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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 07 Issue 11
Volume 7, Issue 11 Atari Online News, Etc. March 11, 2005
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2005
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:
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0711 03/11/05
~ eBay Launches Kijiji! ~ People Are Talking! ~ "Walk of Game" Icons
~ Web Speech Threatened! ~ Hands Off the Web! ~ Domain Poisoning?
~ Netscape 8.0 Test Out! ~ More Video Game Bans? ~ StarOffice 8 Close!
~ Anti-Spyware Nabbed! ~ Feds Piracy Crackdown! ~ Apple Wins Dispute!
-* Web Is Political News Source *-
-* Google Launches Desktop Search Tool *-
-* Proposed Utah Law: Is It Content Censoring *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
If I didn't like New England so much, I seriously consider moving to a
warmer and snowless part of the country! If I was only partially tired of
winter, it's definitely official now!! Another half foot of snow earlier in
the week, with two more storms approaching for tonight and this weekend.
Enough already! We've already broken into the top ten records for total
snowfall - I think sixth all-time. If the snow is as bad as expected in the
next few days, we could reach the top three spots. That's a lot of snow!
And the cold! Spring can't get here fast enough to make me happy.
And work! Just when you think things are getting back to "normal", it gets
worse. Hard work never frightened me - it's what you have to do. It's the
nonsense that drives me crazy. And the politics and butt-kissing. There's
just no satisfying some people. Maybe it's time to consider early
retirement. That almost sounds like a plan. Well, enough blowing off steam
for yet another week. Hopefully I can stay focused enough next week to
stick to some more Atari nostalgia!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, Mother Nature is kicking up in the
butt again here in the northeast. We're expecting more snow. It's
somewhat unusual for the month of March here in these parts, and not
only are we expecting a small amount of snow (an inch or three), we had
about 5 inches fall last week, and the weather forecasters are watching a
weather system that might give us some more snow in another few days.
It's times like this that I think back to one of David Letterman's jokes
on his late night show....
"One announcement to make before we get underway: Due to the snow and
cold weather, the conference on global warming has been cancelled."
<grin>
Yeah, we can joke about it, we can argue about it... hell, we can even
deny it. But despite all the jokes and arguments, we've learned one
thing: we haven't learned enough. We have no idea if we are really
causing the changes we thing we're seeing, or if its a natural
occurrence. In either case, it would seem to me that it would be in our
best interests to try to either stop it or slow it down.
Of course, for all I know, we could cause the pendulum to swing back in
the other direction and give us exactly the opposite problem. I don't
pretend to know what the cause is. I don't even claim to know what
effect we can expect. But I can't believe that of either taking an
active approach or a passive attitude, that doing nothing is the
preferable option.
One group of people that really tick me off are those who do the "save
the Earth" thing. You know the ones... they've got all the answers and
no one can be right but them. I know several people of this type, and I
never pass up a chance to tick them off.
A couple of weeks ago, I got together with a couple of friends and a
friend-of-a-friend. "Ah," I thought to myself, "fresh meat".
Before too long, the conversation turned to the weather and the 'fact'
that it was a natural outcome of global warming. Now, I happen to
believe that it is a consequence of global warming, but I draw the line
at calling it a fact. Right now, it's simply a theory.... in the
scientific sense of the word, not the populist definition, which is
actually what a science-minded person would classify as a hypothesis.
Anyway, when they mentioned "saving the planet". I asked, "From what?"
They looked like I had just kicked them in the... well, you know. "From
global warming. From the ozone hole. From overfarming and pollution."
I just smiled and said, "The Earth doesn't need to be saved from any of
those things. WE do. If we killed ourselves off tomorrow, the Earth
would continue to spin. It would settle back into its own rhythm and
probably take little notice of the fact that we were gone... if it had
even noticed that we were here in the first place."
As they started to protest I continued, "We are the ones who are affected
by what we're doing. The Earth itself will find its own equilibrium and
go on. The garbage and sewage and waste that we've visited upon the land
and sea would slowly be subducted back into the Earth and get broken
down and recycled for the next living things to use and abuse while
Mother Earth continued on with less than a twitch. Concrete, steel,
glass and even plastic would slowly break down and disappear from sight.
Sure it'd take millions of years to remove the scars that we've visited
upon her, but that's the thing about old Mother Earth. She's got time to
wait. It's not the Earth we need to save, it's ourselves."
They didn't seem to have an answer for that. Maybe I gave them something
to think about. Maybe I just gave them another reason to get twitchy.
Maybe they'll do both. HEY! A TWO-FER!
Okay, let's get to the news, hints, tips and info from the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Last week we took a look at converting PC floppy drives for use on the
ST. There's more info this week on it, so let's take a look.
Edward Baiz tells us:
"I converted a TEAC PC drive to be used on a ST by just changing the
jumper assignment."
Hallvard Tangeraas tells Edward:
"Yeah, those Teac drives are pretty flexible. Unfortunately they're not
widely available any longer. Actually, my experience is that when you go
to a PC store (or online PC store) and ask for a floppy disk drive they
don't even have the make/model number available. You have to ask them to
pick it up and physically look at it to find out.
I'm pretty happy with that Sony drive of mine since it has a zero-Ohm
resistor soldered in place and marked for drive 0/1. I'm not sure if all
drives have that option, so it might be a gamble to find one that'll
work without problems on the ST."
'Chris' tells Hallvard:
"Can't beat the SONY MPF920 drive!"
Hallvard replies:
"So you're using one as well, and it works fine?"
