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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 06 Issue 07
Volume 6, Issue 7 Atari Online News, Etc. February 13, 2004
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2004
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Kevin Savetz
To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe,
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To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
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Now available:
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Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0607 02/13/04
~ "Doomjuice" Emerges! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Mozilla's Firefox!
~ Lindows Case Victory? ~ Do Not E-Mail Scam! ~ 'Roger' Released!
~ New Atarimania Site! ~ Atari Times Compendium ~ PlayStation Spammers
~ Scam Sites Crackdown! ~ Windows Leaked To Web! ~ New GameCube When?
-* Classic Gaming Expo 2004 News *-
-* 2-Year Internet Tax Ban Is Proposed *-
-* Paper Casts Doubt On SCO Copyright Claims! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I almost was going to jump the gun and make a statement that Spring was just
around the corner. After all, we managed to have a couple of days in which
the temperatures actually managed to get above normal. It was very
short-lived however! Still, it was a nice couple of days. I think I
understand my inability to really get focused on an editorial - it must be
the winter doldrums! Well, let's try it anyway!
For the past couple of weeks, we've all been hearing in the news stories
about the scourge of new viruses, worms, spam, and internet-based scams.
Granted, they're all something that we'll probably never be rid of totally.
But, you have to wonder how these things flourish. Spam, I don't have a
personal opinion for a solution other than finding a way to make it illegal
and prosecute via heavy fines. Viruses and worms, I believe are partially
avoidable if people would smarten up and not open up e-mail from unknown
users. Ignore them, delete them, don't get curious and open them. Simple?
Well, it should be.
Internet scams are another story altogether. People are stupid. People,
smarten up! And no, I realize that you readers of A-ONE are too intelligent
to fall for any of these internet scams, but bear with me anyway! If
something sounds too good to be true, you had better bet it is. If you
don't believe me, I'm doing some research to determine the common factors
between people's Social Security number, credit card numbers, and date of
birth. I'll send you a brand new five dollar bill if you provide me this
information. I'll be glad to send you the results of my study within 6-8
weeks. And, I promise that your private information will stay private!
I promise, your information is safe with me! Any takers? Can't afford the
high cost of Viagra? Have I got a deal for you! Want to make $5,000 in
just 10 days? Have I got an easy money project for you! I'm starving in
[insert any Third World country name here] - send me any cash contribution
that you can afford to my bank account in Switzerland; I will appreciate it.
How naive do these scammers think we are? You know something? The answer
is extremely naive! I don't know why, but I always seem surprised when I
read stories about victims of these typical scam ideas. You probably have
better odds of getting something for your money by buying a lottery ticket!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
New Atarimania Web Site
The guys at Atarimania are proud to announce the grand opening of their
website! We hope to make it one of your favorite stops amidst the busy
Atari highway.
Although we will try to cover most of the Atari machines, the main effort
will be towards the venerable VCS and 8-bit computer line. We think there
is still some uncharted territory in these two areas and our main goal is
to fill this gap, particularly in the gaming department.
To whet your appetite, here is what you can expect to see on our site in
the near (and not so near) future:
- scans of rare catalogs, including international editions
- magazine scans, especially rarely-seen foreign issues
- scans of hard-to-find documentation
- tons of classic Atari game ads taken from magazines
- much, much more!
As if this was not enough, we also decided to give Atari 8-bit enthusiasts
a run for their money: a HUGE section of the site will host the most
complete and accurate games database ever devised for these computers!
Based on months and months of research, this true encyclopedia will boast a
scary amount of information on nearly all programs written for these mighty
machines, including ads and box scans in easy-to-view format!
Our aim is to make this place the ultimate Atari games repository.
Hopefully, this will also lead our community to take part in the "software
preservation act" we want to promote, for the benefit of all Atari users.
Also feel free to suggest anything as we want this site to be yours!
Roger: New Game Released for STe
Tobe has decided to release a game he developed in 1994 for the STE called
"Roger". It is of very high quality, arguably better than many commercial
releases of the period in which it was developed!
"Roger" is based on a bonus level in the Sega Megadrive game called "Cool
spot", and proves to be very playable.
For details, screenshots, and download URLs, follow the link!
http://users.qldnet.com.au/~twpaton/Roger/roger.htm
Atari Times Completes the 2004 Compendium
February 3, 2004
For immediate release:
WINTER HAVEN, FL - The editor of The Atari Times (www.ataritimes.com) has
announced the completion of the annual paper-based book titled the 2004
Compendium. A limited-run of copies have been printed to accommodate the
demand.
The book includes 102 page issue of news, features, reviews, and previews
for all Atari home systems that have appeared on the website over the past
year. These include articles for the Jaguar, Lynx, 7800, 5200, 2600, home
computers, and even the arcade systems. In addition, the 2004 Compendium
includes nearly 20 pages of previously unreleased material as well as a
color cover.
Gregory D. George, editor and writer for The Atari Times commented, "As
always, it was an exhausting month coordinating the creation of the book.
