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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 10 Issue 35
Volume 10, Issue 35 Atari Online News, Etc. August 29, 2008
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2008
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 #1035 08/29/08
~ Comcast Data Use Limit ~ People Are Talking! ~ Psystar Suit Response
~ ACEC Swap Meet Nears! ~ Hacker's Last Stand! ~ Psystar Countersues!
~ New ZoneAlarm Released ~ Microsoft Buy ciao.com ~ New Kindle Reader!
-* Computer Viruses Hit Space! *-
-* Native Privacy Features for New IE8 *-
-* Lexmark Offers To Help People Print Less! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Sigh. It's the weekend which marks the unofficial end of the summer
season. Sure, there are still a few weeks left, but Labor Day weekend
means back to school for the kids, summer resort areas start to slow
down and close, and the weather cools. Not all bad things, mind you,
but it's a psychological thing, I guess.
I don't have much to say this week. I was going to make a few comments
regarding the presidential elections and conventions, but those are still
going on, and I was never really into soap operas!
So, while I continue to plan this long weekend's schedule of events
(what projects need doing), I'll leave you to another weekend of a
good A-ONE read!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE User Group Notes! - Meetings, Shows, and Info!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
ACEC Swap Meet
ACEC Swap Meet September 13, 2008
ATARI COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS
OF COLUMBUS, OHIO
VINTAGE COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAME SWAP MEET
September 13, 2008
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. EDT
Oakland Park Community Center
980 Lenore St.
All vintage and classic computers, video games, systems, accessories,
games, and software invited!
Vendor and Flea Marketeer donation: Free!
Shoppers and onlookers donation: Free!
Further info:
chwbrown@ee.net Charles (614) 447-9789
rarenz@columbus.rr.com
http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/acec/acec.html
Link: http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/acec/acec.html
=~=~=~=
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
compiled by Joe Mirando
joe@atarinews.org
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, it looks like we may actually have
enough messages to talk about some Atari stuff this week! Imagine that!
First, though (and you just KNEW there was going to be a "but first...",
didn't you?), I want to talk for a moment about what happened this past
week: Barack Obama was nominated by the Democratic Party for President
of the United States. Now, whether you support him or not, this really
is a historic moment... and on the anniversary of Martin Luther
King's "I Have A Dream" speech, no less!
When Dr. King made that speech, I was a mere 3 years old. But I remember
hearing it over and over in school. But even then, the import of the
speech, the man and the movement was kind of lost. I mean, I was a
middle-class white kid in a comfortable verging-on-rural suburb. It
seems funny now that I could have been so shielded from what was going
on, even in the late 60's, but I guess I was. But to this day I'm not
sure if it was because I was brought up where I was or because I was
too young to appreciate the import of what was happening.
As I watched Obama's speech, I wondered: Will people look at this speech
four decades from now and point to it as a turning point or a watershed
event? I don't know. I don't think anyone does... yet.
Of course, a lot will depend on what happens in November. If Obama wins
the election, his nomination speech may become known as "the start of
it all" which, while not accurate, would at least be memorable. Of
course, if he is elected in November and is able to deliver an
inauguration speech the likes of Kennedy's or the caliber of one of
Lincoln's speeches, Obama's acceptance speech may be forgotten.
But what about if Obama doesn't win the election? Well, that'd be some
ground-breaking stuff too. John McCain would be the oldest person
elected U.S. President.
It doesn't seem to have the same import as "The First Black Man Elected
President", does it? I'm not taking anything away from McCain... his
service to this country are to be commended... but being the oldest man
to be elected isn't quite the same as being the first black man to be
elected.
Someone asked Michelle Obama how she thought she might feel when/if she
entered the White House as First Lady and gazed upon the room where,
when John Adams first entered, slaves were still plastering the walls.
I thought it was a silly question to ask. No, not because its of no
import, but because Michelle Obama has no way of knowing how she might
feel... that particular situation has never occured before. She has
very little to go by.
At any rate, we are indeed living in historic times. I would hope that,
one day in the future, people will read about the opening decade of the
21st Century and the election of the first black man to the office of
President and say, "So, what's the big deal? Did anyone really care
what color he was?" The answer, even today, unfortunately, is 'yes'.
But they are a dying breed.
Well, enough of that. Let's get to the news, hints, tips and info
available from the UseNet.
From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
====================================
Jean-Luc Ceccoli asks for help with MiNT hard drive partitions larger
than one gigabyte:
"OK, now I have MiNT running from r:\.
When preparing my disk, I set a partition with 4094 kB. It is for
very large data that I will not have to access under plain TOS, so
it is Q:\ - just before the lnx one -.
I tested it under MagiC!, which let me copy/retrieve data to/from
it with no problem.
But MiNT seems not to like it, stating something about fat being
too small, and this is reported when trying to access the drive
too (I use Thing as a desktop).