Chris tells Hallvard:
"Put it this way, I've tried A LOT of drives in the past, the MPF920 comes
up TOP, and although the older model drives had a jumper link, the 920 does
have a PCB jumper link.. Most PC drives laugh at anything over "normal
format", most PC drives don't have a jumper link at all..
What can I say apart from the MPF920 is my perfect partner."
'Ed' does a little homework and asks Hallvard and Chris:
"Doing a quick search I find several variants of the Sony MPF920 drive
with various letters or numbers (F,L,Z, 1, etc.) after the MPF920
designation. Are there only specific ones that will work as ST
replacements, or are any of them viable possibilities?"
Chris tells Ed:
"Hmmm, not sure which revision mine are but they work great.... basically
any PC drive will work, BUT you have to locate the drive 0/1 select
line, they used to have jumper links on the back of the drive in the
good old days, on some drives (like the 920) have a solder link which
you can alter... pot luck really if your chosen drive has it or
not...."
Bill Freeman jumps in and tells Hallvard:
"I read that you had put together a file about adapting the Sony drive
and I had been looking for it. However, on the ftp site you referenced
the file sony_144.zip is only 16kb and it unzips to an empty folder."
Hallvard tells Bill:
"I just checked it, and unfortunately you're right.
I've uploaded it again, and it should work now:
ftp://gem.win.co.nz/hall/hardware/sony_144.zip
(I also included .GIF versions of the previously only .IMG images, which
might come in handy for people using PCs -but if you do want to view
Atari .IMG images you can download a very nice and free program called
"XNview": http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pierre.g/xnview/enhome.html)
For Macs you can use a shareware program called "Graphic converter" for
viewing .IMG files: http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/graphcon.htm
PS. when reading the file contents, disregard the stuff about how to use
it in high-density mode. The switch method doesn't work (I've tried it)
and I haven't had time to try out the DIY circuit projects which I've
collected recently though I plan to make use of one of them in time.
The documentation however is correct when it comes to making a standard
PC style disk drive work in the ST as a replacement. It'll then work in
DD mode (720 Kbytes, double-density)."
Bill tells Hallvard:
"Thank you Hallvard. I got your file OK and the info is exactly what I
wanted.
Newegg has new Sony MFP920 drives for $9. I think I will stock up on a
few.
Anyone know if it is possible to read a memory stick with an Atari? If
there are any SCSI interfaces around for solid state memory it might be
feasible. You could pack a lot of Atari programs and data onto a
128mb card."
Bill goes out and buys the drives and comes back to tell us:
I bought 4 new MPF920 Sony drives from NewEgg and they arrived today.
Now I need a little more advice from someone who has done this.
1. Disk Detect
There is a switch by, and mechanically liked to, the eject button
button labeled "SW3". Is that what you bridge for "disk detect"?
2. Drive Select
Just inboard of pins 10 and 16 of the cable connector there are two
pairs of solder pads labelled JC30 and JC31. Next to JC30 it says SEL
0. Next to JC31 it says SEL 1. Across JC31 is soldered a very small
rectangular bit with what appears under magnification to be a zero
printed on it. Is this the jumper? Is it just a jumper, or is it a
discrete component that I have to unsolder from JC31 and move to JC30?
This "jumper" is 2mm long and less than 1mm wide. I hope I can move
this thing without destroying it or the board. If they figure out how
to make this stuff any smaller you will need a microscope to see it."
Hallvard tells Bill:
"Go here: ftp://gem.win.co.nz/hall/hardware/sony_144.zip
It should answer all of your questions."
Steve Sweet jumps in and adds:
"It is a zero ohm resistor, otherwise known as a jumper, if it breaks you
can use a piece of wire or provided there's not a PCB track running
between the bridge a large solder blob."
Well folks, I know that there's only one conversation here this time, but
them's the break, I'm afraid. 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 - New Xbox Details Revealed!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Nintendo DS Wireless!
'Walk Of Game' Honors!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Microsoft Gives First Key Details on New Xbox
Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday gave some of the first key details on the next
generation of its Xbox video game system, which will include an emphasis on
high-definition content, an integrated media browser and
"microtransactions" for in-game purchases.
In a speech at the Game Developers Conference here, J Allard, the Microsoft
executive overseeing the software development tools for the new Xbox, said
the new streamlined interface would help draw more users to the platform.
"We've got to create a consistent experience so that consumers can enter
our worlds much more easily," he told a packed convention center audience.
"If we want to get to 10 or 20 million subscribers we've got to create
some consistency."
Microsoft is expected to release the new Xbox in time for the 2005
holidays, but the company has kept mum so far on both timing and the name
of the new device.
Among the features Allard demonstrated was an on-screen "Gamer Card" that
gives information other players can see on a gamer's location, achievements
in various games, time playing specific games and level of skill.
Other features include a custom music player and a "store" where players
could make small purchases, for pennies or a few dollars, of new
characters, parts for virtual racing cars and the like.
The theme of Allard's speech was the "HD Era," which he described as a time
when all games are in high-definition, players are constantly connected
through mobile phones, instant messaging and the Internet and gamers can
personalize their environments to suit their tastes.
"The HD consumer needs more than a hi-definition Super Bowl," Allard said.
"The opportunity is real and now, but make no mistake we have the power to
blow it."
Nintendo Plans Wireless Capability for New Console
The next video game console from Japan's Nintendo Co. Ltd. will be ready
for wireless Internet gaming and be backwards-compatible with the current
generation GameCube, the company said on Thursday.
Nintendo also said it will launch a subscription-free Internet gaming
service for its new DS dual-screen hand held gaming device this year.
