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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 06 Issue 42
Volume 6, Issue 42 Atari Online News, Etc. October 15, 2004
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2004
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
Paul Caillet
Sellam Ismail
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0642 10/15/04
~ PayPal Hit By Glitches ~ People Are Talking! ~ Attacking Spyware!
~ Is Your PC Phishing? ~ Google Desktop Search! ~ Halo 2 Leaked!
~ New FreeMiNT Beta Out! ~ New Leisure Suit Larry ~ ACE MIDI Update!
~ Vintage Computer Fest! ~ New STOS Coders List! ~ Mac OS Tiger News!
-* US E-Voting Worries Persist! *-
-* Americans Win Gold at Cyber Games! *-
-* Supreme Court Won't Hear File Sharing Case *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, the fall season apparently is in full swing. The weather has been
more typical of the season at hand. Even the hurricanes, albeit drastically
minimized in force, have continued to plague the east coast. The leaves
around my neck of the woods are just starting to change colors, and also end
up in my yard. We even had one night in which we were close to getting some
frost on the pumpkins! I'm definitely looking forward to a period of Indian
Summer!
There hasn't really been much going on in "our" world to bring me to the
verge of editorial comment. That, or maybe I'm just getting older, or less
prone to debate some of the issues as I once did. Where are the Tramiels
when you need them for editorial fodder?! <grin> Oh well, we'd better get
on with this week's issue before I start to reminisce about the "gold old
days" that we all remember too well.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
ACE MIDI V1.10 Released!
ACE MIDI V1.10 Released!
Poly/Mono modes, portamento, improved support for accelerators - to
name a few of the new features of ACE MIDI. ACE MIDI V1.10 is only
available for registered users.
Get a demo version of ACE MIDI from the productions page:
http://newbeat.atari.org/main.php?page=productions
--
Best regards,
Paul CAILLET
http://music-atari.org
New STOS Coders List
Anyone wanting to help with the MEGA DEMO project with have access to swap
files with other members.
The list is public so all who would like to join are welcome, You can ask
the experts all you want and help others out also, swap source code etc.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mega_stos
FreeMiNT v1.16.1 Beta Released
Anders Eriksson has announced:
I'm proud to announce the FreeMiNT 1.16.1 eta release. I'm thankful to all
people that worked or helped on the development and all people that still
use FreeMiNT.
This beta release is a bug fix release compared to the 1.16.0 beta release.
It includes lot of bug fixes in the kernel and XaAES as result of the bug
reports and feedback of the 1.16.0 beta release.
The official download URL is:
http://sparemint.atariforge.net/sparemint/mint/kernel/1.16.1/
As you may already know, XaAES is now part of FreeMiNT. This FreeMiNT beta
release include the XaAES beta version 0.992. There are significant
enhancements in stability, compatibility and speed due to the great work of
Odd Skancke.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE User Group Notes! - Meetings, Shows, and Info!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Vintage Computer Festival 7.0 - Nov. 6-7
Vintage Computer Festival 7.0
Saturday, November 6 through Sunday, November 7
Computer History Museum
Mountain View, California
Since the last VCF, the trials and tribulations of daily life made
their inevitability painfully attendant: bills came due, accidents
happened, bad days at the office were had, arguments broke out, and
the morning paper was thrown into the sprinklers yet again. Woe is
us! But lo, a bright and shining beacon of nerdilicious salvation is
on the horizon and draws nigh. The Vintage Computer Festival returns!
Vintage Computer Festival 7.0 is right around the corner, taking place
on November 6-7 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View in
(still) sunny California. Flights are cheap and so is the admission,
so you have little excuse to stay home cramped behind your computer
trying in vain to craft that perfect Google search term. Just put all
that nonsense behind you and join us for some fanatical Festival
folly!
We are honored to once again have the Computer History Museum as our
sponsor!
And as always, we bring you yet another wonderful line-up of speakers,
exhibitors, and special events, including a 30th anniversary
retrospective of Maze War, the original "first-person shooter" videogame,
plus so much more!
In fact, we're planning so much for this year's event, it might
possibly be even too much! Some of it we can't even mention yet
because we're still in the middle of planning it. So come on out and
watch us put on a gargantuan geek gala guaranteed to gasify your gall
bladder...either that or watch us crash and burn in spectacular style.
Either way, it's sure to be entertaining!
Exhibitors Wanted!!!
One of the best ways to enjoy the VCF is by participating directly.
Be an exhibitor! As an exhibitor, you get to be a part of all the
behind-the-scenes action. Plus you get a chance to show off your
favorite computer and perhaps even win an award for an outstanding
exhibit. The Best of Show award includes as a prize the Replica 1,
a software compatible re-creation of the legendary Apple-1 computer,
courtesy of its creator, Vince Briel. So don't delay, sign up today!
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/exhibit.php
More information about Vince Briel's Replica 1 can be found on his
website:
http://home.comcast.net/~vbriel/
We've Got Lodging!
For out of town guests, the VCF has arranged a hotel room block at the
Residence Inn Palto Alto Mountain View, located within 3 miles of the
Computer History Museum and featuring, among other fine amenities, an
on-demand shuttle service between the Inn and the Computer History
Museum. The special VCF rate is US$79 per night. Reservations must
be made by October 15 to take advantage of this terrific rate so do
not delay! Full details are available here:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/lodging.php
Computer History Galore!
The VCF speaker schedule has moved back to a "track" style this year.