But I always enjoy working on it!" He continued, "I was very pleased at the
final outcome of the book and the articles included are some of the best
ever."
The pricing of the 2004 Compendium is $14.00 plus $4 for continental U.S.
shipping (outside the continental U.S. air mail shipping is $8.)
More information about The Atari Times 2004 Compendium can be found at
http://www.ataritimes.com/store/compendium.html
The Atari Times is a web-based newsletter devoted to all Atari game
systems. Updates to the site are on a weekly basis.
Visit http://www.ataritimes.com/ for Atari related news, previews, reviews,
and feature articles.
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. It looks like Old Man Winter is getting
ready to slap us around here in the northeast. Not with snow or anything
like that, but with low temperatures. I'm one of those cold weather
people. You know the type. Those of you who aren't just hate us. We're
the ones who walk around the house in shorts and a tee shirt during
these cold snaps. I can't speak for all of us, but I can tell you that
in my case it's not that I don't FEEL the cold, but that it doesn't
bother me. That's the part that really ticks my wife off.... the fact
that it doesn't bother me.
Okay, now that THAT little bit of minutia is out of the way, I want to
make one small comment about one of my pet peeves... yes, only ONE. Pet
peeves breed like crazy. You can usually get along okay when you only
have one, but once you've got two, they seem to multiply like crazy.
Anyway, I've noticed that people are growing more and more disdainful of
little things like facts and figures. Knowledge now seems to be one of
those "us versus them" kind of things.
I'm afraid that I just don't understand that. To me, knowledge has
always been something to acquire. It's one of those things that you
usually have better luck in finding when you're not looking for it, but
you should always be trying to grab some anyway.
But these days, there's a "we don't need it" kind of mentality about
knowledge. I deal with people all day long who seem to have an attitude
that says, "I don't know what I'm talking about, so I must be right."
From what I can piece together, they figure that since some people have
knowledge on 'their side', they (the ones without it) should simply be
'allowed' to be right every other time.
Now, if you've been reading this column for a while, you might have seen
my little talk about my last remaining prejudice. I freely admit it. I'm
prejudiced.
I've spent my entire adult life trying to rid myself of any sort of
prejudice or bigotry. I thought I had done a pretty good job of it, but
all of a sudden it hit me that I had a major prejudice... I hate stupid
people.
It was about two years ago that I came to that particular realization,
and I've tried to, if not eliminate my dislike, at least lessen it.
I don't know if I should be proud or upset about this, but I've failed
miserably. I still don't like stupid people.
Well, we all have our crosses to bear, it seems. I guess I'm yours.
<grin>
Now let's get to the news, hints, tips and info from the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Peter West asks about measuring the temperature of his 68060 processor:
"I would like to know what temperature the 68060 in
my Milan is running at.
Could the CT60 program be modified to work on the
Milan ? I did try it once, some time ago, but it
wouldn't run."
Jo Even Skarstein tells Peter:
"I don't think so. I don't think the temperature sensor pins are connected
to anything on the Milan."
Michael Schwingen confirms it:
"Correct, they are not connected."
Rudolphe Czuba tells Peter, Jo Even, and Michael:
"If they are not connected to ground, really unconnected, it may be easy to
add the small part of the CT60 schematics and include the two I2C registers
in a very small CPLD on the Milan address bus.
If somebody want to do that, the CT60 schematics are on-line and the I2C
addresses are in the CHG document online too :
www.czuba-tech.com
And for software routs, I think Didier may be ok to furnish them if it is
not already done in the sources of the CT60 software pack !"
Claude Bourgoin asks for help with STiNG:
"I have a falcon 030, 14 meg of ram. My auto folder contains, sting.prg and
sting.inf. I also run xcontrol as an ACC and have sting.cpx, stngport.cpx,
and stngprot.cpx active.I have three scsi devices, Hard drive scsi ID 1.0,
Daynaport scsi link scsi ID 1.3 and the falcon itself with a scsi ID of 1.7.
I am running the latest version of HDDriver 8.1.
The problem I have is when I open up xcontrol and select sting port setup I
get 2 bombs and the falcon locks up. Any suggestions would be helpful."
John Garone tells Claude:
"It's been a while since I used Sting but I believe you don't need the 3
CPXs installed. It might be the port cpx since Dial.scr should have the
port set to Modem2.
Most important is that you have the correct package of files since thee
were many upgrades and the files don't mix! Have you tried Stik2?"
Claude tells John:
"I have Sting working now. The problem was that the Serial.stx had to run, if
I disabled it that was when I received the bombs."
Kenneth Medin adds:
"Note that he is talking about a SCSI Ethernet adaptor where these should
not be needed, but...
A good idea would be to first setup a working serial port connection
anyway. Inactivate the SCSI driver by setting file extension to .STY and
ensure that you only have:
RESOLVE.STX
SERIAL.STX
TCP.STX
UDP.STX
If you still get bombs check that all STinG related files including the
cpx's are from the latest dist.
You might get the SCSI .STX module working if you change the running
order of the modules.
STiK2 is. as far as I know, strictly for modem dial-up and not usable."
