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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 18 Issue 34
Volume 18, Issue 34 Atari Online News, Etc. August 26, 2016
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2016
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 #1834 08/26/16
~ The NSA Leak Is Real! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Firebee News Update!
~ ACEC Is This Weekend! ~ India and Blocked URLs ~ ICANN Gets DNS Soon!
~ "Malicious" Windows 10 ~ Duke Nukem Re-release? ~ Get Paid To Use Edge!
~ New Xbox Controllers! ~ ~ Google's New Fuchsia?
-* Group Wants A Tor Blackout! *-
-* The Atari ST and the Creative People *-
-* China Launches First Hack-proof Satellite! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The weather in my area continues to be abominable! The heat and
humidity continue to plague us to the point where we're now
considered to be in an "extreme drought" area. We've had a few
scattered thunderstorms, but nothing much as far as water goes.
And, to top all of this extreme weather, there was a tornado in
Concord (the Revolutionary War Concord!) this past week. Concord
is less than 20 miles from where I am, but we barely had a clap
of thunder! Fortunately, there were no injuries from that storm!
And now, to potentially add insult to injury, we've just entered
into the heart of hurricane season!
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was mentioning that
Memorial Day weekend was rapidly approaching! Here we are, three
months later and the Labor Day weekend is rapidly approaching!
Schools will be starting another year shortly, too. Hey, at
least that will mean fewer kids out in public during the day
giving me the weird looks when they realize that there's an old
geezer taking advantage of the lure that they set off at their
favorite Pokestop while playing Pokemon Go!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
FireBee News Update
By Fred Horvat
OK folks I spent a lot of time the past 2 weeks on my documented
issues with EasyMiNT and what I thought was a DNS issue. This
will be at least a 2 part article of what I did, what I found out,
and where I am at.
First thing I did after a couple of months of not using EasyMiNT
on the FireBee was to try it all again from scratch at home. The
same thing as in the past happened that NetSurf 3.4 that when
typing in a Web Site that the request could not find the site and
would time out leading me to believe that it was a DNS issue.
Because if I typed the actual IP address of a Web Site
198.61.147.252 instead of its name like www.atari.com the Web Site
would come up. Much easier to use itís name over the IP address
any day.
Second thing I did was discuss with a 30+ year Unix Guru at work
my issues and explain what I did. He told me to check certain
configuration files which I did previously and told him what they
contained and it all sounded good. So I asked to if he could look
at the FireBee directly which he agreed to. I brought the FireBee
to work. First off the other the other people in the IT department
(I work in IT) were mighty impressed with the FireBee hardware and
all the ports it had. Before I brought it in I told them it was a
FPGA machine similar in concept to a Raspberry Pi but very
specialized with many legacy and modern ports. After all the
Ooohhhing and Aaahhhing I hooked it onto the network and turned the
FireBee on. Once EasyMiNT booted I launched NetSurf 3.4 and Ö. it
works! I was dumbfounded to say the least. It would not work at
home and on the work network it performed flawlessly. I went to
the NetSurf Web Site and downloaded the latest Nightly Build of
Version 3.6 and that ran perfectly too. So this left me thinking
what it could be at home causing the problem.
To be ContinuedÖ
Final Reminder ACEC Vintage Computer, Games, etc. Annual Swap
All,
Just a reminder that the ACEC 2016 VINTAGE COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAME
SWAP MEET is Saturday August 27th 2016 at:
Maynard Ave. United Methodist Church
2350 Indianola Ave.
Columbus, Oh.
The church is located on Indianola Ave several blocks south of
Hudson St.
Right now the time for the swap meet is from 9:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Admission is FREE! FREE! FREE!
Vendors, please contact us to reserve tables. As it will be first
come first serve. We may have to limit the number of tables for
each vendor. Please check
http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/acec/acec.html back often for updates
and further information. (But be aware and donít be fooled. I
find this free site hosting notorious for pop-ups including virus
scare alerts. As best I know there is nothing overtly malicious.
ìJust donít clickî beyond club info and be ready to dismiss the
junk.
Please contact Charlie at colonelatari@hotmail.com for
reservations, further details.
A True Story of Digital Liberation ...
... and Power Without the Price!
Pre-order Volume 1 now. Get it in December 2016.
