Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 07 Issue 14
Volume 7, Issue 14 Atari Online News, Etc. April 1, 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:
To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe,
log on to our website at: www.atarinews.org
and click on "Subscriptions".
OR subscribe to A-ONE by sending a message to: dpj@atarinews.org
and your address will be added to the distribution list.
To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE
Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to
subscribe from.
To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
following sites:
http://people.delphiforums.com/dpj/a-one.htm
http://www.icwhen.com/aone/
http://a1mag.atari.org
Now available:
http://www.atarinews.org
Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/
=~=~=~=
A-ONE #0714 04/01/05
~ Spam Ain't Dead Yet! ~ People Are Talking! ~ eBay Wins Ruling!
~ Mac Virus Bounty Is Off ~ Microsoft ID System! ~ No More PS2 Sales?
~ Phishing Still Climbing ~ Windows XP 'N' Edition ~ CGE 2K5 Update!
~ Microsoft Sues Phishers ~ Blaster Payback Lowered ~ Comdex Cancelled!
-* Mac Hacker Attacks On Rise! *-
-* P2P Heads To Supreme Court Showdown *-
-* IRS Considers eBay Sales As Taxable Income *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Yeah, I know, a week or so ago I was sitting around with a major chip on my
shoulder. Okay, so it may have been a two-by-four. The snow was on the
horizon, for the 24th time this season. We managed to climb to the fourth
highest total snowfall on record. And Spring was nowhere in sight except on
a calendar. Well, except for the torrential downpours earlier in the week,
and more this weekend, the weather has improved my disposition considerably.
Improved. There's still a lot of "stuff" going on that has me in a rut, but
the onset of Spring does work its positive power. Heck, most of the snow is
gone and I can see grass throughout the yard. Now for some prolonged sun
and higher temperatures, and we'll be all set. Now if I can just figure out
how to manage the job stress, I'll be in good (better?) shape.
You know, it just dawned on me the other day this year marks the 20th
anniversary of Atari computers. I believe that it was 1985 when the 520ST
first arrived. It was 1987 when I first got mine. I felt like a kid in a
toy store for the first time! It was terrific. I still have that machine,
but it's not set up any longer because of the Falcon that finally "replaced"
it. But, I still remember getting various new software - a variety of stuff
like productivity, games, and many other types. I couldn't get enough.
Then it was the second floppy drive, a modem, a hard drive (wow, all 20
megs!), a color monitor, and the like. And then the online experience! An
entirely new world opened up! How about those users groups - another
terrific Atari experience! It's hard to believe that it all started 20
years ago. The experience continues, but it's certainly drastically
diminished over the years. Today, it's a shell of its former glory, but it
still remains something to enjoy. And no, this is no April Fools joke.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Another week has come and gone, and I'm
having trouble hitting the right keys on the keyboard... someone must
have changed the keys around when I wasn't looking!
It's been a tough couple of weeks. Dealing with ISO re-certification at
the same time I was straightening out some DEP problems has proven quite
a challenge, but the worst of it seems to be over now... I hope.
So let's just take it easy this week and get right to the news and stuff
from the UseNet, okay? Thanks. I appreciate it.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
'Phantom' asks about a modification he found in his Falcons:
"I have 2 Falcons here both with a similar modification.
I believe it has something to do with a Clock modification but not
sure.
The modification is a chip piggy-backed on top of the socketed U63 with
several wires running to the removed resistors R221, R222, and a few more
in the general area.
I remember in a lot of upgrades like the Nemesis, these same resistors
have to be removed and wires connected to them.
Does anyone know what this modification is called and what
exactly it's suppose to do?
And what performance gains if any are expected?
This modification appears to be the only one on the boards."
'Rustynutt' tells Phantom:
"It's the Falcon Clock Patch. The F04 ties three clocks together,
inverts the signal (basically for a delay), and routes them back to
the board through the three resistor pads you see (resistors removed).
Early Falcons did not have them installed. There were a couple of
revisions as well until one was settled on by Atari as working the
best.
Some stock unmodified Falcons can get by without one, unless your
using SDMA intensive stuff like Cubase Audio. Even stock, you might
run into problems with SCSI hard disk if the Clock Patch isn't
installed."
Phantom replies:
"I'm a bit confused on something. Were there any Atari Falcons
made by Atari that didn't need this Clock modification because
a Factory modification or revision was made?
Would you happen to know if this modification goes bad if it would
cause the Falcon video to go Black and or would it cause the
Falcon to appear dead?
My first Falcon was a stock TOS 4.04 4meg unit with no modifications.
I did a lot of D2D recording with no problems at all.
Now I have a Centurbo II version B installed by myself in the same
Falcon and it works great.
Although I did run into a strange problem with HD Driver.
I could not get my SCSI hard drives, CD-Rom, and CDR drives to
be seen in the Turbo modes.
The Fix was to select Cecile in the CT2B menu and all SCSI devices
worked great from then on.
I'm not knocking HD Driver, it's a great program. But the version I was
using sure did not work with my CT2B setup. Maybe a newer version
would work. It looked like a timing problem to me. Every time I'd
try to bootup with the SCSI Drives attached HD Driver would not
see them, However the Leds on each drive would blink but not
like they normally did during a working bootup.
I recall discussing the Falcons SCSI timing with Alex at ATY Computers.
It seems that there's a fine line in the SCSI system and if the signals
don't arrive at the proper time upon booting, then the SCSI Devices
will not connect up to be used by the Falcon.
If I'm not mistaken, the CT2B speeds up the SCSI system in Turbo
Modes. I'd have to check the Docs to be positive on that. So it
may have been that the signals to the SCSI Devices were faster
than normal causing the problem.
Back to Stock Falcons..........
I remember reading about some new factory Falcons having clicks and
problems when doing any D2D recording. I am assuming this is part of the
reason for this Clock modification?
