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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 05 Issue 46
Volume 5, Issue 46 Atari Online News, Etc. November 14, 2003
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2003
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
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0546 11/14/03
~ Frist Learns Activism! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Web Taxes Logjam!
~ New Cyber-Crime Wave! ~ Dr. Who in Cyberspace! ~ GTA Copycat Suit!
~ High Speed Price Wars? ~ Rival Disputes MS Talk ~ Beyond E-Mail Spam!
~ Net Patent Re-Examined ~ Web Patriot Sentenced! ~ CaSTaway Emulator!
-* Microsoft, Lindows Face Off! *-
-* P2P Partner Goes On the Offensive! *-
-* Subpoenas Flying In IBM-SCO Legal Battle! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, it's mid-November already. The trees are close to bare, but my yard
doesn't quite match yet. I figure one more weekend and I'll have another
year's worth of foliage cleaned up. I may yet get to put my flooring down
in our two new rooms before the first real good freeze and snowfall!
I don't know about you, but I'm getting quite sick of hearing about how
focused Microsoft is about Windows security while in the same breath we keep
learning about more and more "critical" flaws somewhere within the operating
system. For a company as rich with cash and programming talent, you'd think
that they would be able to get it right quickly. It's no wonder that many
longtime PC users have a disdain for Microsoft!
Well, I'm not going to let myself get riled up in that debate. I'll let
this week's soapbox go unused for another week, and get right into this
week's issue.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
CaSTaway/Palm Atari ST Emulator
An alpha version of the CaSTaway Atari ST emulator has been released for
the Palm PDA platform. CaSTaway/Palm is a port of the CaSTaway/GP32, which
in turn was derived from CastCE. Now Atari ST fans have yet another way to
play the many great Atari ST games on the go!
http://www.codejedi.com/shadowplan/castaway.html
You'll probably also want to check out the Codejedi MessageBoard for more
detailed information.
http://shadow.skeleton.org/cgi-bin/mb/YaBB.cgi?board=cstsup
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Darn. I can't seem to hit the right keys
today. You have no way of knowing this, but it took me almost a minute to
type that first sentence. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time, but
I am. I guess that's just the way it is.
I really don't have anything interesting to say this week... excluding the
thing about my not being able to type, that is... but hell, everyone has an
off day once in a while. I just seem to be having mine all at once. <grin>
So instead of me making believe that I've got anything cool to talk about
and you making believe that you're interested in it, let's just get to the
news, hints, tips and info from the UseNet, okay?
Cool. I thought you'd agree. <grin>
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
John Garone asks about replacing hard drives:
"Can I replace my old 1 gig Seagate with new higher byte one in the
same box using the same power supply? Maybe with an adaptor?
(used on a Falcon)."
Jim DeClercq tells John:
"Depending on where you are, I am a pleased and satisfied customer of
Black Box Corporation, in Laurance, PA, USA.
Adapters, to me, are getting hard to find, but they had them.
Phone 724-746-5500 "
John tells Jim:
"Thanks Jim, I'll give them a call.
By the way, does anyone have Best's phone # &/or a web address?"
Brian Roland supplies the requested URL:
"http://www.best-electronics-ca.com
Any drive that meets the IDE or EIDE specs can be put inside the Falcon.
To make things easier on you...I'd suggest replacing the drive with one of
the same physical dimensions. Falcons were built to accept a 2.5" notebook
type hard drive, and later some 3rd party companies sold kits to mount and
properly cable the larger foot print 3.5" drives. It sounds to me like
someone has indeed upgraded this Falcon HD before, as they shipped with an
85meg 2.5" Conner drive. So.....
If you don't know what's in there...open the bird up and see for
yourself, or get the drive's model number at boot time and search down a
spec sheet on the web. To make it easy on yourself, order a replacement
of the same physical dimensions...hence you won't have to find and
change out mounting brackets and cables etc. These days, when it comes
to IDE drives, there's not a whole lot of difference in
price/performance between the 2.5" notebook drives and the 3.5" desk top
drives. Not long ago I put a brand new 20gig IBM notebook drive in my
Falcon, and it was well under $100!
You can also use external SCSI drives. Any drive that meets SCSI I or
SCSI II standards should work fine. Note that most SCSI III drives and
above are usually backwards compatible to the older SCSI I and II
standards...it can just get kind of tricky configuring them properly.
For the least hassle in addition of a SCSI drive, it's best to go with a
50 pin inline SCSI I or II device. While the wide and ultra wide SCSI
units will work with adaptor plugs and whatnot...it can indeed become
confusing over which adaptor will best serve your needs...I.E. some will
come passive terminated on some lines, some unterminated, and so
on...and which one you need can depend on all sorts of factors around
how many, the order, and what type SCSI units are daisy chained
together.
Finally...keep in mind that there are limits to partition sizes, and the
number of partitions that TOS/GEM can see at a time...so a drive over 10
gig is going to get interesting to work with. TOS/GEM, out of the Box
in a Falcon limits you to a maximum of 1gig BGM partitions. It also has
a limited number of drive letters that can be assigned (I forget how
many) at one time. Yes, you should be able to use every last byte of
very large drives with HDDriver 8....but, when you run out of logical
drive letters to assign to TOS/GEM...a huge chunk of your drive will be
invisible at any given boot-up. To get at those distant partitions,
you'll have to change the partition order, or temporarily disable
partitions with your HD Driver software as chosen at boot time.
Or....use something Like Mint with a unix style file system to make a
few really huge partitions.