There are 2 alertboxes displayed then :
- for Thing, "No information available about drive Q:! (TOS -46)"
- for XaAES , "pid 104 (thing): FATFS (Q): FAT too small (FAT
size = 8174, minfat = 8175)"
I tried to change the value of cache into mint.cnf from 4096 to
6144, then to 8192, but it didn't help. What might I have done wrong?"
Peter Pera tells Jean-Luc:
"As I know we need to init FAT32 partitions after partitioning with
Hddrutil, before using with Mint. There is mkfs util for that. I did
not test latest V., 8.22, but no reason to think that FAT32 init is
changed.
FAT32 partitions may have diverse parameters as cluster sizes,
reserved sector count, number of bootsectors, some IDs, etc... As I
see, Mint32 works well with partitions created with Windows. Myself
made partitioner which can init FAT32 parts., but their format is
taken from sample FAT32 partitions made with WinXP.
As authors of Magic and Uwe Seimet worked tight together it is normal
that Magic and Hddriver understand each good. Btw. Uwe said that he
even did not test latest hddriver with Mint. So, you need mkfs for
Atari."
'G Gnkua' adds:
"What type is the partition? If you just want the data to be accessible
only by mint, you should go for ext2. For MagiC/Mint I guess F32
should work, but I never tried it.
If you go to the console and try commands like "ls", does it work?
"df" would be a good idea too. If those work then it might be the
desktop's fault and not the OS'."
Jean-Luc replies to both:
"Well, I use HD-Driver in its latest release - 8.22- from Uwe Seimet,
and it is a f32 partition.
But what do you mean by parameters of partition being the problem ?
HD-Driver manages all by itself, just tell it the size and type of
the partition you want to create. What puzzles me is that MagiC! can
read it correctly, but not MiNT."
Jean-Luc does some digging around and then posts:
"Ooooooops! As it was accessable under MagiC!, I thought it would
be under MiNT as well. A little "mkfatfs Q:" made it MiNT readable."
Jean-Luc now asks about extracting files from MSA disk images:
"Is it possible to extract files from an ST or MSA image without
having to restore it onto a floppy? Are there tools allowing that?"
Peter Pera replies:
"Yes. http://www.ppest.org/atari/floimgd.php
Or may do it with Steem emulator. There are even some programs for
Ataris. But it is for hard disk users."
Jean-Luc replies:
"Fine. And one which runs on real TOS-machines?"
Adam Klobukowski points Jean-Luc in the right direction:
"Jay MSA: http://phoenix.inf.upol.cz/~opichals/jay/ "
Well folks, that's it for this week. Hopefully we'll see more messages
on the UseNet on a regular basis now that summer is drawing to an end.
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 - Amazon Offers 'Release-Date Delivery'!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Heroes over Europe in 2009!
Red Baron Arcade!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Heroes over Europe Coming in 2009 For
Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PC
Get ready to scramble! Atari and Red Mile Entertainment are bringing
Heroes over Europe, an ultra-realistic seat-of-the-pants tactical flight
combat game and the latest in the critically acclaimed Heroes series, to
the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft,
PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC in 2009.
The sequel to the mighty World War II flight combat game Heroes of the
Pacific, Heroes over Europe takes aspiring combat pilots into the
bullet-ridden heart of major World War II European air battles in
glorious dogfight-friendly high definition. Heroes over Europe follows
the Allied campaign from the attacks on London to the destruction of
Berlin, with players under orders to strap themselves into the
authentically rendered cockpits of the campaign's iconic aircraft. Their
mission: to survive the most intense dogfights ever seen in a flight
combat game.
"The Heroes series has brought some of the world's most exciting air
battles in history to gamers all over the world, and Heroes over Europe
builds on the series' impressive legacy with highly detailed realistic
visual presentation and an even deeper online experience," said Cyril
Voiron, VP Brand Management Worldwide Publishing, Atari.
"Transmission Games did an incredible job on the first game, Heroes of
the Pacific, and this second game in the series is definitely benefiting
from that experience," said Simon Price, President of Red Mile
Entertainment. "We are very excited to partner with Atari to bring this
stunning title to gamers worldwide."
Developed by Transmission Games (formerly IR Gurus) in Melbourne,
Australia, and powered by an all-new engine, Heroes over Europe is set to
raise the bar for flight combat games, with new and unique game modes,
and deeper and more comprehensive online gameplay for up to 16 players.
Visually, the game takes no prisoners with meticulously rendered
environments including faithful recreations of London and Berlin, and
ultra-realistic iconic warplanes of the era, all presented in stunning
high definition graphics. With additional content available to download
from launch, Heroes over Europe is scheduled for release in 2009.
This title is not yet concept approved by Microsoft.