I also recall discussions about the metal shielding on the factory IDE
hard drives. I'm not sure what the problem was, but I remember
discussions on moving the shielding to the other side of the IDE drive
may fix the problem.
I think it may have been some type of IDE hard drive problem and it was
thought that interference from the Power supply maybe causing the problem.
I never installed that shielding when replacing the factory IDE with
drives that had more space on them. And never had a problem to my
knowledge.
Do you remember what that IDE problem was all about and what the IDE
hard drive shielding was really for?"
Rustynutt tells Phantom:
"They designed the problem into the machine. <grin>
A bad buffer mod can cause those problems. A good way to test is
to remove the buffer mod, replace the three resistors removed and test
the machine. Also, the "U" GALS are known to burn out, and will cause
a dead machine. The non-working board you bought from me years ago had
the GALS swapped out, so that wasn't the problem there. Wizztronics
use to carry spares GALS.
I use HD Driver with both the Mighty Sonic and Afterburner, each with
Nemesis as the bus speeder. At speeds up to 48/24MHz I didn't have
problems. I also use a NOVA ATI card, which unloads the bus because
the Videl isn't being used. Without the NOVA, and expanded resolutions
setup for the Videl, SCSI problems appeared at accelerated speeds.
40/20 was always stable. I sold my CT2b after the first attempt to
install it and reinstalled the Mighty Sonic on that one machine.
I recall Cecile resolving some issues with drives, but never got that
far into the trouble shooting.
I never had IDE problems, even with extended cables and full form
drives. The IDE shielding might have been included on the Falcon to
meet FCC requirements, which was one of the reasons it's release was
delayed so long back in the day."
Ronald Hall asks about BBS software:
"I'm trying to find BBS Express ST! software. I had this at one time, in
fact I used it to run "The DarkForce! BBS" years ago. Actually, I've
still got the software backed up on hard drive and Syquest carts. What I
don't have now is the manuals or disks. Sadly, somewhere, somehow,
they've been misplaced or thrown away.
I just recently bought BBS Express ST! software from Bravo Sierra.
Unfortunately, its an older version, while it was still maintained by
Keith Ledbetter (there's a name from the past, anyone know where or what
he is doing now?).
So anyway, if anyone knows where I can buy original disks and manuals I
sure would appreciate it."
Lonny Pursell tells Ronald:
"You might try asking this guy. He bought the rights to the 8-bit BBS
Keith used to own. Maybe he knows what Keith is up to.
http://www.angelfire.com/mn/video61/ "
David Leaver asks about partition size for Fat32 disks under MagiC:
"What is the maximum size of a Fat32 partition with Magic 6.20?"
Adam Klobukowski tells David:
"The maximum size of Fat32 partition is 2TB (TerraBytes). I do not think
Magic has lower limits."
Sam F. asks for help with installing Publisher ST2:
"I need help installing this app, cause it's really giving me fits.
I got the app from http://www.zhell.co.uk/magdisks.html,Atari ST User
Coverdisks.
Anyone got a digital copy of the install docs they could email to me?"
'Tim' asks Sam:
"[Are] You talking about Timeworks Word Writer 2 (Word Processor)? I
installed it and it seemed to unpack fine. I had to set a printer
though but I cancelled that part."
Sam replies:
"No, I'm talking about Timeworks Publisher ST 2."
Tim checks and agrees with Sam:
"Nevermind I found it, yeah I also cannot get it installed."
'Tim' asks about TOS on disk and TOS 1.0:
"I have an old 520ST with boot Roms and I was playing around with it.
(For Nostalgia only since it's kinda useless, Nice Boot Menu though!) I
have a TOS 1.0 boot disk that I use with it (and my other ST's too to
load old games!) Works fine. I also found a TOS Boot disk that seems
to be a beta or something. It has a green/white checkered background
(like in TOS 2.x) and also needs to be reloaded after a reset. Is this
the actually TOS Boot Disk the early 520's came with? Or a beta disk?
The Atari Logo also looks weird in the about menu. Anyone have a image
of the original TOS disk they could send?"
'Ziggy' tells Tim:
"I don't remember where, but there was a site with pretty much every
version of TOS known to man.. I think i found it via an emulation
link..
As a side note, I wouldn't say a 520ST is "kind of useless" if it still
works.."
Tim replies:
"There was one site I found:
http://homepage.mac.com/carlhafner/AtariTOS.html
And if you try the disk_tos100.st this is the one I am talking about!
Is this the beta TOS disk that was supplied with early 520ST computers?
What I meant as useless I mean once you load the TOS the computer has
less than 200kb of memory, so it is useless!"
Well folks, that's it for this week. I know it's short, but between my
hectic week and everyone else's, that about all there is. 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 - Sony Ordered To Halt PS2 Sales!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Fresh Shooters Released!
Atari 'Retro Redux'!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Sony Ordered to Halt PlayStation Sales
Sony Corp. on Monday said it was ordered by a U.S. federal court to halt
U.S. sales of its PlayStation game consoles and pay nearly $91 million in
patent infringement damages to a California company, although the judge
immediately put her ruling on hold.
The stay in the case means Sony will not actually have to stop importing or
selling the PlayStation 2 console in the United States, and will not have
to remove PS2s from store shelves, while the appeal is pending.
Financial analysts said there was little practical impact to the order.
"There's no way that Sony's going to stop selling PS2s any time soon, so I
don't see the injunction ever taking effect," said Michael Pachter, an
analyst at Wedbush Morgan.
"Clearly if Sony loses the appeal they will pay the judgment and enter into
a royalty agreement," he added.
At issue is patents held by Immersion Corp. on vibration technology. The
PS2's Dualshock controllers vibrate when players take actions in some
games, like firing guns.
Immersion shares were up nearly 15 percent on the news, though Sony shares
were basically unchanged.
Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony's gaming unit, said it would appeal the
order, handed down last Thursday by a federal court in northern California.