With that in mind...a drive over 10gig can be a bit overkill for a
Falcon...but at the same time...a 20gig drive often cost less than $5 or
$10 more that a 5 or 10gig unit. Go as big as you want...just don't
panic or freak out when you have to be a little creative to figure out
how to access the whole thing."
John tells Brian:
"well, I have 2 birds (both with no IDE drive). One is working and one is
in a coma! The working one has no power ps plug for an IDE. The one in a
coma has an IDE power plug but I'm concerned using that one in the good
bird in case it's causing problems. So I'm opting to go with a new SCSI.
so are you saying that a new 50 pin SCSI drive will directly replace
an external drive (re: external Toad shoebox type....ps/fan/CDROM/SCSI)
without having to use adaptor for the original power supply, etc., in the
box? I can get along with part of the drive not being used!"
Derryck Croker chimes in and asks John:
"I'm confused - the standard Falcon setup has a single 40way ribbon cable
to connect to the IDE drive and power is supplied down this?
Are you trying to fit a 3.5" drive?
I'd try the lead you have from the dead Falcon if I was in your shoes!"
John tells Derryck:
"no. I was saying that the Falcon that works has a power supply with no
IDE power plug. The Falcon that doesn't work has a power supply with an
IDE power plug (I'm assuming that's what it's for). Neither Falcons have an
IDE drive!
I'd like to replace the external SCSI Seagate 1 gig (swap it out
with a higher byte drive) and hopefully use the existing external power
supply to the 1 gig.
I considered trying the other lead, but since there's problems with the
bad Falcon I don't know how good it's power supply is (could even be
causing problems)!
I haven't bought an IDE nor an SCSI yet until I'm confident I'm doing the
right thing."
Greg Goodwin adds:
"If you have an external CD and HD shoebox, just replace the current
drive with another SCSI drive. Watch that you match termination and
ID of the current drive, and also realize that you have to partition
larger drives. Most SCSI drives should work (at least in theory),
although you will likely have to get an adapter to match your 50 pin
cable."
Carey Christenson tells John:
"The IDE ribbon cable that is inside the Falcon is a
44 pin NOTEBOOK style. POWER is supplied down one of
those pins along with a ground wire as well. So that
ribbon cable houses power for a NOTEBOOK hard drive.
This however will not work on a 3.5 inch hard drive
that are much cheaper and larger in data size compared
to notebook hard drives of the same cost. What I
would suggest is a small adapter from Best Electronics
that allow 2 3.5 in hard drives or any combination of
2.5 and 3.5 inch hard drives. JDR has a adapter as
well that will take the 44 pins on your Falcon MOBO to
a 40 pin IDE and give you the 2 power wires (RED and
BLACK wire each) from that 44 pin if you wish to use
it right from the Falcon MOBO. If you need more
information just contact me via e-mail and I will dig
up my old receipts. It is very likely that one of
those falcons IDE chain works just fine. I have never
heard of a falcon blowing the IDE chain but still be
able to use scsi devices. The other alternative is
that IDE to SCSI adapter that a previous poster
showed. I had never heard of such an adapter. Nice
to see that some people are willing to try anything to
get more devices attached to there computers."
'Xamalek' asks:
"I always wondered ... where are the following people now?
1. Eric Smith
2. Jeff Minter
3. Dave Small
4. Bill Rehbock
5. Martin Brennan
6. John Mathieson "
Stephen Moss tells Xamalek:
"Well I don't know about the others, but after the fall of Atari Jeff
Minter started programming for the Nuon but I can't remember what the
company was called. When that all collapsed he apparently became fed up
of developing for small niche systems and moved over to programming
for the PC and PDA.
He was meant to visit the JagFest UK earlier this year but did not make
it for some reason you can probably find out more at his web site...
www.llamasoft.co.uk"
Greg Goodwin adds:
"Eric Smith: I don't know. He posted a year or so ago, surprised that MiNT was
still carrying on, but I can't find the post.
Jeff Minter: He's gotten a bit too strange for me, so I don't read his
website anymore. Try searching under "Llamagames"
Dave Small: I don't know. He posted a very long post a couple of years ago
explaining what had happened to his business (legal bills killed it,
as well as his marriage), but he said life was treating him well and
he was spending time with his son (sons?). I think he was living in
Colorado.
Bill Rehbock: Director of developer relations at NVIDIA, I think. Anyhow,
the interview style is consistent.
John Mathieson: As of August 2002, John also worked for NVIDIA. I do not
know what his job description was/is."
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 - Lawsuit Over Grand Theft Auto!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" LOTR: Return of King Praised!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
AP Praises 'King' in Video Game Review
The trouble with the video game version of "The Lord of the Rings: The
Return of the King" is that it's too hard to conquer but too cool to quit
playing.
Like its predecessor, "The Two Towers," this sword-and-sorcery fighting
adventure fuses footage of the still-unspooling movie trilogy with
first-rate digital brawling.
To get to the clips, you have to beat the orcs - and the orcs don't make
it easy, ganging up on the heroes in ways movie villains (who usually
attack one at a time) never do.
The characters earn points by killing as many orcs as possible without
absorbing any damage, and those points can be spent at each level on new
attack moves. Push a sequence of buttons and Aragorn spins, kicks, slashes
and kills in one fluid move.
But there's a catch ... While Aragorn is doing that fancy move to finish
off one enemy, five others run up to pulverize him, making the elaborate
gesture more of a liability than a help.