The Atari ST and the Creative People is a narrative hardback book
series of Atari, the Atari ST Demoscene and Thalion.
Volume 1 contains 250 pages packed by history, screen art,
memories, interviews and background stories from 1986 - 1990.
This long awaited book series tells the story of a generation of
people which wanted to be creative at all cost. A flashback to the
roots of Atari ST demo creation with legendary groups like The
Exceptions, Level 16, TNT, Sync, Omega, Overlanders, Delta Force
and The Carebears, challenging their contenders from overseas: The
Lost Boys.
From the Union to Thalion. From freaks to professionals. From the
"Golden Years" to the doom of a digital era. Read the balancing
act of a few german computer freaks, founding their game company
Thalion and uniting the european demo scene, to become some of
the most advanced 16-bit game designers.
Fresh comments and memories of well-known programmers and artists
who are looking back to their productions:
Erik Simon, Holger Flˆttmann, Niklas Malmqvist, Jochen Hippel, Tim
Moss, Dave Moss, Stefan Kimmlingen, Michael Raasch, Richard
Karsmakers, Stefan Posthuma, Michael Sch¸fller, Mike Mee, Didier
Plaza, Anders Cedronius, and more...
From 1986 to 1994+. This anthology will encompass three volumes
with over 850 pages packed full of pixel fascination and Atari ST
Megademos, presented in an all new manner. It covers the search
for artistic expression and searches for the reasons.
Imaginative tableaus translate the visions of unforgettable Atari
ST demos and give the 80's a fresh look.
More than 15 exclusive interviews with legendary demo makers and
game producers reveal inspiring insights about the beginning of
creative careers in the era of 16-bit computing.
Erik Simon (ES/TEX, Thalion), Jochen Hippel (Mad Max/TEX,
Thalion), Richard Karsmakers (Cronos/ST News, Thalion), Marc
Rosocha (Marc/Gigabyte Crew, Eclipse), Michael Raasch (Daryl/TEX,
Thalion), Tim Moss (Manikin/The Lost Boys), Dave Moss (Spaz/The
Lost Boys), Michael Sch¸fller (Sammy Joe/The Lost Boys), Stefan
Posthuma (Digital Insanity/ST News, The Lost Boys), Stefan
Kimmlingen (Tyrem/The Respectables), Niklas Malmqvist (Tanis/The
Carebears), Anders Cedronius (An Cool/The Carebears), Michael
Grohe (Thalion), Celal Kandemiroglu (Thalion), Mike Mee (Mug
U.K/Atari Legend), Didier Plaza (Checksum/Equinox) and more...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Duke Nukem 3D To Get 20th Anniversary Re-release!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" First Batch of Xbox Design Lab Custom Controllers!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Duke Nukem 3D Appears Set for A 20th Anniversary Re-release
A new Duke Nukem teaser site hints at a re-release of Duke Nukem 3D
ó and perhaps other entries in the series ó for the gameís 20th
anniversary, if you follow the clues.
The fine print on the teaser site mentions a company called Balls
of Steel LLC, which is registered with the Texas state government
under the same address as Gearbox Software. (The name comes from
Balls of Steel, a pinball offshoot of the Duke Nukem franchise.)
Gearbox Publishing, a label under Gearbox Software, is listed as
the publisher and distributor of Duke Nukem. The company claimed
the full rights to the Duke Nukem brand in August 2015, in a
settlement of an intellectual property lawsuit between Gearbox,
3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment.
Five older Duke Nukem games disappeared from digital retailers
such as Steam and GOG.com at the end of 2015, when 3D Realmsí
rights to sell the titles expired. The games in question were
Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem 2, Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition, Balls of
Steel and Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project.
At the time, a GOG.com representative told Polygon that the
company was in talks with Gearbox to bring the games back soon.
But it now appears that Gearbox wanted to hold out until it could
put together something special. The teaser site sports a banner
at the top that reads "happy 20th anniversary"; Duke Nukem 3D was
released in 1996, 20 years ago. The Duke Nukem community team has
also created or revitalized social media pages for the brand on
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
More notably, the teaser site features a countdown clock that
expires at 5 p.m. PT on Friday, Sept. 2. That happens to be the
exact time when Gearboxís PAX West 2016 panel ends, so the smart
money is on a Duke Nukem announcement coming during the session.