A Sony spokeswoman in the United States said the appeal was in progress but
declined to say when it would be filed. However, a Sony spokeswoman in
Tokyo said the company would be paying compulsory license fees to Immersion
while the appeal progressed through the courts.
Games accounted for 44 percent of Sony's group operating profit from
October to December, as its electronics division continues to struggle.
The $90.7 million awarded by the court is more than triple Immersion's
total revenues of $23.8 million in 2004.
The court's decision confirmed a ruling last year that ordered Sony to pay
$82 million in the case. The amount was raised to slightly more than $90
million due to interest.
Fresh First-Person Shooters Released
Most longtime gamers trace the first-person shooter era back to 1992's
"Wolfenstein 3D," id Software's frenetic blend of combat and horror. But
let's not forget "Duck Hunt," the 1986 Nintendo classic that had many of
us trying to shoot birds out the sky while avoiding the hunting dog who
snickered at our futility.
Some of us can even date our FPS experience back to ancient, pre-video
arcades. In an old-school shooting gallery, you could grab a rifle - a
fairly realistic one, except it shot light beams - and start blowing away
fake beer bottles. Today, with games like paintball and laser tag, you can
enjoy the thrill of firing a weapon at your friends without anyone getting
hurt.
Yes, we like to play with guns. It's still legal, as long as you aren't
firing real guns at real people. I find it therapeutic to defuse my
frustrations by blasting away at hordes of aliens, or robots or Nazi
zombies.
So here are three new first-person shooters where the bullets fly fast and
furious. Fire when ready.
o "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" (Electronic Arts, for the PlayStation 2,
Xbox, GameCube): The latest in the "Timesplitters" series is that rare FPS
with a sense of humor. You are Cortez, a marble-mouthed parody of Vin
Diesel, and your job is to prevent the alien Timesplitters from tearing the
space-time continuum asunder. The time-tripping gimmick guarantees a new
environment for each mission: You'll storm a Scottish castle in 1924, take
on the Russians in 1969 and blast aliens in 2401. If you're not careful you
may slip into a wormhole and run into past and future versions of yourself.
"Future Perfect" has lots of fun with shooter and sci-fi cliches,
introducing characters in each era who are delightfully unfazed by the
sudden arrival of a warrior from the future. (Harry Tipper, a groovy '60s
spy, is particularly charming.) You'll have lots of fun trying out all the
weaponry - from an old-fashioned Luger to a modern machine gun to a
futuristic plasma rifle - and trying to keep up with the brain-bending,
enjoyably silly story.
o "Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30" (Ubisoft, for the PS2, Xbox, PC):
"Brothers in Arms," on the other hand, is ultra-serious, a return to the
grim World War II milieu immortalized by Steven Spielberg, Tom Brokaw and
about a hundred other games. Despite the "been there, done that" feeling,
"Brothers" offers a fresh take on the D-Day invasion. You are Sgt. Matt
Baker, dropped with your fellow paratroopers behind enemy lines to disrupt
the German defenses before the Allied troops land on Normandy. The gameplay
is an absorbing mix of first-person shooting and squad-based strategy: You
need solid aim and a quick trigger, but you also have to maneuver the other
guys on your team to get the upper hand on the Nazis. The settings,
weaponry and strategy all feel painstakingly authentic. And Sgt. Baker
isn't your typical videogame super-soldier, so be prepared to die. A lot.
o "Project: Snowblind" (Eidos Interactive, for the PS2, Xbox, PC): Lt.
Nathan Frost, the hero of this game, is one of those super-soldiers. He's
been physically enhanced with technology that lets him slow down time, see
in the dark or become invisible, and he has nifty weapons - like robot
attack spiders to go with the standard rifle weapons - like robot
atta-issue guns and grenades. But the cybernetic enhancements don't help
much during the chaotic firefights, and the story line doesn't rise above
the clichs of the genre, with your hard-boiled hero trying to prevent a
renegade militia from launching a doomsday device. Still, "Snowblind" looks
great, taking advantage of its near-future Hong Kong setting with dazzling
set pieces in a Buddhist temple, an opera house and a corporate high-rise.
When you're trying to escape down a corridor as windows explode all around,
you may find yourself so pumped up that you'll forgive "Snowblind" for its
by-the-numbers plot.
Flashback to the '80s: Parsons School of Design Partners
with Atari for 'Retro Redux' 24-hour Video Game Jam
On April 2-3, Parsons School of Design, a division of New School
University, will present its first 24-hour game design event, "Retro
Redux", in collaboration with Atari, Inc. Teams of students from New
York-area colleges and universities will compete to see if they have what
it takes to design a game that withstands the test of time based on the
original Atari 2600 technology, which gave rise to such classic games as
Asteroids, Missile Command, Pong and Centipede. The resulting games will be
judged in the categories of top overall game, most innovative game design,
best sound, and best visuals, with the top overall game to be featured in
the an upcoming version of the Atari Flashback Game Console. Awards will be
presented at a ceremony to be held on Monday, April 4 at 5 p.m. at the
Theresa Lang Student Center, 55 West 13th Street, New York.
"Retro Redux provides students with the opportunity to test their
creativity and design skills by re-inventing classic games from the birth
of the video game era," said Katie Salen, the director of the MFA Design
and Technology Program at Parsons and a professional game designer. "By
bringing together students from the leading university game design programs
in the New York area, Parsons will showcase the tremendous talent to be
found in the region."
New York is home to a vibrant game design community, from industry-leading
game companies such as Atari to numerous institutions offering programs in
game development education including New York University, Renssaeler
Polytechnic Institute, Mercy College, and the School of Visual Arts.
Approximately 10 teams of five students each from these schools will
participate in the Retro Redux Game Jam.
Atari, the company that started the gaming revolution when it introduced
Pong to the world, has proven that great games never go out of style with
last year's successful launch of the Atari Flashback Game Console. A
plug-and-play system, the Atari Flashback offers gamers the chance to go
back in time and see where it all started.