The talks are assembled into themes for the most part. We've got
another terrific line-up! Check it out:
Saturday, November 6
Track 01
Time Topic Speaker
------- ------------------------------------- -------------------
10:00am Using Vintage Computers in Forensics Fred Cohen
11:00am Documenting the BBS Jason Scott
12:00pm The Art of Textmode Christian Wirth
1:00pm History of FidoNet Tom Jennings
Track 10
Time Topic Speaker
------- ------------------------------------- -------------------
11:30am Confessions of an Entrepreneur Dr. Robert Suding
12:30pm VCF Ramblings Sellam Ismail
1:00pm Computer History Museum Update CHM Staff
Sunday, November 7
Track 01
Time Topic Speaker
------- ------------------------------------- ------------------
10:00am Early IBM History John Sailors
11:00am The IBM 360 Evolution and Revolution Jerome Svigals
12:00pm Early Microprocessor Design Nick Tredennick
1:00pm Maze War Retrospective Panel
Track 10
Time Topic Speaker
------- ------------------------------------- -------------------
10:30am Things You May Not Know... Evan Koblentz
11:30am Tipping Sacred Cows Tom Jennings
12:30am The Art of Vintage Computers Christine Finn
1:30pm Neo-Retro: The XGameStation Andre LaMothe
More information on the VCF 7.0 speakers can be found here:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/speaker.php
BBS Documentary Screening
Jason Scott, proprietor of textfiles.com - the Internet's largest
collection of historic textfiles - has completed work on his BBS
documentary. "BBS: The Documentary" spans across seven separate films
which cover every aspect of the world of bulletin board systems,
tracing the history of the BBS as well as the historic figures that
made it a distinctly unique mode of digital communication. This will
be the first public screening of the documentary, and audience input
from VCF attendees will determine the final cut of the film series.
More information on the screening can be found here:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/screening.php
Computer History Museum Tours
As always, the Computer History Museum's terrific staff will be giving
VCF attendees tours of the Museum's fantastic collection. Tours are
held in the afternoon and run every half an hour. Tour information is
available here:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/tours.php
Buy, Sell and Trade at the VCF Marketplace
As always, one of the most exciting aspects of the VCF is the
Marketplace, where you can find a large and varied assortment of some
of the most fantastical old computer thingies anywhere. Find that odd
part you've been seeking out for your collection, then touch, smell,
even taste it if you like, before haggling out a deal. There is
simply no better place to buy and sell vintage computers than at the
VCF Marketplace. Vendor booths are still available. For more
information on selling at VCF 7.0, please visit:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/vendor.php
The VCF 7.0 BBS is Live!
Communicate with fellow VCF 7.0 attendees on the VCF 7.0 BBS! Set up
trades and carpools, talk about exhibiting, and discuss generally
anything about the upcoming Festival:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/bbs.php
So Much More!
Complete information about VCF 7.0, including the speaker schedule and
exhibit roster, as well as lodging information and driving directions,
can be found on the VCF 7.0 web pages:
http://www.vintage.org/2004/main/
Keep in mind that the VCF will from now on be held during the first
weekend in November.
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. I've decided to take it easy on the voting
stuff this week. There are only a few weeks left until the election now,
and in most states, if you haven't registered by now, it's too late. So
if you haven't registered, I guess you'll have to just sit back and
watch everyone decide what's going to happen for the next four years.
On to another subject. It's been years since Atari manufactured its last
computer and, even with the... what would you call them... not
after-market.. maybe "other-market"?... computers out there, the glory
days of the ST series of computers are behind us. Don't get me wrong,
I'm not knocking anyone who puts out a modern TOS machine. I think they
should be commended for their hard work, dedication, and ingenuity.
But even more than those who build these cool new machines, those of us
who keep on plugging along with their old 1040 or Mega or STacy. I've
been using my Atari computers less and less as time has gone on, but I
do still fire them up from time to time... usually when I need something
to relax me.
I doubt that I'll ever find another type of computer with the personality
that my old reliable 1040 had and, to tell the truth, I don't know if
I'd want to.
Well, let's get to the news, hints, tips and info available from the
UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
"Amigaboy" asks:
"I have a couple of questions about Atari ST software:
1.Floppy disks can be read on a classic PC ,right?
2. where can I download software from the web?
3. Can I simply format DD disks on a PC , copy a game on the floppy and
play it on a ATARI ST?"
Ronald Hall replies:
"1. Yes, unless some exotic format is used, a standard "PC" using Windows
or Linux should read them fine.
2. Google search for something like "download free Atari ST game" or
something. You can also get games that are already made up for some of
the
Atari emulators like STeem and Hatari. A huge list is at:
http://steem.atari.st/automation.htm
I'm not sure how to convert those back to standard ST disks. Can someone
else here tell how? Thanks.
3. Normally, from TOS 1.4 up, my understanding is that the best way is to
format the DD disk on the Atari. The PC should have no trouble reading it
then. Not sure about TOS versions below 1.4..."
Jim DeClercq adds:
"The advice given is a bit incomplete. Only Windows 95 can read any Atari
disk you might stick in the drive slot. DOS can be set up to read any
disk you can stick in that slot. Other than that, format the disk on the
Windows machine, and the Atari will read it.
This has been found to work on any version of Windows higher than Windows
95, and even with Dell machines, which seem to want something different
than any other machine running Windows.
What you will find is not only what you wanted, but a whole batch of
files to support a FAT32 file system. They cause no problems unless you
try to erase a disk.
If that is a problem, copy the files you want to a ram disk, or a hard
drive, if you have one connected, format the floppy, and copy the files
back.
Linux, on the other hand, does follow the Microsoft Boot Sector Standard,
which Microsoft does not follow, and should read Atari disks."
Andy Ball takes the thread and runs with another question in the same
area:
"How does MS Windows 95 treat 3.5" diskettes differently from
DOS? Is it that MS Windows is more ready to work with disks
that use an unusual number of sectors per track, cylinders
per disk etc?
What does FAT32 have to do with floppy disks? Surely they
are usually FAT12?"
Jim tells Andy:
"Windows 95 was Microsoft's last floppy disk distribution of what they
call an operating system. It would save one disk per copy if they
formatted the disks to 1.62 megs, and to do that, they had to write an
operating system that would actually look at the boot sector to find out
how many tracks and sectors it had. Windows did not do that before or
since, but Atari and other machines always have.
DOS could, and maybe still can, set up a drive letter with separate
information as to tracks and sectors. So, to read a disk with that many
tracks and sectors, you change directory to that drive letter, and ls or
dir will let you read the disk. For further information, read up on CPM.
DOS is CPM with relocating loader, updated as necessary, and absolutely
unchanged for a long time.
Floppy disks are not inherently anything. Formatting them gives them a
File Address Table. One thing you might learn is that if you put a FAT12
formatted disk into a Windows machine, it will write a FAT32 file system
to it, with subdirectory-like files to store 32 character file names.
Those subdirectories cause troubles if you are trying to copy disks on an
Atari, because TOS does not know about such things.
If you use MiNT, you can make your floppy drive a FAT32 drive, and read
Windows disks without problems."
