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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 07 Issue 40
Volume 7, Issue 40 Atari Online News, Etc. September 30, 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:
Fred Horvat
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0740 09/30/05
~ StarOffice 8 Released! ~ People Are Talking! ~ CCAG Show Postponed
~ EU Says Share the Web! ~ Kids Laptop Unveiled! ~ Online Avatars!
~ FIFA Phishing Scam! ~ Google Triples Search! ~ Microsoft Bad?
~ Hackers Help Microsoft ~ Commodore Resurrected! ~ P2Ps Are Doomed!
-* Phasing Out Microsoft Office *-
-* Colleges Offer More Game Courses! *-
-* U.S. Insists On Keeping Control of Internet *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It's been another one of those weeks. As you may or may not be aware, I
work in a large clinic/hospital north of Boston. Like all hospitals, we're
"inspected" by a regulatory agency every four years. Well, our time arrives
at the end of the year. Typically, the administration starts to panic
around July, trying to prepare for the audit. Logically, you would think
that any hospital would get audited, fix any outstanding issues, and
continue to comply. In that fashion, future audits would go smoothly.
Naturally, most clean up their act in time for the audit, and then resort to
all of the bad habits for the next four years. We're probably no different.
So, we're doing all of the prep work, bogging everyone down with all of this
extra workload. What a waste of time, only to have to repeat it again for
the next time. When will everybody learn...?
So, that's been my week, and will likely continue for another couple of
months. Meanwhile, the world goes on. The weather around here has started
to cool down. I guess autumn is really here. It's a nice time of the year,
until the trees start to dump their leaves! Most of my outdoor projects are
finally completed, so I guess it's time to renew my indoor ones. Such is
life as a homeowner. Well, let's get to our primary reason for being here,
and get to the news of the week.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE User Group Notes! - Meetings, Shows, and Info!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
CCAG 2005 Postponed
Greetings CCAG 2005 Committee Members, Vendors, and Attendees:
As some of you are aware, we are allowed the use of the National Guard
Armory in Lorain, Ohio because one of our committee members is a member of
the National Guard. This allows us to hold this event very inexpensively
and free to vendors and attendees. In order for us to hold CCAG at the
National Guard Armory in Lorain, he must attend the event.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Rita has activated the National Guard unit that he
is in for the next 30 - 45 days. This means he is unavailable for the now
previously scheduled event date of October 22, 2005. We intend to
reschedule to December 2005, but we do not have a date yet. As soon as we
have a date, we will announce it via our email lists and on the website,
www.ccagshow.com.
When we have a date, we will reconfirm with all of the dealers - to see how
many can attend.
Again, we apologize for late change in plans but it simply can't be helped.
It's just one of the non-monetary costs for a free show.
Thank you for your continued support of our show. We hope to see you this
December and again - hopefully in April - of next year!
Thomas McLaren
CCAG Webmaster
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. It seems that the fates are conspiring
against me again. Last week, I couldn't even sit at the computer
because of an ear infection. This week, my UseNet provider seems to be
asleep on the job. If you have SBC and happened to try to access the
NewsGroups on Thursday evening, you know what I mean.
There's lots of stuff going on out in the world that I'm interested in,
but this isn't really the forum for it, and I'm not comfortable in
breaking a lot of new ground just because my UseNet connection is
broken at the moment. Suffice it to say that I think it's more
important now than ever that we all... reach. Read things that you
wouldn't normally read. Talk to people that you normally wouldn't talk
to. Do a job that you normally wouldn't do. In short, it's time for us
to expand our horizons and realize that the expansion itself is what's
important.
Now, a lot of you who've been reading these columns for a long time and
have become accustomed to my rants might think that I'm talking about
politics, and you're right. But it's more than that... it's political,
it's social, it's... it's whatever we do that deals with interactions
with other people.
I've spent a little bit of time lately talking with friends about the
"Evolution vs. Intelligent Design" debate. Aside from being an
interesting exercise in Constitutional law, it also showcases the way
the human mind works. I'm not going to give you my opinion one way or
the other because I think that, where issues like this are concerned,
people should be motivated from within to figure out not only what they
believe but why. And I really think that that's what this current round
of debate boils down to... people deciding not only what they believe
but what led them to think as they do.
Let's face it, folks, there are almost as many different trains of
thought as there are people. Most of them conflict with most of the
others. How do you reconcile them? You could say that you happen to be
right and everyone who sees things differently is wrong, but that puts
you in a mighty small minority. The chances of YOU being the one to be
correct becomes vanishingly small. So are some of us right and some of
us just stupid? Oh, don't even let me get started on that one! And what
exactly are the chances of a 2-fer? <grin>
In short, I'm really becoming convinced that we're losing the ability to
think analytically, and to our detriment, we don't realize it or miss
it.
Oh, screw it! I AM going to give you my opinion. Ready? Here it is: Quit
being stupid! The Evolution vs. Intelligent Design debate isn't about
religion. If it were, the other side (ie: the stupid ones) would be
content to teach their own kids in CCD classes or Sunday School and
leave actual education to educators. After all, school systems aren't
saying that you can't teach your kids about religion, just that THEY'RE
not going to do it for you. If you want to believe that the earth is
6,000 years old, that's fine with me. But teach your kids that that's
the way it must be and we're going to end up with a whole generation
that can't get past the idea that there really are little tiny people
inside their televisions.