"Our partnership with Parsons for its first 24-hour game jam underscores
Atari's commitment in inspiring and supporting future game designers," said
Erik Gerson, senior vice president of Marketing for Atari. "Game design is
the fastest-growing sector in the new media industry, and through
educational programs such as those offered by Parsons, students receive the
training and support they need to succeed in this exciting field."
"At Parsons, students learn to think critically about the role technology
plays in the design, production, dissemination, and use of games," said
Colleen Macklin, Chair of the Design and Technology Program at Parsons.
"The tremendous success of our MFA-level concentration in game design made
it clear to us that there was a demand for academic training at the
undergraduate level as well. To meet this demand, we are launching a game
design concentration at the BFA level this coming fall."
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Classic Gaming Expo 2005
March 30, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lauren Nardella
CGE Director of Media Relations
(516) 568-9768
media@cgexpo.com
CGE SERVICES CORPORATION ANNOUNCES SHOW DATES
AND NEW LOCATION FOR CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2005
Eighth Annual Classic Gaming Expo Moves to San Francisco VALLEY STREAM, NEW
YORK, March 30, 2005
The 2005 Classic Gaming Expo will be held Aug. 20 and 21 at the Hyatt
Regency Hotel at the San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, Calif., its
organizers announced today. Now in its eighth year, Classic Gaming Expo is
the world's largest event dedicated to the preservation and celebration of
video game history. Classic Gaming Expo organizers chose the location
because of its vast show space and the proximity to San Francisco tourism
opportunities for visitors.
"Last year, we were excited to move to the area where the video game
industry was born," said Joe Santulli, co-organizer of Classic Gaming
Expo. "This year, we're tweaking the location to bring back the signature
intimate atmosphere of the show, which was lost in the cavernous San Jose
Convention Center. Classic Gaming Expo is meant to be a gathering of
people who love video games. We want to ensure that everyone feels at home
at the show, and the Hyatt's warm environment is perfect for this." The
Hyatt Regency at the San Francisco Airport is the largest convention hotel
in northern California, one of the few places able to accommodate the
estimated 1,700 people who attended last year's expo. The Hyatt is
located two miles from the San Francisco Airport and the Bay Area Rapid
Transit system, and offers complimentary shuttles to both. The 20-minute
trip to downtown San Francisco should also appeal to attendees making
Classic Gaming Expo part of their family vacations.
In 2004, people from all over the world attended Classic Gaming Expo to
see the latest offerings from exhibitors, visit the world's largest and
most comprehensive video game museum, play classic and modern games and
meet the luminaries of video gaming's past and present. Notable
personalities such as Steve Wozniak, Nolan Bushnell, Ralph Baer, Al Alcorn,
Jay Smith, David Crane and other celebrities have attended past shows and
spoken to Classic Gaming Expo attendees. Classic Gaming Expo is open to
anyone with an interest in video games, both classic and modern. Gamers of
all ages are welcome. Information about ticketing, attendance and past
events is available at http://www.cgexpo.com.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
IRS May Consider EBay Sales Taxable Income
Hawking baby and children's clothes - along with some garage sale and
thrift store bargains - on eBay helps Sunni Wojnarowsky bring in some extra
money so she can afford to stay home with her two young boys. The
additional dollars are great, but does she really need to hassle with the
paperwork and report her small profit to the Internal Revenue Service? Her
question, posed to the online auction site's discussion board for sellers,
generated much advice - and more confusion.
In tax law, there is no clear, bright line that separates fun from profit,
or a hobby from a business. But IRS instructions make it clear that all
income - a category that includes bribes, gambling winnings, kickbacks and
money made in illegal activities - can be taxed.
"You can't get an answer from anybody," Wojnarowsky said in an interview
from her home in Brunswick, Ohio. "It would be nice to have a
straightforward answer of yes, you file taxes, or no, you don't."
More than 135 million people have registered to use the auction site that
calls itself "the world's online marketplace." Buyers bought more than $34
billion worth of merchandise there last year.
Some people make money by cleaning out items from their closets; others use
the site to run small businesses.
"When you're working on the Internet, it's kind of a gray issue," said Bart
Fooden, a certified public accountant in Woodbury, N.Y., who advises small
businesses and individuals. "The big issue is whether you're doing it as a
business or not."
The IRS can apply a list of nine indicators that might prove whether
someone's online auctions amount to a business. These indicators include
evidence that the taxpayer depends on the income, acts in a businesslike
manner, or puts enough time and effort into the activity to suggest a
profit motive.
Fooden said the difference between a hobby and a business can often be the
seller's intent.
If someone is selling the junk that is collecting dust in a garage or
basement, then that person probably is getting less than he paid for it -
no profit here. But if someone is buying goods in bulk from a wholesaler
and hoping to make a couple extra bucks reselling each one, then that
person could have just started a profitable business, Fooden said.
On the other hand, some categories are not so clear.
If a great-aunt's collection of antique china fetched top dollar from
collectors, that might mean capital gains taxes are owed. And if someone
scours neighborhood garage sales for great deals on comic books to resell
on eBay, that might amount to running a business.
It often is best to ask a tax professional, said Bob Miller, who says he
spends about 18 hours a day on eBay, selling collectable postage stamps and
advising other buyers and sellers from his home in northern Utah.
"When the person that you owe the money to can throw you in jail, it's
always a good idea to get professional advice," he said.
eBay spokesman Chris Donlay said the company does not report individual
sales to the tax authorities. eBay urges users, in the site's educational
materials and seminars, to learn about tax issues.
"It's really up to the seller, just like offline," he said. "We are just a
venue, really. We're sort of like the mall landlord or the owner of the
parking lot where the flea market happens."
It takes so little effort to set up shop on eBay that some might overlook
the tax issues, Miller said.
"If you have an e-mail address, you can start selling. If you're a
U.S.-based seller, you need to have a credit card and a bank account,"
Miller said.
