ST Report: 9-May-97 #1319
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 05/11/97-09:25:22 AM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 9-May-97 #1319
Date: Sun May 11 09:25:22 1997
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>From the Editor's Desk...
Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers out there!
Have any of you been paying attention to BIG Tobacco and the Tobacco
Trial in Jacksonville, FL..?? Can you believe R. J. Reynolds actually won
that trial? I believe the majority of folks throughout the Nation were
stunned by the verdict. Almost as stunned as the OJ Criminal Trail
verdict. It makes one think about the Judicial System in this country and
its real goals. If not what's become of it altogether.
For example.
I began smoking when I was thirteen years old. Lucky Strike brand,
(American Tobacco Co.), to be exact. mostly because I saw the ads at Ebbets
Field. ("LSMFT") There were NO warnings in those days. So naturally,
there were none when my Father and Mother began smoking. (Chesterfield and
L&M) Both died young (late fifties) from a combination of Emphysema and
Heart Failure. They were never warned either. I really cannot say it was
strictly due to the ads that instigated me to begin smoking. I think it
was a combination of my parents and relatives all smoking, peer pressure
and the glamorous ads. Not to mention all the postwar billboards, picture
and articles portraying Military personnel of all Ranks smoking. Even in
National Geographic Magazine! Which my family had a subscription to which I
leafed through looking at the pictures as a youngster and read as a
schoolchild.
Once I was habitually smoking. Big Tobacco had it clutches in me too.
That is. until I was forty six years old. During my smoking years and
while I was working on various assignments in the Caribbean and South
America, I soon noticed the cigarettes I bought outside the USA tasted much
better and packed more of a wallop than the same brand I bought at home in
the USA. I would stock up overseas and bring them home. That's how much
more enjoyable the exported US cigarettes were. It never meant a thing to
me until I read about the use of Deer Weed and Nicotine Dosage Enhancements
that have recently been revealed.
Then in the early 80's I decided to quit. When I quit, I was in front
of a large group of people giving a talk about computing when I
unconsciously reached into my shirt pocket and began pulling out a smoke.
At that point I removed the pack of Pall Mall reds (was smoking three packs
of those a day) from the crushproof box and crushed the pack in front of
everyone. . I was at last done with cigarettes. Ten years later, at age
fifty six, I am still totally tobacco free.
Back to the trial. Here are a few questions for every sober mind to
ponder;
A) Why did the judge refuse to allow a number of highly incriminating
documents against R. J. Reynolds to be shown to the jury.
B) Why was certain testimony of witness' struck from the record when it
was fairly obvious they were speaking from heartfelt experience.
C) Why is it the Judiciary of this country seemingly refuses to
acknowledge the fact that tobacco use will and does KILL, damage unborn
babies and give rise to the birth of nicotine addicted babies just like
hard drugs who must then go through the agonies of withdrawal?
My take, editorially speaking, on this matter is quite simple and
straight forward. "MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!! Money talks the talk and walks
the walk. Seemingly, the Judge (reportedly one of Jacksonville's best) was
very busy diluting the case against BIG Tobacco. Does anyone really KNOW
just HOW BIG R.J. Reynolds is? You ask; "why would a Judge risk a good
reputation and career?" I have no idea other than what I perceived by
reading accounts of the trial and post trial commentary by members of the
jury.
How about these opinions for openers;
1) What if a Judge or, a superior of his or a relative has a fortune tied
up in BIG Tobacco stocks and/or bonds.
2) FACT: The State of Florida, like most Southern States and possibly,
Duval County have the best part of pension funds invested in BIG Tobacco.
3) FACT: The State of Florida and possibly most other states have or have
had the inmates in their prison systems manufacture cigarettes for
distribution and sale within those prison systems.
4) FACT: Most all States are proven to have benefited heavily from the
proceeds of taxation on cigarette sales. What would the resulting
liabilities be if any?
5) FACT: The economies and structure of a large number of Southeastern
States rely heavily on the support of BIG Tobacco. A shutdown of BIG
Tobacco would put tens of thousands out of work overnight. Studies
indicate a possible National Economic Depression could result.
6) The Plaintiff's Case being a singular cause and action was far too
heavily directed toward punitive damages against R. J. Reynolds and not
enough toward the culpability of ALL of BIG Tobacco.
As a result of the financially influenced items outlined above, the
Plaintiffs in the Jacksonville Case seem to have had a slim to no chance of
winning. Nor will any other similar type actions, regardless of the City
or State the trial is held in. Unless of course, the whole truth and all
the facts and background documentation is allowed to be presented to the
jury. While there may be some who will ask only for verified facts in this
matter. there is one FACT that cannot be denied.. The Nation's Cemeteries
are full silent witnesses to the lethal effects of BIG Tobacco.
Additionally,
Since when is it an accepted policy to place the tobacco consumer at
lethal risk and then insisted upon that such a deadly risk is an "assumed
liability" of the consumer? Can you say Ford Pinto? Is the Double
Standard Alive and Well?
Why is it we see all these fancy financial negotiations going on to
allow Big Tobacco to continue in business?? To continue; Sowing misery,
physical harm and death? Could it be because the Federal Government's many
branches have their various employee pension funds invested in BIG Tobacco.
If Tobacco gets nailed, how many Government employee's Pension Funds,
Federal, State, County and City will go belly up? Who's to rescue these
funds? The Federal Government? I doubt it. It cannot seem to protect
Social Security or help Midwest flood victims.
Here's the best and most expensive part;
z Who is going to re-train all of the Tobacco Industry related employees
from the plantations to the retail outlets? The Federal Government? No
chance at this time.
z Who is going to put all the extra Law Enforcement personnel and
facilities together to stop the smuggling of tobacco and tobacco products
back into the USA? The Federal Government? Not a chance!!
The Federal Government, with all its might, cannot stop illicit drugs! Can
you say Prohibition? That exercise in futility was a joke. .and you
wonder why BIG Tobacco is, literally, getting away with wholesale murder!
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LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
MIT Helps China Students Online
An effort by students from Boston's Massachusetts Institute of Technology
has been approved to link up Chinese secondary schools to the Internet and
teach students how to run their own websites. Reporting from Shanghai,
Graham Earnshaw of the Reuter News Service writes, "The 13 technology
evangelists ... will come to China during their summer break in July and
August to hook up five of China's top high schools."
MIT computer science student Ron Cao told the wire service, "At MIT, we're
blessed with this opportunity to learn a lot about technology, and we felt
we had something we could share with other students." Reuters says the
students will put online two high schools in Shanghai, two in Beijing, and
one in the western China city of Xi'an. This follows a 1996 project in
which Cao and another student spent six weeks in Shanghai helping students
at the Number Two High School to set up their own Internet server, making
it the first Chinese high school to be linked to the Internet, he said.
Roger Hu, another of the students involved in the project, adds, "The focus
will be on getting equipment up and running and teaching the students how
to operate the equipment, connecting them to the Internet, and teaching
Java and other high level languages. Another project is setting up a Java
chat page so that students from different high schools can meet on the
same page and talk to each other." As reported, access to the global
computer network is still limited in China. Reuters notes there are
estimated to be up to 100,000 Internet access accounts in China, and the
Chinese systems ban access to many parts of the Internet, including all
news groups and other sites that are considered politically or socially
unacceptable.
Schools' Net Discounts Approved
Discount rates for schools and libraries that want to be linked to the
Internet have been unanimously approved by the Federal Communications
Commission. According to United Press International, more than $2 billion
in discounts, known as the "E-Rate," now will be available each year for
schools and libraries, with most seeing the cost of telephone and Internet
access cut in half. Under the ruling, UPI adds, online access for the
poorest schools will be almost free. Vice President Al Gore characterized
the decision as "historic," adding, "Because of the E-Rate, our children
will not be stranded in the high-rent districts of cyberspace."
Intel to Launch Pentium II
Intel Corp. is set to introduce the Pentium II, running at speeds of up to
300 megahertz and sporting a unique cartridge design. Observers says this
is Intel's latest attempt to extend its most advanced technology into the
mainstream. Business writer Catalina Ortiz of The Associated Press says
the sixth-generation Pentium II will be unveiled in New York later this
week. It is based on Intel's Pentium Pro, a powerful chip used in personal
computers for business, but also incorporates the multimedia-enhancing MMX
technology Intel recently added to its fifth-generation Pentium chips, used
primarily in consumer PCs.
"The processor at first is intended for business users," Ortiz says. "It
will greatly improve programs rich in sound, video and three-dimensional
images, such as videoconferencing and development for the Internet's World
Wide Web." However, she says, it eventually will wind up in home PCs. "It
won't make word processing or balancing checkbooks a thrilling experience,
but its higher performance will make entertainment programs and Internet
adventuring more fun," says AP.
Look for Pentium II ultimately to replace both Pentium and Pentium Pro on
the desktop, just as Intel's 486 chip supplanted the 386 and the Pentium
replaced the 486. Intel wouldn't project when that might occur, but
analysts said it could happen next year, Ortiz adds.
New Pentium Hit With Flaw Rumors
Intel Corp.'s new Pentium II microprocessor hasn't even been released yet
and already reports are being published of a floating point glitch that
could cause computational errors. A similar problem bedeviled the original
Pentium chip in 1994. In Santa Clara, California, Intel officials told
reporter Kourosh Karimkhany of the Reuter News Service they are looking
into the reports. A spokesman told the wire service the problem appears to
crop up when a computer performs an obscure calculation, adding engineers
are running tests on the chips to determine the extent of the problem but
at this time Intel has no plans to recall them.
"The problem appeared to affect only the Pentium II and Intel's
top-of-the-line Pentium Pro chips," Reuters adds. "It was not immediately
clear how many chips may be affected by the problem." News of the problem
was posted yesterday on a Web site called "Intel Secrets"
(http://www.x86.org) and reported by CMP Media's EE Times Online
(http://techweb.cmp.com/eet/823). Word of the flaw comes just as Intel
prepares to launch the Pentium II later this week. "It does not strike me
right now as big a problem as a couple years ago," Dataquest analyst Nathan
Brookwood told Karimkhany, adding the problem would crop up in poorly
written computer programs that store decimal numbers in a certain way.