Claude tells one and all:
"I downloaded the latest version of Sting from the Sting website. And now I
have Sting working without any bombs.
But I am still unable to get the SCSIlink.STX to work properly. Because I
cannot see the Ethernet0 port in the stngport.cpx."
Brian Roland adds:
"Some things to check...
Make sure the SCSI/Link is terminated since it's last in the chain.
Make sure the SCSI Drivers are enabled in HDDriver.
Experiment with AUTO apps and their order.
In your STing folder...
Disable any STX drivers you don't need to start with.
You'll need the TCP/IP and other 'protocol' modules, and the SCSI/Link
driver of course.
One thing to keep in mind about the SCSI/Link STX.
Avoid any access to the Floppy drive when using your Ethernet. Floppy
access while STing is enabled with these drivers can sometimes lead to
bombs. Once it's working for you...remember to disable STing in the CPX
when you need to access the Floppy.
Another thing you might look into is the sting config file in your STing
folder. Make sure there aren't any really wild default settings that might
lead to crashes, such as not-enough or WAY too much memory being asked for
by STing on init.
Disable all CPX but the STing ones at first....
If still no go....
Try having XControl load the general Falcon CPX FIRST...with caches and
blitter disabled...then enabled, etc....
Finally, try reinstalling your STing package and SCSI/Link drivers...in
case there's a bad file or something.
Once you get the Falcon booting STing without bombs...selecting the
Ethernet CPX should show its proper MAC Address. If you have problems at
this stage, come back here and maybe we can offer more info about properly
setting the TCP/IP stack and such."
Derek Edding asks about a problem with his Falcon's RAM:
"I dug out my Falcon after a few years hiatus in order to play with CAF,
and found that its RAM expansion appears to have died. It's a Personal
Computer Systems AB board that takes four 4MB SIMMs. I had to cut a square
out of the metal shield for it to fit. It makes the top of the Falcon's
case bulge slightly.
With the expansion RAM card, the Falcon reboots after about 5 minutes.
When I put the old 4MB RAM board back inside, it worked fine. I swapped
the two cards a second time just to make certain.
I'm in the market for a new RAM upgrade, unless anyone has an idea of what
to try with this one. I did remove all of the SIMMs and put them back in a
different order, but this had no affect.
I saw that B&C ComputerVisions sells them, but they did not respond to my
email.
Anyone know who still sells them? Is it still possible to get the SIMMs?"
Brian Rowland tells Derek:
"Try http://www.wizztronics.com
They have a 14meg board that takes a single inline 32pin 16meg SIMM. They
likely got a SIMM for it as well."
Wayne Martz gives that his thumbs-up:
"The Wizztronics board is a good one, has worked well here with a
Nemesis,CT2B, and CT60."
Derek now asks:
"While I had my Falcon open and was testing its memory expansion, I noticed
that there was a second set of identical rows of pins for a memory module a
few inches (or several cm) to the left of the populated one.
The two rows of pins occur in the same arrangement as the ones for the
populated RAM module. There are a couple of jumpers on the pins in the
lower row.
It seems odd that Atari would have designed the falcon to have two separate
RAM cards. I don't have a schematic for the beast. Does anyone know what
the other set of pins were intended for, if anything?"
Robert Schaffner tells Derek that they're for....
"Accelerators like CT2, CT060, Afterburner"
Ekkehard Flessa adds:
"And also the Magnum Falcon alternate-RAM card, and the Nova Falcon
graphics card."
Jérôme Ginestet adds to what Ekkehard added:
"And the Screen Eye Plus or Titan Design Expose video grabbers.
And the Falcon Speed PC emulator.
Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Next GameCube in 2005, 2006?!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PlayStation Spammers Settle!
'Metroid: Zero Mission'!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Nintendo Says Next GameCube to Be Ready in '05, '06
Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co Ltd said on Tuesday it would launch a
next-generation home console in 2005 or 2006 and denied a newspaper report
that it would delay development of a successor to its GameCube console.
The Nihon Keizai business daily said Nintendo would delay the launch of a
next-generation game machine, but the Kyoto-based company said development
of the next version of the GameCube was proceeding as planned.
"Other companies aren't expected to come out with next-generation consoles
until late 2005 or 2006," said Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa. "Our
machine will be ready at the same time as the other new consoles."
On the news of a possible delay in development, Nintendo shares fell 2.67
percent to 9,850 yen in early afternoon trade against a 0.62 percent fall
in the Nikkei average.
Analysts say that in developing a next-generation game machine, Nintendo
will stick to its credo that video games should be fun, in part to
differentiate its product from muscular consoles expected from rivals Sony
Corp and Microsoft Corp.
Last month, Nintendo announced plans to launch later this year a new,
portable video game system, codenamed "Nintendo DS," that would feature two
liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, one above the other.
Analysts expect the Nintendo DS to be priced well under $200.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has said on numerous occasions that the
video game industry has started to alienate fans by developing games that
are too complex and too heavily dependent on graphics.
That is why the company remains wary of a big outlay for semiconductor
investment for the successor to the GameCube.