"Heroes over Europe" is the sequel to "Heroes of the Pacific," which was
published in 2005 on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the
Xbox video game system from Microsoft, and the PC, and has sold more than
600,000 units worldwide. Both titles are developed by Transmission Games
in Melbourne, Australia. "Heroes over Europe" has not yet been rated by
the ESRB. For more information, please visit
http://www.heroesovereurope.com.
Red Baron Arcade to Take-off on PlayStation Network
This is your captain speaking. Strap on that flight suit, as Sierra
Online has cleared Red Baron Arcade for take-off on PlayStation network
on Sept. 18, 2008. An intense arcade air combat game with online
multiplayer capabilities, Red Baron Arcade follows burgeoning pilots as
they take to the unfriendly skies and compete to rise through the ranks
of the Red Barons squadron.
Set in the midst of World War I, Red Baron Arcade pits players against
the best pilots of the century in devious dogfights, where they must
swoop and dodge their way to victory. Manning the gun turrets on
WWI-themed aircraft, players can battle conniving computer AI, or wage
war against up to seven other aspiring "Aces" online in Deathmatch,
Team-Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag modes.
Co-piloting with the release of Red Baron Arcade will be a free
PlayStation Network demo of the game. And as a PlayStation Network
first, recruits will get a taste of the multiplayer action to test their
acrobatic flying skills against other Red Baron Arcade pilots in a
special battle arena available in the Red Baron Arcade demo for up to
eight players online.
Red Baron Arcade is rated T for Teen and flies onto PlayStation Network
Sept. 18, 2008.
Amazon: Get Games the Day They're Released
Amazon has announced that they will now be offering release day delivery
for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Fable 2,
and Gears of War 2.
During checkout, customers can choose to upgrade their shipping to
'Release-Date Delivery' for $5.98 to guarantee that they get the game on
the day it comes out, while Amazon Prime customers will receive the
upgrade for free.
For those looking to order a new release from the web and play it the
day it's released, this is the best deal we've seen. In comparison,
ground shipping (three-plus days) from GameStop is $5.99, two-day is
$6.99, and overnight is $9.99. The other options for Amazon customers
are the free super saver shiipping (five to nine days), standard
shipping for $4.49 (five business days), two-day shipping for $8.98, and
one-day shipping for $15.48.
When we spoke to Amazon regarding this new option, they called it their
way of "going the extra mile for our customers when it comes to
providing them with convenience." While this may legitimately be the
case, offering the option for no charge to Amazon Prime members
indicates their focus here might be on driving more people to subscribe
to the $79-per-year service. With the national average price of gas at
$3.68 a gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration,
having Amazon go that "extra mile" for us doesn't seem like a bad idea.
Especially for those who find themselves traveling long distances to get
a game only to be met with, "Sorry, we're sold out."
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Space: The Final Frontier for Computer Viruses
The first ever reported computer virus has infected at least two laptops
onboard the International Space Station more than 200 miles above Earth.
The worm, believed to be W32.Gammima.AG, steals personal information
used to play online games from infected computers and then attempts to
send the information back to a remote computer, according to
SpaceRef.com, which broke the news on Monday.
The virus was not the first to hit a space station last month, just the
first one that was reported, NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries told Wired
News. He described it as a "nuisance" that infected computers that are
mostly used for applications like e-mail and not critical systems.
Officials were trying to figure out how the virus got onboard. The space
station has no direct Internet access - astronauts send and receive mail
through a KU band data link, according to Humphries. Reports speculated
it may have spread via a USB memory device.
The International Space Station is a collaboration between NASA, the
European Space Agency, and the space agencies of Japan, Russia, and
Canada.
Microsoft Plans Native Privacy Features for IE8
Microsoft on Monday revealed some new privacy features for Internet
Explorer 8, the next version of its market-leading Web browser. The
features address the concerns of consumers and privacy advocates, who
called the plans a positive step.
The new features will let users control their history, cookies and other
information that IE8 stores. Other features aim to help users control
how their browsing history is shared by Web sites. By default, IE8
browses the Web the same way IE7 does.
"Having privacy native in the browser as opposed to just an extension is
something we've been advocating for a long time from all the browser
manufacturers," said Ari Schwartz, deputy director at the Center for
Democracy and Technology. "Incorporating all of these privacy features
at once is a major step forward. Safari has some built-in privacy and
Firefox has extensions. Native privacy is better."
When a new feature called InPrivate Browsing is activated, new cookies
are not stored. Rather, all new cookies become session cookies and
existing cookies can still be read. New history entries will not be
recorded and new temporary Internet files will be deleted after the
private browsing window is closed. Form data, passwords, queries typed
into a search box, visited links, and addresses typed into the address
bar are not stored.
"If you are using a shared PC, a borrowed laptop from a friend, or a
public PC, sometimes you don't want other people to know where you've
been on the Web. Internet Explorer 8's InPrivate Browsing makes that
'over the shoulder' privacy easy by not storing history, cookies,
temporary Internet files, or other data," Andy Zeigler, a program
manager at Microsoft, wrote in the company's blog.