Samsung Offers 20X CD-ROM Drive
A 20-speed CD-ROM drive, the SCR-2030, said to provide faster transfer
rates and better image downloading and data searches, has been unveiled by
Samsung Electronics America. Reporting from Ridgefield Park, New Jersey,
United Press International quotes marketing manager James Kovac as saying
the SCR-2030 features full CAV technology, 8X-20X, and a fast data transfer
rate at 3000 KB/sec. Kovac said the system provides users with quick
access to standard CD-ROMs and audio compact discs, and also enables users
to enjoy computer games in addition to basic system functions such as
software loads and on-line data access. Adds UPI, "The new drive
incorporates Samsung-designed components including the spindle motor, the
pick-up and deck mechanism."
Apple Unveils Smallest PowerBook
Apple Computer Inc. has introduced its smallest and lightest Macintosh
PowerBook system to date. Targeted at mobile professionals, the PowerBook
2400c notebook computer weighs just 4.4 pounds, yet offers a powerful
180MHz PowerPC processor and a full range of built-in ports for network
connectivity. Other features include a lithium-ion battery, a 10.4-inch
active-matrix display and two PC Card slots. The unit also provides a 1.3GB
hard drive and 16MB of RAM. Originally created for the Japanese market,
the PowerBook 2400c was designed by Apple with collaboration from IBM
Japan.
The notebook is manufactured for Apple by IBM Japan's Yamato Lab. "We
expect the new PowerBook 2400c will be the computer of choice for highly
mobile customers who require high- performance in a lightweight design,"
says Barbara Cardillo, Apple's vice president of mobile and imaging systems
product marketing. "The 2400c satisfies the needs of customers who require
raw power, but are willing to make certain trade-offs to achieve size and
weight objectives." The notebook is scheduled to become available in Japan
by the end of May, with availability in the U.S. expected by the end of
July. The estimated U.S. retail price for the PowerBook 2400c will be
approximately $3,500.
Kodak Aims to Bridge Worlds
Eastman Kodak Co. CEO George M.C. Fisher says his firm is committed to
bridging the worlds of traditional photography and digital imaging. In a
recent meeting with Wall Street analysts and journalists, Fisher stated,
"The key to our success is to help customers and consumers apply the right
technology -- traditional, digital, or hybrid -- to take their own pictures
further." Fisher noted that a key plank in Kodak's strategy is
digitization, the ability to take an existing image -- usually one captured
on traditional, silver-halide film -- and transfer it into a digital mode.
This strategy puts traditional photographic companies in a privileged
position compared with others, observed Fisher, because some 75 billion
consumer photographs are developed each year, virtually all passing through
the hands of traditional photographic suppliers. "At the heart of our
digitization strategy at retail is the effort to create innovative ways for
consumers to use and communicate with pictures," Fisher noted. He added
that Kodak is working with photographic retailers to create user-friendly
environments to let consumers enhance their photographs with both digital
and traditional technologies. So far, more than 10,000 Kodak Image Magic
digital print stations, the first in a family of planned digitization
products, have been placed in retailer outlets worldwide.
Java NCs Headed Into Business
Java-enabled network computers will become as familiar on the corporate IT
landscape as PCs, minis, workstations and mainframe terminals, according to
new research from Datapro Information Services Group.
The Delran, New Jersey, market research firm finds that Java NCs will be
used to help preserve and extend the legacy applications in which
corporations have made a considerable investment. Datapro notes that NCs
are likely to replace PCs wherever a PC provides more firepower and
complexity than an employee needs to do a job, such as in order entry
systems and customer service call centers.
The firm also finds that the complexity of Microsoft Windows and the
growing numbers of versions of Microsoft applications will focus more
attention on the total cost of ownership and management of PC-based
networks, presenting more opportunity for Java technology and NCs.
Ultimately, notes Datapro, mainframes, PCs and NCs will find a peaceful
co-existence in tomorrow's corporate enterprise.
GTE Buys Internet Pioneer
BBN Corp., a Cambridge, Massachusetts, firm that helped build the modern
Internet, has been purchased by GTE Corp. which is continuing its expansion
beyond its local-phone business. The Associated Press says it isn't clear
how much GTE plans to pay for BBN, but notes one industry executive told
The Wall Street Journal between $500 million and $1 billion might be paid.
AP notes the purchase "could deal a major blow to AT&T Corp. and other
phone companies seeking to build Internet businesses," pointing out that
BBN has been under contract to AT&T since June 1995 to provide most of the
networking facilities for the company's Internet service. BBN's Internet
clients include the Los Angeles Times, Sun Microsystems and America Online.
Ziff Readies ZDTV Channel
Ziff-Davis Inc. has announced plans to launch ZDTV: Your Computer Channel,
a 24-hour television network dedicated to providing information and
entertainment about computers and the Internet. According to the New
York-based company, the ZDTV will debut in the first quarter of 1998 and
will incorporate an integrated Web site that will allow viewers to interact
with the channel's hosts, guests and other viewers in real time. A web site
companion will debut in the fourth quarter of 1997, as programming content
is being built for the television channel. A sister unit, ZD Television
Productions, will continue to co-produce programming for other channels,
including The Site, a one-hour nightly prime-time show on computing, which
airs on the MSNBC cable network.
Compaq, DEC Talked Merger, But ...
Word is that in both 1995 and 1996 Compaq Computer Corp. held high-level
talks about a possible takeover Digital Equipment Corp., but discussions
broke down last summer. That's the report in The Wall Street Journal's
electronic edition, which quotes people familiar with the events as saying
the two firms reached a general agreement on a purchase price for Digital
of between $9 billion and $10 billion but Digital moved back from the deal.
The Journal said talks broke down over management and structural issues.
The paper says Compaq renewed talks in mid-1996 but both sides decided a
transaction did not make sense by September. The talks are dead, sources
tell the Journal, adding Digital's $6 billion services organization was one
reason behind Compaq's interest.
Borland Sues Microsoft
Borland International Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft Corp.,
charging the software giant with unfair competition. The lawsuit, filed in
California Superior Court in Santa Clara County, claims that Microsoft is
recruiting and hiring Borland employees for the specific purpose of
damaging Borland's ability to compete with Microsoft in the development
tools market and to slow the company's financial turnaround. Borland court
papers state that within the past 30 months, Microsoft has hired at least
34 of Borland's top software architects, engineers and marketing managers.
These actions have been undertaken "for wrongful purposes: to acquire
Borland confidential information and to inhibit Borland's competitive
position," the filing states. "Borland is in the middle of major
turnaround that will return our company to financial health and rapid
business growth," says Borland CEO Delbert W. Yocam. "We must protect
ourselves from what we believe is a systematic and unfair effort to impair
our company's ability to compete and continue to deliver leading
development tools that support open industry standards."
CompuServe Completes Upgrade
CompuServe Inc. reports it has completed the upgrade of its worldwide
network -- all 502 points of presence (POPs) - - to support 33.6Kbps
dial-up access on an international scale. The company, based in Columbus,
Ohio, notes that CSi and SPRYNET members can now access CompuServe content
and the Internet at modem connection speeds greater than 28.8Kbps, in most
cases for the cost of a local call. CompuServe says it has also begun
conducting high-speed 56Kbps modem tests. The company notes that it has
tested the US Robotics proprietary technology, and that it began offering
service based on the technology in the U.S. via a surcharged 800 modem pool
in mid March. The company is also evaluating the K56Flex protocol,
developed by Rockwell International Corp. and Lucent Technologies Inc.
"We are an active supporter of the development of an industry standard
technology similar to the v.34 standard available for the 33.6Kbps analog
modem technology currently deployed," says Peter Van Camp, executive vice
president of CompuServe Network Services. "We believe the new 56K modem
technology is an important technology for the future. We will be launching
this technology in selected cities, and as demand increases and standards
are set, we will roll it out throughout our entire 91-country global
network."
CompuServe Seeks E-Mail Accord
CompuServe has reached an out-of-court settlement with Cyber Promotions
Inc., the Philadelphia firm accused of deluging the system with junk
e-mail, and now jointly they seek a court order banning Cyber Promotions
from sending unsolicited messages to subscribers. A statement from
Columbus, Ohio, says Cyber Promotions will pay CompuServe's $65,000 legal
fees incurred in obtaining the order and also will be liable for
pre-determined damages if it violates the order.
The Dow Jones news service that under the order, Cyber Promotions violators
will be disclosed and could have their accounts with Cyber Promotions
canceled and face possible legal action by CompuServe. CompuServe also
said Cyber Promotions will be permitted to purchase advertising describing
its commercial message service to CompuServe subscribers, and that such
purchases may be used to partially offset Cyber Promotions payment of
CompuServe's legal fees. As reported earlier, CompuServe last October won
a temporary restraining order against Cyber Promotions to prevent it from
configuring its unsolicited e-mail messages to appear as though they were
being sent from a CompuServe computer.
Group to Change Net Address Plan
Following criticism from leading online service providers and government
officials in the U.S. and Europe, a major Internet group says it will
modify its plan to increase the available addresses in cyberspace. As
reported here earlier, despite endorsement of the original naming plan by
some 80 companies and groups at a meeting in Geneva last week, both the
U.S. and the European Union have complained they weren't adequately
consulted on the idea.
The plan would add seven new top-level domains, the last few letters at the
end of every electronic mail or Web site address on the Internet, and
establish a new network of firms to register addresses. Opponent have
withheld support of the plan, saying they fear it would fragment or
destabilize the Internet naming system. The Reuter News Service notes
that currently most names are registered with Herndon, Va.-based Network
Solutions Inc. under an exclusive contract with the National Science
Foundation, but the agency has said it will not renew the contract when it
expires next year.
Now Internet Society, which helps develop standards on the global network,
says it has received "consistent and universal criticism" of the new
address registration system. "The initial plan specified that up to 28
firms dispersed around the world would be selected by lottery to register
names in the seven new domains," writes Reuters reporter Aaron Pressman.
"The plan also established a Policy Oversight Committee to manage the new
registration system. Internet Society said the policy committee will modify
the plan by removing the limit on the number and geographical location of
registration firms."
The modified approach, still being finalized, would allow anyone satisfying
certain technical and financial qualifications could become a registration
firm. "The plan would still add seven new domains for addresses, including
'.firm,' '.arts' and '.web,' to the existing domains such as '.com' and
'.gov.' Some in Europe complained that the new domain endings were all
derived from English words and ignored other languages."
IBM Develops New Encryption
A new encryption system that could protect Internet transactions with a
security code said to be nearly impossible to break has been developed by
IBM researchers. IBM officials told The Associated Press the system will
not be ready for commercial use for at least several months. "Once it is
available," says AP, "it could encourage customers who are now reluctant to
use the Internet for credit-card transactions, catalog orders or banking."