Sony is developing a high-powered processor, codenamed "Cell," to power the
latest version of its PlayStation series, while Microsoft plans to use
three powerful 64-bit microprocessors from IBM in the next version of its
Xbox console.
Sony plans to invest 120 billion yen ($1.14 billion) in the business year
starting April 1 to upgrade production lines at its factories and at the
manufacturing facilities of Toshiba Corp and IBM for next-generation
semiconductors, including "Cell." The company also said it plans a new
peripheral device for the GameCube, but Nintendo's Minagawa declined to
comment on what the new "adaptor" would be.
'Zero Mission' Example of Fine Retro Game
Nintendo's new "Metroid: Zero Mission" is retro video gaming at its finest.
It's a simple to play - but hard to master - mix of action and puzzles that
kept me tapping away on my Game Boy Advance for hours at a stretch.
This newest game in Nintendo's 18-year-old "Metroid" franchise is basically
a retelling of the original, with remixed levels, enemies and music.
For first-time players, the game recounts the original adventure of bounty
hunter Samus Aran - one of the first video game heroines - and her quest to
rid the planet Zebes of assorted alien hordes and the evil mastermind
Mother Brain.
The core of the game has you maneuvering Aran around a series of levels
filled with a litany of obstacles: lava and acid pits, hidden corridors
and space caverns.
Cliche? Yes, but Nintendo has managed to keep the game fresh enough that
you won't notice.
Fans of the series, meanwhile, will enjoy the classic look and appreciate
some new twists.
She can run, jump and curl up into a ball to get into those really cramped
spaces. She also has some new tricks up her sleeve: grappling onto ledges
and shooting diagonally.
There are the usual weapon and armor enhancements, too, such as an ice ray
which freezes enemies (and turns them into convenient jumping spots) and a
speed boost that will let you crash through walls and enemies.
The graphics are blocky, colorful and two-dimensional - a throwback to
yesteryear.
Although there's no three-dimensional photorealism here, "Zero Mission"
still pushes the Game Boy Advance to its limits with well-drawn,
smooth-scrolling backgrounds. Between levels, flashy comic-book style
transition screens help move the story along.
"Zero Mission" has some inconsistencies. I spent the first few hours
zipping along with ease on the game's normal difficulty setting, and the
game generally is easy compared to other Metroid games.
But navigating the sometimes complex mazes can be a chore, even with the
provided maps, because it's not always clear where you're supposed to go.
After defeating the giant green monster Kraid, I spend nearly an hour
wandering various levels, wondering what do to next.
Finally, I returned to where I had slain the beast and noticed a small pile
of rubble nearby. Sure enough, an objective I didn't even know I was
supposed to reach was revealed after jumping behind the rocks.
If you want to avoid the same frustration, be sure and pay close attention
to details like rubble and cracks in the floors and walls. It's not always
fun squinting at the Game Boy's puny screen, but spotting these clues often
leads to entirely new areas you must find in order to continue.
Generally, though, such frustrating instances are far outweighed by the
many "ah-ha!" moments I had upon solving a puzzle or successfully
navigating a tough, monster-infested level.
Part of me actually despises games like this because they're so hard to put
down. If you're like me, you'll find yourself unable to quit as you push
ahead, yearning to solve just ... one ... more ... level.
"Metroid: Zero Mission" is rated E for everyone and well worth the $35.
Three stars out of four.
FTC Says PlayStation Spammers Settle Charges
Internet "spammers" who secretly billed victims $3.99 per minute after
luring them with promises of a free video-game console have agreed to
settle deceptive-business charges, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.
The spammers have refunded more than $25,000 and have agreed to federal
oversight of their business activities, the Federal Trade Commission said.
According to FTC charges filed in March 2002, Internet users received an
e-mail message saying they had won a Sony PlayStation 2 in a sweepstakes
contest sponsored by Web portal Yahoo Inc.
Those who responded to the message were directed to a fake Yahoo page that
instructed them to download a program that would allow them to claim the
prize.
The program then connected them to a pornographic Web page that secretly
charged them $3.99 a minute through a 1-900 telephone line, the FTC
charged.
BTV Industries, which created the modem-dialer software, has returned
$25,000 in gains from the scheme, the FTC said.
Three individuals - Pennsylvania resident Christopher Baith, Cosme Monarrez
Jr. of Las Vegas and Sorabh Verma of New York - have also promised to avoid
such schemes in the future, and Baith will return $2,500 in gains, the FTC
said.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jayson Hill
CGE Director of Media Relations
(334) 705-0848
media@cgexpo.com
CGE SERVICES CORPORATION ANNOUNCES SHOW DATES
AND NEW LOCATION FOR CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2004
Classic Gaming Expo Has Outgrown It's Home
VALLEY STREAM, NEW YORK - February 12, 2004 - The organizers of Classic
Gaming Expo announced today that the 2004 Classic Gaming Expo will be held
August 21 and 22 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California.