Well, that's it for this week, folks. Sorry about the lack of UseNet
stuff. I'm taking it on faith that my newsgroup server will be back up
and running next week. Have a great week and until we meet again, keep
your ears open so that you'll hear what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - College Video Game Courses!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Commodore To Reenter Industry!
Doom 3! Sly 3!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
More Colleges Offering Video Game Courses
More and more, video game-related courses are being offered in colleges
around the country in response to the digital media industry's appetite for
skilled workers and the tastes of a new generation of students raised on
Game Boy and Xbox.
Animation I, Cognition & Gaming and Computer Music are being offered as
part of the year-old minor in game studies at RPI, one of dozens of schools
that have added courses or degree programs related to video gaming in
recent years.
RPI, which plans to offer a major in the field next year, graduated 27
gaming minors in its first year and expects a jump this year.
"The concept of designing good video games, or designing good
human-computer interactions - that's what I'm interested in," said Chelsea
Hash, a senior with a video game minor and a major in electronic arts.
From Brooklyn's Pratt Institute to the University of Colorado, at least 50
schools around the country now offer courses in video game study,
development or design, according to industry groups.
Some of the schools offer full-blown academic programs. The University of
Washington offers a certificate in game design; the Art Institute of
Phoenix gives a bachelor of arts in game art and design; and the University
of Pennsylvania has a master's in computer graphics and game technology.
Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers
Association, said the high number of schools adding programs in the past
few years shows how the game industry is maturing.
Della Rocca said that in the early "Space Invader" days of game
development, one developer could mentor a handful of workers. Now, games
can cost $10 million to develop and require 200 workers, making the
industry hungrier for specialized skills.
RPI humanities dean John Harrington said the idea of teaching about video
games in college "brings out the Puritan in some people," but he said the
technology-oriented school can't afford to ignore the booming field of
digital media.
Administrators at RPI say they developed a serious academic program that
marries technology and creativity.
Marc Destefano, who teaches the psychology of play, system dynamics and
game theory in his introductory course, wants students to appreciate the
interplay of mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics that he says makes a video
game work - be it Pac-Man or Resident Evil.
It's not all about design, however: Katherine Isbister teaches students
about the social and emotional aspects of gaming. Her research lab looks
more like a teen's dream living room with sectional sofa, plasma-screen TV
and a shelf full of video games. Less obvious are the cameras that can
focus on players' faces.
Many of the academic programs at RPI and elsewhere are still new and are
just starting to become a feeder system for the $10 billion-a-year video
game industry.
Della Rocca compares it to the emergence of film studies programs decades
ago. Dismissed at first, they now produce big-name directors in a field now
considered by many to be a serious art form.
"Just like when rock and roll came of age everybody wanted to be a rock
star, as video games have come of age, everyone wants to be a developer,"
said Carolyn Rauch, senior vice president of the Entertainment Software
Association.
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
It's been just a few months since Vicarious Visions did an admirable job of
bringing id Software's graphically superior Doom 3 to the Xbox, but now
publisher Activision is already prepping the game's first expansion pack,
Resurrection of Evil, as a stand-alone game slated to hit Microsoft's
console in October. We just had a chance to get our hands bloody with a
demo version of Resurrection of Evil to determine whether this quasi-sequel
will maintain the high quality set by its predecessor, as well as to
discover any new gameplay goodies that may have been added. If you were
impressed by the original Doom 3 on the Xbox, early indications are good
that the follow-up will deliver once again.
It's back to hell once again as the UAC sends you to investigate the scene
of the slaughter in the first game. Thanks, UAC!
Resurrection of Evil begins with the Union Aerospace Corporation unwisely
deciding to reopen the Mars excavation site that acted as the backdrop for
all the hellish goings-on in the original game. You'll play the role of a
combat engineer who goes in with the initial exploratory team to access
some previously sealed ruins. It seems these ruins were closed for a
reason, since you quickly encounter a mysterious demonic artifact that
promptly slaughters all the other humans in the area and opens a new portal
straight to hell. How convenient. Even worse, the forces of the damned -
led by the corrupted Dr. Betruger from the original game - are seeking that
artifact, so it'll be up to you to both fight off wave after wave of
hellspawn and use the device to defeat Betruger and seal up the portal once
and for all.
If you played Resurrection of Evil on the PC (or even the original Doom 3
on either platform), you'll know what to expect from the game on the Xbox.
You'll essentially run from point A to point B in a given level, looking
for the appropriate key card or switch to open up the path to the exit. Of
course, you'll obliterate all manner of zombies and hellish demons on the
way there, and for that you'll have access to the same massive arsenal that
was available in Doom 3. From the shotgun and chaingun to the rocket
launcher, grenades, and BFG, there are plenty of ways to fight off hell's
armies. The game will offer a few new enemies as well, such as a faster,
supercharged version of the imp.
Oh yeah, about that artifact... It confers some nifty powers. As you play,
you'll be able to charge the hell weapon with human souls found
conveniently in corpses that litter the base. When you unleash that power,
you'll be able to slow down time, seriously increase your melee damage
output, and even become invincible, depending on how far you've gotten into
the game. It might sound like these hell powers would make the game a
little too easy, but at least in the PC version of the game, the difficulty
ramps up to the point where you'll need to rely on them.