"People have a feeling that they're selling on eBay, they're not a
business. It's not true. If you are selling and making a profit, you have
to declare it."
An eBay survey last year found that 430,000 of its U.S. sellers make a
significant portion or all of their revenue from selling on eBay.
While it might sound like nothing good can come of the headache involved
in claiming a small profit from online auctions, consider the perks.
Business expenses can be deducted from profits. That includes the cost of
the goods sold, fees, supplies and maybe a home office - if the
qualifications are met.
Wojnarowsky said she plans to report her eBay profits, which she estimates
at roughly $2,000, but she is not looking forward to it.
Last year, the Wojnarowsky paid a $400 tax preparation fee, which included
a business schedule to report online auction earnings. This year, they will
crunch the numbers themselves using tax preparation software.
"I talked to a friend of mine who does eBay, and she's not filing because
she said it's not regulated," Wojnarowsky said. "But my fear is, yeah, but
what if you're wrong? I don't want to pay the fine."
P2P Heading for Supreme Court Showdown
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a highly anticipated case that
may determine the future of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing services. MGM
Studios vs. Grokster has wound its way through lower courts and a U.S.
circuit court of appeals. In each case, the courts have ruled that P2P
services are not responsible for the illegal activities of the people who
use them.
At issue is whether the software underlying such services encourages
illegal music and movie copying to the extent that it has no substantial
legal use - the argument embraced by many content companies, including a
big group of Hollywood movie studios. The makers of the file-sharing
software and a host of technology allies, however, say that is not so.
The technology proponents warn that stifling P2P services would slow down
a great deal of technology growth; the impact would not be confined to
illegal file sharing. "There are plenty of legitimate reasons to use P2P
networks," says Yankee Group's Nitin Gupta.
But content providers - mostly movie studios, in this case - claim that the
companies that run P2P services, such as Grokster, as well as the companies
that make the software that underpin them, know that the vast majority of
activity on their services will consist of illegal file sharing. Thus, the
services themselves should be held responsible for what their users do,
they contend.
The music recording industry has been struggling with these issues for many
years. But those who would upload and download illegal copies of motion
pictures have been hampered in the past by a lack of sufficient bandwidth.
Typically, it would take anywhere from one to several hours to transfer a
movie, even over a fast connection.
Now, though, many more Internet users have fatter pipes, making it easier
to share films, and piracy has become a much bigger problem.
"This situation kind of snuck up on the music industry," Gupta notes. "The
movie studios see an opportunity to better deal with it."
The question, though, is exactly what would constitute "better." Chasing
the pirates certainly presents one option. But the makers of copyrighted
material tend to oppose new technology rather than see the opportunities
it provides, Gupta explains.
"The recording and movie industries need to have a willingness to explore
different business models," he suggests.
Macintosh Hacker Attacks Are on the Rise
Hacker attacks on Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh OS X operating system,
thought by many who use the Mac to be virtually immune to attack, are on
the rise, according to a report from anti-virus software vendor Symantec
Corp.
"Contrary to popular belief, the Macintosh operating system has not always
been a safe haven from malicious code," said the report, which was issued
on Monday.
"It is now clear that the Mac OS is increasingly becoming a target for the
malicious activity that is more commonly associated with Microsoft and
various Unix-based operating systems."
An Apple spokesman said the Cupertino, California-based company would have
no comment on the report.
Many in the Macintosh computer community have long claimed that the Mac
platform has been virtually immune to attack - unlike Microsoft Corp.'s
Windows operating system, which runs on more than 90 percent of the world's
personal computers.
The Macintosh operating system, the current version of which is based on
the Unix operating system, has less than 5 percent of the global market
for computer operating systems.
"All these platforms have vulnerabilities - it's a fact of life," said
Gartner analyst Martin Reynolds. "The truth of the matter is that Mac is
only a couple percentage points of (computer) shipments so it's not an
interesting target."
Apple's recent introduction of the Mac mini, a $500 computer sold without
a display, keyboard or mouse, could actually increase the likelihood of
more malicious software computer code targeting the Mac platform, Symantec
said.
"The market penetration of Macintosh platforms will be accelerated by the
much lower priced Mac mini, which may be purchased by less security-savvy
users," the report said. "As a result, the number of vulnerabilities can
be expected to increase, as will malicious activity that targets them."
Symantec said that over the past year, it had documented 37
high-vulnerabilities - weaknesses that leave the system open to malicious
software attacks - in Mac OS X. They "have been confirmed by the vendor,
which, in the Apple case, almost always means that the company has released
a patch."
A patch is a small piece of software designed to shore up a vulnerability
or to fix other software glitches.
At the same time, the report said that while those vulnerabilities in the
Mac operating system will increase, "they will likely be outnumbered in
other operating systems for some time to come."
Company Backs Off Bounty for Mac OS X Virus
A company that offered $25,000 for the first virus that automatically
spreads among Apple Computer computers running the OS X operating system
cancelled the virus writing contest and retracted the offer of cash, citing
concerns about legal liability.
DVForge says that it will not offer cash for a Mac virus, after legal
concerns were raised about the contest and in the wake of complaints from
Apple security experts. The contest was announced last week and was
intended to raise awareness of what Jack Campbell, chief executive officer
of DVForge, considers fear mongering by antivirus company Symantec.
Symantec last week said that threats to the Apple platform were on the
rise, Campbell says.
DVForge, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, makes a variety of peripheral
devices for Apple products, such as the "JamPod," a small guitar amplifier
module that plugs into IPod portable music players and allows their owners
to play along with the songs stored on the device. In addition to selling
products for the Apple platform, the company uses Apple computers
internally and is a bastion of Apple technology experts and loyalists,
Campbell says.
The idea for a contest to create the first self-propagating virus for the
OS X platform was the result of frustration over a widely publicized report
from Symantec last week, which said that the Mac OS is increasingly a
target for malicious activity that is more commonly associated with
Microsoft's Windows and Unix-based operating systems.