Citing ever-growing attendance, the organizers were compelled to seek
larger quarters for their seventh annual event; the video gaming industry's
largest show dedicated to the preservation and celebration of video game
history.
"We're very excited about the show's move to the heart of the video game
industry," said John Hardie, co-founder of CGE Services Corporation. "Las
Vegas has been very good to us, but over the past couple of years
attendance has risen to the point that it was getting a little crowded
there. We also felt that since many of our alumni and sponsors were located
on the West Coast, not to mention a larger collector base and game press,
it would be more convenient and comfortable for everyone if the show was
relocated to California."
According to Hardie, this year's Classic Gaming Expo will utilize more than
30,000 square feet of exhibit space in the San Jose Convention Center. The
main show floor will see an increase of over 7,000 square feet while the
keynote speaker room and museum of gaming history will double in size.
In 2003 over 1400 people attended Classic Gaming Expo to see the latest
offerings from the various exhibitors, visit the world's most comprehensive
video game museum, play classic and modern games, and meet the luminaries
of video gaming's past and present. In the history of the show such
notable personalities as Nolan Bushnell, Ralph Baer, Jay Smith, David Crane
and hundreds of other celebrities have attended and spoken to the
attendees. Show co-organizers John Hardie, Sean Kelly and Joe Santulli
expect the move to San Jose to further increase attendance and bring more
industry pioneers to the show.
"Moving the show to California is something we've considered for the past
couple of years but finding a suitable location and making arrangements to
move and store our vast archive of material has taken a great deal of time
and effort," said Hardie. "We look forward to the continued support of our
past patrons as well as the new friends we'll make in California."
Classic Gaming Expo is open to anyone with an interest in video games -
both classic and modern. Information on attendance, ticketing and past
events is available at www.cgexpo.com.
About CGE Services Corporation Classic Gaming Expo is a production of CGE
Services Corporation. Currently in its seventh year, Classic Gaming Expo
remains the industry's only annual event dedicated to celebrating and
preserving the history of electronic entertainment, bringing together
industry pioneers, gaming enthusiasts and the media for the ultimate
experience in learning, game-playing and networking. For additional
information, visit CGE Services Corporation's Web site at
http://www.cgexpo.com.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
New 'Doomjuice' Worm Emerges, Targets Microsoft
A new worm dubbed "Doomjuice" targeting Microsoft Corp.'s Web site emerged
on the Internet on Monday, which security experts said slowed parts of the
software maker's home page.
Doomjuice, which some are describing as a variant of the MyDoom worm,
spreads via e-mail systems already infected with the first version, which
became the fastest-spreading virus ever when it was unleashed on the
Internet at the end of January.
"It's only looking for machines that are compromised by MyDoom A or B,"
said Vincent Gullotto, vice president of the anti-virus emergency response
team at Network Associates Inc. He said it was not spreading as rapidly as
the initial MyDoom worms.
Because Doomjuice spreads directly between infected computers, rather than
via e-mail, experts said that it would not be accurate to call it a variant
of MyDoom, which accounted for as many as one in five e-mails at its peak
in late January.
But some computer security companies and Microsoft have taken to describing
Doomjuice as a variant of MyDoom, naming it "MyDoom.C."
The MyDoom worm, as well as its variant MyDoom.B, were designed to entice
e-mail recipients to click open an attachment, which then installed
malicious software on a personal computer. The worms then instructed
infected PCs to flood the Web sites of the SCO Group Inc. and Microsoft in
an effort to shut them down.
Doomjuice, which experts said was most likely created by the same author as
MyDoom, is designed to flood Microsoft's web site for request for data in
an effort to bring it down, an attack known as a distributed denial of
service.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said that "all Microsoft.com web
properties are stable and available to customers."
Security experts noted, however, that Microsoft's Web site was slower and
was intermittently unavailable over the weekend.
The Web site of SCO, a small software maker based in Utah, has been shut
down for more than a week after being hit by MyDoom. SCO has drawn the ire
of advocates of Linux, the freely available operating system, for claimingto own the copyright on some parts of Linux and
demanding licensing fees from users.
Microsoft's Web site http://www.microsoft.com remained up and running on
Monday while http://www.sco.com remained offline.
The companies have also set up alternate Web sites at
https://information.microsoft.com and http://www.thescogroup.com and are
each offering a $250,000 bounty for information leading to the capture of
MyDoom's author.
The Big Leak: Windows Code on Net
A portion of Microsoft's closely guarded trade secret - parts of the
Windows source code - has leaked over the Internet. It was posted to
several underground sites and chat rooms and appears to be circulating
freely on P2P networks.
The software giant confirmed that segments of the Windows 2000 and Windows
NT 4.0 code were made available on the Internet. "It's illegal for third
parties to post Microsoft source code, and we take such activity very
seriously," the company said. "We are currently investigating these
postings and are working with the appropriate law-enforcement authorities."
The company is looking into claims that file swappers are sharing Windows
source code.
It is not clear how great an effect the leak will have on Microsoft and the
hundreds of millions of computers globally that use the purloined code. The
illicit posting may enable hackers to breach Windows security more
effectively, although the company claims the theft is an issue of
intellectual property rights rather than security.