You're better off just doing simple slashes at the orcs like they were a
field of unwieldy brush. But then, that gets boring and soon you're trying
another ballet-style attack, getting your butt kicked, and having to start
the level over again.
Even on the "easy" level, "Return of the King" is frustratingly difficult
in ways "The Two Towers" never was. But one benefit over last year's game
is a wider range of playable characters.
In the previous title, players could manipulate only three major warriors
- the human ranger Aragorn, the lithe elf Legolas and the stocky dwarf
Gimli - but the developers have wisely added the wizard Gandalf and the
hobbits Frodo and Sam to the repertoire. All of them are voiced by the
actual movie stars, including Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood and Ian
McKellen.
There are also three ways to reach the end of the game, following the
wizard's route, the warriors' route, and the hobbits' path - so after you
get tired of losing as Gandalf, you can try losing as Frodo.
J.R.R. Tolkien's world - as envisioned by the Peter Jackson movies - is
beautifully rendered in digital form. The highlight is the "Gates of
Minias Tirith" level, in which Gandalf must slay orcs and kick down their
ladders as the monster army attacks a sovereign kingdom. Another excellent
level is the Paths of the Dead, in which Aragorn, Legolas or Gimli explore
some creepy caves inhabited by glowing, blue ghosts who possess piles of
skeletons in the shadows.
Although the extreme difficulty of conquering each level saps some of the
fun, this is a game that's worth the effort.
"The Return of the King," released by Electronic Arts, is available on PC,
Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2 formats. Prices start at about $40 for the
PC version.
Three stars out of four.
'Grand Theft Auto' Makers Fight Lawsuit
The creators of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" want a federal
judge to dismiss a $246 million lawsuit filed by the families of two people
shot by teenagers.
Rockstar Games and its New York City-based parent, Take-Two Interactive
Software, said the victims' families were trying to hold them liable "based
on the expressive content of the video game."
Retailer Wal-Mart and marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.,
are also named in the lawsuit.
Aaron Hamel, 45, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, was seriously wounded
when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets while driving along
Interstate 40.
Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, were sentenced in
August to an indefinite term after pleading guilty in juvenile court to
reckless homicide, endangerment and assault.
The boys told investigators they got the rifles from a locked room in their
home and decided to randomly shoot at tractor-trailer rigs, just like in
the video game "Grand Theft Auto III."
Responding Oct. 29 in U.S. District Court, Rockstar and Take-Two contend
that such ideas and concepts as well as the "purported psychological
effects" on the Buckners are protected by the First Amendment's
free-speech clause.
A lawyer who represents the victims dismissed the claim, saying he would
seek to move the case back into state court for consideration under
Tennessee's consumer protection act.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Logjam In The Senate Over Web Taxes
The renewal of the ban on Internet taxes, once considered to be a given in
Congress, is suddenly mired in a logjam, as U. S. Senators who had
previously served as governors in their home states are holding up the
legislation that would extend the ban.
Led by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio),
the legislation is increasingly complicated by a host of new issues,
including the tax status of VoIP. States and local governments - already
under budgetary pressure at home - generally want to tax as much Internet
business as they can. And, under additional stress over the loss of
telephone taxes due to the growth of Internet telephoning, the once-simple
issue of Web tax is beginning to resemble the proverbial can of worms.
"Virtually all of us [Senators] are willing to keep state and local
governments from taxing Internet access," said Alexander in a statement.
"The second principle is we don't want unfunded federal mandates... . We
want to make sure states don't lose the bulk of their telecommunications
revenues."
On the other side of the debate are Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and George
Allen (R-Va.), who say legislation they have sponsored seeks to clarify
what should - or shouldn't - be taxed. Wyden has accused states of wanting
to tax all Internet traffic including email. "You've got mail," he said,
will become, "you've got taxes."
As the issue became polarized in recent days, the debating senators met
over the weekend and are continuing to meet this week, in an effort to
reach a workable compromise. The legislation expired Nov. 1. The Multistate
Tax Commission, a lobbying organization, claims states will lose billions
of dollars in tax revenue if the tax ban is continued.
A few states that began taxing Internet access providers before the initial
ban was passed five years ago are lobbying to continue taxing. The states
currently taxing Web access are Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North
Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Lurking behind the debate is the whole issue of Internet telephone taxation
by states, which currently derive substantial revenues by taxing telephone
service. However, a federal judge in Minnesota last month ruled that
phoning on the Web-VoIP - was an Internet data service and, as such, could
not be taxed by the state. Since the ruling - although it isn't likely to
be the last word on the issue - regional telephone companies and assorted
VoIP firms have rushed to expand their Web-telephoning business.
Several Senators have also said they want to clarify the definition of
"Internet access" to make it clear exactly what should be taxed. "You could
see billions and billions of dollars lost," said Senator Byron Dorgan
(D-N. D.) in a statement. "Definitions are everything."
Microsoft, Lindows Face Off in Court
Microsoft has asked a San Francisco court to instruct the administrator in
a $1.1 billion California class-action settlement to reject claims filed
through MSfreePC.com, a site run by Linux vendor Lindows.com.
Claims filed through the MSfreePC Web site do not comply with the
settlement or the claims procedures, according to Microsoft. The claims are
not personally signed, and they transfer the right to be paid to
Lindows.com, which the settlement does not allow, Microsoft said in its
court filing.
Anyone who has filed a claim through the Lindows.com service should be sent
an official claim form by the claims administrator, Microsoft said.