The hellish artifact will give you some new powers with which to stop the
demonic onslaught.
Luckily, the designers threw a couple of other nice upgrades into
Resurrection of Evil's weapon lineup on the PC, and those additions are, of
course, present on the Xbox. First up is the double-barreled shotgun, which
is a nice nostalgic nod to Doom II - and more importantly, an incredibly
powerful close-range weapon. But it only holds two shells at a time, so
you'll have to use it judiciously. Then you have the grabber, a
physics-based weapon that can pick up crates, explosive barrels, and other
objects to hurl at enemies. The grabber is even more useful for plucking
the demons' fireballs right out of the air and sending them flying right
back. Finally, we've observed one addition - or, more accurately, a
consolidation - unique to the Xbox version of Resurrection: the flashlight
has been merged with the pistol. While this isn't a major change, it's nice
to have at least some sort of ranged offensive capability while you're
squinting your eyes in the darkest corridors.
This Xbox version of Resurrection of Evil will ship with some other
goodies, in addition to the all-new campaign mode. Primarily, there's the
competitive multiplayer via Xbox Live, which will feature deathmatch,
tournament, and last man standing modes across a variety of new maps.
Sadly, though, it looks like the two-player cooperative support that was
popular in the Xbox version of Doom 3 has been dropped here. But then, the
game will support downloadable content, so you never know. And at least
you'll get access to those vaunted PC classics Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and
the especially punishing Doom II: Master Levels, which will provide a
healthy dose of nostalgia and give you some extra multiplayer madness
besides.
The quality of Vicarious Visions' original Doom 3 port surpassed many
gamers' expectations, given the apparent limits of the Xbox hardware. After
playing through a few missions in the follow-up, it looks like Nerve
Software's effort is at least equal, if not superior, to the original. This
Xbox version retains a truly impressive amount of the considerable detail
present in the PC version, from the normal-mapped characters to the spooky
real-time shadowing that's largely responsible for the game's thick sense
of atmosphere. Obviously, some corners had to be cut - many textures are
noticeably lower resolution, for instance - but overall, what we've seen of
the game so far looks remarkably close to the fidelity of the PC original.
The graphics in this Xbox version look surprisingly close to those of the
stunning PC original.
Resurrection of Evil features some nice enhancements to the Doom 3 formula,
yet that formula remains essentially unchanged here, so your interest in
this product ought to be predicated on your satisfaction with the original
game. At the least, we can say after blasting through a few levels that the
Xbox port quality here looks to be just as solid as it was with the first
Doom 3 last April. This "expansion" disc doesn't actually require the
original game to run, and Activision is letting it go for a fairly modest
$30. So if you're jonesing for more demonic action on your home theater,
Resurrection of Evil will likely satisfy.
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Ships For Playstation 2
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the launch of
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, a comedic crime caper, action-adventure game
designed exclusively for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.
Created by Seattle-based developer Sucker Punch Productions, Sly 3: Honor
Among Thieves builds upon the award-winning Sly Cooper franchise with an
all-new animated adventure allowing players to join Sly and his crew as
they struggle against new villains and old adversaries in an effort to
recover the Cooper family fortune. Showcasing Sucker Punch's signature
toon-shaded artistic style and outstanding storytelling, Sly 3: Honor Among
Thieves returns for Sly's most elaborate heist with a variety of new
gameplay features, including eight playable characters, 3D gameplay,
challenging co-op and head-to-head multiplayer games, new vehicles,
mini-games, disguises, enhanced combat move sets and much more.
"Sucker Punch developed a game that will once again attract PlayStation 2
fans of all ages, while providing additional challenges and more in-depth
gameplay to suffice hardcore gamers," said Grady Hunt, senior producer,
product development, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "While we've
stayed true to the aspects of the Sly Cooper franchise players love, we've
also added a breadth of new features, sophisticated humor, deeper character
development and extensive replay value to deliver an innovative, yet true
platform gameplay experience."
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves begins with Sly and his crew in disarray and
struggling with setbacks. Bentley was crippled in the final battle with
Clockwerk at the end of Sly 2: Band of Thieves and confined to a
wheelchair, and Murray, feeling responsible for Bentley's tragic accident,
has quit the team and chosen a path of non-violence and solace. Meanwhile,
Sly learns of a secret family vault that houses the amassed Cooper family
fortune. Upon arriving at this hidden location, Sly discovers another enemy
group attempting to steal the Cooper fortune. Sly and Bentley quickly
realize they will need considerable help to defeat this new rival. Their
recruiting starts with Murray, and once back on-board, Sly, Murray and
Bentley set out to enlist some new and familiar faces in an effort to pull
off a World Class heist.
True to the evolution of the Sly Cooper franchise, Sly 3: Honor Among
Thieves showcases Sucker Punch's critically acclaimed comic-book inspired
graphics mixed with a unique combination of stealth and platforming action
that has made the previous titles in the series achieve "Greatest Hits"
status. Set in exotic and remote locations including China, the Australian
Outback and Venice, Italy, players will be drawn into visually stunning
worlds that are more dense and interactive than previous installments. In
addition to taking on the evolving-roles of Sly and his two partners in
crime, Murray and Bentley, gamers will experience a fresh cast of some new
and familiar playable characters each with their own distinct move set,
including franchise favorites Inspector Carmelita Fox and the Lounge Lizard
Dimitri. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves also takes the "heist" gameplay
mechanic introduced in Sly 2: Band of Thieves to the next level as team
missions are built around the playable characters on-screen simultaneously
collaborating rather than switching off between characters.