IE8 will also offer a feature to delete browsing history without
deleting cookies that allow trusted Web sites to remember visitors.
Financial Web sites, for example, often put a cookie on the PC to
identify a user account to eliminate extra challenge questions that make
logging in more tedious.
Another new feature, InPrivate Blocking, keeps a record of third-party
items as users browse. When the privacy features are turned on, IE
automatically blocks sites that have "seen" you across more than 10
sites. Since Web sites can track visitors without cookies, the only way
to make sure data is not disclosed is to block the content and prevent
communication to sites. InPrivate Subscriptions give users the ability
to let software make the blocking decisions for them.
Microsoft's new efforts offer a good usability test for native privacy
features in the browser, Schwartz said. In the future, however, the
Center for Democracy and Technology would like to see the ability to
leave the privacy features turned on all the time.
"Right now, each time you start a new browser session, you have to
indicate that you want these features enabled," Schwartz said. "Second
of all, all of these features are bundled together. So you can't just
choose to block third parties but still keep your history. Being able to
separate out those features will be useful to people in the future."
New Beta of Internet Explorer 8 Ready for Download
The second beta release of Internet Explorer 8 is now available for
download by developers and consumers alike on Windows-based PCs running
Vista, XP, Server 2003 and Server 2008.
Microsoft's next-generation browser for 32-bit and 64-bit computing
platforms is currently available in English, Japanese, Chinese and
German, with additional languages coming soon, said Dean Hachamovitch,
general manager of Microsoft's IE8 development team.
"While Beta 1 was for developers, we think that anyone who browses or
works on the Web will enjoy IE8 Beta 2," Hachamovitch said.
Suggested Sites is one good example of the IE8 development team's
commitment to streamlining Web navigation. Click on the Suggested Sites
button on the toolbar to see the top recommendations, based on choices
made by online users visiting the same page.
In addition, the browser's new address bar is no longer just for URLs.
Simply type a keyword into IE8's new "smart" address bar and the browser
immediately searches across a user's history, favorites and RSS feeds to
identify all the resources accessed during past online sessions. Users
also can hit the return key after inputting a word to tell the browser
to display the results of a Windows Live search.
Moreover, IE8's Web Slices capability gives users the ability to
subscribe, view and interact with portions of their favorite Web sites
with a single click on the Favorites bar.
"We looked very hard at how people really browse the Web," Hachamovitch
said, "and tried a lot of different designs in front of many kinds of
people, not just technologists."
Much like the Mozilla Labs new Ubiquity plug-in for Firefox 3, IE8's
Accelerators option makes it easy for users to launch a variety of
online services without leaving the page currently being displayed.
Simply highlight any text on a page and right-click on it to reference a
map, define a word, place content in e-mails and blogs, or even
translate foreign-language snippets into English.
"For Beta 2, we've worked with a lot of great partners to deliver a
bunch of choices for users," Hachamovitch said. "They're much faster and
easier than the 'select, copy, new tab, navigate, paste, repeat' process
in today's other browsers. We hope that Web sites - and enthusiasts -
write more of them and give us feedback."
Browser crashes have been one of the most frustrating downsides to
working with Internet Explorer 7 because the user loses every tabbed
page open at the time. However, the loosely coupled structure of IE8
separates the browser's frame from the tabs, and the tabs from each other.
"Crashes are more contained and affect fewer tabs than before,"
explained Hachamovitch. The last browsing session from the most recently
closed instance of IE8 can also be reopened.
Multiple tabs are now categorized into color-coded groups that make it
easier for users to navigate among a large number of open Web pages. And
if a tabbed page does crash, it will be automatically reloaded and any
information the user may have already entered on the page is also
restored.
If you are thinking about taking IE8 for a test drive, keep in mind that
this is not a final product and it will not necessarily work smoothly
with certain services, applications and add-on programs. But for the
most part, Beta 2 integrates a number of improvements that can help
users surf the Internet in a quicker and more efficient manner.
Check Point Releases ZoneAlarm 8.0
Check Point Software Technologies on Monday released ZoneAlarm Internet
Security Suite 8.0. This new version includes enhancements to essential
security and performance technologies as well as a redesigned user
interface. It also updates the Identity Protection Center introduced in
version 6.5. New versions of ZoneAlarm Pro and ZoneAlarm Antivirus have
also been released.
The suite's Early Boot Protection runs during system startup when,
according to Check Point, "other security products leave systems
vulnerable." Its OSFirewall module specifically protects against
rootkits that hook deeply into the operating system. The new user
interface includes a "1-Click Fix-it" feature; if there's any problem
with security, the user just clicks the "Fix it" button. From the
Identity Protection Center users can monitor credit reports on a daily
basis and actively protect personal information both online and offline.