Developed in the company's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California,
the new system is based on public key cryptography, the favored method of
Internet security. "Using extremely complicated mathematics," says AP, "a
computer scrambles an outgoing electronic communication. The recipient
decodes the message using a private key. Under the present system, some
keys are easier for a computer hacker to figure out than others. IBM's
system makes each key equally difficult, a step IBM says makes it virtually
impossible to decipher." IBM says the system is based on a mathematical
problem that has puzzled researchers for 150 years.
Calif. Net Gambling Bill Stalls
A California bill aimed at outlawing gambling on the Internet in that state
has stalled in a Senate policy committee. Reporting from Sacramento,
United Press International reports the Public Safety Committee has decided
to reconsider the measure next year. It would have put California
off-limits to Internet transactions with illegal offshore gambling
operations. Republican Sen. Tim Leslie, the bill's author, acknowledges
the difficulty of preventing Internet users from gambling, but said the
bill is needed "to make sure the message gets across." Committee Chairman
John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, told the wire service the Internet has
stretched the concept of sovereignty considerably, but suggested that at
least the bill might block collection of money by out- of-state gambling
interests. UPI reports the measure received a 3-3 vote, two short of the
majority required to clear the committee.
Study Finds Rising Software Piracy
A new study finds that of the 523 million new business software
applications used worldwide during 1996, 225 million units -- nearly one in
two -- were pirated. The Software Publishers Association and the Business
Software Alliance say the finding represents a 20 percent increase in the
number of units pirated over the 1995 estimate of 187 million units. The
study notes that revenue losses attributable to piracy were estimated at
$11.2 billion in 1996, a 16 percent decrease over the estimated losses of
$13.3 billion in 1995. However, the decline is generally attributed to
lower software prices rather than a decrease in piracy. According to the
study, Eastern Europe continues to have the highest overall piracy rates,
with an average of 80 percent. The lowest regional piracy rate is seen in
North America with an average 28 percent rate -- an increase of 1 percent
over 1995. On the other hand, North America has the highest dollar losses
to software piracy in the world, estimated at $2.7 billion in 1996.
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P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the LEXMARK Optra C has to be the very best yet in its price range.
It is far superior to anything we've seen or used as of yet. It is said
that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. The out put from the Lexmark
Optra C is worth ten thousand words! Send for the free sample now. (For a
sample that's suitable for framing, see below) Guaranteed. you will be
amazed at the superb quality. (Please.. allow at least a two week turn-
around).
If you would like a sample printout that's suitable for framing. Yes
that's right! Suitable for Framing. Order this package. It'll be on
special stock and be of superb quality. We obtained a mint copy of a 1927
COLOR ENGRAVER'S YEAR BOOK. Our Scanner is doing "double duty"! The
results will absolutely blow you away. If you want this high quality
sample package please include a check or money order in the amount of $6.95
(Costs only) Please, make checks or money orders payable to; Ralph Mariano.
Be sure to include your full return address and telephone number . The
sample will be sent to you protected, not folded in a 9x12 envelope. Don't
hesitate.. you will not be disappointed. This "stuff" is gorgeous!
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
Shareware Treasure Chest STR Feature "The Latest & Greatest"
Shareware Treasure Chest
By Lloyd E. Pulley
lepulley@streport.com
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Netscape Communicator Pro 32-bit 4.0 beta 4 5/07/97 14.56mb Commercial
Demo
This is Netscape Communicator with some new features inclusive of a
calendar applet and a 3270 emulator written enitrely in HTML & JavaScript.
Home Page Site - http://www.netscape.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Netscape Communicator 32-bit 4.0 beta 4 5/07/97 13.40mb Freeware
The newest version of Netscape navigator. It features: Enhanced visual
appearance and user interface, Taskbar that enables easy access to
Communicator components, HTML Editing, Collabra Conferencing and a lot
more. There is a full version available with all features at 12.1Mb and a
reduced version at 7.4Mb.
Home Page Site - http://www.netscape.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Eudora Pro 32-bit 3.0.2 beta 2 5/07/97 4.80mb Shareware
Free upgrade if you already use Eudora
3.0
One of the best email clients around. It features:
*Enhanced message filtering
*Multiple e-mail accounts
*Plug-ins
*Stylized text
*"Drag and Drop" support and almost everything else you can think off.
Home Page Site - http://www.eudora.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
ClipMate 32-bit 4.26 5/03/97 .62mb Shareware $25
Say Goodbye To Your Old, One-At-A-Time Clipboard. ClipMate makes it easy
to save hundreds of pages of clipboard data, and has powerful tools for
combining, editing, and pasting into other applications. ClipMate
automatically captures all items that you copy to the clipboard, and stores
them for later pasting into applications. No more copy, switch
applications, paste, repeat. Now you can copy all of your data, knowing
that ClipMate is keeping it all for you. Simply select an item from within
ClipMate, and it is immediately back on the clipboard, ready for pasting.
Use ClipMate's Glue feature to combine multiple text items into one large
item, for a single paste. Or, use the PowerPasteT feature to enable you to
paste a series of items into an application, in a "rapid-fire" mode.
PowerPaste supports "first in first out", and "first in last out" modes of
operation. ClipMate's efficient memory management allows you to easily
store hundreds of text and graphic items, with temporary and permanent
storage options. Use the permanent "safe" storage for frequently-used
sections of boilerplate text, phone numbers, graphics, and even a digitized
signature.
Home Page Site - http://www.thornsoft.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Spam Attack Pro 32-bit 2.0 5/03/97 .90mb Shareware
Put an end to SPAM Email with SPAM Attack. SPAM Attack is a program that
was specifically designed to filter your incoming email and get rid of all
unwanted mail! Just think about the ability to automatically delete all
email that contains SPAM. This program can even filter out all the emails
that contain the character $ or the phrase Make Money Fast. You can use
this program to automatically delete mail from a list server that you can
not get yourself off of.
The possibilities are endless. The program comes with a list of over 215
known spammers and will block out all mail that comes from them.
Home Page Site - http://www.softwiz.com/html/software.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
ImgViewer/32 1.6 5/01/97 2,232kb Shareware $29.95
Win95/NT Viewer/Printer for JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIF, TGA and PCX.
Powerful features while stressing ease of use. Fast 32-bit JPG decoding.
One of the quickest zoom features around, with left click zoom in, Alt+left
click zoom out, drag zoom an area, and right-click return to 1:1. Precise
cropping at zoomed levels. Brightness/Contrast/Gamma/Color tuning. Sharpen
and blur. One-degree rotation. Convert between any of the supported
formats. Very limited nagging.
Home Page Site - http://www.arcatapet.com/imgv32.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Pod 1.0 5/01/97 11.0mb Shareware
You must race to get off the planet before the green fungus destroys all.
Race against your friends through the incredible scenery over the Internet
or network. Check out the great screenshots for this upcoming extravaganza!
Home Page Site - http://www.ubisoft.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Password Tracker 32-bit 2.17 5/03/97 .71mb Shareware $5
It stores usernames and/or passwords so you don't have to remember them!
Once you've set up "P-Tracks" in your "Tracking Lists", Password Tracker is
always available when minimized in your tool tray. When you visit a web
site or open a program that is password protected, right-click on the
Password Tracker icon, select the "description" from the quick-access menu,
and Password Tracker automatically inserts the required entries into their
fields. If you want, Password Tracker will even "select" the enter key for
you! That's all there is to it!
Home Page Site - http://www.xnet.com/~robertc/PassTrak.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
HyperSnap-DX 32-bit 3.02 5/03/97 .44mb Shareware $20
HyperSnap brings professional quality, convenient Windows 95 and NT
screen captures to your fingertips. It was designed for ease of use, with
powerful and useful features to aid the professional as well as support the
needs of the occasional user. Now features DirectX game screen capture
technology.
Home Page Site - http://www.hyperionics.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
ERS32 1.4 5/01/97 1,410kb Shareware $15.00
A Win95 program that backs up Windows 95 system files and restores them
including the Registry. Excellent and reliable backup and restore program.
Home Page Site - http://www.mslm.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
QuikLink Explorer Gold 32-bit 3.0 beta 5 build 164 5/03/97 4.68mb
Shareware $20
QuikLink Explorer is a replacement system for your Netscape Bookmark,
Mosaic Hotlist, and Internet Explorer Favorites files. Working with the
more popular web browsers, QuikLink Explorer takes you where you want to go
with the click of a button. No longer do you need to maintain seperate
lists of your favorite sites for each browser you use. You can also use
QuikLink Explorer to convert your lists between browser formats or turn
them into web pages. The easy to use interface, similar to the Windows95
Explorer, makes web surfing fast and efficient, saving you time and money
Home Page Site - http://www.quiklinks.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
InterCasino 2.10 5/02/97 7.8mb Freeware
Experience the thrill of Las Vegas and the adrenalin pumping excitement
of gambling with real money on your home PC! Connect on-line from anywhere
around the world via the Internet for REAL money, or play off-line for fun.
Enhanced 3D rendered graphics and animation, plus digital sound and voice.
Includes Blackjack, Caribbean Poker, Roulette, 4 Slot machines with up to
95% payouts and up to $10,000 jackpots, and 4 Video Poker machines
including Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker and All American. Also
includes full sports book. Try your luck today!
Home Page Site - http://www.intercasino.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
MusiFind Pro 1.5 5/01/97 770kb Shareware $6.00
The ultimate database for your music collection, whether its on vinyl,
cassette, compact disc, or other media! It will help you get organized and
find your music fast! Now with several easy-to-use wizards, and label
creation for CDs (jewel cases) and cassettes (J-labels). Written by a DJ
with over 15 years experience - both in the booth, and in software
creation.
Home Page Site - http://www.dlcwest.com/~sorev/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Stay On the NET! 1.0 5/02/97 570kb Shareware $12.95
So you have unlimited access to the internet, but while reading web page
you decide to grab a cup of coffee and find that your ISP has disconnected
you? Stay On the NET was designed to keep your PPP or Slip active enough
that you won't be disconnected untill YOU disconect from the server. No
more waiting to reconnect to your ISP!
Home Page Site - http://rclabs.simplenet.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Account Pro 6.01 5/04/97 2,530kb Shareware $103.00
ACCOUNT PRO is a versatile and user-friendly accounting and finance
planning program, equally suitable for small to medium businesses,
institutions, and private users,who want to manage their own money or the
finances of an association or club.