The filing in San Francisco Superior Court last week comes after Microsoft
in late September sent Lindows.com a notice demanding it take down the
MSfreePC site. The site is still up and running.
Lindows.com launched MSfreePC.com in September as a way for California
software buyers to get a piece of the settlement. The site offers Lindows
software and Sun Microsystems' StarOffice suite in exchange for a claim and
the vouchers certain software buyers are entitled to under the settlement.
Under the settlement agreement, consumers with valid claims can use their
proceeds to buy a wide range of hardware or software, including the Lindows
operating system, Microsoft spokesperson Stacy Drake said Monday. "We are
concerned, however, that the Lindows Web site misuses the court-approved
California settlement as a marketing tool for their products."
Lindows.com calls Microsoft's attempt to shutter its site a "transparent
attempt" to reduce the amount of money it has to pay out, the company said
in a statement Monday. Two-thirds of any unclaimed settlement vouchers will
be donated to the neediest California public schools, one-third defaults
back to Microsoft.
Under the settlement announced in January, those who bought Microsoft's
operating system or productivity software for use in California between
February 18, 1995, and December 15, 2001, can get vouchers worth between $5
and $29 depending on the product bought.
The class-action lawsuit accused Microsoft of overcharging for its
software. The company has settled ten suits like it for a total of
approximately $1.55 billion. Last week Microsoft announced preliminary
court approval of a settlement in North Carolina.
The official Web site for the California settlement is
MicrosoftCalSettlement.com.
Subpoenas Fly in IBM-SCO Legal Battle
The SCO Group-IBM lawsuit is already a high-profile court battle, but it is
becoming even more intense. Both sides have issued a raft of subpoenas
requiring an extensive list of industry figures to become involved with the
proceedings.
SCO has filed subpoenas naming Linux creator Linus Torvalds, the Free
Software Foundation's Richard Stallman, Open Source Development Lab head
Stuart Cohen, Transmeta general counsel John Horsley, and Novell, which
recently agreed to acquire SuSE Linux.
SCO issued the subpoenas to learn "how certain programs may have gone into
Linux, and what these individuals' dealings with IBM and others may have
been," SCO spokesperson Blake Stowell told NewsFactor.
SCO's subpoenas followed those sent by IBM, which were issued on October
30th. IBM fired off subpoenas to Deutsche Bank Group, BayStar Capitol,
Renaissance Ventures and the Yankee Group. IBM has not said why it issued
those subpoenas, but they appear to focus on organizations that have
provided support for SCO or its claims.
The subpoenas are the latest twist in a legal battle SCO initiated in
March. The Lindon, Utah-based company sued IBM for misappropriating source
code from Unix, which SCO owns the copyright to, and incorporating it into
Linux. IBM has denied this charge and filed a countersuit against SCO,
claiming SCO violated a number of IBM copyrights.
IBM claims that SCO has been slow and uncooperative in response to IBM's
requests related to the case. According to court documents from early
November, IBM is asking the court to compel SCO to respond to IBM's
requests with "specificity and detail."
SCO so far has listed almost 600 files in the Linux 2.4 and 2.5 kernels
that it claims contain its copyrighted code, but the company has not yet
provided more detail. Some court watchers say that IBM's subpoenas are an
effort to glean information that SCO has withheld.
The IBM subpoenas are a wide-ranging request for any documents pertaining
to SCO or its biggest shareholder, Utah-based Canopy Group. They were sent
to three financial organizations and a research firm.
BayStar Capitol, for example, recently invested US$50 million in SCO. A
Deutsche Bank analyst reportedly said he saw source code from SCO's Unix
kernel duplicated in the Linux 2.4 kernel. He later issued a "buy"
recommendation for SCO's stock.
Renaissance Ventures, a venture capitol group based in Richmond, Virginia,
issued a report just after the SCO suit was filed saying that the legal
action was well founded. Renaissance Ventures bought SCO stock a year
before the suit was filed and has bought additional shares since the
lawsuit began.
Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio has faulted IBM for not indemnifying its
Linux clients against SCO's legal claims, as Hewlett-Packard has done.
DiDio declined to comment to NewsFactor, noting only that "barring some
kind of settlement, this is going to be protracted, hard-fought legal
battle"
IBM representatives were not immediately available for comment.
"We believe the reason that IBM put out the subpoenas that they did was to
intimidate," Stowell said.
"They're trying to say to the marketplace, 'If you invest in SCO, or if -
as an industry analyst - you are even remotely favorable toward SCO, then
we're going to serve you with a subpoena.'"
SCO alleges that IBM has been uncooperative with its discovery requests.
SCO claims it has provided about one million pages of documents as part of
IBM's pretrial discovery request, and that IBM has provided just 100,000
pages to SCO.
A SCO court document from early November states that IBM has listed over
7,000 witnesses who will provide testimony supportive of IBM but has not
properly identified them. SCO also alleges that IBM has not, as requested,
produced "all IBM contributions to Linux" or the source code to AIX, Big
Blue's flavor of Unix.
SCO also has requested Linux source code and modifications made by "Open
Source Development Labs, Linus Torvalds, Red Hat or any other entity." IBM
has objected to this request as not related to the lawsuit.
The next court hearing is scheduled for November 21st.
Peer-to-Peer Partner Goes on the Offensive
Altnet, a partner of Kazaa peer-to-peer software vendor Sharman Networks,
sent cease and desist letters to nine companies Tuesday, accusing them of
improperly using Altnet's patented file-identifying technology to do such
things as identify peer-to-peer copyright violators for the recording
industry.