As always, the suite features protection against viruses, spyware, and
spam. It also warns users against fraudulent phishing URLs, offers
parental-control protection, and secures your PC when connected to
public wireless networks.
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 8.0 is available now at
www.zonealarm.com. A single-user license costs $49.95, while a 3-user
license is $69.95. PC Magazine will offer a full review and evaluation
as soon as we complete our extensive testing regimen.
Printer Maker Offers To Help People Print Less
A leading printer maker wants to help you do less printing.
Printing an article off the Web often produces several pages of waste,
including ads, links and boxes for entering text. So the latest version
of a Web toolbar from Lexmark International Inc. gives people more ways
to block such images from coming out of the printer, saving ink and paper.
Some of Lexmark's tools already exist in standard printer settings, but
accessing them normally requires several mouse clicks. Lexmark's free
program brings those functions to the forefront. For example, one click
converts a Web page into black and white for printing, extending the
life of expensive color ink cartridges.
The Web software also extends the "printer-friendly" features many sites
offer. Often those printer-friendly versions still carry logos and other
graphics; the Lexmark tools let you eliminate those as well.
Although printer companies make much of their money from ink cartridges
and other products that consumers constantly have to replace, Lexmark
figures it can improve customer satisfaction. Most of the features work
regardless of whether your printer was made by Lexmark, Hewlett-Packard
Co. or another rival.
Lexmark has versions available for both Microsoft Corp.'s Internet
Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox browsers.
The Firefox version offers more functions. Lexmark says Firefox users
tend to be more technically advanced, and thus open to more
customization. While the Internet Explorer tool lets you eliminate
images, for instance, the Firefox version lets you remove forms, links
and other elements, too.
Craig Le Clair, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, said the Lexmark
tools can help reduce office printing. Companies already have made
progress going electronic with insurance claims, bank transactions and
other paperwork, he said, and they are now turning to "the knowledge
worker and the ad hoc use of paper."
But Le Clair said any effect will be small compared with initiatives
such as centralized printing, through which companies can track usage by
person or department much better than with individual printers at each
desk.
Microsoft Buys ciao.com To Boost E-Shopping Search
Microsoft has agreed to buy Greenfield Online, owner of popular European
price comparison website ciao.com, for about $486 million to boost its
Internet search and e-commerce business in Europe.
Microsoft, whose $47.5 billion bid to buy Yahoo earlier this year failed
after a long battle, said on Friday the acquisition - the latest in a
series - should help it build a more consumer-friendly,
results-oriented search engine.
"We call it 'instant answers'," said John Mangelaars, head of
Microsoft's consumer and online business in Europe. "I hope it's getting
very clear that we've very serious about EMEA," he added, speaking to
Reuters by telephone.
Internet search is dominated by Google, which has 62 percent of the
global search market and 79 percent in Europe, according to Web usage
tracker ComScore.
Microsoft has a 2 percent market share in Europe and 9 percent
worldwide, behind both Google and Yahoo. In Europe, Microsoft is also
outranked by online auction site eBay and Russia's Yandex.
But Mangelaars said buying ciao.com was an important step in Microsoft's
attempt to distinguish itself by providing search results more useful to
consumers, particularly shoppers, than those thrown up by a Google search.
For example, results of a Microsoft search for a particular camera model
could include which prices were available from which retailers, and maps
of where those retailers were, rather than just links to the
manufacturer's and retailers' websites.
The acquisition follows those of Norwegian enterprise search company
Fast for about $1.2 billion early this year and shopping-and-auction
site jellyfish.com for an undisclosed sum last year.
Caio.com is active in seven European countries and attracts 19.6 million
unique visitors per month in Europe, more than twice as many as rival
kelkoo.com, according to ComScore, thanks to its large network of
members who contribute product reviews.
To attract more users, Microsoft also plans to reward consumers who buy
products through its shopping sites by giving them cash back, extending
a trial started in the United States a few months ago.
"Google's trying to do all your search needs. What Microsoft is doing
with this kind of acquisition is saying: 'We're going to be very good at
the commercial side of search, the shopping'," said Forrester principal
analyst Rebecca Jennings.
Herve le Jouan, ComScore's managing director, Europe, agreed. "Doing
this shopping thing, I think, is a good move," he said, but cautioned
that acquisitions alone would never bring Microsoft close to Google's
market share in search.
"Nobody is able to compete right now with Google so there is nobody to
buy to compete with Google," he said.
Microsoft's Mangelaars acknowledged the distance Microsoft had to cover,
especially given the commercial edifice rapidly being built by online
advertisers whose models depend on Google's particular view of the Web.
"It's a race," he said, "but we also believe it's very early days in
search technology."
Microsoft's offer of $17.50 per share betters an earlier proposal by
media-focused U.S. buyout firm Quadrangle Group to acquire the company
for $15.50 a share, and represents a slight premium to Greenfield's
closing price of $17.25 on Thursday.