Nintendo's first game for that service will be a version of the hit "Animal
Crossing."
The DS is Nintendo's latest hand held while the new console, code-named
"Revolution," has not been launched, and Nintendo declined to provide a
date.
The console will be powered by a chip developed by IBM code-named
"Broadway" and a graphics processor from ATI Technologies Inc. code-named
"Hollywood."
Nintendo was the dominant brand in home video game consoles for much of the
1980s and early 1990s, until Sony Corp. entered the market with its
PlayStation.
Microsoft Corp. entered the market later with its Xbox. The GameCube is
currently in third place in the console market behind Sony's PS2 and the
Xbox.
Nintendo all but ignored the Internet for the GameCube, although both Sony
and Microsoft warmly embraced online game play.
Sony has not said when it will release the PS3, while Microsoft is widely
expected to launch Xbox 2 for the 2005 holidays. That console also uses
chips from IBM and ATI.
All three companies are expected to give further details of their new
platforms at the annual E3 industry trade show in May in Los Angeles.
'Walk of Game' Honors Video Game Icons
Hollywood has its Walk of Fame. Now the video game industry is honoring its
icons with Walk of Game.
Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell - the man who produced the minimalist but
memorable game "Pong" - and "Donkey Kong" creator Shigeru Miyamoto were
among those honored Tuesday with a star on the inaugural Walk of Game
section on the floor of a downtown shopping and entertainment center.
Video games have come a long way since Bushnell incorporated Atari Inc. in
June 1972, and introduced "Pong" to arcades everywhere later that year. The
game premise was simple: two video paddles batted a ball (a tiny white
square, actually) back and forth across a dark screen until one player
missed.
Thus began the video game rage that has blossomed from a
pocket-full-of-quarters pastime into a multibillion dollar global industry.
"Thank you very much for this honor. It's always fun to be walked on
wherever you can be," Bushnell quipped.
Bushnell has hardly given up his passion for playing games, which began in
earnest when he was working in an amusement park decades ago. He recently
networked 16 televisions throughout his house to play a serious session of
the futuristic shoot 'em up Xbox game Halo with his sons and their friends.
Atari's luster faded as competition in the gaming industry heated up in the
1980s and '90s. It was among a handful of properties acquired by Infogrames
Entertainment SA in 2001.
In 1981, Nintendo developed and began distributing the coin-operated video
game "Donkey Kong." Miyamoto was the creator of the game, where the main
character Mario sought to save a damsel from Donkey Kong, a giant
cartoonish ape.
Donkey Kong soon became the hottest selling arcade game in the business.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Ships For Playstation 2
Capcom, a powerhouse in the multi-billion dollar video game industry, today
announced the return of the world's toughest demon slayer with the release
of Devil May Cry3: Dante's Awakening, for the PlayStation2 computer
entertainment system. Devil May Cry 3 reintroduces the mysterious hero
Dante in a riveting new game marked by complex storylines, striking
graphics and unadulterated stylistic action. The game is now available at
retailers across North America and carries an "M" rating for mature
audiences by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board).
Several thousand years have passed since the demon warrior Sparda raised
his sword against the unholy world to save the human race. Victorious and
assured that evil forces had been confined, Sparda joined mankind and
fathered Dante, a half human-half demon son infused with the power of a
supernatural lineage. However, Dante was not the only son Sparda had sired.
As devoted as Dante was to defeating the forces of evil, his twin brother,
Vergil, was consumed by power and upheld the legacy of his sinister
ancestors. One moonlit night, a mysterious tower materialized beside
Dante's "Devil May Cry" investigative agency. On the rooftop stood his
brother along with his inhuman minions goading Dante into a confrontation.
Devil May Cry 3 unfolds an earlier chapter in Dante's history, before the
original Devil May Cry, to the fateful clash between Sparda's twin sons,
divided by the divergence of their chosen paths. Along the way, Dante
encounters formidable foes and unusual characters including a mysterious
man named Arkham and a female hunter named Lady whose mission is to take
down all demons, including Dante. These precursory events disclose the
complex roots of Dante's character and reveal insight into his clouded
past.
"Devil May Cry 3 packs non-stop thrills and a captivating story line into
one technologically advanced package," said Todd Thorson, director of
marketing, Capcom Entertainment, Inc. "Action game fans are in for one hell
of an experience."
Devil May Cry 3 preserves the fast-paced action that has made the series so
popular. In addition to its strong roots, the game increases the intensity
of gameplay with a new "style" system, which adds an additional level of
depth. Depending on preference, players can choose to use short-range,
long-range, defensive or evasive play styles. Each system has its own range
of gameplay features and players can choose to power up their favorite
style for increased special attack abilities. The range of options
available in Devil May Cry 3 immerses players in a non-stop, thrilling
escapade.
Devil May Cry 3 includes the following features:
* Unrelenting, hard-core gothic action
* Fresh new character design - Dante appears younger, but still has his
stylish swagger and rock star good looks
* Huge arsenal of weapons - Handguns, powerful shotguns, tricked out
guitars and much more
* Combo system - Equip Dante with up to four different weapons that can be
swapped at anytime, allowing the freedom to develop a range of fighting
moves and combinations
* Customize Dante's fighting style
o Evasive style which allows Dante to deftly dodge enemy attacks with
speed and finesse
o Close-range specialty maximizes the impact of up close attacks with
the blade
o Long-range style that lets Dante blow away enemies with his fire arms
o Counter attack and guard expertise against strong enemy power
* Enhanced graphics - Fully textured rich backgrounds utilizing 3D polygons
as well as real time rendering for in game cut scenes and intro movie
* Multitude of demonic enemies - More ferocious than ever before with
powerful weapons, the ability to transform and fly and other challenging
surprises
* Obtain orbs throughout the game to purchase new weapons, fighting
techniques, increase strength and more
* Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II support
* Hidden weapons, items, characters, difficulty levels and more
Maryland House Panel Hesitant On Video Game Restrictions
As the two-minute segment of the video game "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City"
began rolling yesterday in front of the Maryland House of Delegates
committee, lawmakers looked impassive, even bored.