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves also includes 3D glasses, where, in certain
areas of the game, players can opt to play in 3D. The introduction of 3D
allows players to experience an unprecedented amount of depth and realism,
as they watch objects fly off the screen and characters and environments
come to life.
Players hungry for a more in-depth gameplay experience will have the
opportunity to complete Master Thief Challenges and replay missions, thus
providing an opportunity to sneak around an environment again using
alternative moves and disguises in order to achieve even higher Master
Thief ratings. The added replay value also will allow players to replay the
majority of missions in 3D and locate special objectives and rewards. In
the new multiplayer mode, players will play head-to-head and cooperative
missions that have their own special power-ups.
Commodore Gears Up To Re-Enter Game Industry
Yeahronimo Media Ventures, owner of the Commodore license, has announced
its intention to return the brand to gaming. Yeahronimo will work with the
Content Factory to form a new company, called Commodore Gaming, that
produces software and hardware to exploit its back catalog of retro games.
Yeahronimo acquired the Commodore license early in the year, and is only
now announcing its plans for the brand. Content Factory will contribute
18 million Euros ($21.62 million USD) to the venture, 6 million of which is
payment for a 49% interest in the company and 12 million in cash to be paid
out over the course of five years.
The new company will produce standalone TV devices similar to the wildly
successful Atari and Pac-Man self-contained units, as well as software
packages akin to Intellivision Lives or Atari Anthology. Furthermore, the
Commodore Games label will produce original game licenses as a more
traditional games publisher.
"The business will be developed in three phases," said Yeahronimo CEO and
President Ben van Wijhe. "Initially, the focus will be on exploiting the
numerous existing C64 retro game licenses through plug-and-play, mobile and
handheld devices. The second phase will be to create a range of specialised
gaming hardware products and accessories."
"The third phase will be to work with Commodore's existing partners to
issue new game licenses under the Commodore brand name, focusing primarily
on the mobile and handheld market in addition to the PC and console market,
which have its stronger licenses."
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
U.S. Insists on Keeping Control of Web
A senior U.S. official rejected calls on Thursday for a U.N. body to take
over control of the main computers that direct traffic on the Internet,
reiterating U.S. intentions to keep its historical role as the medium's
principal overseer.
"We will not agree to the U.N. taking over the management of the Internet,"
said Ambassador David Gross, the U.S. coordinator for international
communications and information policy at the State Department. "Some
countries want that. We think that's unacceptable."
Many countries, particularly developing ones, have become increasingly
concerned about the U.S. control, which stems from the country's role in
creating the Internet as a Pentagon project and funding much of its early
development.
Gross was in Geneva for the last preparatory meeting ahead of November's
U.N. World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia.
Some negotiators from other countries said there was a growing sense that
a compromise had to be reached and that no single country ought to be the
ultimate authority over such a vital part of the global economy.
But Gross said that while progress was being made on a number of issues
necessary for producing a finalized text for Tunis, the question of
Internet governance remained contentious.
A stalemate over who should serve as the principal traffic cops for
Internet routing and addressing could derail the summit, which aims to
ensure a fair sharing of the Internet for the benefit of the whole world.
Some countries have been frustrated that the United States and European
countries that got on the Internet first gobbled up most of the available
addresses required for computers to connect, leaving developing nations
with a limited supply to share.
They also want greater assurance that as they come to rely on the Internet
more for governmental and other services, their plans won't get derailed
by some future U.S. policy.
One proposal that countries have been discussing would wrest control of
domain names from the U.S.-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers, or ICANN, and place it with an intergovernmental group,
possibly under the United Nations.
Gross dismissed it as unacceptable.
"We've been very, very clear throughout the process that there are certain
things we can agree to and certain things we can't agree to," Gross told
reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva. "It's not a negotiating issue. This
is a matter of national policy."
He said the United States was "deeply disappointed" with the European
Union's proposal Wednesday advocating a "new cooperation model," which
would involve governments in questions of naming, numbering and addressing
on the Internet.
In 1998, the U.S. Commerce Department selected ICANN to oversees the
Internet's master directories, which tell Web browsers and e-mail programs
how to direct traffic. Internet users around the world interact with them
everyday, likely without knowing it.
Although ICANN is a private organization with international board members,
Commerce ultimately retains veto power. Policy decisions could at a stroke
make all Web sites ending in a specific suffix essentially unreachable.
Other decisions could affect the availability of domain names in
non-English characters or ones dedicated to special interests such as
pornography.
EU Wants Shared Control of Internet
The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector
must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage
for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance.
A senior U.S. official reiterated Thursday that the country wants to remain
the Internet's ultimate authority, rejecting calls in a United Nations
meeting in Geneva for a U.N. body to take over.
EU spokesman Martin Selmayr said a new cooperation model was important
"because the Internet is a global resource."
"The EU ... is very firm on this position," he added.
The Geneva talks were the last preparatory meeting before November's World
Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia.