The panel, "Inside Gearbox Software," will run from 4-5 p.m. in
the Main Theatre at PAX. Weíve reached out to Gearbox to ask about
the teaser site, and will update this article with any information
we receive.
First Batch of Xbox Design Lab Custom Controllers Arrives in September
Microsoft is boxing up its initial shipment of player-customized
Xbox Design Lab controllers for the Xbox One, announcing that its
first wave of vibrantly colorful gamepads will arrive on player
doorsteps in September.
Xbox Design Lab controllers are still up for pre-order, and newly
created designs will ship out within 14 business days.
The Xbox Design Lab is an online customization program that allows
players to outfit Xbox One controllers with colorful shells,
buttons, analog sticks, and d-pads. Microsoft notes that Xbox
Design Lab controllers offer players 8 million different color
combinations to choose from, and custom-crafted designs can be
shared across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Xbox Design Lab gives players an easy way to identify their Xbox
One controllers in a group setting with a personalized touch.
Custom-built controllers can also be outfitted with a
laser-engraved 16-character message, making it easier to identify
your hardware if an opponent tries to swipe your controller at a
local meet-up.
Microsoftís made-to-order Xbox Design Lab controllers are
currently available for purchase in the United States, Canada,
and Puerto Rico, and the company plans to ì[bring] Xbox Design Lab
to more Xbox markets in 2017 and will have more to share in the
near future.î
Xbox One owners have multiple options with regard to controller
input, as the recently launched Xbox One S console introduced a
redesigned controller with Bluetooth support, boosted wireless
range, and textured grips. Players who demand precision may opt to
pick up the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, a $150 device that
boasts customizable metal analog sticks, a disc-shaped d-pad, and
rear slots for interchangeable paddles.
Hardware appears to be a major component of Microsoftís Xbox
platform strategy, as the company recently revealed that an
upgraded version of its Xbox One console is in the works.
Code-named ìScorpio,î the upcoming Xbox One hardware refresh is
rumored to feature a faster GPU, VR compatibility, and support for
4K resolutions.
Xbox Design Lab controllers can be customized and ordered via
Microsoftís website. Prices for custom orders start at $80.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
US Prepares To Hand Over Power of the Internet's Naming System
The US government's 20-year role in governing a crucial part of
the internet is about to end.
Starting October 1, the US will no longer have power over the
domain naming system (DNS), the US Department of Commerce said in
a blog post Tuesday.
The DNS is one of the core components of the internet, linking
every web address to servers using a unique set of numbers,
commonly referred to as an IP address. Control of the system will
be passed from the US government to a multi-stakeholder nonprofit
organization based in Los Angeles called the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
For the world's internet users, the handoff will go largely
unnoticed; day-to-day use of the internet will not be affected.
Instead, the transfer has been designed to ensure that the DNS
continues to be a strong, reliable pillar of the internet for
years to come. Proponents of the move, including the Obama
administration, believe privatization will help maintain
international support for the system and prevent governance of
the internet from becoming a point of dispute.
But some US politicians, including former Republican presidential
hopeful Ted Cruz, are critical of the decision to transfer
control of the DNS away from the US government. In a speech at
the Republican National Convention last month, Cruz said he
feared the system will now be open to interference from foreign
governments after being safely guarded for years by the US.
The switch has not come as a surprise to anyone, though. In fact,
it has been many years in the making. The US government's
caretaking of the system was always supposed to be a temporary
measure and its partnership with ICANN stretches back as far as
1998.
The agreement to complete the transition was made back in 2014. As
of Tuesday, the government is satisfied that ICANN is ready to
take charge of the system, Lawrence Strickling, assistant
secretary for communications and information, said in the Commerce
Department's blog post.
"For the last 18 years, the United States has been working with
the global Internet multi-stakeholder community to establish a
stable and secure multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance
that ensures that the private sector, not governments, takes the
lead in setting the future direction of the Internet's domain
name system," Strickland said.
The model has been vital the internet's evolution into a
"dynamic platform for innovation, economic growth and free
expression," he added.