After the decapitation, dismemberment and multiple shootings, though, looks
of shock and disgust swept the committee room.
"What I saw there had no redeeming social qualities," Del. Michael D.
Smigiel Sr. (R-Cecil) told the Judiciary Committee. "I would say it's
pornographic."
Even so, Smigiel and other legislators stopped short of advocating a bill
that would ban the sale of such video games to minors. Lawmakers expressed
concerns about the constitutionality of such a measure and questioned
whether it is necessary, since the industry has been establishing policies
to keep youngsters from buying the games.
Proponents of the sale restrictions, similar to those in a measure proposed
in the District, argued that the games have incited a wave of violence
across the country, contributing to such killings as the slayings at
Columbine High School in 1999 and Lee Boyd Malvo's shootings in the 2002
Washington area sniper killings.
The bill would penalize the sale of violent and sexually explicit video
games to minors with a fine of as much as $1,000 and six months in jail -
a misdemeanor.
Similar bans are pending before state legislatures across the nation,
including those of California, Washington, Georgia and Alabama.
The increasingly realistic graphics and overwhelming popularity of such
violent games as "Halo" and the "Grand Theft Auto" series, and games such
as "Doom" before them, have given rise to concerns among consumer groups
and law enforcement officials that the games are contributing to violence
by minors.
They point to the fact that Malvo played Halo regularly before the sniper
shootings, according to a witness at Malvo's December 2003 trial. Eric
Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters, were obsessive players
of "Doom."
Opponents say the Maryland measure, sponsored by Del. Justin D. Ross
(D-Prince George's), runs afoul of the First Amendment. They point to
several court rulings in recent years that say the government has no right
to prohibit the sale of violent or sexually explicit material, regardless
of how distasteful it is.
Several legislators said yesterday that although they may support the idea
of keeping children from violent games, they are uneasy about banning them,
even just for minors.
"When you start talking about freedom of speech, you need to be very
careful," said Del. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County). "There's a lot
of things we don't want kids to do. . . . Is the next step prohibiting kids
from watching movies where kids drink?"
Proponents believe that the Maryland measure would probably withstand a
test in court because the games pose a "public safety hazard," according
to Jack Thompson, a lawyer representing the families of several Alabama
police officers killed in a shooting by a teenager who Thompson said
modeled the killings on a popular video game.
Although federal courts have knocked down similar measures in recent years,
the Maryland proposal is different because the games have become so
advanced technologically that they are much more potent than older video
games, Thompson said.
New studies, he said, have shown that the brains of adolescents and
children are particularly susceptible to the interactive violence found in
those games.
"This is not a question of taste," Thompson told the committee yesterday.
"It is a question of public safety. . . . Nobody among the [nation's]
founders would have suggested that children somehow have a right to
purchase materials that are harmful to them."
Illinois Moves Toward Banning Some Video Games
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's proposal to bar stores from selling violent and
sexually explicit video games to children unanimously passed an Illinois
House committee Wednesday, despite concerns that it might be
unconstitutional.
Under the proposal, which now goes to the House floor, any store that
violated the ban could face misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $5,000.
Blagojevich has been pushing the idea for several months, arguing in town
hall meetings and national interviews that the games desensitize children
to violence. He says they can lead to anti-social behavior and even
obesity.
On Wednesday, he applauded the House civil law committee for approving the
"sensible and necessary legislation."
But courts have struck down similar laws in Washington, Missouri and
Indiana as too broad and in violation of free speech.
Even some lawmakers who voted for the bill said they were concerned it is
too vague.
"This bill does not have clear standards to the people that need to know
what the standards are - the parents, the kids, the clerk, the manager at
Best Buy," said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. "These are people that will not
have a clear standard under this bill as to what is or is not OK."
The legislation requires stores to label violent or sexually explicit games
with black-and-white stickers reading "18." Stores would have the burden of
figuring out which games could legally be sold to minors and
which couldn't.
David Vite, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said
the legislation's restrictions on games depicting "human on human violence"
could mean that stores can be fined for selling football games to
teenagers.
He also questioned the sincerity of the bill's supporters, suggesting they
fear that voting against the measure would hurt them in future elections.
"It's pandering, and it's wrong," he said.
Harvard University professor Michael Rich argued Blagojevich's position
before the committee Wednesday, saying the law is necessary because kids
may act out in real life the violent or sexual behaviors they practice in
virtual reality.
"Children are learning from video games," Rich said. "The question is: what
are they learning?"
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Google Formally Launches Desktop Search Tool
Google Inc. late on Sunday made its desktop search widely available as it
takes on rivals Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. in the race to help users
find e-mail and files stored on computer hard drives.
Google in October was the first major search company to roll out a test
version of its desktop search offering.
Google Desktop Search locates e-mail, AOL chat sessions and previously
viewed Web pages. It also searches various file types, from PDFs and
Microsoft Word files to audio, video and photo files.
Office workers and other computer users previously had few effective tools
for finding documents and e-mail buried on their personal computers. Search
companies and others have jumped in to fill that void with the hope of
replicating the success Web search has enjoyed.