On August 26, Greenfield had said it had received a $17.50 per share
offer but did not reveal from whom. The latest offer represents a
premium of about 10 percent over Greenfield's closing share price on
August 25.
Microsoft said it had agreed to sell Greenfield's main business, which
surveys consumer opinion online and sells the results to market
researchers, to an unnamed financial buyer.
The companies expect both deals to close during the fourth quarter of
2008. Completion of the Greenfield sale to Microsoft does not depend on
Microsoft's disposal of the online survey business, the two companies
said.
Psystar Responds to Apple Suit, Will Countersue
Mac clone maker Psystar plans to file its answer to Apple's copyright
infringement lawsuit Tuesday as well as a countersuit of its own,
alleging that Apple engages in anticompetitive business practices.
Miami-based Psystar, owned by Rudy Pedraza, will sue Apple under two
federal laws designed to discourage monopolies and cartels, the Sherman
Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, saying Apple's tying of the
Mac OS to Apple-labeled hardware is "an anticompetitive restrain of
trade," according to attorney Colby Springer of antitrust specialists
Carr & Ferrell. Psystar is requesting that the court find Apple's EULA
void, and is asking for unspecified damages.
Springer said his firm has not filed any suits with the Federal Trade
Commission or any other government agencies.
The answer and countersuit will be filed Tuesday afternoon in U.S.
District Court for Northern California.
Pedraza attended a press conference his lawyers called to present how
Psystar will defend its its OpenComputer Mac clone, which has been for
sale online since April.
Psystar's attorneys are calling Apple's allegations of Psystar's
copyright infringement "misinformed and mischaracterized." Psystar
argues that its OpenComputer product is shipped with a fully licensed,
unmodified copy of Mac OS X, and that the company has simply "leveraged
open source-licensed code including Apple's OS" to enable a PC to run
the Mac operating system.
Pedraza says he wants to make Apple's Mac OS "more accessible" by
offering it on less expensive hardware than Apple.
"My goal is to provide an alternative, not to free the Mac OS," said
Pedraza. "What we want to do is to provide an alternative, an
option...It's not that people don't want to use Mac OS, many people are
open to the idea, but they're not used to spending an exorbitant amount
of money on something that is essentially generic hardware."
Apple will have 30 days to respond to Pystar's counter claim, and so far
has declined to comment on the case.
Other legal experts say Psystar faces a tough legal challenge in proving
Apple has engaged in antitrust behavior by loading its software on its
own hardware and thereby allegedly harming consumers and competitors.
Psystar's ability to prevail on the issue of having the latitude to load
Apple's OS on its own hardware, given it has a licensing agreement with
the company, may prove an easier road to hoe, legal experts note.
A newcomer to the PC scene, Psystar caused a stir when it first went
online selling white box Macs earlier this year. The site went down
hours after it opened for business because the company was overwhelmed
with orders for the OpenComputer, originally called the OpenMac, which
was then changed to its current name. And the site went down several
more times as its payment-processing company pulled its services from
the Psystar site. Psystar managed to stay shrouded in a bit of mystery
for a while, until intrepid gadget blog readers joined the press in
fleshing out some details about the company.
Psystar eventually got back online with a new payment-processing
service, and it continues to take orders for the OpenComputer and
OpenPro Computer. When Apple finally did file suit against Psystar in
July, it surprised nearly no one - except perhaps Pedraza. He said he
had no contact with Apple before legal papers were filed against his
company. Customarily, there is some sort of communication between
companies before lawsuits are filed.
For now, Pedraza says it will be "business as usual" at company
headquarters. Though he said there was a "slight" downward dip in sales
once Apple filed its suit, he plans to go ahead with making servers, and
soon, a mobile product, which he said will be "like a notebook." But he
refused to offer more detail.
Psystar Countersues Apple on Antitrust Grounds
Mac clone maker Psystar officially responded to Apple's copyright
infringement lawsuit on Thursday by filing a countersuit that alleges
anticompetitive business practices.
As expected, the 54-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California, charges Apple with restraint of trade,
unfair competition, and other violations of antitrust law. Miami-based
Psystar, owned by Rudy Pedraza, requests that the court find Apple's
end-user license agreements (EULA) void and seeks unspecified
compensatory and punitive damages.
"The present litigation is more complex than the misinformed and
mischaracterized allegations of copyright infringement," attorney Colby
Springer, of antitrust specialists Carr & Ferrell, said in a statement.
"The litigation involves the anticompetitive nature of the Apple EULA
and similar anticompetitive tactics related to the misuse of Apple's
copyrights."
Psystar argues that its OpenComputer product is shipped with a fully
licensed, unmodified copy of Mac OS X, and that the company has simply
"leveraged open source-licensed code including Apple's OS" to enable a
PC to run the Mac operating system.
Pedraza said says his company is "allowing more people to take advantage
of a great operating system that Apple has created at a more accessible
cost than the pricey Mac."