Stephen Moss adds his thoughts:
"As others have mentioned here I can be read on a classic PC, in my
experience PC's running DOS, Win 3.x, Win 95, 98 and NT are fine, but
my Laptop Running XP wont recognize the Floppy and therefore can't
read it.
Has anyone got XP to read 720K floppies? Maybe this is because I am
using the BIOS USB driver (as it appears to work) and so have not
installed the driver software that came with the USB floppy drive,
anyone know if that would make a difference?
Just one thing, when using an Windows OS other than DOS or Win 3.x
every time you copy something to the floppy Windows also places empty
files with names like Aa, Bb on the floppy but you can not see them.
Eventually these will cause the ST to fail to recognize the floppy.
Sometimes by using ST Tools to locate and delete these files will
allow you access to the floppy once more but this is only a temporary
measure and you will eventually need to re-format the floppy.
I recommend using one or two floppies for copying file from a PC to ST
and then use the ST to copy them to another floppy before you use the
downloaded software.
The university of Michigan archive is a good place to start [looking for
downloads], do a web search for "Atari archives"
Yes [you can format in a DOS machine], if it uses the operating systems
listed above. When you click the format a box will appear with the
format size set to 1.44 as a default, by clicking on this the 720K
option should appear just select that and proceed.
Again I am unsure if this is possible using XP as I appear to have no
formatting potion selection, its fixed at 1.44, also XP uses a
different FAT format from those operating systems listed above (not
FAT32), if this new format is also used on floppies I doubt if an ST
will be able to access them.
If the program file you download has either a .MSA or .ST file
extension it is a disk image file for use with emulators and will need
converting back to a real floppy before you can use it - look for a
program called MakeDisk which allows you to both create and restore
disk images.
If the programs have a .ZIP or .LZH they have been compressed using
ZIP and Lharc respectively and will need uncompressing before you can
use them - ZIP files can be uncompressed using either PC or ST ZIP
programs.
If you have TOS<1.4 you will need to format on the PC if you have TOS
1.4 or higher you can format on either machine but on the PC is
probably best."
Ronald Hall just got a CT60 and has some questions:
"Okay, I was lucky, I got in on the tail end of the CT60 list and it just
came in the mail a few days ago.
Its one with the 50mhz CPU. However, I picked up a 60mhz 68060 off of
Ebay. There is a 2nd oscillator in the CT60 package - 66mhz. So, can I
just switch out the CPUs and the oscillators?
Next. When I had a Falcon before, I had a Nemesis accelerator installed
and I could run an 800x600 desktop, with 256 colors. Can I get extended
colors and resolutions with the CT60, or do I have to do the mods on the
bus and DSP?
I would definitely like to be able to switch back to "pure" 68030 mode
for software that is incompatible with the 68060. Is this very hard? I
can solder a little bit, but I don't want to get knee-deep into
something that's over my head and beyond my meager skills."
Carey Christenson tells Ronald:
"The oscillator should not be an issue at all. You might even get lucky
and be able to pick up a 72 mhz. osc. and run your 68060 at 72 mhz. like
mine.
Remember overclock at your own risk. But, I have had great success at
72 mhz. Is there anyway of telling whether yours is a E41J mask 1 I
believe.
I am sure that extended colors would help because this also affects the
VIDEL circuit and makes the VIDEL run at 40 or 50 mhz. Rather than the
stock 32 mhz.
But I don't believe that it is necessary. I had Rodolphe do my upgrade
to my Falcon MOBO and CT60 and he was very timely at getting it turned
around. And the speed improvement is noticeable doing the BUS speed
from 16 mhz to 25 mhz. The other advantage is DISK accesses were also
increased. VIDEO and DSP are increased as well as the DISK and of
course the STRam access and Falcon MOBO speed will be higher.
In my experience with the CT60 and my Falcon is if it does not run on a
68060 it must be pretty old software and that I should find a newer
program that does something similar. But if you need to go into 030
mode look on Rodolphe's web page and find where it talks about the PINS
towards the back of the board behind the SDRam module and find the 2
pins that make it possible to bootup in 030 mode. I believe that single
row of pins towards the back of that board the first two on the left are
for power the next two are for 030 and 060 modes switching."
"NG" asks about moving data from an Atari to a PC:
"What is the best way to recover ATARI formatted data (not DOS) stored on
a SCSI hard disk or an Iomega ZIP tape to a Windows system (or maybe a
Linux system) ? The goal of this operation is that my ATARI emulator
(STEEM) which runs on a Windows system can use these recovered data."
Coda tells NG:
"I think if you boot linux with the atari file system driver in the
kernel (or module?) you can read the disk. Then use 'dd' to make an
image of the drive, which you can then mount with Aranym. This is the
long way round, I'm sure there is a quicker way."
Henk Robbers posts this little note about TT-Digger:
"There is a new version available on my homepage
(http://members.ams.chello.nl/h.robbers/Home.html)
Bug fixes only:
1 A bug in Pure C object files where a fixup step might be larger
than 0x1000000.
2 A bug in DRI object files concerning PC.W relative references to
external names."
Lonny Pursell adds:
"Thanks to Henk for such a handy tool. When it comes to reverse
engineering, it's a must have item."
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 - More Leisure Suit Larry!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Halo 2 Leaked On Net!
Swedish Girls Got Game!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Leisure Suit Larry No Seducer
The recently-released Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude for the
PlayStation 2 is notable for being one of the small but growing number of
console games to feature nudity. The nudity is, however, the least
compelling reason to play the game, unless you have a fetish for visibly
polygonal cartoon breasts and women who appear to be wearing giant
"censored" signs below their waists.
The original Leisure Suit Larry game, a graphical text adventure, was
released in 1987 and was one of the first games to put adult humor and
images into a game worth playing. Earlier adult games were notable for the
controversy they inspired, but Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge
Lizards actually won an award from the Software Publishers Association.
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is essentially a series of mini-games
connected by a very loose plot involving a community college and a dating
show called Swingles." Larry is one of the small but growing number of
console games to feature nudity."
Several sequels later, Larry makes his way to consoles (as well as
revisiting the PC). The premise - help Larry get laid - is about the same
as the first game, albeit with a brand new Larry. This time, the game's
namesake is the nephew of the original and has traded the signature leisure
suit for a more contemporary wardrobe that is more contemporary, albeit
still ugly.