Other companies, including Apple Computer Inc., Ask Jeeves Inc. and Time
Warner Inc.'s AOL are eyeing desktop search amid the fierce battle playing
out in the advertising-supported Web search arena.
Microsoft, which recently rolled its own Web search product to attack
Google's dominant position, has offered its own desktop search tool on a
trial basis for the last three months.
Microsoft's desktop search tool, once installed, can be accessed via a Web
browser toolbar, the MSN Search Web page and task bar in the Windows
operating system.
Yahoo in January released the test version of its desktop search product.
Yahoo Desktop Search is based on licensed code from X1 Technologies Inc.
and enables users to search 200 types of files including e-mail and
attachments, text, pictures, music, and personal contacts.
In response to security and privacy concerns, Google Desktop defaults to
not indexing password-protected files such as spreadsheets, although users
can turn the feature on. Any file that is indexed is searchable, which led
to concerns that secure documents could be viewed by anyone with access to
the computer where the documents are stored.
Google also gives users the choice to index secure Web pages, such as those
that appear during online banking transactions.
Netscape Captures Eyeballs for AOL
The once-mighty Netscape browser is attempting a comeback. How, you ask?
Simple. By combining the best elements of its two leading rivals.
Netscape is out with a test release of version 8.0, and the new browser is
nothing like its recent predecessors, which were mostly about fixing bugs
and playing catch-up.
I just wish Netscape didn't constantly try to dispatch me to content from
its developer, America Online Inc., or its partners. But more on that
later.
More than 90 percent of the world's surfing is still done on Microsoft
Corp.'s Internet Explorer, but many users complain of its numerous security
vulnerabilities and lack of modern features like tabbed browsing, which
lets you visit multiple Web sites without opening multiple browser windows.
Enter Mozilla Firefox, which debuted last fall to much fanfare. It lacks
many of the IE features, like ActiveX, which is often blamed for enabling
security breaches, and with its relatively low usage, malicious hackers
don't target Firefox as much. But some sites won't work with Firefox
because they need the IE features.
The new Netscape, which is only available for Windows PCs, addresses the
quandary through a regularly updated list of "good" and "bad" sites.
If Netscape deems a site good, a green shield appears and the browser
displays the site using the IE software engine that is built into Windows.
Netscape figures such sites present little security risk, so why not enable
all the features?
I succeeded in accessing Microsoft's Windows Update site along with the
advanced features of my company's Web-based Outlook e-mail, neither of
which works with Firefox.
Netscape displays a yellow shield when a site is absent from its list. In
such cases, deeming Firefox safer, Netscape uses a Firefox engine that is
embedded in Netscape's software.
Red shields along with a warning page appear when sites are on the bad
list.
Not only does Netscape use Firefox, thus disabling ActiveX, but it also
blocks that site from leaving data trackers called "cookies" and turns off
support for Java and JavaScript, which can launch programs designed to
steal information or perform other nasty tricks.
In this sense, Netscape is safer than Firefox or IE alone. I ran on all
three browsers a site that tries to steal AOL billing information, and only
Netscape successfully blocked the program from running.
Whether Netscape uses Firefox or IE, the site appears within the Netscape
environment, and you always have access to tabbed browsing. You get IE's
functionality and Firefox's security when you need them most.
Netscape also sports "multibars," a way to cram the equivalent of 10
toolbars into the space of a single one. Just click on "1," "2" and so on
to switch among them. Each is customizable with whatever features you
happen to want. Choose from Netscape's preprogrammed tools, like news
headlines or maps, or add your own using Really Simple Syndication, or RSS,
a technology for pulling content from sites (A bug that's supposed to be
fixed before the final release in the next several weeks currently prevents
you from fully doing so, though).
I particularly liked the feature that lets you check Web-based e-mail from
Netscape, AOL, Excite, Gmail, Hotmail, Lycos, Mail.com or Yahoo. You get
automatically logged in with a single click, though for now you don't get
alerts for new mail. I did have occasional problems with the auto sign-in,
but found the tool useful overall.
Netscape also sports a few improvements to Firefox: It's easier to open and
close tabs and to instantly clear sensitive information like Web sites
visited.
And while Firefox has a tool for remembering passwords, Netscape
automatically logs you in.
My one major fault with Netscape is, however, a show stopper.
Most of its tools are geared toward generating traffic for AOL properties.
The maps tool gets you MapQuest, the movies tool reaches Moviefone. Weather
gets you AOL partner WeatherBug.
AOL says other companies, such as Yahoo Inc. and Fandango, are free to
develop tools for Netscape, but that'll take time, limiting choice in the
meantime. And while some of the third-party add-ons already developed for
Firefox may work with Netscape, the ones I tried didn't.
Likewise, the built-in search box automatically runs Netscape's search
engine, unlike Firefox, which lets you easily switch among Google, Yahoo
and four others, while letting you add hundreds more.
The tools for the other engines weren't done in time for the test release,
and even so, switching is more complicated with Netscape.
So until I get more choice, I plan on sticking with Firefox, even if it
means occasionally having to run IE for those sites that need it.
Sun Readies StarOffice 8
Sun Microsystems plans to ship StarOffice 8 by the end of August, and to
add Russian, Polish, and Dutch versions of the productivity suite within a
year after that.
StarOffice, Sun's product to rival Microsoft's Office, is available in 11
languages. To expand the market, Sun plans to add five more language
versions within a year after shipping StarOffice 8, the newest version of
StarOffice, says Michael Bemmer, director of software engineering for
StarOffice at Sun.