The Symantec warnings were baseless and intended only to "scare the hell
out of people," Campbell says. Company employees, including Campbell, "lost
our minds" when they read about Symantec's claims, and saw the report as a
threat to DVForge's business, as much as Apple's.
The idea of a contest grew out of conversations with technical staff at
DVForge last week and was intended to call Symantec's "bluff," Campbell
says.
"We have just as much incentive as Apple to fight back," he says.
The company placed two G5 PowerMac computers running OS X 10.3 Panther on
the Internet and issued a statement on its Web page that challenged
Internet users to create a virus that would spread between the two machines
on or before July 31, 2005. In a dig at Symantec, DVForge offered double
the reward, $50,000, to any employee of Symantec who won the contest,
Campbell says.
Campbell was confident that the security features in OS X would prevent
anyone from creating a self-propagating virus that moved between the two
machines before the deadline expired, he says.
However, after word of the contest quickly spread online, Campbell was
contacted by senior Apple employees who were experts on the security of OS
X who said that it was possible to create such a virus, though doing so
would be difficult. The Apple employees encouraged Campbell to end the
contest. He was also contacted by an intellectual property attorney and
Mac enthusiast, who warned him that writing a virus could be considered
illegal, and that DVForge could be considered to be aiding and abetting an
illegal activity by sponsoring the contest.
Worried about the prospect of embroiling his company in a legal battle,
Campbell cancelled the contest Saturday. However, he also issued a strongly
worded statement on the DVForge Web site that railed against Symantec and
"the rest of the fear-breeding folks who [prey] on the lack of knowledge
about how viruses work."
Companies such as his have a responsibility to take a stand on matters such
as the relative security of operating systems, and to counter what he
considers untruths, such as the often articulated opinion that the lack of
viruses and worms that target the Mac platform is due to the relatively
small number of Mac users, he says.
eBay Wins Preliminary Patent Ruling
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has given another boost to eBay Inc.
in its legal fight with MercExchange Inc. by signaling that it may revoke a
second patent owned by the small Virginia business.
In a filing posted on its Web site, the patent office said it found the
latest patent to be invalid because its claimed inventions either were
obvious or had been anticipated by other patents.
The decision could prove very helpful in eBay's attempt to challenge a $25
million patent infringement award won by MercExchange in 2003.
The patent office made a similar ruling in January involving another
MercExchange patent. In both cases, the decisions by the patent office are
preliminary, and any final rulings can be appealed inside the patent office
as well as through the federal court system.
MercExchange said it plans to appeal.
"We will deal with this office action, like all previous office actions
during the prosecution of our patents, in the ordinary course," said
Thomas G. Woolston, a patent attorney who owns MercExchange.
Microsoft, EU Agree on New Windows Name
Microsoft Corp. said Monday it would use an "N" to designate Windows XP
versions stripped of the company's media player to comply with an antitrust
judgment from the European Union.
The agreement with the EU came after antitrust regulators rejected
Microsoft's first choice, "Windows XP Reduced Media Edition," on grounds
it would discourage sales and mislead customers.
The player-free operating system will simply go by "Windows XP Home Edition
N" and "Windows XP Professional Edition N" - the "N" standing for "not with
media player."
A year ago, EU regulators ordered Microsoft to produce for European
consumers a version of Windows without media player software for viewing
video and listening to audio. Regulators had ruled that Microsoft abusively
wielded its monopoly to lock out competitors, such as RealNetworks Inc. and
its Real Player software. Microsoft also was fined a record $665 million
and ordered to share some software blueprints. The Redmond, Wash.-based
company is appealing.
Microsoft's top lawyer in Europe, Horacio Gutierrez, said company officials
"have some misgivings" about the new name, but decided to cooperate "in
order to move forward and accelerate the pace of the implementation
process."
Gutierrez said Microsoft had given the EU nine different names the company
was willing to accept, but the EU rejected them all.
Although the agreement on the name could clear the way for Microsoft to
start shipping the player-free version to computer stores in Europe,
software rivals are now complaining that the new version is not fully
compatible with their programs.
EU spokeswoman Antonia Mochan said EU regulators "were still awaiting the
results of market testing," adding that the issue "goes wider than the
name."
The EU said last week it was assessing more complaints about Microsoft's
compliance with the EU order.
The EU has said it could impose additional prohibitive fines of up to 5
percent of the company's daily global sales.
Microsoft has not disputed that its player-free version does not work as
well as the full version, but argued it had to remove certain parts of the
program to comply with the ruling.
The Association for Competitive Technology, a pro-Microsoft trade group,
criticized the new name, saying consumers won't easily know from it that
they are buying a version without media capability.
"If consumers are not well-informed of what version of Windows they are
purchasing, they will have difficulty ensuring the programs they purchase
will run on their machines," the group's president, Jonathan Zuck, said in
a statement.
Microsoft Relents on Blaster Teen's Payback
Microsoft has relented on the restitution that teenager Jeffery Lee Parson
was ordered to pay for creating a variant of the MSBlast worm, which
infected some 50,000 computers by exploiting a Windows vulnerability.
After pleading guilty in January, Parson was sentenced to 18 months in
prison to be followed by 100 hours of community service and three years of
supervised release. He was also required to pay US$500,000 in restitution
to Microsoft.
Wednesday, Microsoft requested that Parson s fine be commuted to an
additional 225 hours of community service that does not involve computer or
Internet use.
Microsoft s about face no doubt will dismay some people in the Internet
security community, not to mention those companies and individuals impacted
by the worm. Prior to the teenager s sentencing, Microsoft officials had
made statements suggesting the damage could be in the millions.
Many felt that Parson s sentence, which was the minimum time allowed under
sentencing guidelines, was too light for his crimes.
"I never felt the feds should have done a plea agreement to begin with,"
says Panda Software CTO Patrick Hinojosa. "From what I understood, there
was enough hard evidence on his computer that authorities could have put
him in front of a jury, and if he had been convicted, he could have served
ten years." Anything less, he says, "sends the wrong message. They need to
nail these guys to the wall."