Home Page Site -
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/accsoft_ch/homepeng.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
AutoWinNet 95 32-bit 2.0 5/03/97 2.20mb Shareware $29.95
Automated Internet for Windows95/NT. Allows scheduling common tasks for
unattended operation. Upgrades himself automatically, plus supports 30
steps, including FTP: retries busy sites, wildcard download and upload,
make/remove remote files and directories, plus customized logins. Email:
Sends mail with an advanced, feature packed editor, unlimited multiple
mailboxes, mailing lists, checks mail, or cleanup your mailbox. Auto-
Responder: Checks and responds to email, allowing custom variables and
attachments. WWW: Grab Html/binary files, local forecast, fetch 21 weather
maps, then view them with our internal graphics viewer. News: Binary usenet
posting with wildcards.
Home Page Site - http://www.webcom.com/autownet/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
May '97 definition update for Norton AntiVirus 5/03/97 1.20mb Free
This file is a complete replacement for any previous definitions set for
all of the Norton AntiVirus products. The product list includes Norton
AntiVirus 3.0 (DOS/Win 3.1), Norton AntiVirus for Windows 95, Norton
AntiVirus Scanner for Windows NT, and Norton AntiVirus for NetWare 1.0 and
2.0.
Home Page Site - http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Pegasus E-Mail 32-bit 2.54 Preview 5/04/97 .60mb Freeware
A really good E-mail program that's free. It has a lot of nice features
like a spelling checker, mailing list support, and much more.
Home Page Site - http://www.pegasus.usa.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Debt Analyzer 2.0 5/02/97 1.5mb Shareware $10.00
Designed to help people get out of debt through the most efficient means
possible. It calculates three different payoff scenarios: highest rate,
smallest balance, and smallest (balance to monthly ratio). The user can
apply all three and see which one provides the best way of getting out of
debt while paying the least amount of interest in the shortest possible
time. You must enter the name, balance, interest rate, and minimum monthly
payment for all your outstanding debts. You also have the ability to put in
a delayed start time for those debts you are not currently making payments
on such as those "no payments till 98" deals on new cars. You also enter
any extra money you have to apply towards paying off your debts. It then
calculates how you should apply your payments so you can get out of debt
through the quickest means possible.
Home Page Site - http://www.magicnet.net/~seren/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
TABby97 32-bit 1.21 5/04/97 .98mb Shareware $5
TABby 97 is a compact address book that has fields that relate to modern
telecommunications. It features an easy to use interface which makes
looking up numbers a simple and quick task. The program Features these
fields and more: alternative name (ie. alias, wife, husband), e-mail
address, and 5 different phone numbers per record. The program runs fast
and loads fast but also uses very few resources so it can be left running
in the background.
Home Page Site - http://user.icx.net/~cdwilder/tabby/tabby.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
CD Wizard 32-bit 4.20 5/05/97 .31mb Shareware
CD Wizzard CD Audio Player for Windows has all the functions of a home CD
player plus many, many more! It saves the disc and tracks names in its
database. CD Wizzard has a full 3D look that is totally customizable. In
icon mode, the icon is updated with the disc and track time. There is a
full help file that describes all features of CD Wizzard.
Home Page Site - http://www.bfmsoft.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Live Image 32-bit 1.26 5/05/97 1.90mb Shareware $29.95
LiveImage is a very user-friendly, "don't know anything about all this
image mapping stuff" program. LiveImage includes several new and powerful
features that are not available in other image mapping applications.
LiveImage supports GIFs, JPGs, Progressive JPGs, and the new PNG graphic
files. You may also optionally install additional graphic "filters" to
allow LiveImage to read other file formats
Home Page Site - http://www.mediatec.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Book Librarian 95 3.10 5/04/97 1,681kb Shareware $32.00
A multi-featured book cataloging database that allows you to organize and
manage your books and other publications. There are storage fields for
title, author, co-author, subject(3), edition, catalog number, book number,
borrower, due date, a 64k memo field and more. Other features include a
robust reporting system with a query wizard, and print preview. Also
includes backup/restore, dBase and ASCII import/export. Conversion programs
included to convert data from prior DOS and Windows versions.
Home Page Site - http://www.turbosystems.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
CompuPic 32-bit 1.61 build 195 5/06/97 .75mb Shareware $39.95
CompuPic's sophisticated features, unparalleled image display quality and
speed offer the power to satisfy the experienced graphics enthusiast, while
its intuitive Windows-based user interface makes it easy to use for the
beginner. While the program has many options, you don't need to learn any
commands to view - just double click on a displayed file name / thumbnail
to view - no more awkward "file open" commands! Features include:
*Viewing with zoom and pan
*Plays video and sound files
*Thumbnailing
*Cataloging
*Multimedia file management - graphics, video & sound
*Supports all popular formats - 24+, including uudecoding of internet
files
*Converts between file formats
*Slide Show creation
*Screen Saver creation
*Wallpaper creation
Home Page Site - http://www.photodex.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WebSnake 32-bit 1.0 beta 2 5/06/97 1.70mb Shareware
Anawave WebSnake is a new off-line browser designed exclusively for
Windows 95/NT. In addition to off-line browsing, WebSnake is unique in that
it uses proprietary "intelligent pull" technology to search and retrieve
files from the World Wide Web. For example, WebSnake supports website
mirroring (including directory structure), retrieval of e-mail addresses,
site maps and advanced file search.
Home Page Site - http://www.anawave.com/websnake/index.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
DynamIP 3.0 RC 2 for Win95 5/06/97 3.20mb Freeware
DynamIP is a free Internet Utility (32bit, multi-threaded) for Windows
95/NT with the following features: - Dynamic IP address poster (updates
your web pages with your current dynamic IP address; up to 5 connections) -
POP mail checker (up to 5 e-mail accounts) - PC clock synchronizer (works
with any NTP server) - IPchat (chat with other DynamIP users and establish
a point-to-point connection with MS NetMeeting) - HTTPscan (scans arbitrary
sequences of IP addresses and searches for web servers). DynamIP now
includes a timer controlled RAS dialer and event driven program launcher!
Home Page Site - http://crubelier.stanford.edu/~cmu/DynamIP/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Firehand Ember 2.0 5/04/97 419kb Shareware $19.95
The image file manager for Microsoft Windows! Forget about image file
names. Ember allows you to manage your image files visually -- as you've
always wanted to. While you're at it, forget about manually opening and
viewing your image files singly -- at last you can view whole directories
at once containing any number of JPEG, GIF, and BMP files. Choose from five
different preview sizes on the fly -- and then double-click selected
previews to view the images at full size. Best of all, with Ember your
directory view always remains up-to-date -- automatically -- even as images
are added to the directory, deleted, renamed, or their content is altered.
This makes Ember the perfect companion when using your favorite internet
browser or newsreader to download images from the Net! With Ember, culling
through and organizing your image files is a snap. Create, rename, and
delete directories within Ember to create your own customized image filing
! system. Then, simply drag Ember's image previews into the desired
folders. It doesn't get much easier than that. Ember even automatically
detects and resolves name conflicts when images are moved into new folders!
And with Ember, deleting unwanted images only requires a single key-stroke.
Ember's powerful drag/drop interface makes it so simple to use and
distribute your image files. Images can be shared by dragging their
previews onto Email messages, or dropping them into Microsoft NetMeeting,
or onto a USENET news reader posting. Images can be embedded in documents
by dragging and dropping them or with a copy/paste operation. With Ember,
printing your images is only a click away too!
Home Page Site - http://www.firehand.com/Ember/index.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
AtomTime95 32-bit 1.4b 5/06/97 .10mb Freeware
AtomTime95 is a 32-bit Win95 Internet (Winsock) application which will
connect to the Atomic Clock time server in Boulder, CO and fetch the
current atomic clock time value. It then compares this value to your PC
time and displays the difference. You then have the option of updating your
PC clock to match the atomic clock value. There are also advanced settings
that allow the application run in a much more automated nature.
Home Page Site - http://www.winternet.com/~adelsman/Software/
DigiDay is a FREE program that gets your day off to a rousing start. Ever
see those little desktop calendars in bookstores, like Quote of the Day or
Joke of the Day? Well, that's what DigiDay is ... for Windows. Some of the
various diaries that are available....
Amazon Reviews
BibleBits
Bill Gates Diary
Classic QuotesCONK!
How to Avoid Work
Cartoons @ Work
Off-the-WallPaperSite of the Day
StarDate
Windows 95 Tips
What's So Funny?
Home Page Site - http://www.visionx.com/ddmain.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Aaron's News Stand 1.0 5/05/97 1,329kb Shareware $19.95
Lightning fast scheduled news group downloads and filtering that can be
read by any news reader off-line. Aaron's News Stand is an Internet
application that automates Newsgroup article downloads from the Internet
for off-line reading or viewing using your favourite news reader. Aaron's
News Stand can be used with all popular news readers like Microsoft,
Netscape, WinVN, Trumpet, Gravity and Free Agent. Aaron's advanced features
will save you time and money through advanced article filters, off-line and
scheduled downloads. You can even use your favourite news reader.
Home Page Site - http://www.ozemail.com/~attemt/Aaron.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
WetSock 32-bit 3.0 beta build 6 5/08/97 .45mb Shareware $12
WetSock shows your current weather conditions and forecasts as an icon on
the tray notification area of the system taskbar.Designed specially for
Windows 95, WetSock will keep you updated about the weather over Internet
without even needing to dial into your Internet Service Provider. If you
periodically dial in for surfing, checking your mail etc., WetSock will
connect to the weather server and get the weather information in the
background, but can also dial in and hang-up by itself. WetSock is a
Winsock compliant weather client for PCs running Windows 95.
Home Page Site - http://www.locutuscodeware.com/wetsock.htm
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PSA Cards 32-bit 3.3 5/07/97 1.20mb Shareware $25
PSA Cards is a personal information manager that is simple and easy to
use. The user interface is an on-screen card file with tabs for dividers
and cards. To access a divider or a card, just click on it. Double click a
card to edit it. As you add information to a card, it expands to
accommodate the new information. The program has a large number of features
for printing rotary file cards, envelopes, mailing labels, and customized
address books; for dialing phone numbers; for exporting names and addresses
for mail merge; and for object linking and embedding (OLE 2.0). Despite the
large number of features, the user interface remains simple, uncluttered,
and intuitive
Home Page Site - http://www.fortnet.org/~billr/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
EchoSpeech 32-bit 2.1 plug-in 5/07/97 .10mb Freeware
ECHOSPEECH is a very high quality speech coder that compresses speech
18.5 to 1. This means that 16 bit speech sampled at 11025 Hz is compressed
to 9600 bits per second. Even people with 14400 modems can listen in real
time to ECHOSPEECH, and because ECHOSPEECH was designed to code speech
sampled at 11025 Hz rather than 8000 Hz, it sounds better. ECHOSPEECH is
also extremely fast. Real time decoding of 11kHz speech requires only 30%
of a 486SX-33 CPU. You don't need a special server to play echospeech files
on your webpage, just use the embed tag.