Rather than a puzzle adventure game, though, Magna Cum Laude is essentially
a series of mini-games tied together with some exploration and a very loose
plot involving a community college and a dating show called Swingles.
Your job is to seek out women and do whatever it takes to win their
affection, whether that's chatting, mixing drinks, jumping on a trampoline
or feeding lab monkeys. Each task is accomplished by playing a mini-game.
Mixing drinks, for instance, involves playing a version of Whack-a-Mole,
in which the "moles" are the symbols corresponding to buttons on the game
controller. Jumping on a trampoline is a very bare-bones rhythm game, and
so on. There's a little wandering around to find the right outfit or
collect hidden tokens, but you always come back to the mini-games. Over and
over.
That's the problem: there only about a dozen different games to play, and
each girl requires you to play several. Whack-a-Mole isn't that interesting
a game under the best circumstances, and repetition doesn't improve it.
It's kind of fun the first time you do it, but by sixth or seventh match
you'll dread it, along with the rest of the games.
Only one thing keeps Leisure Suit Larry from being a complete waste of
time, and that's the humor. Comedy literally surrounds you, from the
conversations of nearby students to the vending machines that let you buy
beer and Village People outfits. The humor isn't consistent, to be sure,
but so much of it abounds that you can't help but find something to like.
Sophisticates may chuckle at a bookish co-ed going over the pros and cons
of Romantic poets as lovers, and lunks will like the bathroom humor. But
the game tries so hard to offend that it comes across as desperate - the
sheer number of phalluses, dildos and strap-ons is mind-boggling - but it's
also capable of surprising subtlety if you're attentive.
The humor keeps the game lively for a few rounds of seduction.
Conversations, for instance, are accompanied by a game where you pilot a
spermatazoon at the bottom of the screen. Hitting the wrong symbol can
trigger lewd and inappropriate comments, so the conversation varies based
on your gaming skills.
The first few times you might find yourself thinking you'd like to go back
and hear some of the lines you missed, but as the sperm pilot game gets
harder, you just want it to end. Whatever amusement value the phrase
"rock-hard glistening megaboner" might have the first time you hear it
fades quickly on repetition.
The effect is something like watching a fairly amusing college sex romp
movie, only to have it interrupted every 10 minutes as you're hustled out
into the hall to play Pong before they'll let you back in. Settings can
lower the difficulty level, but it seems pathetic to set a video game to
easy mode just so you can get through the levels, hear the jokes and see
the breasts. At that point you may as well slip Revenge of the Nerds into
the DVD and leave your hands free for eating popcorn.
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, by Sierra Entertainment, is available
for the PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and for PCs. It is rated "M" for
mature and costs $50 for consoles and $30 for the PC version.
Microsoft Slams Halo 2 Leak
Halo 2, Microsoft's most prized Xbox asset and its biggest hope for success
this Christmas, has been leaked onto the Internet just days after developer
Bungie officially completed work on the game and announced that it had
shipped it off to manufacturing, and nearly a month prior to its official
US release date, November 9th.
The highly anticipated first-person shooter has appeared on various
newsgroups and websites already, and its proliferation amongst the
underworld of Xbox gamers downloading illegal software is likely to be
swift and damaging.
Earlier today a number of websites using the popular BitTorrent file
distribution format indicated that hundreds of users were downloading the
game, which reportedly clocks in at just under three gigabytes in size.
Early reports suggest that it's a PAL version of the game with French
language dialogue and English subtitles.
Reacting to the news this morning, Microsoft slammed those responsible and
described downloaders and people hosting the file as thieves, encouraging
real fans with any information to come forward and help it track down the
source of the leak. The company's statement follows in full:
"Microsoft has learned that a version of Halo 2 has been posted to various
newsgroups and web sites. We consider downloading this code or making it
available for others to download as theft. We are currently investigating
the source of this leak with the appropriate authorities. Pending the
result of our investigation, we do not have further comment. Microsoft
takes the integrity of its intellectual property extremely seriously, and
we are aggressively pursuing the source of this illegal act.
"The launch of Halo 2 worldwide remains unaffected.
"We're asking anyone with information on the source of this leak to contact
Microsoft at 1-800-RULEGIT or send email to piracy@microsoft.com."
The good news for Microsoft is that only Xbox owners with modified
consoles - a relatively small percentage of the total number of Xbox
owners - will be able to play the game at all, and that the key Xbox Live
component and the functionality it offers will be unavailable to pirates.
There is also a sense, given the popularity of the Halo franchise and the
reverence most Xbox owners offer it, that a lot of the people downloading
it this week and in the future will be rather more likely to buy it
afterward than they would be with other games.
And even if that weren't true, the publisher would still be able to extract
some small consolation from the fact that piracy is unlikely to deny Halo 2
a successful launch. As Doom III proved earlier this year, pre-release
piracy isn't enough to stop a highly anticipated game hitting the peak of
the charts.
It is nonetheless a source of some embarrassment for Microsoft,
particularly with nearly a whole month to go before the game makes it onto
high street store shelves, and it'll be interesting to see how the company
deals with those responsible when it inevitably unmasks them.
'X-Men Legends' Worthy of Its Royal Pedigree
There aren't many things the band of superheroes known as the X-Men can't
do. They can alter weather patterns, heal their own wounds, practice mind
control and even star in blockbuster summer movies. But despite their
arsenal of superpowers, there's one feat that has long evaded the X-Men:
making a good video game.
After the 1980s, when the franchise was represented by an arcade game that
sucked in quarters faster than a parking meter in Manhattan, X-Men video
games have mainly disappointed. But the losing streak just ended in a big
way with X-Men Legends. The game smartly borrows many of the things that
made the arcade game great, in addition to adding the sophistication and
depth possible with today's consoles.
The game begins, like most things X-Men, with an army of humans attacking
a special class of people called mutants. For those not familiar with the
X-Men backstory: Think of it as the sci-fi version of the Salem witchcraft
trials. Essentially, humans in the X-Men's world realize that due to random
freaks of nature, certain people have developed unique powers. Afraid of
anyone who's unlike themselves, the humans have decided to hunt down these
mutants and imprison them - though some mutants manage not only to forgive
the humans but to try to protect them. Those are the X-Men.