A stalemate over who should serve as the principal traffic cops for
Internet routing and addressing could derail the summit, which aims to
ensure a fair sharing of the Internet for the benefit of the whole world.
At issue is who would have ultimate authority over the Internet's master
directories, which tell Web browsers and e-mail programs how to direct
traffic.
That role has historically gone to the United States, which created the
Internet as a Pentagon project and funded much of its early development.
The U.S. Commerce Department has delegated much of that responsibility to
a U.S.-based private organization with international board members, but
Commerce ultimately retains veto power.
Some countries have been frustrated that the United States and European
countries that got on the Internet first gobbled up most of the available
addresses required for computers to connect, leaving developing nations
with a limited supply to share.
They also want greater assurance that as they come to rely on the Internet
more for governmental and other services, their plans won't get derailed by
some future U.S. policy.
Policy decisions could at a stroke make all Web sites ending in a specific
suffix essentially unreachable. Other decisions could affect the
availability of domain names in non-English characters or ones dedicated
to special interests such as pornography.
Massachusetts Plans To Phase Out Microsoft Office
The state government of Massachusetts is moving ahead on a plan to switch
to the OpenDocument standard by 2007, effectively phasing out the use of
Microsoft Office.
The shift is part of a larger technology scheme in the state that has been
discussed among the state's legislators and technology vendors, including
Microsoft, Adobe, Corel, IBM and Sun Microsystems.
Massachusetts invited the vendors to weigh in on their proposals, prompting
a wealth of letters about whether the state should go forward with a move
to an open, nonproprietary format for office documents.
Some companies, like Corel, encouraged the state to adopt open standards,
while other companies cautioned the state to consider the costs that would
be involved with such a transition.
In its letter to Massachusetts, Microsoft noted that the adoption of a
single format for office documents throughout all agencies would prevent
users from tapping into "well-established technologies."
The letter's author, Microsoft general manager Alan Yates, also wrote that
the approach would run afoul of procurement norms without "due
consideration for the enormous costs and technical challenges that stem
from the proposal."
Microsoft has tried to emphasize that it has an open format in the current
version of Office 2003.
"We would have liked a greater opportunity to explain how openness is
possible with Office," Yates said. "We've found a very positive reaction
to our open formats and our approach, and there's a growing awareness
there."
Despite Microsoft's attempts to delay the Massachusetts decision by
sparking more discussion on the topic, the state is expected to undergo a
phased-migration plan away from productivity suites that do not support
OpenDocument.
Suites that will be phased in include OpenOffice, StarOffice, KOffice and
IBM Workplace. The state expects that Microsoft Office will be out of its
agencies by January 1, 2007.
Massachusetts' decision follows that of other government agencies in the
world, notably in Germany and Norway, but it is the first public-sector
institution in the United States to take such a step.
Sun Releases StarOffice 8
Sun Microsystems has released StarOffice 8, the newest iteration of the
company's office-productivity suite that now offers better compatibility
with Microsoft Office files.
StarOffice includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and
database applications. It is expected to compete with Microsoft Office,
especially for companies that want to reduce licensing costs.
The release comes just a day after the state of Massachusetts said that it
will adopt the OpenDocument format, an open standard designed to make file
sharing easier between office applications. Sun has noted that StarOffice
8 is the first commercial office suite that uses the open format.
"This is part of our overall effort to ensure all customers - from students
to governments to enterprises - have access to information in an open,
secure and freely available fashion independent of any vendor or product,"
said John Loiacono, executive vice president of Sun's software group.
In selling StarOffice 8, it is likely that Sun will make a major push
toward touting the software's ability to provide measurable benefits in the
short term, said IDC analyst Dan Kusnetzky.
Enterprises have been keen to reduce the costs associated with information
technology, especially software licensing, making StarOffice potentially
attractive to a range of companies.
"It could be used to reduce the software costs for desktop or mobile
computers while keeping staff-related costs in check," said Kusnetzky.
In particular, he said, the latest version of StarOffice could be used to
oust Microsoft Office installations because it offers increased
compatibility with Office documents.
Sun also is expanding the StarOffice software-publisher model to increase
retail distribution worldwide. The company unveiled new agreements with
Encore and Avanquest. Encore has extensive retail and wholesale
distribution channels in the U.S. and Canada, while Avanquest will offer
the software in 10 countries across Europe.
The added distribution clout and aggressive focus on StarOffice by Sun
could help boost adoption significantly, Kusnetzky noted, especially as the
OpenDocument format garners more attention.
Patent Office Rules Against Microsoft
In a decision that could send massive shockwaves around the
Internet-development community, the U.S. Patent Office has ruled that
Microsoft infringed upon the plug-in patent held by the University of
California and its Eolas Technology spin-off.
In finding that Microsoft's widely used plug-in technology was an
infringement, the patent office affirmed a jury decision, handed down in
2003, that awarded more than $500 million in damages to the university and
to Eolas.
In March 2005, an appeals court had overturned the 2003 decision and ruled
partially in favor of Microsoft, saying that the company should be allowed
to present evidence that its own technology predated the Eolas patent
application.
A spokesperson for University of California said Thursday that this week
represents the second time the patent office has thoroughly vetted and
upheld the Eolas patent.