The NSA Leak Is Real, Snowden Documents Confirm
Sam Biddle, reporting for The Intercept:
On Monday, A hacking group calling itself the "ShadowBrokers"
announced an auction for what it claimed were "cyber weapons" made
by the NSA. Based on never-before-published documents provided by
the whistleblower Edward Snowden, The Intercept can confirm that
the arsenal contains authentic NSA software, part of a powerful
constellation of tools used to covertly infect computers
worldwide. The provenance of the code has been a matter of heated
debate this week among cybersecurity experts, and while it
remains unclear how the software leaked, one thing is now beyond
speculation: The malware is covered with the NSA's virtual
fingerprints and clearly originates from the agency. The evidence
that ties the ShadowBrokers dump to the NSA comes in an agency
manual for implanting malware, classified top secret, provided by
Snowden, and not previously available to the public. The draft
manual instructs NSA operators to track their use of one malware
program using a specific 16-character string, "ace02468bdf13579."
That exact same string appears throughout the ShadowBrokers leak
in code associated with the same program, SECONDDATE. SECONDDATE
plays a specialized role inside a complex global system built by
the U.S. government to infect and monitor what one document
estimated to be millions of computers around the world. Its
release by ShadowBrokers, alongside dozens of other malicious
tools, marks the first time any full copies of the NSA's offensive
software have been available to the public, providing a glimpse at
how an elaborate system outlined in the Snowden documents looks
when deployed in the real world, as well as concrete evidence that
NSA hackers don't always have the last word when it comes to
computer exploitation.
China Launches World's 1st 'Hack-Proof' Quantum Communication Satellite
China has taken one more step forward towards achieving success in
Quantum communication technology.
China has launched the world's first quantum communications
satellite into orbit aboard a Long March-2D rocket earlier today
in order to test the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics at
space.
The satellite, dubbed Quantum Science Satellite, is designed to
develop a 'Hack-Proof' communications system in this age of global
electronic surveillance and cyber attacks by transmitting
uncrackable encryption keys from space to the ground.
The 600-plus-kilogram Quantum Science Satellite, better known as
Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) satellite, took off
from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gobi Desert at 1:40 AM
local time on a 2-year mission on Tuesday.
The QUESS satellite will help China perform unprecedented levels
of experiments in quantum communication by sending entangled
photons from the satellite to relay stations in China and Europe,
which is separated by about 1,200 kilometers (746 miles).
The pioneering experiment is to test if the spooky property of
quantum entanglement can work at long distances as well.
The satellite's payloads include:
Quantum key communicator
Quantum entanglement emitter
Quantum entanglement source
Quantum experiment controller
Processor
Laser communicator
The payloads, designed to operate for two years, were developed by
the National Space Science Center in Beijing under the Chinese
Academy of Sciences.
The QUESS satellite will also test the possibilities of
communication via quantum 'teleportation,' using an entangled pair
of photons.
If the satellite is able to successfully transmit quantum
information securely between two ground stations, it could have
huge implications for encryption and cryptography.
China has largely been ambitious to realize the importance of
Quantum technology. From past two decades, Quantum technology has
been a top strategic focus in the country's 5-year economic
development plan.
While the United States invested about $200 Million a year in
quantum research, China spent $101 Billion in quantum physics in
2015, up from $1.9 Billion in 2005.
Quantum communication encryption is secure against any kind of
interception because information is encoded in a quantum particle
in such a way that it will be destroyed as soon as the system
detects any intrusion attempts.
For example, when two people share an encrypted quantum message
and a third person intercepts it, the message will change in an
unpredictable way.
Quantum researchers have recently experimented the use of photons
to successfully communicate securely over short distances on
earth.
But if successful, the QUESS satellite would vastly expand the
range of unhackable communication to long distances as well.
"The newly-launched satellite marks a transition in China's
role - from a follower in classic information technology
development to one of the leaders guiding future achievements,"
Pan Jianwei, the scientist who is leading the project, told the
official Xinhua news agency.
If successful, the QUESS satellite would be the world's first
transcontinental quantum key distribution network of its kind and
China hopes to erect a global quantum communications network in
2030.
"If China is going to send more quantum communication satellites
into orbit, we can expect a global network of quantum
communications to be set up around 2030," Pan added.