Sun selected Russian, Polish, and Dutch as three of the five additional
languages for StarOffice 8. The company is still debating the two other
language versions, Bemmer says. He spoke in an interview at the CeBIT trade
show here.
Sun released a beta test version of StarOffice 8 last month at the
LinuxWorld event in Boston. The update promises better interoperability
with Microsoft's Office product and an improved look and feel.
"Ease of use is one of our main topics, lowering the training costs for
new users and easing the migration" from Microsoft Office to StarOffice,
says Bemmer.
StarOffice 8 succeeds StarOffice 7, which was released in late 2003. Over
40 million StarOffice licenses have been sold since Sun acquired StarOffice
maker Star Division in 1999, says Carsten Muller, a product marketing
manager at Sun.
StarOffice 7 sells for $80 per copy. Volume licenses are available. Sun
also sells StarOffice as part of its Java Desktop System suite, which also
includes the Linux operating system and the Mozilla Web
browser.
StarOffice is based on OpenOffice.org, a free open source Office suite, for
which Sun says it does over 90 percent of the engineering work. StarOffice
and OpenOffice.org together hold about 7 percent of the installed Office
suite market, Muller says.
StarOffice is currently available in Chinese (simplified and traditional),
Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, English, French, Spanish,
Italian, and Swedish. The beta of StarOffice 8 is available for download,
in English only.
EBay Launches Kijiji Global Classifieds
EBay has launched a network of free classified ad Web sites in six
countries. The new network will operate under the name Kijiji, which means
"village" in Swahili.
The strategy was unveiled after eBay acquired several similar classified
sites in other countries over the past year. For this first wave of
classifieds, sites have been developed for Canada, China, France, Germany,
Italy and Japan.
No U.S. move is planned as yet because eBay has noted that start-up darling
Craigslist.org has a firm foothold in the online classified market here.
Last year, eBay bought a 25 percent stake in Craigslist.
EBay has noted that it would ideally like to replicate the Craigslist model
in other countries, according to news reports.
Craigslist grew organically from a stripped-down community site developed
by San Francisco resident Craig Newmark about 10 years ago. Since then, the
site has developed into a repository of local information for over 100
cities.
"When we think about changes to the site, we ask the community what they
think," Newmark told CIO Today. "I'm obsessed with the idea of a moral
compass, and how that translates into what we do. What drives us is the
idea of people doing the right thing for each other."
If eBay can extend Newmark's thinking into the global community, the effect
could be as successful as Craigslist. News reports have noted that
Craigslist has taken a significant bite out of newspaper classifieds
revenue in the cities it serves.
Kijiji.com acts in a similar fashion to newspaper classifieds as well, with
a place for users to buy and sell goods and services for free from others
in their area.
The site runs in contrast to eBay's trading site, which brings together
buyers and sellers from different geographic locations. Also a difference
from eBay's main service is that Kijiji listings are free, which is notable
in light of new fee increases on eBay's trading site.
Kijiji was officially launched on February 28th, but eBay has not disclosed
how many people have used the site since then. The company has said that
Kijiji is not expected to affect 2005 revenue.
EBay has not disclosed how Kijiji might bring in revenue, but has noted
that the company might find a way to monetize some of its aspects in the
future.
Possible Domain Poisoning Underway
Security experts late Friday warned that a DNS cache poisoning attack may
be underway and redirecting users from some of the most popular Web sites
to a malicious URL where spyware and adware is invisibly installed onto
their computers.
According to the Internet Storm Center, which posted an alert on its Web
site, it had received reports that the attack was redirecting traffic from
popular domains such as google.com, ebay.com, and weather.com.
DNS cache poisoning occurs when an attacker hacks into a domain name
server, then "poisons" the cache by planting counterfeit data in the cache
of the name server. When a user requests, say, ebay.com, and the IP address
is resolved by the hacked domain server, the bogus data is fed back to the
browser.
Another tactic, dubbed "DNS hijacking," is similar, but simply changes the
domain server so that traffic is actually re-routed.
It's unclear which of the two tactics this attack is using.
Even security firms had difficulty confirming the attack, however. Dan
Hubbard, the senior director of security at San Diego-based Websense, for
instance, said that his team had been investigating the report for several
hours but had not yet been able to hit a domain server that had been
poisoned.
But Websense's monitoring of its customer's usage patterns did pick up a
spike in traffic to the three malicious sites supposedly feeding spyware
to redirected users. (In turn, the three feed users to one single site.)
"It's circumstantial evidence," he said, "but it seems something is going
on."
Nor was Hubbard able to confirm the targets of the poison and/or hijack.
"We haven't been able to trace a redirect from, say, Google," he added.
The hack could be quite localized if, for instance, the affected domain
server was one operated by an enterprise or small Internet service
provider. "It's certainly not at the root level, or we'd all end up at this
malicious site."
Domain cache poisoning and domain hijacking, while rare, are not unheard
of. In the late 1990s, a vulnerability in BIND (Berkeley Internet Name
Domain), the software used by nearly all of the name servers on the
Internet, was disclosed. A few exploits followed. And in 2000, RSA Security
was victimized by a Web defacement that really wasn't: instead, domain
cache poisoning simply fed bogus pages to users.
"One interesting thing about malicious Web sites is that the hackers have
to get people to the site," said Hubbard. "How they get people to their
sites is becoming very important. In this case, they're getting more
creative than the traditional phishing or instant messaging approach where
links are sent to users."