Home Page Site - http://www.echospeech.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Personal Stock Moniter 32-bit 2.0.3 5/08/97 1.30mb Shareware
$25
Personal Stock Moniter runs in the background and at user defined
intervals checks the current price on selected stocks. It also has an alarm
feature to notify you if for example a stock reaches a new high, etc.
Home Page Site - http://www.clark.net/pub/aivasyuk/psm/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
Esoteria for Win95 5/08/97 11.60mb Commercial Demo
Esoteria is a third person perspective, 3-D, action/adventure game. All
of the environments and structures in Esoteria, which include cities,
forests, deserts, and aquatic areas, are fully modeled 3-D structures.
Unlike many other 3-D games on the market, Esoteria is one huge world just
waiting to be explored instead of a succession of small areas or levels.
This allows for completely non-linear gameplay. A dynamic camera gives
complete control to the user. The second person perspective allows for
unprecedented control over character movements such as dodging and jumping.
This also allows for shooting in one direction while moving in another.
Interactive backgrounds, lots of animated textures, sophisticated enemy AI,
real world physics, and a revolutionary interactive soundtrack add an
element of realism to Esoteria. In addition, Esoteria will be networkable
up to 16 players over either a local area network or the internet.
Note: Requires DirectX 3. Option music and video for the game are also
available
Home Page Site - http://www.mobeus.com/esoteria.html
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PhoneFree 32-bit 1.1L plug-in 5/08/97 .19mb Freeware
PhoneFree is the first Internet Telephony application to cut through the
Tower of Babel and offer compatibility where it counts:
*PhoneFree is an intergrated Netscape and Internet Explorer Plugin Module,
no need to learn a new and confusing interface... just click on
someone's name to call them!
*PhoneFree is compatible with Vocaltec's Internet Phone(TM) and Netscape's
Cool Talk(TM), offering you the ability to place calls to more
people then any other product.
*PhoneFree features integrated Voice Mail to any user with an email
address... and they don't need any special software to retrieve their
messages!
Home Page Site - http://www.phonefree.com/
Name/Version Release Date Size Price
PhoneBook95 2.0 5/07/97 1,421kb Shareware $20.00
A powerful yet easy to use 32-bit Phone/Address Book Management
Application. Organize all your phone #'s, addresses, e-mail addresses etc.
with ease. Includes search and dialing capability. Also comes with an
install wizard for easy installation.
Home Page Site - http://members.aol.com/lwsoftware/index.html
EDUPAGE STR Focus Keeping the users informed
Edupage
Contents
AT&T Cuts Residential Rates
Agreement On Internet Registration Isn't Unanimous
Administration Favors Hands-Off Approach Toward Internet
AOL, Compuserve & Prodigy Accept FTC Disclosure Requests
Time Warner Pulls Plug On Interactive TV Project
E-Mail Archives Create Legal Burden
Rematch For Kasparov, IBM's Deep Blue
Executive Jumps From American Sky
"Education Is Actually The Limiting Of Information"
Novell Sues Former Employees For Trade Secret Theft
EC Study Cites Fraud On The Internet
Compaq Says It Thought About Buying DEC
Colleges Say Yahoo! Survey Flawed
Year 2000 "Problem" Saved A Lot Of Money 30 Years Ago
Pentium II & Pentium Pro Bug Report
Telecom Wide Open To Competition In Canada
Laptop Theft Is Rampant
Myhrvold On "Hype And Hoopla"
GTE To Acquire BBN
New Encryption Algorithm
CompuServe, Cyber Promotions Strike Pact On Junk E-Mail
Bacteria-On-A-Chip
Borland Sues Microsoft For Raiding Key Employees
AT&T Could Lose Big To Internet Long-Distance
Microsoft And Reed Elsevier Strike Deal
Fabless Chip Firms Are The Way To Go
What's Next For The Mac?
AT&T CUTS RESIDENTIAL RATES
AT&T has told the Federal Communications Commission that it will lower its
rates by 5% to 15% beginning July 1st for households that do not subscribe
to discount packages for long-distance service (or about half of AT&T's 75
million customers). Sprint and MCI are expected to follow with similar
reductions, as yet undetermined. The FCC this week is likely to create $3-
4 billion "universal service" trust fund for providing basic phone service
to poor, disabled and rural customers and for wiring schools, libraries and
isolated health care centers; to shift long-distance access charges to
flat monthly charges; and to increase the cost of second residential
phone lines from $3.50 to $4.50 a month and raise the cost of multiple
business lines. (New York Times 4 May 1997)
AGREEMENT ON INTERNET REGISTRATION ISN'T UNANIMOUS
Fifty-seven companies and organizations, including Digital Equipment and
MCI, have signed the proposal put forth by the International Ad Hoc
Committee to create seven new top-level Internet domain names and appoint
28 new name registrars. An additional 23 have indicated their willingness
to sign, but a number of other companies, including AT&T, IBM and PSINet,
are either still considering the proposal or have voiced their opposition
to the plan. The U.S. government and the European Commission also have
expressed their reservations. Unless there's unanimous agreement by all
major Internet providers on how the registration should proceed, some e-
mail could be rendered undeliverable and some addresses could be assigned
more than
once. (Wall Street Journal 2 May 97)
ADMINISTRATION FAVORS HANDS-OFF
APPROACH TOWARD INTERNET
The Clinton administration is working on a White Paper outlining its
position on electronic encryption and Internet commerce issues, says Ira
Magaziner, senior advisor to the president for policy development. A
number of principles will be articulated in the White Paper, including:
The Internet should be a tax- and duty- free zone; governments of the
world should agree to avoid regulating electronic payments systems;
private sector consortia, rather than governments, should set technical
standards; a uniform commercial code should be developed; protection of
intellectual property on the Internet is important; voluntary ratings and
filtering systems should be used rather than government-imposed censorship
of indecent material on the Internet; and a market-oriented approach to
privacy is preferable to government regulation. (BNA Daily Report for
Executives 30 Apr 97)
AOL, COMPUSERVE & PRODIGY ACCEPT FTC
DISCLOSURE REQUEST
Accused by the Federal Trade Commission of offering free trial memberships
that resulted in customers receiving unexpected charges, online service
companies America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy have promised to clearly
and prominently explain the rules of free membership and to provide trial
members an easy way of canceling the service. (New York Times 2 May 97)
TIME WARNER PULLS PLUG ON INTERACTIVE TV PROJECT
Time Warner is shutting down its interactive television experiment Orlando,
Florida, which allowed customers to shop, order movies, and bank using
their TV sets. The company insists that the experiment was just an
exercise to prove technical feasibility rather than a test of market
viability for interactive television. One industry analyst estimates that
the experiment, which served 4,000 families that paid $3.95 a month for the
service, cost Time Warner $700 million. (Washington Post 2 May 97)
E-MAIL ARCHIVES CREATE LEGAL BURDEN
With untold billions of e-mail messages stored on tapes and disk drives in
companies and organizations throughout the country, legal experts now say
that the electronic discovery process in lawsuits is now becoming a mini-
industry, with the threat of having to pay the expense of delving into
mountains of e-mail archives now acting as a catalyst for settling many
commercial cases rather than defending them. "On one hard drive that
takes up 10 square inches, you can store more than you can store on the
whole floor of a building," says the CEO of Electronic Evidence Discovery,
a company that provides computer support to parties in litigation. "Just
the threat of conducting electronic discovery is a very powerful
negotiation tool." Some judges have dealt with the issue by placing the
burden of the search on the plaintiff, but this raises another problem --
most defendants don't want someone who's in the process of suing them
poking around in their computer files. Judge Paul Niemeyer of the U.S.
Court of Appeals in Baltimore is engaged in a national effort to re-examine
the federal rules governing electronic discovery: "I sense that discovery
is being used as a tool of oppression, rather than as a tool of fairness."
(Miami Herald 1 May 97)
REMATCH FOR KASPAROV, IBM'S DEEP BLUE
Garry Kasparov has the first move in Saturday's opening of a six-game
rematch against IBM's chess-playing supercomputer, nicknamed Deep Blue.
The last match, held in February 1996, began with a stunning first-game
victory for Deep Blue, followed by three wins and two draws for Kasparov.
"I had no preparation for the first match," says Kasparov. "I had to
improvise after game one... Obviously, they have a better machine this
time, and they learned a lot from that match. But if I'm able to play
chess and not lose my concentration, it's more in my hands than theirs."
The RS/6000 SP supercomputer has been sequestered for the past year, and
the research team has assembled a database that supplies Deep Blue with
all the opening moves made by grand masters during the past 100 years.
Deep Blue's system is capable of calculating 50 billion to 100 billion
moves in three minutes. (TechWire 2 May 97) The winner of Game 1 was
Kasparov, after Deep Blue resigned following Kasparov's 45th move. The
game lasted just under 4 hours. (New York Times 4 May 1997)
EXECUTIVE JUMPS FROM AMERICAN SKY
The chairman of American Sky Broadcasting, the U.S. satellite business
owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., has resigned his position,
presumably because Murdoch's attempt to buy EchoStar Communications seems
to have failed. EchoStar and News Corp. have been arguing over what kind
encryption technology should be used for scrambling satellite television
systems, but industry analysts say there may be other issues in play --
such as a fight over voting control or a revised estimate of how long it
would take the project to be profitable. (AP 1 May 97)
"EDUCATION IS ACTUALLY THE LIMITING OF INFORMATION"
Author David Shenk ("Data Smog," HarperCollins, 1997) says that wiring the
schools may be the wrong approach toward improving education: "I think we
need to be very, very skeptical for a number of reasons. First of all,
it's important to realize that education is not the same as accessing
information. We don't have a roblem accessing information easily and
cheaply in this country. We've had great libraries and even adequate
school libraries for a long time. Education is actually the limiting of
information. You have a teacher who lets in a little information each day
in each class that fits in with what you already know and puts it in
context. A child adds a building block per class to help formulate
knowledge and wisdom. Then they're able to go out and access information
and learn more themselves. Let's be very skeptical when people like the
president and vice president say this is going to revolutionize education.