India Threatens 3-Year Jail Sentences For Viewing Blocked Torrents
"It is official now. The punishment for rape is actually less..."
writes an anonymous Slashdot reader, who adds that "Some users
think that this is all the fault of Bollywood/Hollywood movie
studios. They are abusing power, court and money..." India Today
reports:
The Indian government, with the help of internet service
providers, and presumably under directives of court, has banned
thousands of websites and URLs in the last five odd years. But
until now if you somehow visited these "blocked URLs" all was
fine. However, now if you try to visit such URLs and view the
information, you may get a three-year jail sentence as well as
invite a fine...
This is just for viewing a torrent file, or downloading a file
from a host that may have been banned in India, or even for
viewing an image on a file host like Imagebam. You don't have to
download a torrent file, and then the actual videos or other
files, which might have copyright. Just accessing information
under a blocked URL will land you in jail and leave your bank
account poorer.
While it's not clear how this will be enforced, visiting a
blocked URL in India now leads to a warning that "Viewing,
downloading, exhibiting or duplicating an illicit copy of the
contents under this URL is punishable as an offence under the
laws of India, including but not limited to under Sections 63,
63-A, 65 and 65-A of the Copyright Act, 1957 which prescribe
imprisonment for 3 years and also fine of up to Rs. 3,00,000..."
Group Wants To Shut Down Tor for a Day on September 1
A group is calling for a full 24-hour shutdown of the Tor network
in protest against the way the Project dealt with the Jake
Applebaum sexual misconduct accusations, and because of recent
rumors it might be letting former government agents in its ranks.
The protest, #torstrike, was uploaded online on the GhostBin
website and asks Tor users not to use the service for 24 hours
and for Tor workers to shut down nodes and not work on the Tor
Project's software.
The call for protest called on other Tor-related projects like
the Tails OS and the Library Freedom Project to join the Tor
blackout.
The following rationale is given for the #torstrike mobilization
call, which pins the blame solely on the Tor Project's leadership.
ì Tor can no longer be trusted after #jakegate / #torgate and
hire of CIA. Its sinking credibility is putting people at risk.
We hope it can be healed and regain trust with mass action. A
short blackout may hurt in the short term, but save Tor in the
long term. It will also allow dissenting voices to be heard. î
The protesters have made 16 demands, ten regarding Applebaum's
investigation and ruling, and six against a supposed infiltration
of Tor's ranks by government agents.
"Demands regarding the Applebaum investigation"
The group wants Shari Steele to leave the Tor Project and the
appointment of a new Executive Director. They also want Roger
Dingledine, President and co-founder of the Tor Project, to leave
as well.
They also want the newly elected Board Members to reveal any
connection to the Applebaum investigation and leave if they had
a part to play.
The group is asking for the details on Applebaum's investigative
and punitive process to be made public, asking all Tor employees
that participated in this investigation to leave.
The group is mad because one of the persons that Applebaum
supposedly sexually assaulted was part of the official
investigation. The same reasons were cited last week by another
Tor node operator, Stephan Seitz, when he announced he'd be
closing down his node. In mid-July, another core Tor node
operator left the project, also citing ethics.
Before leaving, Setiz pointed the Tor team to a blog post from
Marie Gutbub, another Tor Project member that left, which reads:
"I have never heard of any respected court in a democratic
country where an accuser is part of the jury or a judge."
[UPDATE: A third Tor node operator has also asked the Tor Project
to clarify the Applebaum allegations, threatening to leave.]
The #torstrike group also asked for the persons behind the
JacobAppelbaum.net and the @JakeMustDie and @VictimsOfJake
Twitter accounts to come forward and their identities made
public. This website and social media accounts were used to
publish details about Applebaum's sexual misconduct.
The group also said that any cyber-bullies must leave the
project and that (9) both Applebaum and his accusers must clarify
their stories.
Last but not least, the protesters wanted the Tor Project to
explain why (10) it gave The New York Times an exclusive in the
Jacob Applebaum investigation, calling it "highly unusual and an
embarrassment."
Accusations of Applebaum's misbehavior were slung around for
years, but only this June made headlines, when Applebaum was
forced to leave while the Project started an official
investigation, which later concluded that he had to leave the
Project for good.