The adware and spyware on the malicious sites is thankfully "not very
dangerous," said Hubbard. The sites try to download and install code and
an Active X control called "ABC Search Webinstall" that changes the
browser's toolbar, its home page, and search preferences, among other
things.
For additional details of the attack as they become available, refer to the
Internet Storm Center's Diary page, which promises to update as the Center
finds out more.
Proposed Utah Law Has ISPs Up in Arms
A proposed Utah bill that would force Internet service providers to filter
and block any material and Web sites deemed "harmful to minors" has ISPs
and advocacy groups up in arms, claiming unconstitutionality on several
grounds.
In addition to requiring ISPs to prevent access of Internet materials
considered harmful to minors, the bill requires ISPs to block material on
the adult content registry and to "properly" rate the data.
The bill also directs Utah's Division of Consumer Protection to test the
effectiveness of a service provider's procedures to block material harmful
to minors on an annual basis.
Several groups have weighed in on the proposed bill, voicing a variety of
concerns. The CDT (Center for Democracy and Technology), a
Washington-based digital advocacy group, argues that Utah's bill raises
serious constitutional issues and is likely to withstand legal challenges
if signed into law.
The bill is troubling in many ways, said John Morris, staff counsel at the
CDT. First and foremost, an attempt by ISPs to comply with the law by
blocking access to content would be simply unconstitutional, he said.
Morris likened Utah's bill to a similar bill introduced in Pennsylvania in
2003. In Pennsylvania's case, the statute blocked access to Internet sites
accused of carrying child pornography. The result, according to a suit
filed by a Pennsylvania ISP along with the CDT and the ACLU of
Pennsylvania, would have been the blocking of innocent Web sites.
The court struck down Pennsylvania's statute in September of 2004, noting
that it violated the First Amendment and the Commerce Clause of the U.S.
Constitution.
In some ways, Utah's bill is even more egregious than Pennsylvania's, said
Morris, who was lead counsel in the Pennsylvania suit.
"The Pennsylvania law was targeted at a type of content everybody agrees
is inappropriate-child pornography. But the Utah law is targeted at much
broader content that, by definition, is legal content-material that is
lawful for adults but arguably harmful to minors," he said.
First amendment issues certainly will be raised if the Utah bill is signed
into law, said Samir Jain, a partner in the telecom and Internet/ecommerce
practice of Washington-based Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.
"Generally, under First Amendment law, the notion of a prior restraint,
which is blocking speech beforehand as opposed to awarding a remedy
afterwards, is disfavored," he said. "By requiring the blocking of speech,
the statute might constitute such a prior restraint."
The bill also would require ISPs to either block certain content or provide
filtering software to users. Blocking access to content could lead to
blocking innocent and unrelated Web sites or blocking access to Web sites
by customers who do not request blocking.
"ISPs see themselves as conduits to information and want to let users
decide what information they want to access," Jain noted. "They don't want
to be in a position of deciding what's good content and what's bad
content."
Another of the bills likely to be found unconstitutional, the CDT said, is
a section requiring content providers to label their content-something the
organization believes constitutes a government-imposed censorship of
speech.
"People can't be forced to self-label their own speech, because there are
different views of what is harmful to minors," Morris said.
A CDT memo on the subject pointed out that if signed into law, the bill
will increase the cost of doing business in Utah for ISPs, potentially
putting many out of business. In addition, it is likely to cause economic
harm to Utah businesses that provide Internet and Web hosting services as
well, the memo said.
NetCoalition, a group of ISPs that includes Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. as
well as ISP associations of many states, also opposes the bill. The group
sent a letter to the state Senate complaining that the vague wording of the
bill could inadvertently impact search engines, e-mail providers and Web
hosting companies.
The bill has already received approval from the Utah Senate, and unless
industry groups make their case, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is expected to
sign the bill by March 22.
FTC Says Anti-Spyware Vendor Shut Down
A software vendor that tried to drum up sales by offering to clean up
nonexistent computer "spyware" has been temporarily shut down, U.S.
regulators said on Friday.
The makers of Spyware Assassin tried to scare consumers into buying
software through pop-up ads and e-mail that warned their computers had been
infected with malicious monitoring software, the Federal Trade Commission
said.
Free spyware scans offered by Spokane, Washington-based MaxTheater Inc.
turned up evidence of spyware even on machines that were entirely clean,
and its $29.95 Spyware Assassin program did not actually remove spyware,
the FTC said.
A U.S. court has ordered the company and its owner, Thomas Delanoy, to
suspend its activities until a court hearing on Tuesday. The company could
be required to give back all the money it made from selling Spyware
Assassin.
Hands Off the Web, Bloggers and Lawmakers Say
Internet bloggers should enjoy traditional press freedoms and not face
regulation as political groups, lawmakers and online journalists said on
Friday.
In separate letters, Democratic lawmakers and Internet commentators urged
the Federal Election Commission to make sure that political Web sites that
serve as focal points for political discussion, like Wonkette.com and
Freerepublic.com, don't have to comply with campaign-finance rules.
"Curtailing blogs and other online publications will dampen the impact of
new voices in the political process and will do a disservice to the
millions of voters who rely on the Web for original, insightful political
commentary," said the Online Coalition, a group of bloggers and online
activists.
Fourteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives said blogs foster a
welcome diversity of viewpoints.
"This 'democratization' of the media is a welcome development in this era
of media consolidation and a corresponding lack of diversity of views in
traditional media outlets," said the group, which consists of thirteen
Democrats and one Republican.
The FEC ruled in 2002 that Internet activities do not count as "coordinated
political activity" and thus don't have to comply with laws that regulate
money in politics.