Some experts dispute that claim. "One thing that is for certain is that
there is a whole lot of underground activity going on right now where the
hackers are trying to find things they would otherwise not be able to
find," F-Secure research manager Mikko Hypponen told NewsFactor.
The circulating source code appears to be just a small percentage of the
Windows 2000 and NT source code. Early reports say the leaked Windows 2000
code contains some 30,000 files and 13.5 million lines of code. The OS's
full source code contains somewhere between 40 to 50 million lines of code.
The file is compressed to 203MB, and expands to approximately 660MB.
Because the file size matches the capacity of a CD-R it is likely that an
individual illicitly burned a CD of the code to post it on the Net.
Software industry experts estimate that the full Windows source code would
be as large as 40GB.
"It's a percentage that would be like getting one page out of a novel,"
Meta Group analyst Steve Kleynhans told NewsFactor. Given the leak's tiny
size, predicting its significance is impossible. "If it happens to be one
particular super core piece of code, it could be significant," but the leak
could be of minor value, he said.
"I think people overestimate how important having the source code out there
is," he said. "People have this assumption that hackers are going to dive
into this and find all these bugs and security holes - that's a pretty big
assumption."
The security implications have been exaggerated, agrees Neel Mehta,
research engineer with Internet Security Systems. He has seen a
file-by-file posting of the leaked code on the Web, he told NewsFactor, and
based on his viewing, many "critical parts of the operating system have not
been exposed."
It is not known how the leak occurred, though Microsoft says, "At this
point it does not appear that this is the result of any breach of
Microsoft's corporate network or internal security."
The confidential nature of the Windows source code is the cornerstone of
the company's business model. Microsoft has defended its nondisclosure
policy by saying that if the code were made public, it could be detrimental
to Windows security.
The company shares its source code only with governments and universities
that sign confidentiality agreements. For example, after China expressed a
preference for Linux in February of 2003, Microsoft revealed the entire
Windows source code to the Chinese government.
Locating the source of the leak will be a major - but important - challenge
for Microsoft, Sophos security consultant Carole Theriault told NewsFactor.
"When you're dealing with an organization that big, the right hand doesn't
always know what the left foot is doing," she said. "I'm sure they're
scrambling - it's a bit of shock, and it's a sad day for them."
The company's safeguards for the confidentiality of its code have been
effective, up to this point. While beta versions of the company's OSes have
been posted, source-code leaks have been virtually nonexistent.
Microsoft reports that there is no known impact on customers at this time,
saying, "We will continue to monitor the situation."
The effect of the leak on the security of Microsoft's software hinges on a
key factor, experts say: to what extent the leaked code contains bugs not
already found by the software giant.
"We're talking about Windows NT and 2000 - the operating systems which were
released before the massive security enhancements started by Microsoft
pretty much after 9/11," Hypponen said. "It is likely that there are
security holes which have not been found."
However, he noted, "It's hard to say anything certain right now."
Paper Casts Doubts on SCO's Copyright Claims
On Feb. 10, the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), an industry consortium
dedicated to accelerating Linux's adoption, published Columbia University
professor and general counsel for the Free Software Foundation Eben
Moglen's latest position paper on The SCO Group's anti-Linux legal efforts.
In this latest document, Moglen focuses on the war over who actually owns
Unix's copyrights: Novell Inc. or SCO?
In this paper, Moglen makes two main points. The first is SCO admits that
by suing Novell its claim to exclusive ownership of the Unix copyright is
in doubt. Moglen argues that no judge would hold an end user liable for
intentionally infringing SCO Group's rights when SCO itself has cast doubt
on what it owns. Because of this, Moglen believes that potential and
present Linux customers have little incentive to purchase a license from
SCO and instead will wait for a final decision on who owns the copyrights.
Next, Moglen argues that even after the suit litigation is resolved,
regardless of who prevails, customers will still have the right to use the
Linux code in question without purchasing a license from either SCO or
Novell. That's because, as Moglen points out, both SCO and Novell, via SuSE
Linux, have already distributed the Linux code under the GPL and this
license allows licensees to use, modify, copy and distribute the Linux code
freely. Thus, Moglen contends, the results of the litigation will have no
effect on those rights, and customers will have no obligation to purchase
another license from either SCO or Novell.
In a phone interview Tuesday with eWEEK.com, Moglen said SCO's efforts to
use its supposed Unix copyright against Novell-an issue that SCO is now
attempting to also use in its IBM lawsuit-is destined to failure because
it's a Catch-22. Moglen believes SCO can't pursue any Linux user or
distributor because even if it does own the copyright, it gave its
copyrighted code away under the GPL for years.
In a statement, Stuart Cohen, OSDL CEO, said: "We see Linux deployments
continuing around the world and many prudent customers are choosing to
ignore SCO's legal threats until the courts rule, particularly given SCO's
admitted uncertainty about its own rights. We believe Professor Moglen's
paper gives Linux customers, developers and others added peace of mind
about the choices they make about Linux."