I think that is absolute hogwash." (Investor's Business Daily 30 Apr 97)
NOVELL SUES FORMER EMPLOYEES
FOR TRADE SECRET THEFT
Novell Inc. has filed suit in state court in Salt Lake City against three
former software engineers and their start- up company, Wolf Mountain Group,
accusing them of stealing a clustering technology they helped develop while
Novell employees. The technology enables dozens of computers to act
together as one giant machine. Novell also alleged trademark
infringement, as the code name of the technology is Wolf Mountain. The
three denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to change the name of their
business. They have said they plan to market the clustering technology
to companies that use the Windows NT operating system. (Wall Street
Journal 5 May 97)
EC STUDY CITES FRAUD ON THE INTERNET
A study conducted by Deloitte & Touche on behalf of the European Commission
estimates that international fraud has cost the European Union anywhere
from 6 billion to 60 billion European currency units, with much of that
fraud perpetrated over the Internet. "At its simplest, the Internet allows
a fraudster to set out a site on the World Wide Web which claims to be the
site of a reputable company or organization. Victims are then induced to
part with funds via credit card payments, or induced to reveal valuable
information. At least one major international bank is known,
confidentially, to have suffered from this although details of losses are
not available," says the study. And while encryption can help ameliorate
some of the problems, it is a "double- edged sword" says the study, because
it can also shield the nefarious doings of crooks on the Net. The study
calls for international cooperation among governments in apprehending
electronic fraudsters, and says the issue poses "huge" challenges to law
enforcement and civil agencies: "The traditional sources of forensic and
other evidence will become rarer, and a range of new types of evidence
will need to be acceptable to the courts." (BNA Daily Report for
Executives 5 May 97)
COMPAQ SAYS IT THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING DEC
Compaq Computer has admitted it has been discussing a takeover with Digital
Equipment officials for the past couple of years, but says talks broke down
last summer over management and structural issues. Back in 1995, Digital
agreed to a selling price somewhere between $9 billion and $10 billion, but
then backed away from the deal. At the time, Digital's market valuation
was about $6.5 billion. Digital had wanted to maintain its headquarters
in Massachusetts, and also wanted to maintain its identity as part of a new
brand that would incorporate the names of both companies. Also, Digital
officials balked at the proposed chain of command, which would have had
several of Digital's senior managers reporting to Compaq executives. For
its part, Compaq was interested primarily in Digital's $6-billion
services organization, which maintained a strong presence in Europe and
Asia. Talks renewed in 1996, but fizzled in early September, when both
sides finally agreed an acquisition didn't make sense. (Wall Street
Journal 5 May 97)
COLLEGES SAY YAHOO! SURVEY FLAWED
College administrators have attacked the recent Yahoo! Internet Life
ratings of "America's 100 Most Wired Colleges," calling the survey
methodology and data collection flawed. Although many complaints came from
colleges that didn't make the list, even those that ranked fairly high have
expressed their doubts: "The methodology of the survey leaves a great
deal to bedesired," says Martin Ringle of Reed College. "Reed is listed as
having three network connections for every four beds. In fact, the ratio
is one to one." Meanwhile, David Smallen of Hamilton College, which did
not make the top 100, says, "I was blown away. Fifty percent of the data
is totally wrong." The survey's coordinator says she got much of the
information from the school's coordinator of telephone and secretarial
services in the office of information-technology services. In Georgia
Tech's case, they were left off the list because they did not return the
questionnaire in time, even though, following last summer's Olympic Games,
Georgia Tech has some of the most advanced networking among higher
education institutions. (Chronicle of Higher Education 9 May 97)
YEAR 2000 "PROBLEM" SAVED A LOT OF MONEY 30 YEARS AGO
An article in the Journal of Systems Management last year pointed out that
the two-digit date fields that are causing all kinds of computational
conniptions these days, actually were cost-effective over the long run:
"The two-digit format saved the typical organization over $1,000,000 per
gigabyte of total storage in the 30-year period from 1963-1992." If that
money had been wisely invested, these organizations could have reaped $15
million per gigabyte over that same period. Judged by the costs involved
in now fixing the problem, it was a "small price to pay." (Wall Street
Journal 6 May 97)
PENTIUM II & PENTIUM PRO BUG REPORT
An unidentified college professor claims to have found a bug in Intel's
Pentium Pro chip and its new Pentium II chip designed for high-end
computers. Intel is investigating the report, and says it will publish
information about the problem if the report is true. The problem involves
the floating point unit, which determines the accuracy of very precise
numbers. (New York Times 6 May 97)
TELECOM WIDE OPEN TO COMPETITION IN CANADA
The Canadian regulatory agency CRTC issued landmark rulings on Thursday
yesterday that will open the telecommunications sector to competition in
Canada. The federal regulator issued five decisions that end the
monopolies of phone companies and cable companies. The phone companies can
apply beginning June 16th for broadcast licenses to allow them to compete
in the $3-billion-per-year cable industry. Competition in local phone
services is expected to see rates increase by about $3 per month, and it is
expected to have a greater benefit for businesses than for consumers.
(Toronto Star 2 May 97)
LAPTOP THEFT IS RAMPANT
Last year, a record 265,000 laptop computers worth $804.8 million were
stolen in the United States, according to SafeWare, a computer insurance
firm. That number is up 27% from 1995. To combat the theft, companies
are turning to asset management software, which records computer serial
numbers, the employee assigned to the machine and other information, or
theft software such as CompuTrace, made by Absolute. CompuTrace works by
installing a hidden software program that automatically dials Absolute's
headquarters every two weeks. The call is then traced by AT&T Canada and
the phone number is cross-checked with the owner's file. If the number
doesn't match up, the laptop is told to call the center again in five
minutes. By tracing the phone call every five minutes, police can
pinpoint the laptop's location. U.S. officials point out that CompuTrace
couldn't work here, where companies are not allowed to use AT&T's
automatic number identification information to sell services to a
customer. (Investor's Business Daily 5 May 97)
MYHRVOLD ON "HYPE AND HOOPLA"
Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold says: "There's a
tumultuous compression of time scales, where the hype and the hoopla - the
general-press and public-interest -- people have been living in the future.
All you get is 'Bell Atlantic and T.C.I. are going to take over the earth!'
And then, 'Oops. No, they're not.' And then, 'The cable companies are
King!' And: 'Oops. No, the cable companies are broke!' ... The noise is
much stronger than the signal. A year ago, people were writing Microsoft
off. Netscape and the Internet were going to kill us. We were dead meat.
That was premature. Some people have said more recently, 'Oh, my God,
they've won! It's all over!' That's premature, too. Striking the right
balance is such a funny thing. You have this high-frequency oscillation.
If you try to take a medium path through it, half the time you're a crazy
Luddite. The other half the time you're a crazy optimist. I'd rather be
both -- and God damn it -- than just change with the wind and say, 'Oops!
Oh, I guess the next thing is x.' Or: 'Push technology.' That was the
big thing last month -- 'The Internet is all going to push.' Oh no, it
isn't!" (New Yorker 12 May 97)
GTE TO ACQUIRE BBN
GTE Corp. will purchase Internet pioneer BBN Corp. for $616 million, giving
GTE control over BBN's high- powered network of routers, servers and
specialized communications lines. The move instantly positions GTE as a
major player in Internet communications, and gives it a broader base of
networking assets from which to launch competitive strikes against AT&T
and the Baby Bells. "This is big," says GTE's chairman. "This is the way
to grow this company. We're getting ready for the 21st century." BBN
currently provides much of the networking for AT&T's Internet services for
businesses, but that contract could be canceled when the ownership
changes. "We've made it clear since the beginning of our relationship with
BBN that we would eventually move our business customers onto our own
Internet backbone facilities," says an AT&T spokeswoman, who added that
both companies are committed to making the transition painless for its
customers. (Wall Street Journal 7 May 97)
NEW ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM
IBM says that Miklos Atjai and Cynthia Dwork, two researchers at the
company's laboratory in San Jose, California, have devised a computer
encryption formula that is virtually impossible to crack and that would
help reduce the vulnerability of "public key" encryption systems requiring
a person receiving an encrypted message to have a number (or "key") known
only to the recipient. The encryption system developed by Atjai and Dwork
confronted a mathematical problem which had defied solution by
mathematicians for 150 years. However, not all computer security experts
regard the new formula as a breakthrough; computer security consultant
Bruce Schneirer says: "Cryptography is a lot more than math," and that the
real challenge is creating computer systems that are not vulnerable to
attack by software vandals. (New York Times 7 May 97)
COMPUSERVE, CYBER PROMOTIONS STRIKE PACT
ON JUNK E-MAIL
CompuServe and Cyber Promotions have reached an agreement that would ban
Cyber Promotions from sending unsolicited e-mail messages to CompuServe
subscribers. Under the terms, which the two companies will ask a U.S.
judge to accept, Cyber Promotions would pay CompuServe $65,000 for lawyers'
fees and be liable for damages if it violates the pact. In return,
CompuServe will give $30,000 in advertising to Cyber Promotions.
(Investor's Business Daily 7 May 97)
BACTERIA-ON-A-CHIP
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using live bacteria, fixed
onto silicon chips, to test for traces of pollution that could linger
following a toxic waste clean-up effort. The engineers used a common
microorganism that had been genetically altered to emit a bluish glow in
the presence of naphthalene -- a component in jet fuels. The microbes are
placed in a porous polymer matrix on the surface of the chip, and when
they start to glow, the chip sounds an alarm. The scientists hope that
eventually these critters-on-a-chip could be deployed by the dozens at any
polluted site. Using a variety of microbes to detect different chemicals,
the chips could send back wireless progress reports for a fraction of the
cost of the optical fiber sensors and bulky electronic equipment used
today. (Business Week 12 May 97)
BORLAND SUES MICROSOFT FOR RAIDING KEY EMPLOYEES
Software firm Borland International has filed a lawsuit charging Microsoft
with hampering Borland's ability to compete by hiring away from Borland at
least 34 of its top software architects, engineerings and marketing
managers during the past two and a half years. The Microsoft response is
that employee defections are common in the software industry, and that
"Microsoft wants to hire smart people working on software problems, and if
those people are at Borland, then the company wants to hire Borland
people." But Borland chief executive Delbert Yocam says that Microsoft
"is hell-bent on seeing the demise of our company... It's like you're in
the desert and Microsoft is stealing your water bottle." (New York Times
8 May 97)
AT&T COULD LOSE BIG TO INTERNET LONG-DISTANCE
A study by Phillips Tarifica Ltd. predicts that AT&T Corp. could lose up to
$350 million in long-distance revenues in the year 2001, as more users
migrate to the Internet for their long-distance calling service. U.S. long-
distance carriers as a whole could see their revenues drop by $620 million
to $925 million, according to the study. "The Internet isn't a big threat
(to AT&T and others) in the immediate future. But in five to 10 years, a
significant migration will take place from traditional telephony to the
Internet medium," says the author of the report. (Wall Street Journal 7
May 97)
MICROSOFT AND REED ELSEVIER STRIKE DEAL
Reed Elsevier, the British and Dutch publishing company that owns the Lexis-
Nexis online information service, have agreed to a $30 million deal that
will allow Reed Elsevier to use Microsoft's commercial Internet-oriented
system applications for future electronic offerings in the scientific,
legal, business and travel information markets. (New York Times 8 May 97)
FABLESS CHIP FIRMS ARE THE WAY TO GO
The chairman of the Fabless Semiconductor Association says chipmakers who
outsource their production (fabless) have distinct advantages over more
traditional design-and-build-it companies: "It used to be you could build
these fabs for $2 million. Now, it's going up to $1.2 billion. Once
you've built this wonderful plant you really want to run a lot of product
through it so you can make some money. Fabless semiconductor companies
get to spend all of their research and development money on new circuit
development. They have the ability to have leadership products. But if
you're a vertically integrated company (both designing and building chips),
half your budget is spent on new circuits and half your budget is spent on
new process development." (Investor's Business Daily 8 May 97)
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE MAC?