But a U.S. judge struck down that ruling as too broad last year, and the
FEC is scheduled to consider it later this month.
If the FEC determines that online "blogs" are in fact political
organizations, they could face fines if they work too closely with
political campaigns by, for example, reprinting their press releases.
FEC spokesman Bob Biersack said the commission would try to craft its new
rule as narrowly as possible.
"The Commission has tried very hard for a long time to be as limited in its
regulation of Internet activity as it possibly could, so there's no reason
to assume that that basic orientation doesn't continue," he said.
Apple Wins Trade Secrets Legal Dispute
A judge on Fritday ordered three independent online reporters to divulge
confidential sources in a lawsuit brought by Apple Computer Inc., ruling
that they were not protected by the First Amendment because they published
trade secrets.
The ruling alarmed speech advocates, who saw the case as a test of whether
people who write for Web publications enjoy the same legal protections as
reporters for mainstream publications. Among those are protections afforded
under California's "shield" law, which is meant to encourage the
publication of information in the public's interest.
The reporters - who run sites followed closely by Apple enthusiasts -
allegedly published product descriptions that Apple said employees had
leaked in violation of nondisclosure agreements and possibly the U.S. Trade
Secrets Act.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg ruled that no one
has the right to publish information that could have been provided only by
someone breaking the law.
"The rumor and opinion mills may continue to run at full speed," Kleinberg
wrote. "What underlies this decision is the publishing of information that
at this early stage of the litigation fits squarely within the definition
of trade secret.
"The right to keep and maintain proprietary information as such is a right
which the California Legislature and courts have long affirmed and which
is essential to the future of technology and innovation generally."
In December, Apple sued several unnamed individuals, called "Does," who
leaked specifications about a pending music software - code-named
"Asteroid" - to Monish Bhatia, Jason O'Grady and another person who writes
under the pseudonym Kasper Jade. Their articles appeared in the online
publications Apple Insider and PowerPage.
Apple demanded that Bhatia, O'Grady and Jade divulge their sources. The
reporters refused to cooperate, saying that identifying their sources would
create a "chilling effect" that could erode the media's ability to report
in the public's interest.
The online reporters could not immediately be reached for comment Friday
but have said they would consider appealing a decision favoring Apple.
Apple Insider and PowerPage have hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors
and generate revenue through advertisements, but they are a fraction of the
size of more established publications covering the computer industry.
The journalists have said Apple is trying to curtail their First Amendment
rights because they lack the legal and financial resources that mainstream
publications have to fight such information requests. Other trade
publications wrote about the music technology after the reporters broke
the story online.
"Apple is using this case as a desperate attempt to silence the masses of
bloggers and online journalists that it cannot control but feels it can
intimidate," Jade, who has been writing about Apple for more than eight
years, wrote in an e-mail earlier this week. "Online publications are
typically not backed by commercially funded organizations - a weak spot
Apple most certainly recognized prior to filing its suits. The company
hopes that it can stop or chill the Apple-news industry with its threats."
Feds Crack Down on Software Piracy Sites
Three members of a global computer piracy ring admitted Thursday they
shuttled millions of dollars in computer games, movies and software around
the world through a coded system of Web sites and chat rooms.
The men pleaded guilty in U.S. District court to federal copyright charges,
becoming the first people convicted in what the U.S. Justice Department
said was the largest-ever investigation into software piracy.
Their arrests came after FBI agents in New Haven spent more than a year
looking into the underground "Warez" community on the Internet.
"It's a competition of different groups racing to release pirated software
over the Internet," said Seth Kleinberg, a 26-year-old Los Angeles man who,
with a high-school education and a home computer, cracked the computer
industry's toughest copyright protections.
Kleinberg, who lives with his dad, faces between five and six years in
prison when he is sentenced in July.
He pleaded guilty along with Jeffrey Lerman, 20, a University of Maryland
student from Long Island, and Albert Bryndza, 32 of New York.
The investigation, dubbed "Operation Higher Education" spanned across the
United States and about a dozen foreign countries, prosecutors said.
The FBI recently built a state-of-the-art computer crimes facility in the
New Haven field office to handle Internet investigations.
Internet Becomes A Major Political News Source
Last year was a breakout year for the Internet in American politics,
surpassing radio, and in some cases newspapers, as an important source of
campaign news, a research firm says.
Fully 75 million Americans, or 37 percent of the adult population, used the
Internet in 2004 to get political news and information, discuss candidates
and debate issues in emails, or participate directly in the political
process by volunteering or giving contributions to candidates, the Pew
Internet and American Life Project said in a recent report. When
considering only online Americans, the percentage using the Internet in
politics jumped to 61 percent.
The percentage of consumers who went online last year for political news
jumped to 29 percent of the general population from 18 percent in 2000.
Among Internet users, the percentages grew to 52 percent from 33 percent,
respectively.
The Internet in 2004 surpassed radio as a prime source of campaign news,
with 28 percent of Internet users listing the web versus 17 percent citing
radio. Among broadband users, 38 percent cited the Internet as a major
source of political news, compared to 36 percent who chose newspapers.
In using the Internet more for politics, online Americans were positive in
their view of the web. Among those who get political news online, 56
percent said the Internet had "raised the overall quality of public
debate." Among all Internet users, 49 percent agreed with that statement.
In the presidential race, 53 percent of the people who said they got
political news from the Internet voted for Republican George W. Bush versus
47 percent for Democratic challenger John Kerry.
As to the reason the Internet has become so popular a political news
source, more than half of online Americans cited the convenience.
=~=~=~=
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