Senators Propose 2-Year Internet Tax Ban
Senate opponents of a permanent ban on taxing Internet access proposed
extending a moratorium two years, saying their plan would soothe state and
local officials worried about losing a tax base to new technology.
The senators said Wednesday their bill would offer a temporary fix while
Congress and federal regulators assess how to respond to the increasing use
of the Internet for phone service and downloading videos, TV shows and
music.
States and local governments feared the permanent ban, which stalled in the
Senate last year, would have restricted their ability to tax such services.
"It's a temporary solution. The other position is permanent confusion that
could cost state and local governments billions and billions of dollars,"
said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
Alexander was joined at a Capitol Hill news conference by Sens. Kay Bailey
Hutchison, R-Texas; Tom Carper, D-Del.; and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Proponents of the permanent ban sought by the high-tech industry said local
governments' claim they would losing their ability to tax
telecommunications was unfounded.
"The proposal offered today would continue to allow harmful, regressive
taxes on Internet access services, especially high-speed, broadband
service," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va., who with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.,
is leading the attempt to get a permanent ban.
Backers of both positions said they hoped for Senate votes on their
legislation this year.
Microsoft Dealt a Blow in Lindows Case
After several legal setbacks in Europe, Linux vendor Lindows.com can now
claim a victory in its U.S. battle with Microsoft.
The court battle revolves around the Lindows name, which Microsoft says is
too close to Windows.
A U.S. district court said on Tuesday that, were the case to come before a
jury, it would instruct the jury to consider whether "windows" was a
generic term before Microsoft introduced software with that name in 1985.
The court also cited an earlier case stating that, if a term is found to
be generic, then it cannot be the subject of trademark protection,
according to a copy of the ruling supplied by Lindows.com. It was made by
the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Microsoft sued Lindows.com in the U.S. in December 2001, accusing it of
infringing its Windows trademark and asking the court to bar Lindows.com
from using the Lindows name. Microsoft lost two requests for an injunction.
The case was set to go to trial before a jury on March 1.
The trial has now been postponed pending appeal of the court's decision,
according to the court ruling.
Microsoft disagreed with the court's ruling. The validity of the Windows
trademark should be judged by the present day usage and understanding of
the word, says Microsoft spokesperson Stacy Drake. Still, the company is
pleased it can get a ruling on the issue from an appeals court before the
case comes to trial, she says.
"We are very encouraged that the judge has granted our request to ask the
court of appeals to provide guidance and clarity on this important issue of
law before going to trial," she says.
Lindows.com, in San Diego, California, described Tuesday's ruling as a
major victory that will allow it to keep using the Lindows name
indefinitely or until the final decision in the case is made. The ruling
confirms that a company, no matter how wealthy, cannot buy a word out of
the English language, Lindows.com counsel Daniel Harris says in a
statement.
Lindows.com has been less fortunate in Europe, where judges in Finland,
Sweden, and the Netherlands have sided with Microsoft and barred the San
Diego, California-based company from using the Lindows name.
Mozilla Trots Out Firefox Browser
The Mozilla Foundation released a new version of its open source Web
browser this week, with improvements to its download manager, extension,
and bookmark handling, along with a new name aimed at skirting trademark
complaints from another open source project.
The browser has lost its previous Firebird moniker and become the new
"Firefox 0.8" software, a preview of the group's upcoming 1.0 release. The
group dropped the Firebird name to avoid a scuffle with the Firebird
relational database development project.
Firefox, released Monday, improves upon its predecessor with a new download
manager aimed at tracking multiple downloads, easier bookmark handling, a
new installer for Microsoft Windows users, and improved handling of
extensions, Mozilla says.
Mozilla community members have created over 200 extensions, or small
software applications that can be downloaded to increase the browser's
functionality, the group says, including an ad banner remover and a
spell-checker.
The group also released a new preview of its Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail
application Monday. Thunderbird 5.0 offers the ability to synchronize
address books with devices from Palm, secure password authentication for
SMTP and POP3 mail clients, an upgraded spell-checker and dictionary, as
well as fixes to previous bugs.
A London user of Mozilla's previous e-mail application says that she is
excited about the new software's ability to sync with Palm devices since
she has a Tungsten E handheld.
Improvements to the e-mail client may convince her to begin using the
Mozilla browser as well, as she gets more comfortable with the software,
she says.
Mozilla Firefox 0.8 and Thunderbird 5.0 are both preview releases in
anticipation of the group's next stand-alone Web browser and e-mail
application. Both are available for free from the group's Web site.
Mozilla did not say when the new stand-alone applications would be
available.
The group released a full Internet suite dubbed Mozilla 1.6, comprised of
a Web browser, e-mail application, Web page editor, and Internet chat
software, last month. It claims to have had 100,000 downloads of Mozilla
1.6 within the first 20 days of its availability.
Makers of Web Browser Opera to Go Public
Opera Software ASA, makers of a popular Web browser, on Monday announced
that it plans to sell shares publicly for the first time and list its stock
next month on the Oslo stock exchange.