Dan Ahlberg, a product manager in Apple's user-experience group, gives a
preview of the Apple's next MacOS: "It will look more like a Mac than it
will look like a Next machine, because there's a large installed Mac base.
Where some of the Next functionality is going to be more apparent is where
there are known to be some problems with the Mac interface, and where
Next's technology is applicable for solving that. We need to make
something that appeals to the novice and doesn't confuse them -- yet
provide for customization that makes advanced users happy." Ahlberg says
the next MacOS might even support a Unix command line for techies: "The
majority of Macintosh users would never know that such a capability even
could exist. But it may be made available. We've heard for a long time
that some Mac users want access to a command-line interface." (Information
Week 28 Apr 97)
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For Immediate Release
Sylvan PrometricT Launches End-User Certification
Testing for Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7 Applications
Baltimore, MD and Ottawa, ON - April 28, 1997 -- Sylvan Prometric and
Corel Corporation announced today the availability of end-user
certification testing for Corelr WordPerfectr Suite 7 office productivity
applications. The first test for Corelr WordPerfectr 7 is available now,
with testing for Corelr PresentationsT 7 and Corelr Quattror Pro 7 to
follow in the next 60 days.
Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 testing is available at Authorized Prometric
Testing CentersT throughout North America and in selected international
countries. Global availability of the exam will follow shortly.
The Corel WordPerfect Suite Certification Program has three levels of
certification-Resource, Expert and Instructor. The Resource exam covers
the basic features and functions of the application. The Expert exam
combines basic coverage with an examination of more advanced capabilities.
Users can become certified at the Resource or Expert level in Corel
WordPerfect, Corel Quattro Pro, and/or Corel Presentations. To be
certified at the Instructor level, candidates will be required to pass the
Expert level exams in all three applications and meet additional
requirements as determined by Corel.
"We are extremely pleased to have Sylvan Prometric rolling out our new
Corel WordPerfect certification program," said Dr. Michael Cowpland,
president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "Corel has
committed itself to providing an effective means of measuring the skill
sets of end users and instructors alike."
The exam development process is based on rigorous examination of the tasks
that end-users perform. Exam questions were constructed and standardized
by conducting a number of interviews with Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 users
and subject matter experts. Psychometricians, experienced in creating
technology certification tests, ensured that bias and ambiguity were
removed. The result is exams that are credible and reflect the knowledge
requirements that end-users must demonstrate in order to perform on the
job.
Certification candidates who successfully pass an exam will receive a
certificate acknowledging their accomplishment as well as eligibility to
purchase Corel's academic products. Corelr Certified Instructors will
receive authorization to use Corel program logos, access to a special Corel
web site for instructors and Corel Authorized Training Centers, free
technical support on a toll line and a monthly newsletter from Corel's
Education Division. More details about Corel's Certification Program can
be found on Corel's Web site at http://www.corel.com/education.
Pricing for the Certified Resource exam and Certified Expert exam is $55
U.S. and $80 U.S. respectively in both Canada and the U.S. For a limited
time, the Certified Expert Exam will be offered at $55 U.S. in North
America.
Outside North America, pricing for the Certified Resource exam and the
Certified Expert exam is $75 U.S. and $90 U.S. respectively (exam prices
are higher in Japan and may be in local currency depending upon the country
in which the exam is delivered). Prices are subject to change without
notice.
Interested candidates may register to take an exam by calling Corel's
registration and scheduling number at Sylvan Prometric in the US at 1-800-
662-6735. Internationally, candidates can contact one of the Sylvan
Prometric International Regional Service Centers located around the world.
The service centers will help the candidate locate the APTC closest to them
and will schedule the exam on receipt of payment. Payments can be made by
credit card or cheque, with special arrangements available for companies
and other organizations wishing to pay for their employees' or members'
exams.
>From the reaction to the March preliminary announcement of the program, it
appears that there is significant demand, including interest from
corporations and corporate training departments. Temporary help companies
seeking to provide prospective clients with an independent standard to
evaluate the quality of their personnel, have also expressed an interest in
Corel's certification program. For the first time, organizations who
provide their own training for Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 applications, or
use independent trainers, will be better equipped to certify the
proficiency of their personnel.
Sylvan Prometric
Sylvan Prometric is the computer-based testing division of Sylvan Learning
Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLVN), the world's leading provider of supplemental
educational services to families, schools and industry. The global leader
in the delivery of technology-based assessment services for academic
assessment and professional licensure and certification, Sylvan Prometric
also delivers certification testing for other IT industry leaders including
Novellr, Microsoftr, IBMr and AutoDeskr.
Corel Corporation
Incorporated in 1985, Corel Corporation is recognized internationally as an
award-winning developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics
and Internet software. Corel's product line includes CorelDRAWT, Corelr
WordPerfectr Suite, Corelr Office Professional, Corelr WebMaster Suite,
CorelVIDEOT and CorelCADT. Corel's products run on most operating systems,
including: Windowsr, Macintoshr, UNIX, MS-DOS, and OpenVMS and are
consistently rated among the strongest in the industry. The company ships
its products in over 17 languages through a network of more than 160
distributors in 70 countries worldwide. Corel is traded on the Toronto
Stock Exchange (symbol: COS) and the NASDAQ - National Market System
(symbol: COSFF). For more information visit Corel's home page on the
Internet at http://www.corel.com.
Corel, WordPerfect, Presentations, CorelDRAW, CorelVIDEO and CorelCAD are
registered trademarks or trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel
Corporation Limited. Sylvan and Sylvan Learning Systems Centers are
registered trademarks and Authorized Prometric Testing Centers and Sylvan
Prometric are trademarks of Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., in the U.S. and
Canada. All product and company names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
STR Editor's Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
Editor's MailBag
Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 03:18:22 +0200From:
Olaf_Maschmeyer@p46.f6.n2437.z2.fido.sub.de (Olaf Maschmeyer)Subject: Your
Control Freak Article
Message-ID: <MSGID_2=3A2437=2F6.46_46531d83@fidonet.org>
To: rmariano@streport.com
Ralph, Stuart
<more than slightly annoyed, in one hand a dictionary>
I wonder how anybody can be so ignorant like the both of you. With a
history like Your country's, built on wiping out the Native American's
society and economic layers, even at a time when there were no more excuses
like France, England or Spain, and the killing of almost 90 percent of
their population (which of course doesn't make up with the happenings of
WWII) I would not claim wisdom like You do. There's only one small but
decisive difference. The American Indians didn't win. People calling for
responsibility were never taken serious, rather laughed at. Where is Your
responsibility ? Based on "adjusting" or should I better say "breaking"
contracts whenever economy (!) required it be done the US have become the
super nation. Whatever could not be bought was destroyed. I'm not saying
I'd rather liked a different outcome of WWII, I'm asking for accepting that
there are different ways of doing, all of which could be right, as neither
might. With a higher population rate per squarefoot no country can afford
absolute freedom; there need to be regulations, maybe the higher the more.
Japanese people have "embracing traditions" based on religion, Singapore
has something like "economic traditions", an adaption of traditional and
economic ideas in such a manner that even Japan could be called amateurish
when it comes to economics. Hong Kong is purely economics with a trace of
traditions (where applicable), leaving nothing much of personal freedom
like we know and take for granted. Not much later in the list of pop/sqft
there is something like Germany and even China comes after (!), long before
the USA.
You said "The point I tried to make was that the German Nation, after
all these years hasn't learned a thing. They're trying to act like they
must lead everyone's lives for them." The German Nation at its rate of
pop/sqft cannot afford such luxury as letting anybody do whatever they
feel to. One reason is the responsibility to never let something like 3rd
Reich happen again and that is hard to achieve with Nazi-ideas being spread
from *sites in the USA and Canada*, some even claiming the holocaust
didn't happen and some going so far as talking of a "collective suicide"
in the concentration camps. That's learning from history ? Wow. Others are
environmental reasons, for example. We need to protect whatever is left of
"pure environment" since we have not that much spare left and if it takes
to let go of various things we now think of to be existencial. What we also
can't do is protect the citizens from the(ir) politicians and that's bad
enough. There are still people who believe that Germany should try become
something like a "Baby US" with all the information available first hand,
what differences there are (esp. those worse). That reminds me of somebody
of great promiscuity seeing aids and other sexual diseases spread and
deliberately choosing never to use condoms, because they want complete
freedom. Some regulations are a bit over the top, of course, while others
are far from good, but all in all it's good; I'd go so far as saying
probably a lot better than in the States. There is less but enough freedom
for most people and more (almost enough) protection for the others.
What's frightening me is how people dare come up with accusations of
Germany being like before WWII. My nation has learnt our lesson but somehow
whenever there are financial or economic reasons or absolutely no reasons
at all people from other countries tend to be blind-eyed. Your country let
McCarthy happen, not mine. McCarthy is past, now it's Scientology.
Everybody who has eyes to see *knows* the accusations made by CoS of
Germany suppressing them or even more (comparing their situation with the
holocaust) is nothing but pure fiction but nobody dares speak up for fear
of being banned. Of course there is the right of free speech but you must
never say the truth when the one it is about is more powerful than You are.
Maybe that's the land of the free but then again where have the brave gone?