Altnet's TrueNames file-identifying technology makes it easy for file
sharers to identify the files they want, but some market research and
antipiracy companies have been using TrueNames to flood peer-to-peer
networks with fake files or to track file downloads, said Derek Broes,
Altnet's executive vice president of worldwide operations.
Some peer-to-peer software vendors have also been using TrueNames without
Altnet's permission, but Altnet is negotiating TrueNames licensing with
those vendors, he added. Peer-to-peer vendors would save money by licensing
Altnet's patented technology instead of creating new ways to identify
files, Broes said. "It would be more efficient for them to work with us and
license the technology," he said.
Asked if he was trying to protect Kazaa users from lawsuits from the
recording industry, Broes denied any such motivation. "Altnet's goal has
always been to provide legitimate trading of files on peer-to-peer
networks," he said. "That's the goal - the commercialization of
peer-to-peer."
TrueNames is "the most efficient" way to identify files through
distinguishing marks called hash marks in files, Broes said, but
peer-to-peer vendors and other companies could use other methods. The
companies receiving cease and desist letters should stop using TrueNames
immediately, Broes said, or face legal action. "It's a patent we have to
protect," Broes added.
Altnet sent cease and desist letters to nine companies on Tuesday,
including BigChampagne, MediaDefender, and Overpeer. Representatives of
MediaDefender and Overpeer, both antipiracy firms, did not respond to
requests for comments, but BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland denied that his
company was using TrueNames.
BigChampagne is a market research company that provides the recording
industry with statistics on file swapping so that music companies can see
what is popular, Garland said. His company has not been hired by anyone to
identify peer-to-peer users so that the recording industry can sue them, he
said.
"Each and every claim [by Altnet] is absolutely false with respect to
BigChampagne," Garland added. "I think this represents a fundamental
misunderstanding of what our company does."
Altnet's TrueNames technology identifies data based on the file's content,
rather than by its file name, point of origin, location, address, or other
discrete piece of information that the user can easily change, according
to the company, a subsidiary of Brilliant Digital Entertainment. To
identify unique files on a peer-to-peer network, TrueNames assigns a
unique identifier, or hash, to data, using an algorithm in a process
protected by two U.S. patents. This technique enables users of the
technology to track, retrieve, monitor, and charge for the distribution of
content, according to the company.
Microsoft Rivals Deny Changes Would Weaken Windows
A Microsoft Corp. rival used show-and-tell to make its point on Friday that
the software giant need not cripple its popular Windows operating system to
comply with EU regulators' demands, a source familiar with the case said.
The demonstration came on the last day of a three-day hearing to help the
European Commission decide on charges that Microsoft abused its dominance
over personal computer operating systems through Windows, found on over
90 percent of computers.
There will be no immediate results from the highly publicized but
confidential hearing which followed a predictable pattern with Microsoft
defending itself against competitors' complaints about its business
practices.
Eventually, European Union hearing officer Karen Williams will send her
evaluation to Competition Commissioner Mario Monti who will use it to help
him rule after a five-year probe.
The European Union executive is expected to decide by the end of June 2004,
but if Microsoft objects it could start a lengthy appeal to the EU's top
court in Luxembourg.
The Commission has proposed that Microsoft offer a version of Windows
without Media Player audio-visual software built in, so that rivals would
be on a level playing field. In particular, it focused on rivals
RealNetworks Inc. RealPlayer and Apple Computer Inc.'s QuickTime.
The EU may also impose a hefty fine on Microsoft.
Microsoft argues that if it were ordered to cut out Media Player it would
be forced to offer a substandard version of Windows which would be unable
to run many popular programs.
Both the manner and substance of Microsoft's warning made an out-of-court
settlement seem more distant, a Microsoft critic following the case said.
"Microsoft is grateful for the opportunity to present its case to the
European Commission and National Competition Authorities," the Redmond,
Washington-based software maker said in a statement issued at the end of
the hearing.
"In some areas we have identified opportunities to narrow the differences
between us... Microsoft recognizes that as an industry leader it has a
special responsibility to consumers, the industry and the Commission to
work things out," Microsoft said.
RealNetworks demonstrated a version of a product known as "Windows XP
Embedded" to show the operating system could work well without Windows
Media Player, a source familiar with the case said.
The product seemed to work fine to many of those sitting in the hearing
room, the source said.
Microsoft's Web site says XP Embedded is software to let developers select
only the features they need and is a single-purpose product used for such
items as ATM cash machines.
"Microsoft does not license the embedded operating systems for use on a
general purpose computer," it says on its Web site
(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Embedded/faq/default.asp).
RealNetworks also took issue with statistics offered by Microsoft to show
that a number of makers of personal computers put RealPlayer on their
products. RealNetworks said that the computer makers put RealPlayer on
only a very tiny percentage of their products, the source said.
RealNetworks also said that the arguments and the approach used by
Microsoft to help defeat it were identical to the approach used to defeat
Netscape's browser software Navigator in the 1990s, the source said.
U.S. courts found that Microsoft violated antitrust laws there, using
illegal practices to favor its own Internet Explorer software.
Meanwhile in London, Microsoft's chief executive officer for Europe, Middle
East and Africa, repeated the company's desire to settle the European Union
case.
"We want to resolve this case. We want to put this behind us. That's the
purpose of the hearings this week," Jean-Philippe Courtois told journalists
on Friday on the sidelines of a new technologies seminar.