The Oslo-based company was founded in 1995 by two former developers for the
Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor as an offshoot of a company
project.
Co-founder and chief executive Jon S. von Tetzchner said the time to make
the company publicly held was now.
"Opera has come far, and a public listing will give us more flexibility to
expand our position as a leading player in the Internet arena," he said.
Though popular among a growing number of tech-savvy computer users, the
Opera browser trails Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator in
the browser market.
But Opera's browser, heralded by its users for being compact and fast, has
gained ground as the platform of choice for use on mobile phones and
personal digital assistant devices.
Opera is also working with Symbian, which is competing a with a handful of
mobile operating systems including Microsoft's Mobile Windows, Palm and
Linux.
Since Opera's software requires less memory than browsers made by
Microsoft and Netscape, it can fit more functions into mobile phones and
still offer full-scale Web browsing of standard Internet pages, the
Oslo-base company contends.
Opera's initial public offering will be managed by Enskilda Securities and
ABG Sunda Collier, the company said.
Opera CFO Christian Jepsen said details of the initial public offering have
not yet been decided, but hoped it could result in approximately "75 to 150
million kroner" or about $10 million to $20 million.
Currently, Opera's workers hold a 70 percent stake in the company, with the
remainder held by other private investors. The company employs 125 people.
Microsoft Takes Aim at Pesky Pop-Up Web Ads
Those mosquito-like "pop-up" and "pop-under" Web advertisements could be
headed for rapid extinction after Microsoft Corp. decided to phase them out
across its MSN Internet units around the globe by summer.
The software giant said on Friday internal research showed customers were
growing increasingly dissatisfied with the seemingly ubiquitous offers that
appear in new windows when certain MSN Web sites are accessed.
As a result, the company will no longer sell such ad formats to
advertisers. The ban goes into effect shortly for MSN's media properties in
the United Kingdom, the Nordic countries and Belgium, extending to all
territories in the coming months, the firm said.
MSN in the U.S. began the practice at the end of 2003.
MSN, which describes itself as the world's most popular Web portals with
350 million global visitors, is the latest Internet firm to ban the
much-maligned advertising format.
Time Warner's Internet unit, AOL, began blocking the ads from its US portal
last year.
The backlash comes amid a resurgence in Internet advertising, the lifeblood
of the majority of online businesses. Advertisers and Internet media
executives have been trying to develop alternatives to the "pop-up" and
"pop-under" formats, which has been implemented over the years by
advertisers ranging from airlines to pornography purveyors.
Countries Crack Down on Scam Web Sites
Two dozen countries are participating in a three-day crackdown on scam Web
sites that try to swindle visitors with get-rich-quick and other schemes.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is leading consumer
protection agencies from the United States, Britain, Canada and other
countries on a search this week for sites that make claims "too good to be
true," commission Deputy Chair Louise Sylvan said.
The primary targets are offers that promise a lot but often have large
startup fees, added costs and "grossly exaggerated earning potential," the
commission said.
"The point is to clean it up, to send a strong message that we want
consumers to be safe shopping on the Net and that we're out there
watching," Sylvan said.
The Internet sweep is being conducted through the International Consumer
Protection and Enforcement Network of consumer protection authorities from
31 countries.
The sweeps, of which this is the sixth since 1999, have had "varied
success," Sylvan said.
In 2002, there were 1,400 specific sites on health identified worldwide as
suspicious, she said. About 210 are still under investigation, but 74 cases
led to settlements, she said.
Sigi Goode, an Internet expert at the Australian National University,
called the effort a waste of time, noting that sites once shuttered can
easy pop up again elsewhere.
Goode said resources would be better used on fighting junk e-mail because
"you would see a lot of these types of sites disappear if you could do
that."
'Do Not E-Mail' Site a Scam, U.S. Officials Say
Consumers should not submit their e-mail addresses to a Web site that
promises to reduce unwanted "spam" because it is fraudulent, the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday.
Though the Web site found at (http://www.unsub.us) promises to reduce
unsolicited commercial e-mail, those who sign up could end up receiving
more spam than ever or even fall victim to identity theft, the FTC said.
The Web site uses the same color scheme and design elements as one
maintained by the FTC to sign up consumers for the national "do not call"
registry, which reduces unwanted telemarketing calls.
The FTC has been ordered by Congress to examine whether a similar "do not
spam" list would be feasible, but the agency hasn't yet reached a
conclusion and does not operate a "do not spam" Web site.
The unsub.us Web site is not affiliated with the government and consumers
should not submit their e-mail addresses to the site, the FTC said in a
news release.
"The best way to avoid scams like this one is to keep your personal
information to yourself - including your e-mail address - unless you know
who you're dealing with," the FTC said.
No contact information was listed on the Web site, and registration
information pointed to Network Solutions Inc., a domain-name seller. A
Network Solutions official said the Web site owner could not be contacted
directly.
FTC officials in the past have warned not to sign up for other "do not
spam" sites as they could be a way for spammers to collect more e-mail
addresses.
=~=~=~=
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