Joe Wilcox, an analyst at Jupiter Research, said the patent is broad in its
scope and advised businesses to wait and see how any appeals case might
play out before shifting gears or ditching development projects.
Even if Microsoft's appeals are successful, the other companies using the
technology will not be free and clear. That, Wilcox said, will depend on
what Eolas decides to do with its patent and how other vendors react to its
claims. "Will Eolas seek licensing agreements from other companies?" Wilcox
asked. "And will those companies respond?"
If a Microsoft appeal fails, the effects of the decision might extend to
any company that has or uses plug-ins, such as Macromedia and its Flash
plug-in.
But, said Wilcox, no matter how the chips might fall, the patent ruling
could be a good thing for Microsoft and Internet Explorer in general, given
the security problems associated with the company's ActiveX plug-in
technology.
According to Wilcox, Redmond might be facing a forced opportunity to
overhaul and reinvent its plug-in architecture. "Microsoft should use this
as incentive to come up with something that is more extensible and more
secure," he said.
Doing so would have an affect on every piece of software that plugs in to
the Web browser and everyone who visits sites that require use of plug-in
technology. But in the long run, said Wilcox, reconfiguring the browser
could be a positive move for the company.
"Internet Explorer is so widely used it would basically affect everyone who
uses the Internet."
While disappointed with the Patent Office decision, Microsoft is vowing to
continue its six-year fight against the suit.
File-Sharing Doomed, Warns Exec
Peer-to-peer file-sharing companies in the U.S. will cease to exist in
their current forms over the next few months, the president of MetaMachine,
the company responsible for the eDonkey software, predicts.
Speaking at a Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Sam Yagan said that
in order to avoid expensive litigation, file-sharing companies will have to
change their models to become similar to iTunes or the new Napster or face
expensive legal battles.
MetaMachine won't be an exception. "Because we cannot afford to fight a
lawsuit - even one we think we would win - we have instead prepared to
convert eDonkey's user base to an online content retailer operating in a
'closed' P-to-P environment," he said.
Yagan's comments have been posted on a Senate Web site. MetaMachine created
the eDonkey P-to-P software client.
Companies like MetaMachine, he explains, will have to comply with terms of
deals made by entertainment rights aggregators and to do so they'll have to
build centralized indexed searches, filters and closed networks in order to
ensure that their users aren't conducting illegal file sharing. Such a
setup is different then most P-to-P file-sharing companies today, which
usually don't have centralized servers holding content.
This dramatic change is happening as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling
in June on the MGM v. Grokster case. The court ruled that someone who
offers a tool and promotes the use of the tool to infringe on copyright is
liable for the user's infringement. Since that decision, the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sent cease-and-desist letters to
leading P-to-P companies including MetaMachine, threatening litigation
based on the RIAA's interpretation of the ruling.
Yagan concludes that because the court hasn't offered a standard to define
how to measure whether a company is inducing users to infringe, any
litigation will result in exhaustive trial proceedings during which
organizations like the RIAA will dig up company e-mails, advertising, and
any other evidence that might prove the file-sharing company intended to
induce copyright infringement. Such a process would be just too expensive
for most P-to-P companies, he said.
In August, CacheLogic, a company that provides traffic management services
to telecommunication companies, released a survey that found that eDonkey
has surpassed BitTorrent as the world's largest P-to-P file trading
network.
In addition to eDonkey, it appears that other file-sharing companies may
indeed be changing their models or shutting down, while the popularity of
paid services is increasing. On Tuesday, BitTorrent announced it hired Doll
Capital Management to help it raise $8.75 million in funding. The money
will be used to support the global growth of BitTorrent's technology into a
leading platform for the legal and secure distribution of content for
commercial purposes, according to a statement from BitTorrent. While
BitTorrent's leaders have historically said they aren't interested in
supporting piracy, the funding may be used to make changes that can help
solidify the company's role as a legal content distribution player.
Another file-sharing company, WinMX, appears to have recently shut down its
operations as its Web page is no longer accessible. However, rumors online
have WinMX leaders relocating outside of the U.S., thus fulfilling another
of Yagan's expectations.
He suggests that a wide variety of technology companies will choose to
locate outside of the U.S. to avoid such potential lawsuits. "It's hard to
imagine future 'open decentralized' P-to-P companies opening shop as
American corporations," he said. "Where are the Skypes of tomorrow being
founded? Your best bet is to look offshore."
Google To Triple Search Scope
Google Inc. said late on Monday that it was tripling the number of Web
pages that its system can search, seeking to upstage rival Yahoo Inc. in
claims to be the world's widest Web search.
But Google also said it would no longer publicize the number of Web pages
available from any search - calling a halt to what analysts say has become
an increasingly meaningless size competition.
Instead of focusing on the millions of page results that broad-based
searches can generate, Google is asking readers to compare searches done on
Google and Yahoo for the relevance of search results to the individual
user.
"We believe that we have an index that is three times larger (without
counting duplicate pages)," Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer
Web products and product manager for Google.com, said in a phone interview.
"We are asking our readers to test for themselves," she said.
To check relevance Mayer encouraged Web users to evaluate for themselves by
testing relatively obscure search terms that produce less than 1,000
results. This is where tripling the depth of Google's search database is
most useful, she said.