Zombie Machines Fueling New Cyber-Crime Wave
The rapid growth of broadband home computer connections may be inadvertently
fueling what police suspect could be the start of a new crime wave -
cyber-blackmail.
As more homes connect to faster delivery systems, their computers are
becoming vulnerable to hackers and virus writers who can turn them into
"zombie" machines, ready to carry out any malevolent command.
Favorite targets for the extortionists - many thought to come from
Eastern Europe - have been casinos and retailers, but one recent
high-profile victim was the Port of Houston.
"At the end of the day, this is old-fashioned protection racket, just
using high-tech," said a spokeswoman for Britain's Hi-Tech Crime Unit.
On Wednesday, British cyber crime cops made a plea to companies to report
attacks against their Internet businesses following a recent string of
incidents with the blackmailing trademark.
Police have seen an increase in the number of distributed denial of
service (DDoS) attacks targeting online businesses.
In some cases, the attacks, which can cripple a corporate network with a
barrage of bogus data requests, are followed by a demand for money. An
effective attack can knock a Web site offline for extended periods.
Online casinos appear to be a favorite target as they do brisk business
and many are located in the Caribbean where investigators are poorly
equipped to tackle such investigations.
In 2001, cyber forensics expert Neil Barrett told Reuters that his
company, Information Risk Management, was working with Internet casinos to
shore up their defenses against a spate of DDoS attacks.
At the time, he said the denial-of-service barrages were followed by
demands to pay up or the attacks would continue. He said the attacks
appear to have come from organized criminal groups in Eastern Europe and
Russia.
Police said because of a lack of information from victimized companies,
they are unsure whether these are isolated incidents or the start of a new
crime wave.
Whatever the motive, DDoS attacks are on the rise, coinciding with the
proliferation of broadband deployment in homes. Security experts believe
the increasing number of unsecured home PCs may be a major culprit.
New Internet- and e-mail-borne computer infections are hitting home
computers, turning them into zombie machines that can be controlled by
outsiders without the owner's knowledge, security experts say.
Such infected machines can be told to send e-mail spam or even be used to
initiate or participate in a denial of service attack against another
computer.
"Home broadband computers are going to be the launching point for a
majority of these," said Richard Starnes, director of incident response
for British telecoms company Cable & Wireless and an adviser to Scotland
Yard's Computer Crime Unit.
Last week, the online payment service WorldPay admitted to suffering a
major DDoS attack that lasted three days. WorldPay, owned by the Royal Bank
of Scotland, has been fully restored.
The NHTCU spokeswoman said the investigation into the WorldPay incident is
ongoing.
Spammers Now Clogging Blogs, Cell Phones
Spam has never been limited to e-mail. But now, commercial pitches are
increasingly popping up in online chats, instant messages, cell phones with
text messaging and even Web log comments.
Three years ago, Adam Kalsey set up a Web log to share his thoughts about
online business and the digital revolution. Like countless other
"bloggers," he lets his readers post comments on his entries.
Recently, his site has been getting remarks like "Thanks for the
information!" and "Sounds great!" They're not from supporters, but from
people - or machines - who leave names like "Generic Viagra," "Online
Gambling" and "Free Poker" and links to unsavory sites.
Spammers are flocking to new communications tools like moths to light,
threatening to cripple these tools just as they are beginning to take off.
Howard Rheingold, a futurist who predicts always-on communication will
revolutionize public discourse, is worried that all these new forms of spam
could freeze the revolution in its tracks.
There will be no great social transformation if cell phones are turned off,
instant messenger programs shut down or blog comments disabled to halt the
flow of offers for online porn or cheap drugs.
"It forces you to either turn off the comments and lose some of the value
of the medium, or spend your time deleting spam," said Rheingold, who runs
his own blog.
Today, most of the attention of lawmakers has been on e-mail spam, which
is estimated to comprise nearly half of e-mail traffic. Attempts to write
broader laws have not succeeded, and might whittle away at free speech.
"We ought to be legislating general concepts - things like, you can't
market to somebody who's asked you not to," said David Sorkin, a professor
who studies spam laws at John Marshall Law School. "But in the case of spam
in particular, that hasn't really worked."
It's possible legislation targeting unwanted e-mail could be used to fight
other unwanted communication; text messages on cell phones often originate
from e-mail. Laws limiting telemarketing also might be useful.
But that assumes the legislation will work, and that spammers won't move
outside the law.
Kalsey, a Web consultant who lives near Sacramento, Calif., has taken
matters into his own hands. In fact, many of his comments of late have
focused on combatting Web log spam, including the creation of a "Comment
Spam Manifesto."
"What you failed to understand is that bloggers are smarter, better
connected and more technologically savvy than the average e-mail user," it
reads, addressing the spammers. "We control this medium that you are now
attempting to exploit. You've picked a fight with us and it's a fight you
cannot win."
Working from the theory that blog spam can be combatted like real-world
graffiti, Kalsey tried deleting messages as fast as they appeared. That
worked for a few weeks but the volume has recently been increasing.
Now he's tracking down those who leave the comments, collecting evidence
and reporting them to their Internet providers and domain registers so
their accounts can be canceled. If it sounds like a lot of work, it is.
Fortunately, help from others is available.
"The blog immune system does seem to be responding," said Kalsey. "People
are coming up with collective solutions like black lists for spammers. If
one person gets spammed, then all the others who use that software can ban
them."
Most of today's comment spam doesn't urge someone to click on the link.
Rather, it's posted to boost a site's position on search engines. Web
crawling software robots released by search engines notice keywords and
links, and that information is used to determine relevancy.