It's that conflict that creates the tension in X-Men Legends right at the
beginning. The game begins when a young woman is being cornered by a mob of
humans who accuse her of being a mutant. She has the uncanny ability to
turn into a fireball that basically torches anyone who gets near her.
With a skill like that, it's not hard to see why the evil mutants are eager
to recruit her to their side. Your first job as an X-Man is to intervene,
get a hold of the newbie mutant and bring her to your side before she gets
corrupted.
So the game begins with you as Wolverine, perhaps the most popular of the
X-Men. Using Wolverine's incredible physical strength, you smack, slash and
rampage past dozens of humans and mutants to recover the hijacked mutant.
As in the arcade game, you can pack some pretty nasty hits on your
opponents by hitting the right sequences of buttons at the right time.
As you take down more enemies, you gradually build up your characters'
strength and skill. Naturally, the foes also get progressively tougher as
you move through the game.
The game really shines in its cooperative, team-based approach. As you
play, you can unlock 15 other X-Men in addition to Wolverine. Each X-Man
has a unique power that you'll need to defeat certain foes. For instance,
when you take on the hulking Blob, even Wolverine's super-strong,
unbreakable, adamantium claws don't do much damage. You'll need the power
of another X-Man to take him down. (Who? We'll leave that for you to figure
out.)
Die-hard fans of the comics can rest assured that the video game is
accurate and respectful to the X-Men universe. The characters are
faithfully rendered on the screen, the story is true to the years-long
backstory and the writing is well done. Adding an element of authenticity
for movie fans, Patrick Stewart lends his voice skills to the in-game
Professor X, the leader of the X-Men.
In the biggest breakthrough for an X-Men console game, you can team up
with up to four of your real friends on the same screen to take on the
foes. It's great to see this real-time team approach added to X-Men
Legends, since it's exactly what made the arcade X-Men game so fun.
Hopefully, future X-Men titles will continue to incorporate this aspect.
There aren't many things to complain about with X-Men Legends. The lack of
an online mode is a bit disappointing, since it would have been great fun
to gather bands of X-Men by recruiting other live players around the
country. Also, the progress of adding skills to the characters (leveling
up) is a bit cumbersome and too complicated for gamers who just want to
start beating on some enemies.
These are quibbles. Overall, X-Men Legends is a fantastic game that will
satisfy both the die-hard X-Men fans and video gamers looking for action.
Fans and players alike can hope this is the beginning of the X-Men's
successful move - long overdue - into top tier of console gaming.
Conflict: Vietnam Now Available For Playstation 2, Xbox, And PC
Global Star Software, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software,
Inc. announced that Conflict: Vietnam is currently available in retail
stores throughout North America for the PlayStation 2 computer
entertainment system, the Xbox videogame system from Microsoft and PC.
Transporting the Conflict series from the deserts of the Middle East to the
jungles of Vietnam, Conflict: Vietnam builds upon the signature squad based
gameplay that has sold over 1.4 million units in North America.
"Moving the Conflict series into a Vietnam setting has provided us with a
wealth of new gameplay opportunities that are sure to please both existing
fans of the series as well as newcomers," said Christoph Hartmann, Senior
Vice President of Publishing for Global Star Software. "Through the use of
story, enhanced gameplay, audio and graphics, we've been able to create an
experience that?s both a unique and exciting entry into the genre."
Conflict: Vietnam is a squad based action game that puts players in the
shoes of four barely trained 101st Airborne soldiers who are caught
countless miles behind enemy lines during the 1968 Tet Offensive. It is up
to the player to use all four members of the squad and utilize their
different abilities in order to successfully traverse through booby trap
filled terrain, loaded with North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers. The
objective isn?t to win the war; the objective is to make it out alive.
Features Include:
* The third game in the hugely successful Conflict series.
* Fourteen enormous missions will take players deep into the Vietnamese
jungle, through small villages, into ruined temples, and down Viet Cong
tunnel complexes.
* Dynamic lighting, vegetation that shifts with wind and movement, an
abundance of animals, and lush environments bring the jungle to life.
* Use performance-based points after each mission to develop your
characters in 9 skill categories such as Sniper, Medic, and Demolitions.
* A revitalized control scheme allows context sensitive commands such as
giving covering fire, guarding civilians, and flanking enemies.
* Splitting paths give players varying options in how to finish missions.
Bonus objectives drive players to discover and explore more.
* An era-specific arsenal of over 20 weapons including assault rifles,
mortars, and .50 caliber machine guns.
* A wide range of vehicles puts your squad behind the wheel of APCs, jeeps,
tanks, helicopters and river boats.
* Paranoia inducing AI with enemies that set booby traps, strike from
hidden areas, and coordinate their attacks in an environment that they are
the masters of.
Conflict: Vietnam is rated 'M' for Mature and is currently available for
the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox videogame
system from Microsoft, each at a suggested retail price of $39.99. Also
available is the PC version, at a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Americans Win Gold at World Cyber Games
Amid fanfare fit for actual world-class athletes, five Americans with
really quick fingers took home the gold medal in the popular "Counter
Strike" competition of the World Cyber Games championships, capping five
days of intense gaming by the world's elite.
Team3D defeated the Titans of Denmark on Sunday in the
counterterrorism-themed PC game, where operatives stake out ramshackle
buildings with high-powered sniper rifles and other weapons to take out
their foes.
Team3D consists of Salvatore Garozzo, Johnny Quach, Dave Geffon, Ronald Kim
and Kyle Miller. The squad also took home $50,000 for their video game
prowess. If they plan to pop a bottle of celebratory champagne, only Geffon
is old enough to take a legal sip, as his teammates are all under 21.
Many players of online PC games know each other only through nicknames,
e-mails and game contests where they never actually meet. This contest
allowed gamers to compete in person.
"It really is a great opportunity to meet people from across the world,"
Geffon said after grabbing the gold.
Organizers said about 30,000 people attended the World Cyber Games
championships and outdoor festivities over five days.
The event's organizers said the final match was watched by an enthusiastic
crowd, affirming what others in Europe and Asia have known for years:
Top-tier video game playing can become a viable spectator sport when the
stakes are high.
Winners at this year's event, which took over the streets near San
Francisco City Hall, took home a combined $400,000, according to
organizers. The video game industry rakes in $10 billion annually in the
United States alone.