Google had previously estimated it searched 8 billion pages. Mayer declined
to offer specific numbers to back up Google's new claim of three times that
figure.
"Absolute numbers are no longer useful," Mayer said.
Google's move follows Yahoo's claim in August that it had significantly
boosted the scope of its search results to some 19.2 billion pages, topping
Google in the total size of its Web search database for the first time in
years.
Google has contested Yahoo's claims, saying that its own staff and a
variety of independent experts are unable to replicate Yahoo's assertion.
Yahoo pioneered Web search in 1994 but was upstaged by Google's search
system in the late 1990s.
Analyst Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineWatch.com, said that counting
pages - either by company reported index counts or by anecdotal user checks
of actual queries - does little to prove who offers the more comprehensive
search.
"Users will be the best judge of which search engine is the most
appropriate," Sullivan said.
"The fact that you have picked up more content in a particular search
result doesn't mean you have found better information. It just means you
have found more pages," the search expert said.
September is the seventh anniversary of when Google launched operations in
September, 1998. Google said its search system now indexes 1,000 times more
Web pages than it did in its first month of operation.
"Dropping the home page count is a positive move that I think helps defuse
the entire 'size wars' situation," Sullivan wrote on his site after being
briefed by Google on the move.
FIFA Warns Over Internet 'Phishing' Scam
FIFA warned that its name is being abused in an Internet scam involving
"phishing," the illegal use of account holders' details, obtained and
generally used online.
World football's governing body said unsolicited, official-looking e-mails
were being sent worldwide claiming the recipient had won a lottery and
requesting their bank account details to receive the payment.
"FIFA is concerned because these lotteries claim to be organized on behalf
of, or in association with, FIFA," as well as the German organizers of the
2006 World Cup and their South African counterparts for the 2010
tournament.
"FIFA confirms that these lotteries have no connection with or
authorisation from FIFA."
"FIFA also believes that it is unlikely that these lottery companies have
any official connection with either the Local Organising Committee for the
2006 FIFA World Cup or the 2010 FIFA World Cup."
The different lotteries claim to be operated by companies based in
countries including South Africa, Spain and Britain, FIFA said.
It said it was in touch with authorities in the countries concerned, where
criminal investigations could be launched.
FIFA said the public should treat such lottery e-mails with "extreme
caution" and refrain from handing over personal and financial details.
Hackers Advise Microsoft on IE
Microsoft showed off its preliminary work on the second beta version of
Internet Explorer 7 at the Hack in the Box Security Conference here, and
came away with some good feedback, company managers said Thursday.
"It's the first time we've ever come out ahead of a product release to
present and get feedback," said Tony Chor, group program manager at
Microsoft's Internet Explorer team, referring to the company's presentation
to a hacker-specific group.
Chor and colleague Andrew Cushman, director of Microsoft's security
engineering and communication group, spoke highly of the comments they
heard at the presentation. They said they preferred the term "security
research community" for attendees, instead of "hacker."
"Hacker has a negative connotation, like a criminal," said Cushman. People
such as attendees of the Hack in the Box conference approach security from
a very different, very valuable perspective, he added.
"This community is a good source of information and we haven't availed
ourselves of that source," said Cushman.
Chor went a step further, saying Microsoft has maintained an "adversarial"
relationship with the hacking community in the past, but "that wasn't
working. It just made them mad and we didn't benefit from their passion
and expertise."
But the software giant is putting that past behind it, and its goal is to
engage the "security research community" more in the future, presenting at
more hacker conventions and giving them a chance to critique some of
Microsoft's work ahead of releases.
Chor and Cushman also handed out their business cards liberally, and hope
to get more e-mail responses from people, as well as notes on their blog,
they said.
"People had a lot of good suggestions, and asked a lot of good questions,"
said Chor.
Some conference attendees gave Microsoft high marks for showing off some
new security features on the Web browser and seeking their views, adding
they would have liked to hear more technical detail on new features in IE7
Beta 2. But their impression was the presenters appeared almost apologetic,
and the hackers don't plan to switch to any Microsoft products near term,
at the expense of, say, Mozilla's Firefox browser.
Chor said he plans to increase the amount of technical detail in future
presentations.
The Beta 2 version of IE7, currently under construction at Microsoft, will
likely be ready by the end of the year, said Chor.
One new feature on the Web browser is it runs in higher security
"Protected Mode" by default, set at a lower user privilege. In protected
mode, all downloads and other packages are automatically dropped in the
"temporary Internet files" folder, so malware can't be deposited on the
hard disk. In the temporary folder, IE and Windows treat the files as
dangerous and they're given no privileges to move about.
With add-ons like a Google toolbar or ActiveX, IE7 Beta 2 will offer more
permission prompts, since downloads such as ActiveX opt-ins can be an
avenue for attack, Chor said.
Microsoft will license its "Protected Mode" innovation to other developers
for free to help spread its use, and increase security, Chor said.
For businesses, Microsoft added a "Compatibility Mode" that works when a
person is using the company's intranet and allows them to drop files
wherever they want to on their PCs.
Design of $100 Laptop for Kids Unveiled
The $100 laptop computers that Massachusetts Institute of Technology
researchers want to get into the hands of the world's children would be
durable, flexible and self-reliant.