Apple will have 30 days to respond to Psystar's countersuit and so far
has declined to comment on the case.
Legal experts say Psystar faces a tough legal challenge in proving Apple
has engaged in antitrust behavior by loading its software on its own
hardware and thereby allegedly harming consumers and competitors.
Psystar's ability to prevail on the issue of having the latitude to load
Apple's OS on its own hardware, given it has a licensing agreement with
the company, may prove an easier row to hoe, legal experts note.
A newcomer to the PC scene, Psystar caused a stir when it first went
online selling white-box Macs earlier this year. The site went down
hours after it opened for business because the company was overwhelmed
with orders for the OpenComputer, originally called the OpenMac. The
site went down several more times as its payment-processing company
pulled its services from the Psystar site. Psystar managed to stay
shrouded in a bit of mystery for a while, until intrepid gadget-blog
readers joined the press in fleshing out some details about the company.
Psystar eventually got back online with a new payment-processing
service, and it continues to take orders for the OpenComputer and
OpenPro Computer. When Apple finally did file suit against Psystar in
July, it surprised nearly no one--except perhaps Pedraza. He said he had
no contact with Apple before legal papers were filed against his
company. Customarily, there is some sort of communication between
companies before lawsuits are filed.
Comcast Limits Homes To 250GB in New Public Policy
Comcast has made it official: Home Internet service customers are
limited to 250GB of data per month. According to the company, the move
is in response to heavy usage by some customers that can cause network
congestion.
The new policy was posted on Comcast's Web site early Friday, and the
meter starts running on Oct. 1.
Charlie Douglas, director of corporate communications for online
services, said, "The amount of data measured is aggregate monthly usage
of uploads and downloads."
And Comcast has added some teeth to the usage limit - the first time
the limit is exceeded, the offending customer will receive a phone call
from a Comcast representative. The second violation will result in a
shutdown of Internet service for one year.
The amended service policy states in part: "It's no secret we've been
evaluating a specific monthly data usage or bandwidth threshold for our
Comcast High-Speed Internet residential customers for some time." The
threshold is high for the majority of Comcast users.
Examples of what a 250GB limit equates to are cited in the amendment,
such as sending 50 million e-mails, downloading 62,500 songs, 125
standard-definition movies, or uploading 25,000 high-resolution digital
photos. The policy says the median monthly usage for residential Comcast
customers is 2GB to 3GB per month.
Some observers say Comcast has a reasonable argument. The company has
expanded rapidly into business and residential phone service, meanwhile
maintaining its large cable-television enterprise. There is only so much
available bandwidth at any given time.
Comcast is moving data, voice and television and high-definition video
over the same pipes. It only takes a few peer-to-peer file-sharing
applications to cause unexpected congestion.
Comcast's previous efforts to address the problem brought a rebuke from
the Federal Communications Commission. Comcast was caught throttling
down the connections of BitTorrent P2P users on its network without
their knowledge.
When the matter came before a congressional subcommittee, Comcast
admitted to the practice and was ordered to stop gating individual
connections. The FCC and Congress felt the targeting of individual
accounts without notification was the main issue.
In its new policy Comcast is not limiting bandwidth on the sly, nor is
it keeping its policies private. In fact, the company is posting a
banner ad on its home page and sending flyers detailing the new policy
to each of its customers in September. The company has also posted
suggestions for using download-metering software that will track usage,
much like the minute counters on cell phones.
Douglas emphasized, "This does not affect our commercial customers."
Comcast has been aggressively moving into unified data services for
commercial accounts, and some, especially those involved in backup and
disaster recovery, could go over the 250GB limit, but that service is
separate from residential accounts, said Douglas.
"We need to remember that the amount of usage we are talking about, more
than 250GB a month, does not apply to more than 99 percent of our
customers. So the less than 1 percent who are notified today receive a
phone call from Comcast asking them to moderate their usage, which the
vast majority of them do voluntarily," Douglas said.
Other broadband providers are also likely to publicize limits.
Facing Extradition, British Hacker Makes Last Stand
After eight years of litigation, accused British hacker Gary McKinnon is
set to be extradited to the United States to stand trial.
Shortly after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, computer break-ins at more than 90 U.S. military and
governmental agencies caused severe security compromises and data
destruction. In 2002, U.S. investigators reportedly tracked the software
used for the attacks to an e-mail account belong to McKinnon's
girlfriend. Since that time, the United States has sought McKinnon's
extradition.
On Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights - where appeals had
escalated the case - finally gave the OK to send McKinnon to the United
States. But in what some see as a last-ditch effort to keep McKinnon on
British soil, reports are circulating that the 42-year-old has just been
diagnosed with Aspberger's syndrome. Aspberger's is often described as a
form of high-functioning autism. In itself, this diagnosis wouldn't
prevent his trial in the United States, but British law may see things
differently.