This was the first time in its four-year history that the World Cyber Games
has been held outside of South Korea. The event is primarily the brain
child of marketing whiz Hank Jeong, backed by the financial muscle of
Samsung.
In addition to "Counter Strike: Condition Zero" and "WarCraft III: Frozen
Throne," players competed in "FIFA Soccer 2004," "Need For Speed:
Underground," "StarCraft: Brood War," Unreal Tournament: 2004," "Halo" and
"Project Gotham Racing 2."
All of the games were played on PCs, except "Halo" and "Project Gotham
Racing 2," which were played on Microsoft's Xbox.
All-Girl Swedish Team Tackles Video Games
At first glance, Les Seules might look like an all-girl rock band -
complete with sassy attitudes and fawning male groupies - but the Swedish
septuplet doesn't play instruments. They play competitive video games.
"We want to show the rest of the world that guys and girls can play on the
same level," team member Louise Thomsen (code name: AurorA) told The
Associated Press amid the geeky flurry on the floor of DigitalLife, a
four-day technology and entertainment convention.
In French, their name means The Outsiders. But in the world of competitive
"Counterstrike," a first-person shooter PC game, Les Seules have moved to
the forefront, thanks to their virtual machine gun and grenade wielding
techniques and, well, their good looks.
"It's expected," said Thomsen of their admirers. "It's a male-dominated
field. You get used to blocking it out and concentrating on why you're
there. But any attention we can bring to e-sports, male or female, is a
bonus."
Earlier this year, Les Seules played in the female division of the 2004
Electronic Sports World Cup in Paris. They placed fourth and pummeled the
Brazil and U.S. teams. Now they're ready to move beyond playing against
girls. They want to make their mark in non-gender classified,
male-dominated competitions.
"We want to show the world girls can play," Sofi Bystrom told the AP on
Thursday.
Les Seules, whose ages range from 16 to 25, are also known as the Swedish
Girls of Gaming, a moniker christened by Sync magazine. They're featured
in a glittery 1980s-style pinup spread in the November issue.
"It was like Halloween," Bystrom said of the experience.
The magazine paid the team's way to New York to attend the convention at
the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which ends Sunday, to promote the
issue and compete against average gamers. It's the first time they have
visited the Big Apple.
"It really is big," exclaimed Malin Ohman.
The conglomeration of young women began forming through multiplayer online
"Counterstrike" sessions three years ago. Although the majority of Les
Seules hail from the land of the midnight sun (two are Dutch), they're
geographically divided.
"We all knew each other online," said Bystrom. "There was a big competition
coming up. We were kind of the leftovers. So we just sort of came
together."
Hence the name The Outsiders.
The girls take their gaming very seriously. The squad has a professional
coach, manager and an Olympian-like training schedule. They practice online
for five hours a day, six days a week outside of their regular studies and
work. On the eve of competitions, they physically come together to cram
during all-night "Counterstrike" killing sessions.
"It's so different playing with girls because you can talk about
everything," said Sofie Sandager (code name: Zelena). "You can have a
really good relationship outside the game. Everybody understands you. It's
like having sisters."
The members of Les Seules are: Thomsen, 24, the unofficial leader; Thelma
Lundin, 20, the competitive player; Bystrom, 20, the sassy sprite;
Sandager, 18, the party girl; Ohman, 16, the serious athlete; Anna
Nordlander, 17, the wild child; and Emily Clewett, 25, the quiet one.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
EBay's PayPal Hit by Glitches in Online Payments
PayPal, eBay Inc.'s online payment service, has had intermittent glitches
in its system since late last week and is working to fix the problems with
payment processing, log-ins and new account creation, the company said on
Monday.
"We are working furiously. ... We have all resources dedicated to getting
it fixed as soon as possible," PayPal spokeswoman Amanda Pires told
Reuters.
Pires said the problem appeared to be related to a coding update late on
Thursday. "We haven't found the ultimate cause," she added.
It was not immediately clear how widespread the problems were, although
eBay's message boards were filled with postings about the glitches.
Michael Bokan, of West Charlton, New York, told Reuters PayPal usually
processes 5 to 10 payments a day on orders from his fly-fishing equipment
Web site flyshack.com.
Bokan, who said he can see payment requests being sent to PayPal, said no
payments came through on Friday, less than half than normal were processed
over the weekend and just one was done on Monday.
High Court Won't Hear Music Sharing Case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sidestepped a dispute over whether Internet
providers can be forced to identify subscribers illegally swapping music
and movies online.
The subject, however, may be back at the court soon.
The Bush administration agrees with recording and movie companies which
want to use a 1998 law to get information about Internet users, but the
administration also had encouraged the Supreme Court to wait to settle the
issue.
The recording industry had sought court intervention now, arguing that more
than 2.6 billion music files are illegally downloaded each month and that
the law is needed to identify culprits.
The copyright law was written before file-swapping was common, and an
appeals court said it could not be used to get information about people
who share copyrighted files.
"That is crippling the private copyright enforcement that Congress
envisioned as a bulwark against Internet lawlessness, and allowing Internet
piracy to metastasize," justices were told in a filing by Washington
attorney Donald Verrilli, who represents the Recording Industry Association
of America.
"Copyright owners cannot fight back unless they know who the infringers
are," he said.
Lawyers for Verizon Communications Inc., which tried to keep private names
and addresses of subscribers, disputed that that the industry has been
deterred in going after people who trade copyrighted works by computer.
More than 3,000 alleged infringers have been sued since the appeals court's
decision 10 months ago, Verizon lawyer John Thorne said. Those civil suits
identify defendants as "John Doe," then seek court permission to get their
names.
He warned justices that courts could be swamped with tens of thousands of
disputed subpoena enforcement proceedings if it sided with the recording
industry.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act compels Internet providers to turn
over the names of people suspected of operating pirate Web sites upon
subpoena from any federal court clerk's office.
The appeals court had said it was up to Congress, not courts, to expand the
1998 law to cover popular file-sharing networks.
Movie studios and music labels have been aggressively pursuing copyright
infringers. Last week, they filed a Supreme Court appeal that seeks to hold
two Internet file-sharing services - Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks
Inc. - responsible for their customers' online swapping of copyrighted
songs and movies.
Other cases are pending in lower courts that could give the Supreme Court
an opportunity to look at the copyright law, including a dispute involving
St. Louis-based cable provider Charter Communications.