The machines' AC adapter would double as a carrying strap, and a hand crank
would power them when there's no electricity. They'd be foldable into more
positions than traditional notebook PCs, and carried like slim lunchboxes.
For outdoor reading, their display would be able to shift from full color
to glare-resistant black and white.
And surrounding it all, the laptops would have a rubber casing that closes
tightly, because "they have to be absolutely indestructible," said Nicholas
Negroponte, the MIT Media Lab leader who offered an update on the project
Wednesday.
Negroponte hatched the $100 laptop idea after seeing children in a
Cambodian village benefit from having notebook computers at school that
they could also tote home to use on their own.
Those computers had been donated by a foundation run by Negroponte and his
wife. He decided that for kids everywhere to benefit from the educational
and communications powers of the Internet, someone would have to make
laptops inexpensive enough for officials in developing countries to
purchase en masse. At least that's Negroponte's plan.
Within a year, Negroponte expects his nonprofit One Laptop Per Child to get
5 million to 15 million of the machines in production, when children in
Brazil, China, Egypt, Thailand, South Africa are due to begin getting them.
In the second year - when Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hopes to start
buying them for all 500,000 middle and high-school students in this state
- Negroponte envisions 100 million to 150 million being made. (He boasts
that these humble $100 notebooks would surpass the world's existing annual
production of laptops, which is about 50 million.)
While a prototype isn't expected to be shown off until November, Negroponte
unveiled blueprints at Technology Review magazine's Emerging Technologies
conference at MIT.
Among the key specs: A 500-megahertz processor (that was fast in the 1990s
but slow by today's standards) by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and flash
memory instead of a hard drive with moving parts. To save on software
costs, the laptops would run the freely available Linux operating system
instead of Windows.
The computers would be able to connect to Wi-Fi wireless networks and be
part of "mesh" networks in which each laptop would relay data to and from
other devices, reducing the need for expensive base stations. Plans call
for the machines to have four USB ports for multimedia and data storage.
Perhaps the defining difference is the hand crank, though first-generation
users would get no more than 10 minutes of juice from one minute of
winding.
This certainly wouldn't be the first effort to bridge the world's so-called
digital divide with inexpensive versions of fancy machinery. Other attempts
have had a mixed record.
With those in mind, Negroponte says his team is addressing ways this
project could be undermined.
For example, to keep the $100 laptops from being widely stolen or sold off
in poor countries, he expects to make them so pervasive in schools and so
distinctive in design that it would be "socially a stigma to be carrying
one if you are not a student or a teacher." He compared it to filching a
mail truck or taking something from a church: Everyone would know where it
came from.
As a result, he expects to keep no more than 2 percent of the machines from
falling into a murky "gray market."
And unlike the classic computing model in which successive generations of
devices get more gadgetry at the same price, Negroponte said his group
expects to do the reverse. With such tweaks as "electronic ink" displays
that will require virtually no power, the MIT team expects to constantly
lower the cost.
After all, in much of the world, Negroponte said, even $100 "is still too
expensive."
Avatars May Be the Next Big Online Thing
Get ready for avatars, the new digital alter-ego. They represent not only a
new, $200 million (and rapidly growing) IT market, they represent people in
a personalized manner-in e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, chat rooms and
other internet services.
Avatars are highly customizable drawings or photos of people, animals,
cartoon characters, inanimate objects of all kinds-basically anything that
can be pictured-that online users employ as identification in communicating
with their peers.
Avatars are can be created or acquired "as is"; they can be static or
animated. They are primarily aimed at pre-teen and teenage users.
The avatar-as-personal-icon concept started in Korea about five years ago
and is now beginning to catch on worldwide, said Tad Dagan, associate vice
president at Comverse, Inc.
Dagan spoke at a seminar during the iHollywood Mobile Entertainment Summit
at the Masonic Auditorium.
"These avatars are becoming big business because they are very important
to people-especially young people, who are online so much of the time,"
Dagan said. "They want to represent themselves to their friends and people
they meet online in a certain way. They want to be seen as cool and
unique."
Dagan said there are few ways to show your individuality when you're
communicating via SMS (instant messaging), chat rooms, e-mail and in blogs
using text only.
"Teenagers want to be thought of as unique and creative, so these
(customizable) avatars are attractive for them," Dagan said. "That's also
why ring tones have become such big business. If you're the kid with the
latest Madonna song on your phone, you're cool. If you have the standard
Nokia tone, you're the class nerd."
Comverse, based in Wakefield, Mass., is one of the first U.S. companies to
jump headlong into the avatar market.
Its new product, Klonies, is currently in beta and will be made available
early next year for distribution to mobile operators and to the public at
large, Dagan said.
With Klonies, subscribers create unique characters that reflect their
personalities, moods and interests, Dagan said.
Subscribers can change and create new Klonies from their handsets and use
them as their Caller ID, SMS signature, wallpaper, and in many other mobile
and Web services, Dagan said.
A person using Klonies to build a personal avatar can select a body or face
type, hair color, facial expression, clothing, background location-among
numerous other options-to build the icon.
Once designed, it can be changed at will, and as often as desired.
"People can change them to fit their moods," Dagan said.
"Klonies ... could become as popular as ring tones among the valuable youth
segment," Dagan said.
Other sites where avatars can be obtained are Avatarity, HotAvatars.com,
and Avatara.com.
=~=~=~=
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