In its last six demands, the group asked for the Tor Project and
its members to come forward and oust any members with past or
present ties to government, military, or intelligence agencies,
asking for these persons to leave or be thrown out.
They also wanted the Tor Project to publish an annual report on
current staff and active volunteers, detailing their backgrounds.
"We know from IRC logs that Tor Project staff knew of a CIA hire
on at least one occasion and kept it secret," the accusers
wrote. "Some advocated for the hire, at length."
Privacy Group: Microsoft Should ëCome Cleaní
About ëMaliciousí Windows 10
Windows 10 has had a difficult first year in the world. Although
the operating system itself has been generally praised, concerns
over privacy and the overly pressurized upgrades have made with
Windows 10 upgrade into way more of a saga than Microsoft needed.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group for digital
rights, has published a no-holds-barred blog post condemning
Windows 10ís collection of data, and the ìmaliciousî way
Microsoft pushed 10 onto consumers. If youíre not a fan of seeing
Microsoft being verbally beaten up, this will be a rough ride.
Amul Kalia, the author of the piece, starts out by attacking
Microsoftís well-documented attempts to push Windows 10 installs:
ìThe tactics Microsoft employed to get users of earlier
versions of Windows to upgrade to Windows 10 went from annoying
to downright malicious. Some highlights: Microsoft installed an
app in usersí system trays advertising the free upgrade to
Windows 10. The app couldnít be easily hidden or removed, but
some enterprising users figured out a way. Then, the company kept
changing the app and bundling it into various security patches,
creating a cat-and-mouse game to uninstall it.î
They go on to describe Microsoftís later attempts to push
installs as ìhighly deceptive,î and say Microsoft ìchose to
employ questionable tactics to cause users to download a piece
of software that many didnít want.î
Then, attention turns to what Windows 10 actually does once itís
been installed on your machine:
ìWindows 10 sends an unprecedented amount of usage data back
to Microsoft, particularly if users opt in to ìpersonalizeî the
software using the OS assistant called Cortana. Hereís a
non-exhaustive list of data sent back: location data, text input,
voice input, touch input, webpages you visit, and telemetry data
regarding your general usage of your computer, including which
programs you run and for how long.î
All in all, itís a succinct and damning report on how Microsoft
screwed up what should have been a very easy software update.
Ultimately, with Windows 10, Microsoft was giving away a
much-improved piece of software to its users. How it managed to
screw that up so badly that the EFF is writing bad editorials ó
well, you just need to read it to find out.
New Operating System for Google?
Word out in the blogosphere is that Google is working on a new
operating system but there is very little information on the
details.
According to a code-sharing site, GitHub, the new OS is being
called Fuchsia, but all that was revealed was a vague post:
ìPink + Purple = Fuchsia.î
Fuchsia is different from Android and Chrome OS because it
doesnít run on the Linux kernel.
No one outside Google knows exactly what Fuchsia is for, but
theories have already started to circulate. Some say the new OS
could run on everything from cars, traffic lights, and digital
watches to smartphones, tablets, and PCs.
So far, there has been no official announcement from Google ó
just a lot of fun industry speculation.
Microsoft Wants To Pay You To Use Its Windows 10 Browser Edge
An anonymous reader shares a report by The Guardian:
Microsoft has a new browser. It launched with Windows 10 and it's
called Edge. The company says it's faster, more battery efficient
and all-round better than Chrome or Firefox. You can even draw on
websites with a stylus. Trouble is, not very many people are
using it. So now Microsoft's trying to bribe you to switch. The
newly rebranded Microsoft Rewards - formerly Bing Rewards, which
paid people for using Bing as their search engine (another
product Microsoft says is better than a Google product but that
very few people actually use) -- will now pay you for using Edge,
shopping at the Microsoft store, or using Bing. Users of Edge who
sign up to Microsoft Rewards, which is currently US-only, are then
awarded points simply for using the browser. Microsoft actively
monitors whether you're using Edge for up to 30 hours a month. It
tracks mouse movements and other signs that you're not trying to
game the system, and you must also have Bing set as your default
search engine. Points can then be traded in for vouchers or
credit for places such as Starbucks, Skype, Amazon and ad-free
Outlook.com - remember, if you're not paying for something, you
are the product.
=~=~=~=
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.