The cases are Verizon Internet Services v. Recording Industry Association
of America, 03-1722, and Recording Industry Association of America v.
Verizon Internet Services, 03-1579.
U.S. Seeks to Stop a Spyware Operation
In what regulators are calling a first, the government has asked for a
court order to shut down a spyware operation.
The Federal Trade Commission says computer users who went to certain Web
sites unknowingly had the snooping software downloaded onto their
computers. The agency says it secretly changed settings, caused computers'
CD-ROM trays to fly open and triggered barrages of pop-up ads for
anti-spyware programs called Spy Wiper and Spy Deleter.
The FTC's acting director of consumer protection, Lydia Parnes, says
selling software to fix a problem that you've caused is the very definition
of "online chutzpah."
The FTC says computer users can protect themselves from the growing problem
of spyware by keeping their operating systems and Web browsers updated and
by being cautious when downloading software.
Group, Dell Launch Anti-Spyware Campaign
A prominent Internet safety organization and leading computer-maker Dell
Inc. launched a campaign Friday to help consumers fend off "spyware,"
software that can cause sluggish computer performance or popup ads and
secretly monitor the activities of Internet users.
The non-profit Internet Education Foundation published on its Web site,
www.getnetwise.org, video tutorials and tips for Internet users to keep
spyware off computers and detect any spyware already installed. It also
directs visitors to dozens of free and commercial tools to easily remove
spyware.
The foundation's members include America Online Inc., Microsoft Corp. and
AT&T.
The Federal Trade Commission, which filed its first federal court case last
week over spyware, praised the new campaign. FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz
called spyware a "growing and pernicious problem" and promised that the
agency will act against those who distribute it.
Spyware describes a broad category of software that can be installed
through unsafe e-mails or Web pages and sometimes is bundled with other
software that consumers download and install, such as file-sharing programs
popular for downloading music and movies illegally. It frequently slows a
computer's performance, displays annoying popup advertisements and quietly
monitors which Web sites a consumer visits.
Dell said it was compelled to join the new campaign by a dramatic rise in
support calls from frantic customers upset by sluggish computers or
disrupted Web surfing. Dell's chief marketing officer, Mike George, said
spyware is the culprit behind 20 percent of problems affecting Dell
customers who call for help - up from 2 percent of calls just 18 months
ago.
Dell tells customers it's not responsible under warranties for fixing
problems traced to spyware, but technicians will help remove such software
for $39. "You're responsible for how you use your computer and what Web
sites you visit," George said. He said Dell helped sponsor the new campaign
because it fears consumer unhappiness over spyware could limit future sales
and broader adoption of new technology.
The House this month passed two bills against spyware.
The "Internet Spyware Prevention Act," which passed 415-0, would give the
Justice Department $10 million to crack down on companies and others that
secretly install spyware and those who attempt to trick victims into
disclosing personal details and financial information in e-mail scams
popularly known as "phishing."
The "Spy Act," which passed 399-1, would add hefty civil penalties over the
use of spyware.
Has Your PC Gone Phishing?
Most phishing attempts come from about 1000 compromised "zombie" computers
owned by broadband customers, and the phishing attacks are likely generated
by less than five phishing operations, according to a survey by
CipherTrust.
The e-mail security company, in a survey this month of more than 4 million
pieces of e-mail, found that nearly all of the attacks came from about 1000
machines, mostly customers of DSL or cable modem services.
The number of compromised machines remained fairly static during the
two-week survey, suggesting that a limited number of groups were looking
for exploited machines to send out phishing-scam e-mail, said Dmitri
Alperovitch, a research engineer with CipherTrust.
The survey illustrates the importance of home computer users taking steps
to protect their computers, Alperovitch said. "All of the machines have
been exploited in some way or another," he added. "Improving security at
DSL or cable customers' homes can certainly solve the problem."
Close to 28 percent of the IP addresses used in the phishing attacks during
the two-week survey were from U.S. computers. Another 17 percent of the IP
addresses were South Korean, and another 8 percent were Chinese.
About 0.35 percent of the more than 4 million e-mail messages CipherTrust
examined were phishing solicitations. Scammers using phishing tactics
typically send out e-mail targeting users of financial institutions or
other e-commerce sites. The bogus e-mail message often tells recipients
there's a problem with their accounts, and that they need to re-enter their
bank account or credit card number at a Web site designed to look like the
legitimate e-commerce site.
Most of the compromised computers sending phishing e-mail also sent other
spam, and much of the e-mail coming from those compromised machines was
similar across nearly all of the computers. That leads CipherTrust to
believe that all of the phishing attacks during the two-week survey came
from two or three phishing operations, Alperovitch said. During a typical
day during the survey, about 200 distinct phishing attacks were sent out,
compared to hundreds of thousands of spam attacks.
"That tells me there is a very limited number of people involved in this,"
he added. "There has to be one person crafting this, unless they're sharing
a brain or something."
CipherTrust has shared the results of its phishing survey with law
enforcement officials, the company said.
During the survey, more than 54 percent of the phishing attempts used
e-mail faked to look like it came from CitiBank. Another 13 percent of the
attacks targeted customers of Smith Barney, also a division of Citigroup
Global Markets, while 10 percent targeted SunTrust Banks, and nearly 8
percent targeted PayPal, owned by eBay. Targets of phishing attacks change
over time, CipherTrust noted.
Mac OS X Tiger Available March 31, 2005?
Online retailer Amazon.com has published a page on their Web site taking
orders for Apple's Mac OS X Tiger, the company's recently introduced next
generation operating system. Apple confirmed for MacCentral on Friday that
Mac OS X Tiger is slated to be available in the first half of 2005, but
declined to comment further on Amazon's site.
System requirements for the operating system were not available from
Amazon, but the price was listed at US$129; no upgrade pricing was listed.
Introduced on June 28, 2004 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in
San Francisco, Mac OS X Tiger touts more than 150 new features.
Among the new features expected to draw the interest of consumers include a
new search technology called Spotlight that enables users to search for any
file, document or information their Mac contains. The software has been
modeled to work like the search capabilities of Apple's popular iTunes
music software application, and can find e-mails, presentations, images,
appointments, Microsoft Office documents and more, arranging its search
results by kind, time or people. What's more, Spotlight enables users to
create "Smart Folders," "Smart Playlists," "Smart Mailboxes" and "Smart
Groups" that work in the Finder and individual applications to
automatically keep content organized and updated.