Indeed, federal authorities had asked the maximum penalty of 37 months and
suggested that Parson pay more than $600,000 in compensation to Microsoft.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman, however, reportedly felt there were
mitigating circumstances, citing Parson's parents' neglectful behavior as
one factor that led to his actions.
Parson was a high school senior when he downloaded the original Blaster
worm in 2003 - which went on to infect some 9.5 million computers - and
modified it to create MSBlast.B, a variant that spread around the world
within minutes. Two weeks later, the FBI arrested Parson at his home in
Hopkins, Minnesota.
F-Secure security researcher Mikko Hypponen noted that if AV companies had
not caught Parson's variant as soon as they did, it could have done much
more damage.
Spam Ain't Dead Yet
In the past few weeks, I have heard reports that spam is finally dying. But
to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of its death have been greatly
exaggerated.
The reality-at least according to companies tracking and stopping/catching
spam for other major corporations and an unscientific survey of my own
readers-is that spam remains a major problem for both companies and
individuals. Roughly 80 percent of the world's e-mail is spam. Thanks to
the innovative technologies provided by McAfee, MailFrontier, FrontBridge,
MessageLabs, and others, we're seeing less of it on our desktops and in
our in-boxes. But we need to face facts. Spam hasn't disappeared. It's just
being corralled briskly into holding pens for you and your company to
evaluate, ignore, and eventually delete. On the whole, however, it still
costs companies millions of dollars to manage spam.
The CAN-SPAM Act has not been the panacea the U.S. government planned and
has done little to stem the flow of spam onto desktops and corporate
servers. More than a year after its passage, some companies, like
enterprise antispam provider MX Logic, estimate that as little as 13
percent of spam mail complies with the law (by allowing recipients to opt
out of getting any more spam from the same sender), down from a 16 percent
compliance rate in September 2004. Perhaps the biggest development in the
war against spam occurred late last year in a Virginia courtroom, when
jurors voted to convict Jeremy Jaynes and his sister Jessica DeGroot for
sending bulk e-mails under false e-mail addresses. These were no small-time
mom-and-pop felons who did a little black-hat business. Jaynes and DeGroot
were listed as number eight on the spam watchdog group Spamhaus's list of
most-wanted spam purveyors. The conviction is potentially very good news.
But the ruling did have its share of oddities.
The trial took place in Virginia, but that's not where the spammers are
from; it's simply where the servers they used were located. More
interestingly, the jury seemed torn over the severity of DeGroot's and
Jaynes's crime, recommending a nine-year prison term and just $7,500 in
fines. I'd say they got that part backwards. I don't know what putting
these kinds of criminals behind bars will do. Better to bar them from
buying and using computers and the Internet for five to ten years.
Likewise, spam-catching costs corporations around the world millions of
dollars each year in software, servers, and other resources. So, $7,500 is
little more than a nod toward the spammers' real fiscal responsibilities.
If Jaynes did, as prosecutors charged, make $24 million from his
enterprise, he should be fined at least that much. In Germany, they're now
promising hefty fines for spammers. The U.S. government should hurry up and
do the same.
Still, the judicial victory should embolden prosecutors to go after other
spammers on Spamhaus's list. Oddly, I have yet to hear about another
spammer going to trial or jail, or even being arrested.
I guess the next logical step is for companies to go after spammers
themselves with civil lawsuits. In theory, some major corporations should
be suing Jaynes and DeGroot. They should work with state and federal
officials to time those civil suits to hit at the same time the spammers
face criminal charges. It could be a hugely effective one-two punch.
On the other hand, if those who believe spam is dying are right, we can sit
back, do nothing and let CAN-SPAM take its course. With a 13 percent
compliance rate, those death throes should continue for another 50 or 60
years.
Phishing Attacks Still Climbing
The number of phishing attacks grew slightly during February, and there was
also increased malicious software use, a group that monitors attempts at
online identity theft says.
There were 13,141 unique phishing e-mail messages reported to the
Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) during February, up 2 percent on the
number reported to the group in January. The number of phishing Web sites
supporting these activities rose to 2625, up 1.8 percent compared to the
prior month, according to the group.
APWG compiles its data using information from ISPs, network administrators,
law enforcement agencies, and individuals.
Phishing is a form of online identity theft that uses spoof e-mails and
fraudulent Web sites, among other techniques, to lure people into divulging
personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames,
passwords, and, social security numbers.
The average monthly growth rate of phishing e-mails from July 2004 through
February was 26 percent, according to Peter Cassidy, the group's secretary
general.
"What's scary is that we are seeing the numbers of servers being co-opted
by scammers for criminal activities really jumping. It's as if they are
taking over more of the Internet infrastructure," he says.
The financial services industry continues to be the main focus of scammers,
with 78 percent of attacks targeting the customers of banks and other types
of financial institutions, according to the group.
There was also a rise in the number of reports of keylogging and pharming,
the group says, without giving details.
Keylogging involves using software to record keystrokes made on a computer
and is commonly used to steal passwords. Pharming involves interfering with
DNS (Domain Name System) servers to direct people to counterfeit banking or
e-commerce sites when they think they are visiting a legitimate site.
The country hosting the most phishing Web sites in February was the U.S.,
followed by China, the group says.
Microsoft Sues Alleged Identity Thieves
Microsoft Corp. on Thursday filed 117 federal lawsuits against unnamed
defendants, accusing them of a high-tech form of identity theft known as
"phishing."
The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Washington, accuses the "John Doe" defendants of using mass e-mail or
pop-up ads to coerce consumers into revealing personal information such as
bank account information, passwords or social security numbers.
The Redmond-based software company said it filed the lawsuits in hopes of
uncovering some of the largest operators.
In phishing scams, the Internet-based communications often purport to be
from legitimate organizations, such as banks, and use that perception of a
trusted relationship to get people to reveal personal information.