Mena Trott, chief executive of Six Apart, the maker of the popular Web log
system Movable Type, said the company is working on updates to make
deletion of unwanted messages easier.
Cell phone carriers and providers of instant messaging services, meanwhile,
are finding that their spam problems can be much more disruptive to
workflow.
For IM, spam is growing just as the technology jumps from personal to
business communications. To address the problem, companies are blocking
messages from outsiders, instituting "white lists" of accepted contacts or
not allowing IM at all.
But that's making messaging less convenient.
"In (corporate) instant messaging, we're doing more of a closed approach
than what we were seeing with e-mail," said Paul Judge, chief technology
officer of the antispam firm CipherTrust Inc. and co-chair of the
Anti-Spam Research Group.
America Online, the largest instant-messaging provider, has a number of
roadblocks in place to halt spam IM, or spim. Among other things, a
software sentry looks for spammers - automated or in-the-flesh - who try
to send multiple messages simultaneously to many people, said spokesman
Nicholas Graham.
Cell phone text message spam can be even more disruptive - and expensive.
Some Nextel Communications cell phone subscribers recently got a 3:30 a.m.
message urging support of the workers in the southern California grocery
strike. Another spammer urged a vote in favor of recalling California Gov.
Gray Davis (news - web sites).
Aside from early morning annoyance, some plans charge for each message
sent or received. Nextel, which last month installed a filtering system,
offers refunds to any customers who complain.
"All the carriers have been hit with situations like this," said Nextel
spokeswoman Mila Fairfax. "Each carrier has applied a filtering system to
try to flag messages that appear suspicious to our system."
"We will be going after (spammers) to the furthest extent of law," Fairfax
said. "Anything we can do, we will do."
Government Orders Re-Examination of Net Patent
In an unusual move, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reconsidering a
patent affecting Internet pages that critics contend could disrupt millions
of Web sites.
Citing "a substantial outcry from a widespread segment of the affected
industry," deputy patent commissioner Stephen G. Kunin ordered the agency's
examiners to reconsider the patent they awarded in November 1998 to three
researchers at the University of California.
Kunin described the case as "an extraordinary situation." The patent office
has ordered such re-examinations only 151 times since 1981 and issues about
180,000 patents each year.
The patent - No. 5,838,906 - affects how Internet sites build into Web
pages small interactive programs that power everything from banner ads to
interactive customer service. Eolas Technologies Inc., which was founded
by one of the inventors and has licensed the patent exclusively, has begun
enforcing its claims and recently won a $520 million jury award against
Microsoft Corp., which quickly appealed the judgment.
Eolas said Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser software - used by
the vast majority of Internet users - violated its patent. Microsoft has
pledged to redesign its browser early in 2004 in ways that will require
Web surfers to click on a dialogue box when they visit a site that employs
one of the specialized programs.
Last month, the inventor of the World Wide Web urged the patent office to
re-examine the patent's validity. Tim Berners-Lee said he worried that
Microsoft's redesign "would render millions of Web pages and many products
of independent software developers incompatible." He also feared that Web
developers would respond with their own tweaks that ignore long-standing
Web standards.
Kunin's Oct. 30 order was based on claims by Berners-Lee and others that
patent examiners may not have adequately considered so-called "prior art"
that suggested the researchers' ideas were not new. Kunin wrote that
because of those claims, "a substantial new question of patentability
exists."
A patent spokeswoman, Brigid Quinn, said the re-examination could take a
year, but Eolas is permitted to enforce the disputed patent during that
period. The patent office took just over four years to award the patent
originally.
Price War Looms for High-Speed Net Access
The cost of high-speed home Internet access has dipped below $20 a month in
some areas as cable and phone companies battle for customers.
In one of the most aggressive promotions, Comcast recently began offering
high-speed cable service for $19.95 a month for 12 months to select
customers in California, Illinois and Maryland. After that, the cost would
more than double to standard Internet cable rates. Comcast says the
promotion is aimed at winning over high-speed DSL customers.
Still, the promotion by the No. 1 broadband provider could pressure rivals
- who have also sliced broadband rates several times this year - to drop
them further. Last month, the best DSL, or digital subscriber line, deals
nationwide ran about $26.95 a month.
"Comcast's intent may not have been to instigate a price war, but it may
as companies scramble to retain and add subscribers," says Bruce Leichtman
of Leichtman Research Group.
Lower prices are helping the spread of broadband which has been held up,
in part, by cost. In the past quarter, a record 2 million U.S. home users
signed up for broadband service, says Leichtman. Still, an estimated
two-thirds of home Internet users have the usually cheaper but slower
dial-up service. Leichtman and others warn that broadband growth could slow
as early-adopter ranks thin.
At $19.95, broadband would be about the same as dial-up service from an
Internet service provider.
Broadband's push into the mainstream, which really took hold this year, has
sparked a wave of new content that requires high-speed delivery from the
likes of ABC and Major League Baseball. More content is likely to inspire
more people to buy broadband, tech analysts say. And more broadband
subscribers will inspire more content.
Comcast's promotion is targeted at select DSL users, some of whom switched
to rival services. Comcast, with 4.9 million subscribers, has made similar
offers in other markets. But they usually lasted three to six months.
Comcast then raised monthly prices to usual rates.
"This particular campaign is a limited offer, and we anticipate it to be a
one-time event," Dave Watson, a Comcast marketing executive, said in a
statement.