Safari, Apple's popular standards-based Web browse for Mac OS X, will
feature integrated support for RDF Site Summary, or RSS - an increasingly
popular method of finding updated content on Web sites. Safari can operate
as a full-featured RSS reader, and Mac users will be able to create their
own news clippings service using the feature.
Also new to Tiger is Dashboard, an interface for "Widgets," or specialized
applications. The technology is based on Mac OS X v10.3's Exposé feature,
and provides ways for users to more conveniently access information like
stock quotes, calendar information, calculators, Webcam interfaces and
more.
Google Unveils Desktop Search, Takes on Microsoft
Google Inc. on Thursday rolled out a preliminary version of its new desktop
search tool, making the first move against its major competitors in the
race to provide tools for finding information buried in computer hard
drives.
The Google Desktop offering takes direct aim at Microsoft Corp., which
bought a desktop search business in July, as well as current and expected
desktop product releases from other companies such as Apple Computer Inc.,
Ask Jeeves Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL.
Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, Yahoo Inc. and Google are
all going head-to-head in the Web search market to tap into the advertising
revenue generated by ads displayed alongside search results.
Google Desktop allows users to search e-mail in Microsoft Outlook and
Outlook Express, chat threads in AOL Instant Messenger, as well as Web
pages viewed in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It also helps users search
plain text, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, among other things.
Google, which in mid-August raised $1.67 billion in an IPO and next week is
slated to report financial results for the first time as a public company,
said the software is available for free download at
http://desktop.google.com.
"Our goal is to have it behave like a photographic memory for your
computer," said Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products,
who added that Google users have been requesting a desktop search
capability for years.
Jupiter Research analyst Eric Peterson said the challenge for desktop
search providers would be getting people to use the tools after they are
downloaded.
Google appears to address that concern by integrating desktop and Web
search. As a result, people who have downloaded Google Desktop on their
machines will be able to search both the Web and their own PC when they go
to www.google.com.
Microsoft in July bought Lookout Inc., which makes software that allows
Outlook users to quickly find information contained in e-mail inboxes and
file folders. Microsoft also is expected to be adding search technology to
Longhorn, the next version of its operating system slated for release in
2006.
Microsoft has demonstrated its own software being developed to search
through desktop information, and said that it would offer local search
"within the next year."
"This is a big challenge, and we're focused on delivering services that
will help people quickly and easily tap that data," a Microsoft spokeswoman
said.
Google's entry into the desktop search market will likely raise the profile
of the technology while putting the squeeze on smaller competitors,
analysts said.
"Once Google enters the market, because of their huge mindshare, people are
going to notice," said Sue Feldman, a research vice president at IDC, who
also predicted that Google would elbow some players out.
Current desktop search providers include dtSearch, Enfish, ISYS, X1, ZyLAB,
Terra Lycos, Blinkx and Copernic.
Web search company Ask Jeeves, which bought private desktop search company
Tukaroo Inc. in June, said it will release its own offering before
year-end. Ask Jeeves partners with Google for search advertising.
Elsewhere, Google search and advertising partner AOL is reportedly
preparing to roll out desktop search in its upcoming AOL Browser beta.
Apple is expected to add desktop search to its next operating system
release, code named Tiger, in the first half of 2005.
Worries Persist Over U.S. Electronic Voting
Florida officials will not worry about hanging chads when voters make their
choice in November's presidential election but they'll be on the lookout
for software glitches, hackers and other less visible plagues.
Across the United States, election officials have embraced sleek
touch-screen systems as a way to avoid a replay of the 2000 election, when
problematic paper ballots in Florida led to a protracted recount battle
that ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Skeptics say that officials may have simply traded hanging chads - the
incompletely punched holes in paper ballots - for a new set of problems
familiar to any home computer user.
"A lot of people, I think, saw it as a solution to the problems we had in
2000 but have now found that it has its own set of problems," said Sean
Greene, research director for Electionline.org, a nonpartisan research
group.
Electronic voting will undergo its biggest test yet on Nov. 2, when one in
three U.S. voters is expected to cast their ballots on systems like Diebold
Inc.'s AccuVote-TSx.
Touch-screen systems prevent balloting errors and can be used by disabled
voters, a requirement of the 2002 Help America Vote Act, say election
officials and other boosters.
But computer scientists have
highlighted security holes in a series of
well-publicized reports over the past two years, and blank screens,
misconfigured ballots and other technical glitches have marred elections
across the country.
Without a paper trail to verify ballots, officials cannot determine why,
for example, 134 voters in Florida's Broward County showed up to the polls
but left their ballots blank in a January election, critics say.
The controversy has prompted some states to postpone upgrades until after
the election, even though the federal government has earmarked $3.9 billion
for that purpose.
In California, four counties have shelved their AccuVote-TSx machines after
an investigation found that Diebold had installed software that had not
been approved by the state. California authorities have said they plan to
sue Diebold for making false claims.
Ohio authorities had hoped to install touch-screen systems in every county
by November, but postponed their plans after an independent review found
57 security flaws in the four systems that had won state approval.
"We moved forward to deploy new systems and do away with punch cards, and
then a variety of security concerns arose," said Carlo LoParo, a spokesman
for Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.
Iowa, Montana, North Carolina and Wyoming were also waiting to purchase
touch-screen systems until the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission
releases national standards next year, Greene said.
In some states, touch-screen systems will print out ballots when they are
cast so voters can verify that their choices have been recorded properly.
Voters in Nevada will see this system in operation on Nov. 2. California
and Ohio plan to have printers installed on their touch-screen machines by
2006.
But activists have been unable to get courts in Maryland and Florida to
require such printers by November, and efforts to require them nationwide
have died in Congress.
Activists in Maryland plan to monitor 200 polling places to make sure that
improperly programed screens, blank ballots and other problems don't go
unreported.
In Florida, challengers say it's too late to sideline the machines or
install printers on them. Instead, they hope courts will require election
officials to take other steps, such as independent polling monitors, to
ensure accuracy.
"Basically, we're talking about some things to make a bad system slightly
better," said Eric Johnson, chief of staff to Democratic Rep. Robert
Wexler, who filed the suit.
=~=~=~=
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