To avoid such identity theft, experts warn that users should be wary of
giving out any personal information via e-mail or pop-up ads, especially
if someone contacts them unexpectedly. Users also should be wary of
clicking on e-mail links, which could divert a user to a malicious site
that will then steal personal information.
Microsoft Working on New ID System for Windows
Microsoft Corp. will build software for managing identities into Windows in
order to beef up security by giving users more control over their personal
information, the world's largest software maker said on Tuesday.
The ID technology called "info-cards" will give users more control over
their own personal information in order to shop and access services online,
said Michael Stephenson, director in Microsoft's Windows Server division.
Microsoft is currently working on a new Internet Explorer Web browser and
version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, but Stephenson declined to say
whether "info-cards" would be built into the current Windows XP version or
Longhorn.
"We're trying to make the end-user experience as simple as possible,"
Stephenson said, adding that Microsoft's "goal is to make sure that this is
as broadly accessible as possible."
The initiative is the latest effort by the software giant to improve the
reliability and security of its software. Identity theft has become a
growing concern in the United States as personal data is increasingly used
to make purchases, and log into Web sites for vital information and
services.
The U.S. government is considering greater regulation of data brokers
following a rash of break-ins and other data losses that have heightened
concern about identity theft - a crime that costs consumers and businesses
an estimated $50 billion annually.
The technology proposed by Microsoft is reminiscent of two software tools
detailed by the Redmond, Washington-based company in 2001 called Passport
and Hailstorm.
Hailstorm was quietly shelved after privacy advocates said it put too much
sensitive information into the hands of a single company and partners
expressed similar reservations.
Passport, used to provide a single log-in for multiple Web sites and store
basic personal information, did not gain the wide audience that Microsoft
hoped for. Online marketplace eBay Inc., an early Passport adopter, stopped
using the service for its users in January.
While Microsoft's earlier plans involved the use of centrally stored
information beyond computer desktop, the "info-card" system will keep data
stored on a personal computer, Microsoft said.
"It's going to put control of digital IDs into the hands of an end-user,
the end-user will be in full control," Stephenson said.
ChoicePoint Inc., which maintains personal profiles of nearly every U.S.
consumer for companies that need to conduct credit and security checks,
said earlier this year that it inadvertently gave criminals tens of
thousands of consumer records, sparking fears of widespread identity theft
and government probes.
On Monday, the University of California, Berkeley, said that a laptop
computer containing the names and Social Security numbers of nearly 100,000
graduates, graduate students and applicants, was stolen earlier in March
and that police were investigating the theft.
Google Boosts Free Storage in Web E-Mail Battle
Google Inc., which took the first shot in the free e-mail storage battle
with the release of its Gmail product last year, said on Thursday it is
doubling free storage to 2 gigabytes shortly after Yahoo Inc. matched its
original offer.
Google said the increase will not be the last from the company, which
intends to make further free storage increases on its Web e-mail system as
user needs expand.
"We plan on continuing this increase for the foreseeable future," said
Georges Harik, product management director for Gmail.
Harik said that "less than a few percent" of Gmail users are bumping up
against the 1 gigabyte limit.
"We're doing it to anticipate what our users needs are and their needs grow
over time," he said. The Web search leader did not immediately say how many
Gmail accounts have been created.
Gmail, which is still in testing, is now offered only as an
English-language service.
Consumers are increasingly using their e-mail inboxes to store everything
from work documents and correspondence to larger digital music, video and
photo files. At the same time, the price of providing Web e-mail storage
has been in steep decline.
Yahoo last week said it would begin giving users of its free Web e-mail
service 1 gigabyte of storage, four times more than it had previously
offered.
"We're hoping to remove storage as a concern for Yahoo users," Yahoo
spokeswoman Karen Mahon said of her company's latest move.
"At a certain point beyond 1 gigabyte it just becomes a number and
irrelevant to most free e-mail users," Mahon said.
Yahoo Mail, available in 15 languages in almost two dozen countries around
the world, gives users 2 gigabytes of storage for $20 a year.
Microsoft Corp. offers 250 megabytes of storage to users of its free MSN
Hotmail accounts. Like Yahoo, it offers 2 gigabytes of storage for an
annual fee of $20.
Comdex Cancelled Again
Comdex, once one of the largest high-tech tradeshows in the world, has been
cancelled for a second year, the show's owner said Tuesday.
Comdex 2005 was cancelled despite the efforts of its owner MediaLive
International Inc. to take the conference out of limbo. The tradeshow,
which is traditionally held in Las Vegas, Nev., in November, was cancelled
last year for the first time after 25 years.
In a statement, MediaLive said it had been working "diligently to determine
how Comdex can best meet the future needs of the industry."
"Through our continued discourse across the community of IT buyers, vendors
and other stakeholders, we've made significant progress," the San
Francisco-based company said. "However, considerable work remains to build
an industry event to serve the industry as it matures with the same success
that Comdex did in its infancy."
Comdex was launched in 1979 by Sheldon Adelson, who at the time was the
owner of Needham, Mass.-based, Interface Group. The show was sold in the
mid-1990s to Softbank.
At the time of the sale, Comdex attracted more than 200,000 visitors to the
Las Vegas Strip. After Softbank, the conference grew smaller under a string
of owners, as former exhibitors focused on smaller, but highly targeted,
information-technology events.
=~=~=~=
Atari Online News, Etc. is a weekly publication covering the entire
Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted
at the beginning of any article, to Atari user groups and not for
profit publications only under the following terms: articles must
remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of
each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of
request. Send requests to: dpj@atarinews.org
No issue of Atari Online News, Etc. may be included on any commercial
media, nor uploaded or transmitted to any commercial online service or
internet site, in whole or in part, by any agent or means, without
the expressed consent or permission from the Publisher or Editor of
Atari Online News, Etc.
Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do
not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All
material herein is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing.