McKinnon has already admitted publicly that he broke into U.S.
government computer systems, but he maintains he did no damage. Justice
Department officials charge, however, that he compromised and deleted
records at a key naval-operations center in New Jersey and repeatedly
crashed systems belonging to NASA and the Pentagon. McKinnon claims he
was snooping for evidence of a UFO cover-up by the U.S. government.
Allegedly, McKinnon posted the following message on a military computer
system during his months-long spree: "U.S. foreign policy is akin to
government-sponsored terrorism these days ... It was not a mistake that
there was a huge security stand down on September 11 last year ... I am
SOLO. I will continue to disrupt at the highest levels."
McKinnon and his lawyers rejected several plea offers by the United
States, instead taking their case all the way up the British court
system and then to the European Court of Human Rights. There are reports
that the last rejected plea deal would have netted McKinnon a mere six
months in low-security lockup. His attorneys have been steadfast in
blocking extradition, however, as they fear it sets a dangerous
precedent in international law.
Tensions are high in the United Kingdom on this issue, with many
reporters and pundits claiming McKinnon is the victim of a post-9/11
witch hunt, or that he will face an incredibly heinous sentence in the
United States. According to one British editorial, "... he [McKinnon]
could well receive a grossly disproportionate sentence for an offence
that would be dealt with in this country with a fine and community
service."
Other editorials are painting McKinnon as a scapegoat. Some British
hysterics are postulating McKinnon will get up to 60 years of hard time
in the United States. Estimates from legal experts in the United States,
however, indicate he's more likely to face fines and less than seven
years in prison.
U.S. Justice Department officials would not comment on McKinnon's
imminent arrival, and for good reason: McKinnon is taking his last-ditch
Aspberger's plea to Britain's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. If it is
rejected there, however, McKinnon could be in a U.S. facility in seven
to 10 days.
Amazon To Offer New Versions of Kindle e-Book Reader
Amazon will ship new versions of its Kindle e-book reader before year's
end. The original reader launched last November sold out in its first
week and had Amazon scrambling to fill holiday orders. While sales have
been brisk, estimates vary.
A Seattle newspaper confirmed late last week that Amazon.com is in the
late stages of rolling out two new versions of Kindle. Reports
unconfirmed by Amazon indicate there will be at least two new devices -
one with a new user interface but the same dimensions of the original
paperback-sized reader, and another the size of an 8-by-11-inch sheet of
paper. Other tantalizing details are that the new readers may sport
color choices.
The original Kindle has been criticized for its bland appearance and
somewhat clunky controls, so color and a new interface could help sales.
Not that Amazon seems to be complaining. Low estimates of current Kindle
sales are pegged at around 230,000 units shipped in nine months, while
others speculate that more than 380,00 have been sold.
According to Mark Mahaney, a financial analyst at Citigroup, "Although
(Amazon) has not disclosed Kindle sales, our collection of data points
leads us to double our '08 unit assumption from 190,000 to 380,000. In
its first year, that's exactly how many iPods were sold. Turns out the
Kindle is becoming the iPod of the book world."
The $5.5 billion textbook market is prime turf for the Kindle and
Amazon. While e-book readers have made no significant dent in the market
yet, a number of factors may push things along.
The chief complaint among students is textbook prices. Electronic
versions can drive down both the production and distribution costs.
Another problem is weight. Students are lugging tens of pounds of books
to and from classes.
Add to the mix that the Kindle has a built-in MP3 player and wireless 3G
connectivity, and there may be much more under the hood than boring
history books. While McGraw-Hill estimates that 90 percent of its
textbooks are available in e-book format, other publishers may be well
behind that figure.
One of the factors driving the market is innovative screen technology
from companies such as Cambridge, MA-based E-Ink, which licenses its
E-Ink 'paper' screens to a number of vendors, including Amazon, Sony and
Blackberry.
Current e-book readers can be difficult to read and practically useless
in some situations. The latest screens are not backlit, and therefore
are highly readable in a variety of settings, including full sunlight.
Amazon began the Kindle rollout with 90,000 titles available for instant
download via the Sprint 3G network. Estimates of titles available now
are at 140,000.
Sony, another big player in the e-book market, uses the same screen as
the Kindle in its 505 model eReader. Larger form-factor E-Ink screens
are in the Readius and the iRex iLiad, which runs a Linux-based
operating system.
Pricing for the new Kindles is uncertain. The original debuted at $399
and was discounted to $349 midyear.
Mahaney said, "Based on our product review of Kindle (surprisingly good
despite several V1 flaws), our tracking of its sales success to date
(material according to our monitoring of customer reviews on Amazon's
Web site), and our analysis of potential adoption-curve paths (by
comparing the iPod's initial years ramp), we believe the Kindle could
generate between $400 million and $750 million in revenue for (Amazon)
by 2010 - or one to three percent of its revenue."
=~=~=~=
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