helping computer security.
"There are probably better ways to tell people that their security sucks,"
said Dragos Ruiu, an independent security consultant. "In one way, it's an
excuse to play around, because they probably would have done it anyway."
Sun's StarOffice Launches Renewed Attack on MS Office
In a campaign to compete directly with Microsoft Office, Sun Microsystems
released its new StarOffice suite of applications Wednesday, touting the
package as an alternative to proprietary software and noting that
StarOffice has fewer licensing restrictions.
With enterprise pricing as low as US$25, StarOffice 6.0 can run on Linux,
Solaris and Windows platforms and will retail for $79.95 -- compared with
$479 for Microsoft Office or $239 for an MS Office upgrade.
Earlier this year, Sun promised to release a more robust application with
better customer support than version 5.2, which the company has offered
since it acquired the StarOffice product line in 1999.
Using open and published XML (extensible markup language), documents
created in StarOffice can be opened, modified and shared with other
programs, such as Office XP.
StarOffice is created from the same software as OpenOffice, an open source
project developed by Sun and others in which code is changed and shared
among programmers.
The new suite will be made available to the retail market on May 21st.
Mike Rogers, vice president and general manager of desktop and office
productivity software at Sun Microsystems, said earlier versions of
StarOffice registered more than 8 million downloads, indicating that
customers are demanding an alternative to Microsoft Office.
"Our enterprise customers worldwide are asking for freedom of choice, and
we're giving it to them with StarOffice 6.0 -- freedom from restrictive
licensing and freedom from unreasonable pricing and forced upgrades,"
Rogers said.
According to Sun, more than 1.8 million users in the enterprise,
government and education sectors currently are evaluating the software.
The company estimated an aggregate savings of $200 million in licensing
costs for those users if they choose to replace Office with StarOffice.
Educational institutions pay only for the cost of the CD and shipping, Sun
added.
Sun also noted that such original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as
Hyundai, MandrakeSoft, SuSE Linux, Turbolinux and Ximian are planning to
include StarOffice 6.0 in their product offerings.
Microsoft countered the announcement with its own explanation of Sun's new
release. A company spokesperson told news sources that the value of
Microsoft's Office suite far exceeds its market price, and dubbed
StarOffice a "cheap alternative" to Microsoft's Office products.
Rob Perry, senior analyst at the Yankee Group, told NewsFactor that it is
unlikely Microsoft is "losing any sleep" over Sun's StarOffice launch.
"The desktop productivity market [race] is over. Microsoft owns it, unless
the platform changes to something else and Windows goes away," Perry said.
Despite StarOffice's low price, Perry said he does not believe that
companies currently using Office will switch to Sun's offering.
"The price of the application is not that important compared to the cost
of retraining people," Perry said. "If you have to relearn these
applications, it costs you much more than $400 in productivity loss.
"That's the real thing that holds Office in the enterprise," he added.
But Perry noted that he does see a market for StarOffice among high-end
home users, many of whom he predicted will experiment with using Linux, if
they have not already done so.
"They're not paying $400 for Office anyway -- they're getting upgrades
from their neighbors. There is still lots of sharing in the home market,"
Perry said.
Perry added that with its new, more restrictive licensing and registration
policies, Microsoft is trying its best to put an end to sharing. Its
efforts so far, however, have had little effect beyond simply raising
consumers' ire.
=~=~=~=
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