Since spring, SBC - with 3.1 million subscribers - twice reduced its
monthly DSL cost: to $29.95 from $34.95 on June 1 and to $26.95 on Oct. 1.
In May, Verizon lowered its stand-alone home DSL service to $34.95 from
$49.95. Like others, Verizon is offering tiered services - just as ISPs
offer different rates for dial-up and e-mail service.
While lower prices mean better deals for consumers, operators risk cutting
into profits.
Senate Leader Learns Lesson in Online Activism
According to an old adage, there are no stupid questions, only stupid
answers. But, as U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist may have learned
this week, on the Internet it can be hard to tell which is which.
On Wednesday, Frist's Senate Web site had posed visitors a simple, if
somewhat leading, yes-or-no proposition: "Should the president's nominees
to the federal bench be allowed an up or down vote on confirmation as
specified in the Constitution?"
But, with the Senate locked in a marathon debate over Democrats' blocking
of four of President Bush's conservative judicial nominees, the question
quickly set off a online political brawl marked by allegations, firmly
denied, of high-tech ballot rigging in the Tennessee Republican's office.
The online poll, a regular feature of Frist's site, normally generates
limited interest. The previous day, a question about honoring veterans drew
just 35 votes.
But the nominee question was spotted by a liberal weblogger, or online
diarist, known as Atrios, who linked to Frist's site and asked his readers
to weigh in. By early evening, over 9,000 people had responded, with some
60 percent voting "No."
That wasn't lost on Democrats, who took to the Senate floor to bait
Republicans. "Even the majority leader's Web site indicates that what is
going on here is absolutely wrong," said Assistant Senate Democratic Leader
Harry Reid of Nevada.
On the other side of the Web's ideological divide, however, users of a
conservative Web forum, FreeRepublic.com, were also paying attention. "The
poll needs our help," exhorted one poster going by the screen name
outinyellowdogcountry.
Both sides quickly noted that a simple change in their computers' settings
would allow them to cast multiple votes and both, apparently, activated
programs that allow for the automatic stuffing of virtual ballot boxes.
Meanwhile, according to Web records and people following the skirmish, the
poll was doing some changing of its own.
-- First, temporarily daunting "No" voters, the question was flipped, to:
"Should the Senate be prevented from exercising its Constitutional duty to
provide the president's judicial nominees with an up or down vote?"
-- It was soon restored to the original sense, if not wording, then
reading: "Should the Senate exercise its Constitutional duty to provide
the president's judicial nominees with an up or down vote?"
-- But a few hours later, the question was again coming from the opposite
tack, asking: "Should the Senate minority block the body's Constitutional
duty to provide the president's judicial nominees with an up or down vote?"
-- Finally, late Wednesday night, with thousands of votes pouring in every
minute, the poll was closed and the result recorded as: "Should the Senate
perform its constitutional duty to provide the president's judicial
nominees with an up or down vote. Yes: 54 percent. No: 46 percent. 106,615
votes."
Frist's spokesman, Bob Stevenson, denied on Thursday the poll had been
changed to try to ensure any particular result, attributing the initial
back-and-forth to efforts to foil the automatic voting programs that were
being used.
"They are up there to allow people to give their honest feedback. Wherever
the chips may fall, that's fine," he said.
"However, after going through last night's experience, we've recommitted
ourselves to the 'Do not spam' law," he said, referring to efforts to ban
automated Internet junk mail.
Sci-Fi Legend Doctor Who Zooms Into Cyberspace
For dedicated fans of the legendary science fiction hero Doctor Who, the
long wait is up.
A new animated version based on the ninth incarnation of the doctor, played
by Richard E. Grant, has been placed on the BBC's Internet arm BBCi and can
be downloaded for viewing.
The cult series that aired from 1963-1989 to become the world's
longest-running science-fiction program will return to television screens
in 2005 and the cyberspace version is a way of keeping fans content until
then.
The 85-minute series called "The Scream of the Shalka" also coincides with
the show's 40th anniversary.
The original programs chronicled the adventures of eight doctors and their
many companions who battled countless foes - human, alien and most
notoriously the "Daleks" - as they traveled through time and space in a
time machine disguised as a police telephone box.
Grant, the star of such films as "Withnail and I" and "Bram Stoker's
Dracula" described the adventure as "Sherlock Holmes in Space."
The BBC have not announced who will play the title role in the television
series but British media say Grant, Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard are being
considered.
The series can be viewed at www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho.
California Hacker Sentenced in Al Jazeera Site Attack
A Los Angeles-area man has been fined and sentenced to community service
for hacking into the Web site of satellite TV network Al Jazeera during the
U.S.-led war in Iraq and rerouting visitors to a page featuring an American
flag and the motto "Let Freedom Ring."
At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Howard Matz told
Web designer John William Racine II: "I don't think of you as an evil
person ... but this was a crime. It wasn't just a childish prank."
Matz sentenced Racine, 24, to 1,000 hours of community service and a $2,000
fine. Racine, also known as John Buffo, vowed to the judge that he would
never do such a thing again.
Prosecutors said the Qatar-based Arabic television broadcaster did not
respond to U.S. government inquiries about whether the hacking caused it
any financial losses.
Racine posed as an Al Jazeera employee to get a password to the network's
site, (http://www.aljazeera.net), then redirected visitors to a page he
created that showed an American flag shaped like a U.S. map and the
patriotic motto, court documents said.
In June, Racine pleaded guilty to wire fraud and unlawful interception of
an electronic communication.
=~=~=~=
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