I hope we will never again allow such things to happen in Germany - we
are still labouring on the remainder of the GDR-Stasi files. And as a
means to achieve that there must be regulations - even those regulations
that you claim must be erased.
Olaf
Olaf,
I read and re-read your post and honestly, I find no other way to
answer you than to say. you've debated yourself in this post. You've
actually countered just about every argument you present. You left nothing
for me to say but to congratulate you on knowing what Liberty and Freedom
are. and yet I must mourn for you not having achieved these very basic and
wonderful qualities of life. Also don't allow yourself the luxury of
wearing horse blinders. you see. no matter what's said or implied about
this country, the USA, you still must admit our freedoms . far out weigh
any other and are the envy of every nation on this planet Earth. The good
old USA is still the land of "The Land of the Free and the Home of the
Brave". Just ask Sadam Hussein or better yet, ask any Kuwaiti Citizen.
The USA may have its WARTS.. But they're prettiest doggoned WARTS you'll
ever see! <g>
Ralph.
Kids Computing Corner
Frank Sereno, Editor
fsereno@streport.com
The Kids' Computing Corner
Computer news and software reviews
from a parent's point of view
In the News
Storybook Weaver Deluxe Contest
We have a winner in the software giveaway that was jointly promoted by
MECC, The Learning Company and The Kids' Computing Corner. Yisroel
Leichtman of Chicago is the lucky recipient of a copy of MECC's Storybook
Weaver Deluxe for both Windows and Macintosh computers. It will be mailed
off to him ASAP.
Garage Band
A Learning Cube
Windows CD-ROM
Street Price: $29.95
For all struggling musicians
L3 Interactive
3000 W. Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90404
310-264-4188 (telephone)
310-264-4191 (fax)
http://www.learningcube.com
Program Requirements
OS: Windows 3.1
CPU: 486/50
HD Space: N/A
Memory: 8 MB
Graphics: 640 x 480, 256 colors
CD-ROM: Double-speed
Audio: 8-bit sound card
Optional: mouse, printer
review by Jason Sereno (jason.sereno@mules-ear.com)
There are countless musicians in the U.S.A and all over the world who
haven't caught their big break yet and probably never will. Being a
musician and being a successful musician are two different things. Many
kids play in their garages and hope for some big name producer to hear them
and sign them for a major record deal. These bands are all over the place,
probably in your town too. They are willing to play birthday parties or
special events while hoping someone in the business will see them. If they
had some useful information that they could use to their advantage, they
might not need a big break to succeed and could actually do it themselves.
This is where L3 Interactive comes in. L3 Interactive's Garage Band is
another fun and very informative use of their Learning Cube interface.
Garage Band uses interviews with people in the business and also talks to
four so called "garage bands" about their lives and struggles to get
noticed. It uses QuickTime movies and the award-winning Learning Cube
interface to easily pinpoint information for you. The program is
essentially like an informative music video that will help would-be rock
legends to become overnight sensations.
The Learning Cube interface is a method to find information easily and
quickly without searching through numerous paragraphs and steps. The
interface is a cube that has three sections and each section has three
chapters that you can select from the main cube screen. Each chapter then
has three more divisions, or segments, that really pinpoint the information
you seek. You can choose to read the information or watch a video. The
only problem with the interface is that it suffers from lengthy animation
sequences between user input. Each time you advance or go back a step, the
program will say what you are doing out load and then magically whisk part
of the cube back or forward from the previous screen. This sequence is
somewhat entertaining at first, but after time the animated sequences
become boring and waste time. I love the simplicity, but time on the
computer, just like in a recording studio, is money.
Garage Band interviews the members of four distinct bands: Third Grade
Teacher, Hairball, Pink Floyd and the Barber, and The Mutts. (Nice names,
huh?) Garage Band interviews the members, gives their backgrounds, and
displays a video from each band. Their music is unique. Because the word
"Alternative" is so overused and has really lost all meaning, "Alternative"
is now considered mainstream. I guess you can call these bands all
"Alternative" in the more traditional sense of the word. There are some
reasons why these bands lack recognition. One song refers to naked
children and the other songs didn't really appeal to me. I consider myself
to be of the age group that the bands are trying to reach to sell albums,
but the music just wasn't that catchy and it didn't have a real edge in my
opinion. There was one song that had a sort of jazz sound to it. Now the
word for new age jazz music is SKA. You can learn this and many other
slang terms in the video.
I did, however, enjoy the producer's segment about recordings and having
good studio sessions. He knew much about harmonics and seemed to be a good
source of advice. The program has an option where you can actually be a
producer, too. You can mix the bass, guitar, drum, and vocals in a song.
You can also add reverb and chorus to add depth to the song that is
playing. There is only one song though, and you can only play the sound
levels you have selected after you have stopped the music. You cannot
change the mix or volume when the song is playing. There is no middle
setting either. The sound will be either on or off, and the guitar and
vocals cannot be switched at all. This feature needs improvement.
The program uses QuickTime movies to show the interviews with people. The
sound seems to be of low quality, but it may improve with better sound
cards. There was static when people made "S" sounds when the program was
played on my computer. The message still comes across clear though, and
the audio is pretty much in synch with the QuickTime video.
Garage Bands is a useful for musicians who wish to make it to the "Big
Time." There is a lot of useful information from both people who are
trying to make it in the Music World and the people you will meet once you
get there. The Learning Cube interface lets you get around from subject to
subject with ease. This is a great tool for young people in the music
scene who hope to make it in the glamour world of Rock n Roll.
Creative Labs NewsWire STR Infofile
Creative's $99.99 Sound Blaster AWE64 Value
To Take Industry By Storm
New 64-Voice Advanced Wave-Table Sound Card Aims
At
Upgrading 40 Million Sound Blaster Users
MILPITAS, CA - May 8, 1997 - In its commitment to provide PC users with the
high-quality audio experience popularized by the Sound Blasterr AWE
series, Creative Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CREAF) today announced the addition
of the Sound Blaster AWE64 Value to its award-winning family of audio
solutions. Targeted at over 70 million existing PC users, the Sound
Blaster AWE64 Value delivers a sensational 64-voice audio experience with
the latest in Creative's Advanced WavEffectsT technologies. The unrivaled
low price of US$99.99, makes it a "must buy" for all users who have yet to
experience advanced wave-table audio.
With its patented audio technology, the Sound Blaster AWE64 Value delivers
a crisp, expressive and realistic audio experience that is customizable to
suit individual preferences. With its cutting-edge advanced audio
technology, the AWE 64 Value represents the first solution of this caliber
to be made available at what had been an entry-level, 16-bit audio price-
point.
"Creative did a great service to their customers by offering much of the
high-end technology of their AWE64 Gold card on a card for the general
consumer," said Rob Enderle, senior analyst at Giga Information Group, a
Santa Clara, Calif.-based research firm. "The Sound Blaster AWE64 Value
provides consumers with a wonderful upgrade card at a great price."
Sound Blaster AWE64 Value
Developed in response to Creative's customers' demands, the Sound Blaster
AWE64 Value provides value- conscious customers with an audio solution that
delivers sophisticated audio playback that includes an impressive bundle
of applications. Included with the sound card is a wide variety of software
that takes advantage of the AWE64 Value's capabilities, such as Creative
Multimedia Deck, Microsoftr Internet Explorer and NetMeeting , Vienna
SoundFontr Studio, Progressive Network's RealAudio Player and Creative
Video WebPhone . The AWE64 value provides a complete solution combining
the Advanced WavEffects engine with Creative WaveSynth/WGT to deliver a
powerful audio experience.
"Last year, we set out to make Advanced WavEffects audio the minimum
standard for the high-end PC market. With the introduction of the Sound
Blaster AWE64 Value we're making high-quality audio solutions available
for everyone," said Craig McHugh, vice president and general manager of
Creative Labs, Inc. "Our Advanced WavEffects solutions enable users to
experience immersive game audio, Internet communications, explore
interactive multimedia titles and improve their overall enjoyment of the
PC."
Advanced WavEffects Technology and Creative WaveSynth/WG
The Advanced WavEffects technology combined with Creative WaveSynth/WGT
available in the AWE 64 Value include: 64-note polyphony, E-mu-based
professional-quality wave-table audio, Sondiusr WaveGuide technology,
SoundFontr technology and E-mu 3D Positional AudioT. The Advanced
WavEffects engine employs a unique process for the sampling and playback
of audio with a patented multi-point smoothing algorithm. The AWE engine's
multi-point interpolation algorithm produces a richer audio experience and
also provides the ability to replace and customize sounds and effects with
SoundFont sample sets. In addition, the AWE64 Value has 512K of random
access memory (RAM) that is fully upgradeable to 28MB for customization
with SoundFont technology.
Creative Technology Ltd. is the world's leading provider of advanced
multimedia solutions for personal computers, including sound, graphics,
communications and video conferencing products. The company's Sound
Blaster technology has been accepted as the worldwide standard sound
platform for PCs, with more than 40 million installed, and the company's
global distribution network is among the most extensive in the multimedia
industry. Creative is focused on enhancing the overall user experience by
providing powerful, enabling, high- value technology for the mass market.
This announcement relates to products whose launch are in the United States
of America. The product names, contents, prices and availability may
differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks and Creative
WaveSynth/WG and E-mu 3D Positional Audio are trademarks of Creative
Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. SoundFont is a
registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc. Microsoft is either a registered
trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or
other countries. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of
their respective owners and are hereby recognized as such. Sondius (R)
Sound Synthesis made under license from the Board of Trustees of the Leland
Stanford Junior University. Sondius (R) and the Sondius (R) symbol are
trademarks of the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior
University. This product contains one or more programs under international
and U.S. copyright Laws as unpublished works. They are confidential and
proprietary to the Board of trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior
University. There reproduction or disclosure, in whole or in part, or the
production of derivative works therefrom without the express written
permission of the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior
University is prohibited. Copyright 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 by the
Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All right
reserved.
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STReport International Online Magazine
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San Jose, Ca Western Digital has a Problem
Super Snoop sez that after visiting the Western Digital site
http://www.wdc.com/quality/quality.html he found the problem drive is the
Caviar AC31600, which Western Digital says "has been out of production
since August 1996 and, to the best of our knowledge, is no longer
available anywhere". Western Digital has a diagnostic utility (WDDIAG)
that can be downloaded from that web site so that affected users can
analyze and monitor the performance of their AC31600. The WDDIAG program
may instruct the user to contact Western Digital Technical Support at (800)
568-9272 for drive replacement, if necessary. The PC Hardware Forum
threa